5 min read
The structure that gets read
Recruiters spend 7 seconds on the first pass. Give them the four blocks they scan for.
The four blocks
Contact · Summary · Experience · Education/Skills. In that order, top to bottom, one column.
Anything a scanning eye can't find in seven seconds may as well not be there.
One page or two?
Under 30 or under 8 years of experience: one page. Beyond that, two is fine.
Never pad. A sparse one-pager beats a padded two-pager every time.
Footer noise to cut
"References available on request", your age, marital status, a photo (in most markets), and a full home address.
Skip the objective line from 2011. It describes what you want; the summary should describe what you deliver.
Download-ready checklist
- One column, no text boxes
- Contact on line one
- Summary under 4 lines
- Dates month + year
- Consistent tense