Building Your
First CV That
Gets a Callback
You don't need a fancy CV for the jobs in Post #2. You need a clear, simple one that follows Spanish conventions — including a couple of things that are genuinely different from what you might expect. Here's exactly what to include, in what order, with a real template you can copy.
The Basic Structure — What Goes Where
Full name (as it appears on your passport/NIE), a small professional-looking photo, phone number (with +34 if you're listing a Spanish number), email address, and city (Barcelona is enough — you don't need your full address).
Who you are and what you're looking for, in plain language. Example: "Reliable and hardworking, looking for warehouse or delivery work. Available immediately, flexible with shifts." That's genuinely enough — don't overthink this part.
Job title, company name, dates (month/year to month/year), and 1-2 lines about what you did. If you have experience from India, genuinely include it — employers care that you've worked before, not only where.
You don't need your full academic history for these jobs — your highest qualification and where you completed it is genuinely enough.
List Spanish, English, Punjabi/Hindi, and Catalan if relevant, each with a simple honest level (basic, intermediate, fluent, native). Employers genuinely notice when this is inflated during the interview — being accurate here builds trust.
If you've got a food handling certificate, a PRL construction course, a forklift licence, or similar, genuinely list them here — these are exactly the kind of concrete detail that makes your application stand out for these specific jobs.
What's Genuinely Different Here
A simple, clear, professional-looking photo — no need for anything fancy or expensive.
This is genuinely normal in Spain, unlike many other countries where it's left out for anti-discrimination reasons.
This is a standard European CV format, free to build online, and genuinely familiar to Spanish employers — a safe, simple choice if you're unsure what format to use.
For the jobs in Post #2, a Spanish-language CV genuinely gets more attention than an English one — even a simple, imperfect Spanish CV, since it signals you can function day-to-day.
If You Have No Spain Work Experience Yet
Genuinely, this is less of a problem than it feels like. For the job types in Post #2, employers care more about reliability and availability than a long work history. Focus on:
This genuinely counts. Include it exactly like Spain-based experience — job title, dates, brief description.
The food handling certificate or PRL course from Post #2 — even in progress, genuinely worth mentioning.
"Available immediately, flexible with shifts, own transport" — this genuinely matters a lot for these specific job types, and it's something you can say confidently even with zero Spain experience.
A Simple Template You Can Copy
Breve descripción de tus responsabilidades principales.
In Spain, this genuinely works against you — include a simple, clear photo.
For the jobs in Post #2, a Spanish CV genuinely gets noticed more, even if it's simple.
One page is genuinely enough for these job types — longer doesn't look more impressive, it looks harder to read.
This genuinely creates problems at the interview stage — be honest, and let your certificates and real skills speak for themselves.
Share it with the community.
Real feedback from people who've actually gotten callbacks helps everyone else improve theirs too.
Support Catalunyaar
Every housing tip, every festival guide, every 11pm answer in the WhatsApp group — it's all built and kept running by this community, for this community. If Catalunyaar has ever made Barcelona feel a little less confusing, here's how to keep it going.
📲 In Spain? Send a Bizum
Open Bizum on your banking app, send to 667 900 501, and you're done. Instant, fee-free, and it goes straight back into the platform.
☕ Abroad or prefer card/PayPal? Use Ko-fi
Head to our Ko-fi page and leave a tip — works from anywhere, India included, no fuss.
Catalunyaar — Connecting India & Catalunya. Barcelona's Indian expat community hub.
