What recruiters actually look at in the first 10 seconds

A recruiter's first pass over a CV is fast - often seconds, not minutes. Knowing what they look for in that scan helps you put the right things where they'll be seen.

Your most recent role and title

They check immediately whether your level and recent experience fit. Make your latest role, title and dates easy to find at a glance.

The top third of page one

This is prime real estate. A clear profile and a relevant core-skills section here do more work than anything lower down.

Evidence of fit, fast

Recruiters scan for the requirements from the advert. If the key skills and a couple of strong achievements are visible early, you pass the first cut.

Clean, skimmable formatting

Dense blocks of text get skipped. Short bullets, clear headings and white space let a fast reader absorb your strongest points.

Obvious gaps or red flags

Unexplained gaps, titles that don't match the target, or a messy layout can end the scan early. Pre-empt the obvious ones.

Want to know what a recruiter sees first on your CV? Our review checks exactly that. Book a free CV review.