We know that when it comes to applying for jobs in this market, it can feel like the wild west! Roles are seeing 100+ applicants within 24 hours, and with recruiters having limited time, you need to really stand out to them.

And the best way to stand out? Make sure you’re including the things they are actively looking for in CVs!

So here are 4 things recruiters are looking for on your CV

1 - The “Qualification” Scan

Most jobs receive hundreds of applications. Most, if not all, are reviewed by a person, which means they need a system for determining who is a fit and who isn’t.

Most recruiters use a “qualification scan” - a quick 10-20 second glance looking for specific information, skills, and criteria.

Optimizing for this will help you win more interviews.

How do you optimize? Use the job description to identify the most essential requirements and qualifications, and make sure to use the same language!

2. Clear Job Titles

Recruiters want to see relevant experience on your resume.

Job titles are an easy way to do that. But they’re also incredibly arbitrary in today’s world.

Don’t be afraid to adjust the title of a role on your resume to match your target role/ industry (within reason!).

Just make sure it authentically aligns with the experience and skills of the new industry.

Example: Shop Floor Assistant > Sales Associate or Data Analyst → Insights Analyst

3. Tangible Outcomes

Anyone can be “Responsible for leveraging Excel to analyse data.”

But not everyone mentions the value/impact of doing it

Does that mean you were the office pivot table guru?

Or did it allow you to identify insights to help drive 10% revenue growth or 20% in efficiency gains?

Including measurable outcomes is how recruiters see the potential value you bring to the table and helps you stand out from the crowd.

Anyone can say they did something, but numbers don’t lie - Make sure your resume bullets include them.

4. A LinkedIn Profile

95% of recruiters are using LinkedIn in their hiring processes.

Additionally, a ResumeGo analysis found that resumes which included a link to a robust LinkedIn profile saw a 71% higher callback rate when compared to resumes with no LinkedIn profile.

Adding your LinkedIn lets recruiters get another angle on you and your experience.

Make sure you have one in the contact info section of your resume.