Make your CV count – recruiters decide in 7 seconds

It’s important to stand out from the crowd. With recruiters only spending seven seconds on average looking at each CV in response to a job posting1, this is more urgent than ever.

This is not as easy as it sounds. Experts at FutureLearn spotted that CV searches like “how many pages should be a CV?” have increased by 90% in the past month*.

FutureLearn has compiled their top five tips for creating the best CV to help job seekers beat the seven-second rule.

1. Consider the length of your CV

Keep it short. 91% of recruiters believe that the ideal CV is two pages ². You only have a few seconds in which to make a lasting impression, so you should always prioritize quality over quantity.

Formatting tips include:

If you want to make your CV stand out, use a font size between 11 and 12.
You can increase the margins by 0.5, 0.75, or 1 inch if you want more room to elaborate on your achievements.
Reduce the spacing between headings in order to reduce page length
Have a clear layout

A logical order of presentation is the most important factor for 50% of recruiters when evaluating a CV 3.

You want to include all the information you can but you don’t want it to be confusing. Make sure to include whitespace and that you have a clear header for each section. This will help the reader understand what they can expect.

Include:

Name and contact information

Education and Qualifications

Job history

2. Keywords that are incorporated

Look at the job ads you are interested in applying for and take note of any phrases or keywords that keep appearing. These are the skills that recruiters will look for when assessing your suitability for a role.

You can use these terms in your CV, if you choose. You can do this in the skills section or by highlighting any achievements you have made during your career.

3. Include the right skills

If you’re short on space, you can highlight your skills either in a separate section or by incorporating them into your experience section. Interwoven sections can save you space if you are struggling to fill your document.

You should highlight the transferable skills you have at the top of your resume if you are a newbie or a person with little experience.

Many roles require a combination of soft and hard skills. Hard skills are specific to the industry.

Hard skills:

Data Analysis
Artificial intelligence
UX design
Cloud Computing

Soft skills:

Leading
Project Management
Communication
Teamwork

4. Second opinion

Proofreading is important because nearly nine out of ten job seekers make an avoidable error on their CV ⁴. Proofread, proofread again, then have someone else proofread your CV.