Importing an old CV: what to check before you send it

Importing a .docx CV pulls your work history, education and skills into the right sections automatically, which saves the most tedious part of switching templates: retyping everything you've already written.

Automatic imports are a starting point, not a finished product. Dates, job titles and bullet points brought in from a different format are worth a careful read once they land in the new template — formatting quirks from the original document (odd line breaks, merged cells from a table-based CV) occasionally carry over.

It's also a good moment to trim. A CV written five years ago often carries roles or bullet points that no longer serve the job you're applying for now. Importing gives you the full history in front of you; editing it down is still a manual, human step.