Your Professional Snapshot: Online and CV Advice for Candidates and Contractors Alike

Ok, so let’s now move on the trusted CV, Curriculum Vitae or Resume.

What Recruiters Look for in a CV at First Glance

Recruiters/HR and TA often skim through CVs very quickly, sometimes in as little as 6-10 seconds on the initial scan. In that brief moment, they’re looking for key information that jumps out. Typically, this includes your current or recent job title, the company you worked for, dates of employment, and any major qualifications or skills relevant to the role. It’s crucial to make this information immediately visible. For example, most recruiters glance straight at the most recent work experience first, to decide if the candidate has the right skills and background, Given this rapid decision-making, your CV needs to grab their attention fast.

Use the “top third” of your CV wisely. The upper part of your CV is prime real estate, it’s often all a recruiter sees before deciding to read on or move to the next CV. Consider opening with a brief professional summary or profile statement that highlights your most important qualifications and accomplishments. As one career expert notes, this section should immediately show why you’re the right person for the job, drawing the reader in so they continue reading. Think of it as your elevator pitch on paper: in 3-4 sentences, summarise your role (or expertise), your top skills, and a standout achievement. For instance: “Project manager with 5+ years’ experience in Engineering; led a software upgrade project of ANSYS that cut costs by x and improved delivery time by y.” A well-written summary like this helps ensure that in a quick scan, the reader picks up your key selling points.

Focus on clarity, results, and relevance. Since recruiters are often scanning for specific keywords and facts, make your CV layout clean and easy to read. Use clear section headings (e.g. Work Experience, Education, Skills) and a simple font. Bullet points are excellent for listing your responsibilities and achievements under each role, they help important details stand out. Crucially, emphasise your achievements and results, not just your duties. A business will be more impressed by concrete outcomes like “Increased regional sales by 30% in 2024” than a vague statement like “Responsible for sales in the region.” Whenever possible, quantify your impact (sales figures, cost savings, efficiency improvements, number of people managed, etc.) to give context to your contributions. Showing tangible results helps prove you can deliver value, which is exactly what a hiring company wants to see, using specific facts over generic buzzwords. In short, make everything in your CV count: if a piece of information doesn’t support your case as an excellent candidate, consider cutting or rephrasing it to be more impactful.

Quick CV tips to catch a hirers eye:

• Keep it concise and relevant: For most candidates, a two-to-four-page CV is enough (one page for early-career professionals). Although there is no specific rule and we definitely don’t think that a two-page law should be applied, (sometimes that just not enough to include all the detail you require.) But try to remove old or irrelevant roles that don’t add value. Make sure the experience and skills you highlight match what the job description is asking for.
  
  
• Make your layout easy to skim: Use a simple, professional format. Clear headings, consistent bullet points, and a readable font size (11 or 12pt) make a big difference. A cluttered or overly complicated design can be off-putting, both to human eyes and to ATS software. 
  
  
• Put important info up top: Don’t bury your best qualifications. If the reader only reads the top half of the first page, they should learn the essentials about you. Consider using a brief Profile or Summary section to pitch yourself. Also, ensure your recent job title (and perhaps one or two key skills or certifications) are evident without needing to hunt through the document.
  
  
• Highlight achievements, not just duties: Under each job, list 2-4 key accomplishments. Start bullets with strong action verbs (“Delivered…”, “Improved…”, “Managed…”) and end with results (“…resulting in X outcome”). This shows what you’ve actually done and the value you brought.
   
• Proofread and be consistent: First impressions matter, so make sure there are no typos, inconsistencies in date formatting, or other careless errors. A polished CV signals attention to detail and professionalism.
  
  

By making your CV clear, results-focused, and easy to read, you greatly increase the odds that a recruiter’s quick glance turns into a more thorough read. Remember, you want to guide the reader’s eye to the most important information. A bit of strategic formatting and emphasis can ensure that in those few seconds of scrutiny, the reader immediately sees why you’re a strong candidate for the role.

Making Your CV ATS-Friendly

These days, your first “reader” might not be a person at all, but an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), a software tool that many companies use to manage applications. An ATS scans and parses your CV’s text, storing it in a database and filtering or even ranking it based on keywords and criteria set by the employer. In other words, it’s checking if your CV mentions the right skills, qualifications, job titles, etc., before a human ever looks at it. The ATS is handy for handling hundreds of CVs, but it can be a bit unforgiving with formatting. The good news is there are simple steps you can take so that an ATS reads your CV correctly and doesn’t discard it due to a technical issue.

First, keep the formatting simple. Fancy designs might look nice to you, but many ATS algorithms get confused by unconventional layouts. Elements like text boxes, tables, graphics, or multiple columns can prevent an ATS from reading your CV properly. For example, if you’ve put your contact info or a key achievement in a textbox or sidebar, an ATS might skip it entirely. Stick to a single-column layout with clear headings. Use standard fonts and avoid any ultra-stylised or uncommon fonts that might not be recognised by the software. It’s also wise to avoid inserting important details in the header or footer of your document, many ATS systems don’t read content in headers/footers, so, for instance, if your name or email is there, you risk it being lost in translation.

When it comes to file format, follow any instructions from the employer (some might specify PDF or Word). In general, a Word document (.doc or .docx) is the safest bet for ATS compatibility. PDFs can be acceptable too (and they preserve your formatting), but make sure the PDF is text-based (not a scanned image of a CV). Never upload your CV as an image file (like a photo or scan), ATS software can’t reliably read text from images. Also, avoid odd file types like .odt or .rtf unless explicitly allowed. Naming your file simply (e.g., YourName CV.docx) is a nice touch; it looks professional and is easy for systems to catalogue.

Use keywords naturally. ATS software is often configured to search for specific keywords that indicate required skills or experiences. The best source of these keywords is the job description itself. Read the job ad carefully and note the skills, qualifications, and verbs it uses, if you have those skills or have done those tasks, include those terms in your CV (typically in your Work Experience or Skills sections). For example, if the job posting mentions “project management” and “budget oversight,” and you have done those, make sure to use those phrases. However, avoid keyword stuffing (repeating words unnaturally). The goal is to integrate relevant keywords in context, the ATS will score you higher for mentions of the right terms, but the human reader (who ultimately reviews the filtered CVs) will want to see a coherent, credible description of your work. A good approach is to use phrasing from the job description in your bullet points where appropriate, e.g., “Led project management for a £2M initiative…” or “Oversaw budget of £500K…”, so you cover the keywords while describing your accomplishments. This shows that you speak the employer’s language and likely have the experience they seek.

By following these tips, you’ll ensure your CV not only appeals to human recruiters, TA and HR but also checks the right boxes for the automated systems. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for the ATS to correctly parse your information and for recruiters to find you in their database search (if that’s what you want!). An ATS-friendly CV still needs to impress actual people, so never sacrifice readability or meaningful content, you can have a clean, simple CV that is both human- and machine-friendly. Think of it as writing for two audiences at once, and you’ll greatly improve your chances of getting through to that next stage.