Advice from an Experienced Recruiter
As experienced recruiters, the Sullivan Brown team have reviewed thousands of CVs — some brilliant, some not so much. The truth is, your CV is often your first impression, and in many cases, the deciding factor in whether you make it to interview.
So, how do you make yours stand out for all the right reasons? Here’s what we’ve learned over years of hiring.
Start with a Clear, Concise Profile
Your personal profile (or summary) is the short paragraph at the top of your CV. Think of it as your elevator pitch — two to three sentences that tell the recruiter:
- Who you are professionally
- What you specialise in
- What kind of opportunity you’re looking for
Avoid subjective and general terms like “hardworking” or “team player.” Instead, be specific. For example:
“CIPD Qualified HR Professional, with more than 15 years’ experience gained across manufacturing, professional services and public sector. Most recently worked at board level, and have led HR teams from 8 to 25 people.
You can, and should, tailor this to highlight any experience that is particularly relevant to the role you are applying for.
Choose a Clear layout & format
Formatting matters more than people realise. Recruiters spend, on average, less than 10 seconds on an initial scan of a CV — if it’s cluttered or hard to read, it may not get a second look. Over the years, we’ve seen lots of weird, wonderful and creative cvs, but the truth is, simple is best in most cases.
✅Use:
- A clean, readable font
- Consistent headings and spacing
- Bold for company names and job titles
- Bullet points, not paragraphs
- A clear document title when saving
✅Our top layout tips are (in this order)
- Name and location at the top
- Profile
- Current employment first & always on page 1.
- Include accurate dates and job title on all roles
- Under each role, add duties, responsibilities & achievements
- Professional Qualifications, Education
❌ Things to avoid!
- Photos – they don’t add anything and they almost never look like you!
- Putting all your jobs in one list and combining all your experience in one set of bullet points, we want to know what you did in each role
- Leaving off your location. Yes, there is more hybrid working these days, but many employers still want someone within a commutable distance
- Use lots of fancy formatting or boxes – some recruitment systems move everything around if you do
- References available on request – we know! Don’t waste the space!
🤔Busting the Myth
Your cv CAN be longer than 2 pages! If you need up to 4 pages to cover your experience that is perfectly okay! Just as long as the first page has profile and current employment on page 1. We want to understand your experience so no need to sell yourself short to fit on 2 pages.
Make Your Experience Achievements-Focused – So What?
Recruiters don’t just want to know what you did — we want to know what you achieved. Under each role, include bullet points that highlight results and impact (or the ‘so what’ as we like to call it) . Use action verbs and numbers wherever possible.
For example:
❌ Responsible for employee engagement
✅ Increased employee engagement by 45% and reduced attrition by 40% by implementing a new employee listening strategy
Tip: If your job was varied, group your bullet points under small subheadings (e.g., “Leadership,” “Strategy,” “Transformation”) to make it easy to scan.
Formatting matters more than people realise. Recruiters spend, on average, less than 10 seconds on an initial scan of a CV — if it’s cluttered or hard to read, it may not get a second look.
Tailor It for Every Role
It’s obvious when someone sends the same CV to every job. A great CV is targeted. Read the job description carefully and reflect the key skills, experience, and keywords it mentions.
If the role asks for “stakeholder management” and “data analysis,” make sure those phrases appear in context. Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan for specific terms, but most are still reviewed by a human so tailoring your CV helps it pass that first filter whatever it may be!
Don’t leave the recruiter guessing
Make sure your cv includes everything a recruiter might need to know to count you in to their longlist. For example if you live in London and applying for a job in Manchester, make it clear if you relocating, enquiring about a hybrid approach etc or if you are applying for a role more junior than your last, explain why.
In the current job market, recruiters are receiving high volumes of cvs, and whilst they might like the look of your experience, if they have to contact you to answer these types of questions, you may be overlooked or pipped to the post by candidates who were clearer.
Now is not the time to be mysterious! Help the recruiter to count you in by giving us all the information we need in your cv.
6. Don’t Forget the Human Touch
While professionalism is key, your CV should still reflect you. If you have hobbies or interests that show creativity, teamwork, or commitment — like volunteering, coaching, or public speaking — it’s okay to add a short section at the end. It helps bring you to life.
7. Proofread (Then Proofread Again)
You’d be amazed how many CVs contain typos, formatting errors, or inconsistent tense. You only get one chance to make a first great impression, so take the time to remove any easily corrected errors.
Read it aloud. Ask a friend to review it. Or print it out — mistakes often stand out more on paper.
Final Thoughts
A great CV doesn’t need to be flashy — it needs to be clear, relevant, and tailored. Your goal is simple: make it as easy as possible for a recruiter or hiring manager to see why you’re the right fit.
Remember: your CV opens the door. The interview gets you through it.