Country guide
Turkish CV format: how to write a CV for jobs in Türkiye
In Türkiye the CV goes by two names: özgeçmiş on official forms and "CV" in most job adverts. It is a one- or two-page document with a few local habits, such as a photo and a military service line. This guide covers layout, what personal data to include, and what foreign applicants should check before applying.
What is the standard CV format in Turkey?
A Turkish CV is a one- or two-page document with contact details, a short profile, work experience from the most recent job back, education, skills and language levels. Education and occupation are the core: İŞKUR does not activate a job seeker's registration until both are entered. A photo is common but optional, and sensitive data such as religion or health stays off the page.[1][4]
Turkish CV conventions at a glance
| Topic | Usual in Türkiye |
|---|---|
| Name of the document | Özgeçmiş or CV; both mean the same document. |
| Length | One page for graduates and early careers, two at most for long careers. |
| Photo | Often included, but no rule requires one. If you add it, use a recent, plain-background portrait. |
| Personal details | Name, phone, email and city; male applicants often add military service status. No national ID number, full address, religion, health or blood group. |
| Dates | Month and year, such as 09/2021 – 06/2024. Keep one format throughout. |
| Language | Turkish for local employers; English when the posting is in English. State language levels clearly (English – B2). |
| Cover letter | Takdim mektubu or ön yazı: send a short one when the posting asks or you apply by email. |
| References | "Available on request" (İstenirse verilir) is common. Ask referees first. |
| Application software | Employers may screen through online systems; a single-column PDF with standard headings reads most reliably. |
| Europass | Available in Turkish, and Türkiye has a National Europass Centre. Use it when a posting or programme asks for it. |
Layout and structure of a Turkish CV
Turkish CVs follow a reverse-chronological layout. İŞKUR asks job seekers to enter personal, contact, education, occupation and other details completely and accurately, because vacancies are matched against them, and the same discipline helps on a CV sent to an employer.
| Section | What to include | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| İletişim (contact) | Name, phone, email, city, LinkedIn. Photo optional. | A city is enough; no full address. |
| Profil (profile) | Two or three lines: role, years of experience, strongest result. | Aim it at this job, not your whole career. |
| İş deneyimi (experience) | Dates, title, company, city, three to five achievements. | Most recent first. Say what changed because of your work. |
| Eğitim (education) | Degree, university, years; GPA only if asked or strong. | Name the institution as on your diploma. |
| Yetkinlikler ve diller | Software, certifications, languages with levels. | Use the advert's wording for the same skills. |
| Diğer bilgiler (other) | Military service status, driving licence, references line. | Only what the job needs. |
For phrasing by role, browse resume examples such as the software engineer example or the accountant example.
Photo and personal data: what Turkish law says
Labour Law No. 4857, article 5 sets the principle of equal treatment: no discrimination in the employment relationship based on language, race, colour, sex, disability, political opinion, philosophical belief, religion, sect or similar grounds, and no direct or indirect different treatment because of sex or pregnancy when a contract is concluded, unless biological reasons or the nature of the job require it.
The Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 (KVKK) requires personal data to be relevant, limited and proportionate to the purpose for which it is processed. Article 6 lists special categories, including race, ethnic origin, political opinion, religion, appearance, association or union membership, health, criminal convictions and biometric data, and processing them is prohibited except under specific conditions. There is no reason to put any of this on your CV. A photo, date of birth and marital status are your choice; if the posting does not ask for them, keep them short or leave them out.[4][5]
A skeleton Turkish CV
A one-page outline for a mid-career professional. All data is placeholder text.
İletişim
[Ad Soyad] · Satış Operasyon Uzmanı
İstanbul · +90 5xx xxx xx xx · your-name@example.com
linkedin.com/in/your-name
Profil
Sales operations specialist with five years in FMCG distribution. Builds the reports regional managers plan with.
İş deneyimi
03/2022 – Günümüz · Satış Operasyon Uzmanı · [Şirket], İstanbul
Merged three regional sales reports into one weekly dashboard used by twelve managers.
07/2019 – 02/2022 · Satış Destek Uzmanı · [Şirket], Kocaeli
Eğitim
09/2015 – 06/2019 · İşletme (Lisans) · [Üniversite]
Yetkinlikler ve diller
SAP SD · Power BI · Advanced Excel · English – B2 · German – A2
Diğer bilgiler
Military service: completed · Driving licence: B · References available on request
Example with placeholder details, not a real person
No ID number, full address, religion or blood group. The figures are illustrative; use only results you can explain at interview.
How to write a Turkish CV in six steps
- 01
Read the job advert closely
Note the skills, software and language levels it names. The job description keyword matcher shows which of them your CV does not mention yet.
- 02
Decide on the photo
If you include one, use a recent portrait on a plain background. If the advert says nothing, a CV without a photo is fine.
- 03
Keep personal data short
Name, phone, email, city. Add military service and a driving licence only when relevant. Leave out ID number, religion and health.
- 04
Write achievements, newest first
Three to five points per job, starting with a verb and ending with the result.
- 05
Tailor it to each posting
Reorder points around what the employer asks for. You can optimise your resume for one job straight from the posting link.
- 06
Export to PDF and check
Name the file clearly (Ad-Soyad-CV.pdf) and run the free resume checker before you apply.
Templates that suit Turkish applications
Designs with and without a photo that keep the structure above. All designs are in the template gallery.
European
A European-style layout with a photo, for employers who expect one and for EU applications.
Profile
A round portrait and a clean header, suited to sales, hospitality and client-facing roles.
ATS Plain
The plainest layout, for large employers whose online systems parse CVs automatically.
Cover letters and the application package
İŞKUR's job and career counsellors cover effective CV writing, the cover letter (takdim mektubu) and interview behaviour in their job-search training, so the letter is worth preparing. Keep it to a few paragraphs: the role, two or three achievements that match it and when you can start. The cover letter generator drafts one from the posting in the same design as your CV, and interview prep builds practice questions for the same role.[3]
Where to find jobs in Türkiye
İŞKUR, the Turkish Employment Agency, runs the public job service. Job seekers register online or at a provincial office, enter their CV, and can then see vacancies that match their profile, search domestic and overseas listings and apply. Registration is required to use İŞKUR's services, and a CV without education and occupation details is not activated.
Private boards such as Kariyer.net, LinkedIn, Indeed and Yenibiris also list many Turkish roles, and large employers recruit through their own careers pages.[1][2]
Applying from abroad
Write in Turkish for local employers and in English when the advert is in English; give your Turkish level honestly. Resume translation helps if you need both versions.
To work in Türkiye, foreigners need a work permit (çalışma izni). The employer applies online through e-Devlet. If you do not already hold a Turkish residence permit of at least six months, you first apply for a work visa at the Turkish mission in your country of nationality and pass the 16-digit reference number you receive to the employer, who then files the online application. Some professions are reserved for Turkish citizens by law, including lawyer, notary, pharmacist, dentist and veterinarian. Check the Directorate General of International Labour Force site for current rules rather than figures quoted elsewhere.
For degrees, YÖK's recognition and equivalence office (Türkiye's ENIC-NARIC centre) issues a diploma equivalence certificate that shows which field and level your degree matches in the Turkish system. Foreign nationals who graduated abroad and want to work in their field are among those who can apply.[6][7][8]
Common mistakes on Turkish CVs
- Using a holiday snapshot or cropped group photo instead of a plain portrait.
- Adding national ID number, full address, blood group or religion out of habit.
- Vague language levels such as "good English" instead of a level or concrete use.
- Mixing date formats (2021 in one place, March 2021 in another).
- Listing duties instead of results.
- Sending the same CV to every advert without matching its keywords.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a photo on a Turkish CV?
- No rule requires one. Photos are still common on Turkish CVs, so if you add one, use a recent, professional portrait on a plain background. If the posting does not ask for a photo, a CV without one is fine, and for applications to the UK or US you should leave it out entirely.
- Should I mention military service status?
- Male applicants in Türkiye often add a single line under other information: completed, exempt, or deferred with the deferral end date. Keep it to that one line, without dates of service or unit details. Foreign applicants without Turkish military obligations can leave the line out entirely; if an employer needs more detail, it can ask at interview.
- Can an employer ask about my religion or health?
- Labour Law No. 4857 bans discrimination based on religion, sect, disability and other grounds in the employment relationship, and the KVKK treats religion and health as special categories of personal data that may be processed only under specific conditions. Leave them off your CV: they say nothing about how well you can do the job, and an employer has no need to see them at the application stage.
- Is Europass accepted in Türkiye?
- Yes. Europass is available in Turkish and Türkiye has a National Europass Centre run by the Vocational Qualifications Authority (MYK). Use it when a posting or programme asks for it; otherwise a modern one- or two-page CV works for most applications. If you use the Europass editor, still trim it to what the job needs and add your strongest results near the top.
- How do foreigners get a work permit in Türkiye?
- The employer applies online through e-Devlet. If you are outside Türkiye without a residence permit, you first apply for a work visa at the Turkish mission in your country and give the employer the reference number. Mention on your CV whether you are already resident, so the employer knows which route applies.
Sources
Statements about rules and official guidance rely on these pages. We opened and read each source ourselves on the date shown.
- [1]Kayıt (registration for job seekers) · Türkiye İş Kurumu (İŞKUR)www.iskur.gov.tr/is-arayan/kayit/ ·
- [2]İş Arama (job search) · Türkiye İş Kurumu (İŞKUR)www.iskur.gov.tr/is-arayan/is-arama/ ·
- [3]İş Arayan Danışmanlığı (job-seeker counselling) · Türkiye İş Kurumu (İŞKUR)www.iskur.gov.tr/is-arayan/is-ve-meslek-danismanligi/is-arayan-danismanligi/ ·
- [4]Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698, arts. 4 and 6 · Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK)www.kvkk.gov.tr/Icerik/6649/Personal-Data-Protection-Law ·
- [5]Labour Law No. 4857, art. 5 (Eşit davranma ilkesi) · Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (Presidency of Türkiye)www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.4857.pdf ·
- [6]Çalışma İzni Başvurusu Nasıl Yapılır? (how to apply for a work permit) · Directorate General of International Labour Forcewww.calismaizni.gov.tr/calisma-izni-hakkinda/calisma-izni-basvurusu/ ·
- [7]Professions reserved for Turkish citizens · Directorate General of International Labour Forcewww.calismaizni.gov.tr/calisma-izni-hakkinda/turk_vatandaslarina_hasredilen_meslekler/ ·
- [8]Tanıma ve Denklik Hizmetleri Daire Başkanlığı (recognition and equivalence) · Council of Higher Education (YÖK)denklik.yok.gov.tr/tr/page/75 ·
- [9]Europass Hakkında (Europass in Turkish) · European Commission, Europasseuropass.europa.eu/tr/about-europass ·
- [10]National Europass Centres · European Commission, Europasseuropass.europa.eu/en/national-europass-centres ·
Keep reading
Applying in Türkiye? Check your CV first
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