Principles of a good CV (redux)

Greg Wyatt • September 18, 2024

I have a bit of a lurgy this week, and have little headspace for writing.

So I hope you’ll forgive this reminder article, especially if you’ve only recently subscribed:

“*If all you need is a CV template - have a look at this one from Lee Harding. Were I to receive one in this format, that would tick the boxes.*

“Ask 9 people for advice on your CV and you’ll end up with 10 CVs.”

A pithy truth that shows how subjective a CV is.

While also highlighting how frustrating it can be to spend time or even money on perfecting a document that the next person rips to shreds.

But in this comes an important truth.

That the only person whose opinion matters in a hiring process is the reader whose finger is on the Reject button.

Stay to the end for my thoughts on customising your CV.

In today’s Jobseeker Basics we’ll look at the principles of an effective CV.

Not a perfect CV, because perfection is wholly subjective and the path of madness in a difficult job search.

These principles are based on advice I give to jobseekers when they ask for feedback.

Principles that come from my own insight, backed up by effective processes from a seemingly different industry.

First we start with what a CV is and what a CV means.

Did you know the first recognised CV was written by Leonardo DaVinci in a letter highlighting his candidacy for employment? Yes a CV and cover letter in one!

I’m pleased to say he got the job off his first application.

However, the notion of a document that presents candidacy dates back millennia with gladiators highlighting their achievements through the Lanista system. This was done to increase their reputation so that owners could earn more money.

A form of marketing document based on provable facts that synthesised their gladiatorial career in written format - a stone slab.

In a sense nothing has changed - your CV is a marketing document, which you use to highlight your candidacy so that your buyers (employers - as they are on a buyer’s journey) invest in their time to offer you an interview.

Now, I do read a lot of debate on what a CV actually is, and whether it is more of a technical document than a marketing one.

However, that’s a disservice to true marketing, which always has a basis in fact.

Your CV is there to highlight your candidacy, and to give your experience meaning to the reader so that they can make a positive decision on you.

It’s there to get you an interview, and for its readers to take you to the next stage.

Typically a hiring process has several moving parts, each a decision-maker in their own right.

From an administrator who sifts CVs, to recruiters/talent acquisition processes that make a longlist, to hiring managers and their bosses - each has their say on whether or not you might make the cut.

I’m sorry to say sometimes it is arbitrary:

“If they’re this unlucky why would we hire them?” said the hiring manager to the administrator after binning one of the two piles of CVs at random.

While their decisions aren’t in your control, your words and how they are presented are.

So it makes sense to create a document that helps the weakest link in the chain see you as a candidate of choice, while also supporting other decision-makers, presuming they run the game fairly.

To summarise the above - your CV is a marketing document whose priority is the reader.

Because it’s a marketing document, it’s one you can use to market yourself outside of applying for a job. Such as through networking or doorknocking.

Its functionality outside of applying for a job is why it should be a document for life. It’s so multi-faceted, that you can use it in many arenas; more so than a LinkedIn profile, video or other, which have more specific purpose.

This means that the principles of a good CV are the principles of a good marketing document.

A good marketing document at its core creates action - the decision to move forward.

It goes to follow, the principles of a good marketing document also apply the principles of a good advert.

The same things we see, listen to and experience encourage us to take action to buy (let’s not forget that the employer is the buyer when it comes to the process that leads to an offer, although you too are a buyer in your decision to proceed).

I’m sure you have read much hoo-ha on what makes a good CV in the Talent Acquisition, recruitment, career coaching, and job seeker spaces, much of it is contradictory (mainly in line with that quote at the top), while some of it is cynical.

Instead of joining in that conversation, let’s look to another industry that uses words to convert action, as a basis for the principles of a good CV.

Whose principles are based on understanding how its users work, and influence their actions to improve the odds of a purchase.

E-commerce.

A multi-trillion industry built on the words you read, marketing and advertising.

While it may not directly relate to recruitment or looking for work, its principles do:

Readability
Accessibility
AIDA (attention interest desire action; a century-old advertising formula that applies response-stimuli psychology)
Features (what it does; skills, tools, experience in a CV) and benefits (how it helps; achievements)
SEO (keywords to be found) on the Google principles of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness
Conversion rate optimisation (CRO; arguments to convert)

Job boards and LinkedIn employ many principles of E-commerce in their functionality, so it’s not as far removed as you might think.

Those are the principles. What about assumptions and myths?

ATS compliance
7-second CV scan
CVs must be 1/2/3/367 pages long
Anything people often talk about

These seem big deals, but they’re not, for a simple reason.

If you write your CV for a reader, in a way that grabs their attention, while following basic rules, you’ll get past these seeming traps.

Let’s touch on the top three briefly.

To be ATS compliant, at worst, you need to avoid tables, columns and images. I say at worst because modern ATSs don’t struggle with these so much. You can read this article for more on the ATS monster, and why it isn’t as relevant as you fear.
It’s true that in a volume process, the initial scan may be quick, but if you pass the scan your CV will be read in more depth because you move from elimination to selection. We’ll look more at this next with AIDA.
Your CV should be… okay this gets its own section:

Everyone has their own opinion on what the length of a CV should be.

The only person who matters in a hiring process is the reader, if they have a strong opinion you can find out.

If you can find out their specific requirement is for what makes a good CV, and you are prepared to play to their whim - give them that.

If not, your CV should tell its story in a way that grabs attention and holds it. Accessibility, readability… those bullet points above.

White space is your friend.
Tautology (unnecessary repetition) is not.
Conciseness is your friend.
Ambiguity is not.
Achievements that show context are your friend.
Adjectives are not (strip an adjective out and does your CV lose meaning? If not why are you relying on them?)
So What? is your friend. If you can’t answer that of your statements, your statements need improving.
Show specific and relevant information and don’t bore your audience with things they don’t care about.

Grab your reader’s attention in the first half page, so that they read the rest. If they don’t read past that first half page, it doesn’t really matter how well written the rest of your document is.

Get these points right, and a good enough CV will likely be 800 to 1200 words long across 2 to 3 (even 4) pages.

Okay now on to actionable steps.

Accessibility and readability

Can someone who doesn’t know your domain see what you do from your CV?

If they can’t there’s a problem, especially if they are the weakest link in the chain.

A good litmus test is to ask a friend you trust to see what they can tell you about you from your CV. What do they think your biggest achievements are?

White space is your friend - would you read a condensed document or one that is clearly laid out? Don’t worry about spreading your CV onto a third, or even fourth page, if your experience demands it.

AIDA

The classic advertising framework, and how animals, in general, make decisions (look, check, am I hungry/scared/aroused, act). Look to your puppy for confirmation.

In a 7-second CV scan, you grab Attention on the first page, with the most relevant information: your job title, key skills and tools that show how you meet essential requirements, and generally what the vacancy is looking for.

Get past this first test and gain their Interest through a clearly laid out document that shows the passage of your career (reverse chronological order, show company and role context).

Build Desire by showing your specific achievements that support your candidacy for the role you want. These are the problems you solve and show how you can help your next employer best.

Enable Action by providing clear and accurate means of contacting you - this may seem obvious yet some forget to do so.

- - -

A note on Context .

Context is the gaps in your CV that answer the questions your readers should have.

What does your employer do? How many employees? What size revenue? What was the structure of the team in which you delivered your achievement?

If your reader has to ask a question about your CV, your CV should provide the answer.

Context is what most CVs miss, and it lets them down.

One way to show context, is to use the interview framework STAR (Situation Task Action Result) - this frames information in a way that has meaning to your audience.

- - -

Features and Benefits

These are the basics of selling.

You don’t buy the technical specifications of a TV; you buy what the TV does for you.

You don’t buy the ingredients of a Pizza, you buy the taste, sensation and experience it provides.

Both are important of course.

But most of your readers know broadly what a <job title> does - there’s no need to say it if the meaning is implicit.

What we want to know is how it helps.

For example.

An administrator may do administration, but how does it help?

Do they arrange travel cost efficiently, take away the admin burden from the directors, save time?

Those are the benefits, even better in the form of achievements.

SEO primarily relates to keywords. Think about how you search on Google for whatever it is you search on. We do much the same when scanning and searching on CVs.

Are the keywords from the job description or advert you are applying to clearly stated on your CV?

These are typically the essential requirements and this is a rare piece of ALWAYS advice. Always show how you meet the essential requirements.

But also rely on EEAT in that list above. Show these keywords, but not in a way that makes you look cynical or careless.

Some career coaches advise a ‘white text keyword bomb’ as a hack - but if a reader thinks you’ve employed a hack, you may be seen to be cheating, and that rarely goes well.

If your CV has the right keywords, it will be easier to find on CV Databases.

You can use the same keywords to make it easier to be found on LinkedIn.

Which are two ways to access ‘ hidden jobs ’.

Ultimately, the only point of a CV is to prompt action, the second A in AIDA.

The crux of a CV is to show the reader how you can solve their problems.

The problems that are at the heart of their vacancy.

Do this in a compelling way, and you’ll improve your odds.

CRO is built on psychology through and through and understanding how your readers make decisions.

Here’s an example that shows how readability and psychology come together:

«image description: the mysteries of reader psychology… for most people»

Think about the flow and readability of your CV - this is how websites work.

Everything in a well-designed website is intentional. Is your CV?

I find CRO fascinating - worth a read if you want to go down a rabbit hole.

A note on customising your CV.

It’s common advice that you should customise your CV.

But here’s a nuance.

If you accept there is no such thing as an objectively perfect CV, then ‘good enough’ should be your goal.

A CV that presents your candidacy to the principles above is good enough, especially if it represents the best version of you for the role you are most suited for.

This ‘good enough’ CV should be the basis of applications.

When tailoring your CV to show how you meet essential requirements, this shouldn’t take more than a few minutes - it’s a basic task.

If you’re spending hours tailoring CVs for every application, this is time that should be better spent elsewhere.

Of course, there will be occasions when you have to customise to a specific set of demands, in which case it’s your choice whether you invest the time to do so intentionally.

If you present a good enough CV with minor adjustments, instead of a heavily customised document, the difference in outcome is negligible in most situations.

Use the time you save in not overly tailoring to better effect. It’s a good way not to burn out.

CVs are important, but many people place too much importance on their place in the process.

A good enough CV is your best step forward. If you are a no anyway, perhaps it wasn’t meant to be.

Or maybe the decision was already made if you are in a demographic the reader chooses to discriminate against.

That may not even be for illegal reasons, if they decide you live too far away, are too expensive, or that you love Agile when they love Waterfall.

Go for good enough - it’s a challenge to get there, but once you do, you can build on it for life, and it might just help you get a job now too.

Thanks for reading.

Regards,

Greg”

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My new book - A Recruitment AiDE

By Greg Wyatt • April 30, 2026

I'm thrilled to announce the publication of A Recruitment AiDE. A guide, philosophy and discipline for effective key hire recruitment. The timing’s perfect, given the deluge of AI content that floods our feeds. Imagine how these similarly produced generic adverts land with people you want to talk to. "We're thrilled to announce we want, we need, here’s our shopping list, why aren’t you responding and oh what’s this flood of AI CVs?" It doesn’t have to be this way. This has taken twenty-five years of hard graft - talking to job seekers, researching the market and recruitment practice, learning about candidate resentment, problem awareness, marketing, copywriting, and the psychology of what moves people. With the evidence that backs this up. The result is something that may make you rethink your approach to recruitment. That will improve the number of qualified candidates, while reducing the total number of applications. It's too early to prove, but my expectation is this will reduce the number of AI CVs too, given there is less for AI to grab when you speak to professional identity. You’ll have to be bold, go against the grain, do something that feels counterintuitive, especially if someone has their hand on your shoulder saying "This isn't the company style!" But then, what does it take to stand out from the crowd? And if you really want to attract the best people, shouldn’t your first step be focused on them, and not you? Kindle version out now. Here's the link: https://amzn.eu/d/03idlAVM. Paperback in two weeks. If you don’t like Evilcorp, let me know and we can work something out.

Content strategy and philosophy

By Greg Wyatt • April 27, 2026

What follows is Chapter 40 of A Career Breakdown Kit , and part two of a three part series on Personal Branding. Except it isn't. There are various definitions I revolt against, with good reason, in a job search. Personal branding, hidden jobs markets, ATS compliance, and all the others. Terms that seem to hide secret wins, not replicable steps, especially when hidden behind a paywall. I call it the title that's expected because of the questions job seekers ask me. You may recall my article on the Hidden Jobs Market breaks it apart and rebuilds it into a cohesive multichannel marketing strategy that allows you to access the whole of your jobs market. And so it is with my personal branding series. This isn't about your brand. Or even about your reputation. It's about pushing content that starts conversations with relevant people - such as peers, former colleagues, recruiters with a vested interest in these content areas, and even people that can put you closer to a job. Not forgetting fellow job seekers you can share experiences with - as long as you don't dwell on the negative. And it's also about writing in a way that is both true to you and your profession - because conversation has to follow in the same voice as you write, and should support your work, when in work. It's a strategy and philosophy that mirrors earlier chapters on networking, doorknocking, getting found and converting interest. It isn't about writing credible statements in a content savvy way that shares unprovable anecdotes, hacks that lack substance, and where a funnel means more than a lesson. That way is the way of social media marketing - this is about conversations that matter. 40 - Content strategy and philosophy While a personal brand might be the goal, your content strategy should be the priority. It can be applied even if you don’t like the idea of branding. Much is made about LinkedIn’s algorithm and how you need to do this that and the other to get engagement. You can look at it differently, ignoring the algorithm on the whole, and still achieve much the same. These are the outcomes I aim for and see when writing content: Start conversations Help others Sharpen and spark ideas Raise awareness and trust Have a laugh and a chat I’ve gained friends I’ve never spoken to and friendly acquaintances I only know through ‘comments.’ As well as paying clients who have benefitted from my service. Just as importantly, I have more credibility with candidates who place weight on LinkedIn content. Content makes it easier for me to start conversations. It’s important for me that I either enjoy the content and its consequences or find it fulfilling. I don’t talk openly about my personal life, family or challenges. Something I agreed with my wife when I started publishing content. Instead, I show all of myself in my words - quirks and all. So that if we ever speak in real life, there isn’t much of a disconnect. Start with other people’s content Find content writers who inspire you and use them as a catalyst for your own words. There are two ways to do this. Firstly, if you’re thinking about writing on LinkedIn, you are presumably already reading content. What inspires you? What do you enjoy reading? Which authors resonate with your career, your values, your goals and the problems you solve? When you read their content, do you engage and comment? Do you connect with them? Do you ask them who they recommend as writers in your field? Secondly, look within. What do you want to be known for in your career? Maybe it’s procurement or your CIPD membership. React or agile. 5 Whys or Gemba. If these are areas that interest you, use the LinkedIn search bar to find posts on these topics. Now filter the results by ‘Posts’ and ‘Sort by’ latest. Read through the results both for posts that interest you and those that have high engagement (less likely on a niche topic). When you’ve found inspiring content, what next ? One first step in content creation is to respond to these posts with your own ideas. Less ‘Agree’ and more how you might respond in a real-life conversation on this topic. Commenting on other people’s posts is a good way to find your voice, particularly if the conversation continues. Like any skill, writing takes practice, and comments are a low-friction way of developing your tone. If a comment sparks interest from other readers, it can be a concept to build on as a post in its own right. The other benefit of this kind of niche content is that those who engage are likely to have similar interests to you. Make sure to read other comments and see if there are more conversations to be had. The comments you build with them can be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship. Check out their profiles - do their interests and values reflect yours? These are people to connect with, then DM to continue the conversation. Check out their posting history, which will be available on their profile - there may well be a lot of interesting content to absorb. With conversation comes content. Ideas and discussion that grow are an effective way to share your voice. Here’s a suggestion for how you can do this in practice: Look for 5 posts daily that interest you professionally - manually, using a search, or checking what your valuable connections are up to Engage and comment on each Check out new relevant profiles - connect and follow their content On each post, look at who is engaging and respond naturally Try to connect with 5 new relevant people from these interactions Perhaps follow up with a message Take note of the most interesting conversations and at the end of the week pick at least one to inspire your own posts You don’t need to publish them if you aren’t comfortable - save for later if not I’d avoid the viral content that combines relevance + relatability + entitlement + readability. These writers are more interested in engagement numbers than your specific interest. You can see the truth of their words in how they respond in the comments sections. From a marketing perspective, different types of content have different places in your lead generation: Awareness Interest Consideration Evaluation Purchase Each post, comment, DM and real-life conversation can relate to these steps and support your goals, even if you aren’t treating these as a marketing activity. Time and time again There’s a lot of investigation into optimal times to post. It’s more important that you are available to reply attentively in the first hour. The course of a post is often dictated by the performance during this time. I actively reply to comments for around an hour a day with LinkedIn on in the background of other work. How much time can you set aside per week and per day for content? Even if you only write a couple of posts a week, this will probably take a couple of hours. You can expect low performance initially, with some exceptions, as it takes time to build inertia. Set aside a sustainable amount of time each week and commit to it over a period - try for 10-12 weeks and track how things have developed. You may find it becomes an enjoyable task. Try not to get distracted by engagement for its own sake and keep your goals in mind. Types of content to try Engagement on LinkedIn is built primarily on relevance and relatability. Even ragebait, given it drives strong feeling. You can write a 100% relatable post that everyone takes relevance from and see massive engagement. Though that engagement may not serve your goals. Or you can write a post that is 100% relevant to the problems you solve in your career, and the people who will find it relevant are from a small niche facing the same problems. This is why a photo of you with your dog will fly, while a carefully thought out post about the optimisation of widgets in a byzantine setting will appear to be shouting into a void. Or you can blend the two through storytelling, pivoting observations into business content, and copywriting formulae like AIDA (attention interest desire action) and PAS (problem agitation solution). Everyone will have different forms of content that will be effective for them. What do you want your ideal readers to experience? What would ‘you five years ago’ would find helpful? Do you want readers to see you as a credible expert? Someone who is authentically vulnerable? Your warts and all personality? Someone who stands out in a sea of competition? Someone who is thought-provoking, helpful, or altruistic? The answers are much the same if you posed these questions of interviewing. This is no coincidence, given your message should be consistently delivered no matter where it is received. With that in mind, here are some content ideas you can try: How you might solve a problem specific to your industry Stories from your everyday life The challenges in your job search Observations on a news story and how it relates to your work A flair post highlighting your availability Asking for thoughts on an idea you are interested in Sharing insight you find fascinating, whether that’s films, video games, science or sport Stories from your career where you can show growth (everyone loves a hero’s journey) Business frameworks, processes and techniques you find useful - Pomodoro Technique, scientific method, STAR, what do you use? Equipment you use for work Developments in your workplace and culture Thoughts on content you find inspiring Memes, humour, satire Google content ideas for LinkedIn or ask ChatGPT, Claude and others. I wouldn’t use AI to write articles. I do use them for ideation and to sense check. ‘Write me a post for LinkedIn that shows the link between Tesla cars and how to develop an HR strategy.’ The vulnerability of writing You can be a content creator without ever publishing a post if you continue conversations through comments, connections, DMs and real-life. This avoids sticking your head above the parapets and is low risk, but misses the gain of publishing your own content. I know that some people are held back for fear of failure. I can tell you that clicking ‘send’ is always a high point of anxiety for me in sending newsletters. Imagine how I felt when I clicked Publish for this book. What’s the worst that can happen with a carefully thought-out post? Tumbleweed? If no one reads it, you can always post it again another time. Disagreement? Loads of people disagree on my posts - you’ll see from my comments that I am always constructive in my dialogue and typically this supports the intent of my post. Everyone has an opinion and they are welcome to theirs - as long as it’s constructive, there is always a learning opportunity. Trolls? These people exist and will at some point rear their ugly heads. I imagine them naked on the Underground, which takes the sting out of their vitriol. I’m sure it’s their unhappiness that drives their behaviour. Marriage requests? Unfortunately, dubious and toxic behaviour isn’t uncommon. Don’t be afraid to block and report if you receive harmful messages. As long as you are constructive in what you write and you work to build a conversation, it’s unlikely anything bad will happen. You will open yourself up to the opportunity of new relevant people starting conversations with you: hiring managers, recruiters, peers, fellow job seekers, and friendly strangers. Weight and depth of opinion A couple of years ago, I had a message from an out-of-work Sales Director asking for some feedback. He’d shot a video for LinkedIn where he talked about why he should be snapped up and received a lot of praise for the post. However, he was confused because a CEO he trusts told him it was poor and made him look boring. He knew I’d give him unvarnished feedback, which was what he needed to find some clarity on what had happened. Truthfully, the CEO was correct. What had happened? All of the positive engagement was from fellow job seekers and people who wanted to support him. That he’d done it was praiseworthy in itself and was rightly celebrated, rather than the quality of what he had produced. None of them had hiring authority or were in a career similar to someone who would be his line manager. The video didn’t show him how he comes across in person either. While the positive feedback was fantastic for validation, his video worked against him. What might happen if a hiring process thought his video was boring when the role being recruited for has persuasion as a key requirement? I’m pleased to say his redo was excellent, showing off his charisma while delivering the same message. Who can you rely on to be this CEO for you in your career? Why you should start now, even if you don’t see any benefit for months. Starting cold on LinkedIn can take time to get traction. When your first post bombs you might never think to do a second. Going in with the expectation of little impact for the first three to six months is healthy in making a sustainable habit. If you’re out of work though, three to six months may seem too far off to be worthwhile when there are many activities that offer a quick turnaround, such as applying for jobs. I’ve spoken to many job seekers who’ve been out of work for more than six months and had decided not to write content at the outset of their search. If they had, they might now be seeing the benefit of their work.