How people read CVs

In general, reducing a large number of applications down to a manageable shortlist is a negative job - who can I exclude? So if you give recruiters too much irrelevant information they will have more reasons to reject you. They will do so really quickly if they are under pressure. By studying the way that we and our clients process applications, here are some challenging observations (looking at 30 applications in 15 minutes is not unusual):

1. You have 10-15 seconds to make an impact

2. You might then get 30-60 seconds of detailed study

3. Employers read more if everything is where they expect it

4. Bullet points stand out and grab the reader's attention

5. Personal profiles rarely get read or believed

6. We like to make an initial decision from the first page

7. We only have the time to read 2 pages So make it short snappy and positive - oh, and don't just give a job description - we all know what you , but not what you have achieved.