You have 6 – 8 seconds to make an impression with your CV 😲

That is the average length of time a hiring manager looks at your CV for before deciding to interview you or not.

Six to eight seconds! Crazy right?! Such a short space of time. So what do you need to do to make the most of that time?

Make it easy for them. Keep it simple to read – bullet points are your friend – no big blocks of text. Make it easy for them to scan and then want to read it properly.

Make sure it is interesting and relevant – we want to know what you are doing now, not what you were doing twenty years ago. Detailed history for the last five to ten years and job title and dates for anything prior.

Make sure there is enough detail – too short and we are left with too many questions. We need to know what you have been working on, what you have achieved, the tools you have used and your impact on that project.

TAILOR it to each job. Make it easy for the reader to quickly scan and see the relevant words they are looking for. Development languages, job title, responsibilities, achievements. If it’s in the job spec / advert and you have that experience then get it on your CV and make it easy to find.

The key to all of this? Don’t focus on length, focus on content. If it is relevant, interesting and easy to read we don’t care how long it is.

Relevant

Interesting

Easy to read

Follow those three rules and those six to eight seconds will turn into an interview and hopefully your next role.

If you need help, want someone to review your CV, chat it through and point you in the direction then get in touch, I am always happy to help.

You have six to eight seconds to make an impression on a CV – make your time count.