When to switch from “I” to “we” in your CV
“We” sounds like a team player. On a CV it usually sounds like you can't tell me what you did. Here's the line to walk.
There's a well-meaning instinct, strong in this region, to credit the team. It's a good value and a bad CV strategy. A resume exists to answer one question — what can this specific person do? — and “we” quietly refuses to answer it.
Why “we” weakens a bullet
“We increased revenue by 30%” could mean you led the effort or you sat in the room while it happened. The reader can't tell, so they assume the smaller version. On your own CV, in your own experience section, the default subject should be you.
The CV is the one document where taking credit is not immodest — it's the entire point.
Where “we” actually belongs
There is a place for it. Use “we” when the collaboration itself is the achievement, then immediately name your part:
- Good: Partnered with design and data to rebuild the checkout; I owned the payments integration, cutting failed transactions by 22%.
- Weak: We rebuilt the checkout and reduced failed transactions by 22%.
The first version shows you can work with others and tells the reader exactly what was yours. That's the balance — collaborative in framing, specific in credit.
A quick test
Read each bullet and ask: if I deleted “we” and put “I,” would it still be true? If yes, use “I.” If no — if the honest answer is that you contributed to something larger — then keep the team framing but carve out your slice with a phrase like “my role was…” or “I led the…”. Never leave a reader guessing which half of the sentence is yours.