Check the actual document
A neat form is only the starting point. Review the document an employer will receive, especially after an import or a template change. This guide explains KiwiCV’s document behaviour and gives you checks you can perform yourself. It is product guidance, not a claim that every New Zealand employer prefers one format.
KiwiCV uses the same line and page breaks for its live preview and generated PDF. The Word download stays editable; opening or editing it in another application can change pagination. Review the version you intend to send.
Keep names and qualifications intact
Check names with macrons and other diacritics, such as Hōne or Tāmaki Makaurau, in both the preview and your downloaded file. Preserve the spelling the person or organisation uses. Do not remove a diacritic just to shorten a line.
A long qualification such as ‘New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing’ may wrap onto another line. Read it at normal zoom and check that the institution and dates still clearly belong to it. Try another free template if a section feels cramped. Shorten repeated prose before shortening the name of a qualification.
KiwiCV’s bundled document fonts cover Latin scripts, including Māori macrons. A name in another script may appear in the browser’s fallback font but not in the PDF. Check the downloaded file carefully and contact support if characters are missing.
Make dates easy to follow
Use a consistent date style and confirm the dates against your records. For example, if you use ‘Mar 2023 – Oct 2025’ for one role, check that another role has not accidentally lost its year during an import. Do not invent a month you cannot confirm.
Inspect entries with long job titles and employer names. A date should stay recognisably connected to its role, even when the title wraps. A different template can be more useful than shrinking all the text.
Review page breaks at reading size
Look for a heading stranded at the bottom of a page, a short final page, or dense paragraphs that hide useful facts. Preview every page, not just the first. A small thumbnail is useful for choosing a layout but cannot tell you whether every line is readable.
You can edit wording and reorder sections in the Builder. Keep useful evidence while removing repeated sentences. Do not delete important experience merely to reach an arbitrary page count.
- Choose Classic, Modern, Compact or Signature and inspect every preview page.
- Download the PDF and compare its lines, breaks and characters with the preview.
- Open the Word file if you intend to edit or send it. Recheck after editing.
- Confirm the employer’s requested file format and attach that version.
- Keep a downloaded copy before changing devices or clearing browser data.