You know that feeling? The one where you’re staring at a blank Word document, the title is “Your_Name_CV_FINAL_v9,” and you’re having a low-key existential crisis? If you’ve ever found yourself typing the phrase “synergistic mindset,” you’re in the right place, and we need to have a talk.
I once received a CV that was a password-protected JPEG. Not a PDF. A blurry, pixelated JPEG. After guessing the password (it was “12345”), I saw that under “Skills,” the candidate had listed “Attention to Detail.” I almost threw my laptop out the window.
This is the reality. The person on the other side of that job application is a real, live human who is probably on their third cup of coffee and has 100 more of these things to get through before lunch. Your job is to make them stop, put down the coffee, and say, “Okay, this one’s different.”
So, let’s perform a CV exorcism. Let’s get rid of the ghosts of CVs past.
First, that “Objective” statement at the top? Get rid of it. “Seeking a challenging role…” is just a fancy way of saying “I need a job.” It tells me nothing. Replace it with a punchy “Professional Summary.” Think of it as the blurb on the back of a good book. Give me the hook. “Ten years in finance, rescued three multimillion-dollar projects from the brink of disaster, and I make a mean cup of coffee.” Now I’m interested.
Next, we have to talk about length. I don’t need your life story. I don’t care about your summer job scooping ice cream in 2009 unless you’re applying for a senior role at Ben & Jerry’s. Be a ruthless editor. Your CV is a highlight reel, not the unedited director’s cut. If it’s not directly relevant to the job you want now, it’s just noise.
And the buzzwords… oh, the buzzwords. “Results-driven,” “team player,” “go-getter.” These words are meaningless. They’re corporate white noise. Don’t tell me you’re results-driven; show me the damn results. Instead of “Managed a team,” say “Led a team of 5 that boosted sales by 200%.” Numbers are your best friend. They don’t have opinions, and they are incredibly persuasive.
While you’re at it, delete “References available upon request.” It’s a fossil. If we want your references, we will ask. I promise. Use that space for another bullet point that makes you look like a rock star.
So what should you do?
You need to play the game. And the game in 2025 is played against robots. Before a human ever sees your CV, it’s scanned by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). These bots are not smart. They get confused by fancy columns, artistic fonts, and clever graphics. So, keep it clean. Single column, standard font. Think simple. You have to beat the bots.
And look, you don’t have to be a graphic designer to make this look good. Just find a clean, professional modern cv template that respects the rules for the robots, and let your achievements be the star of the show. Your content is what matters, not a flashy container.
Then, for every point you make, apply the “So What?” Test. You wrote blog posts? So what? You increased organic traffic by 40%? Okay, now we’re talking. You trained new hires? So what? You overhauled the training manual and cut onboarding time by a week? Nice. See the difference?
If you make things—code, designs, campaigns—show me. A link to a portfolio is worth a thousand words. It’s proof. It’s saying, “Don’t just take my word for it, look at this cool thing I did.”
Finally, for the love of all that is holy, be a human. A little “Interests” section at the bottom can be gold. “Interests: Marathon runner, amateur woodworker, learning Swahili.” It makes you memorable. It gives me something to ask you about. It shows you have a life outside of work, which, believe it or not, is a good thing.
Your CV isn’t a summary of your duties. It’s an argument for your value. Stop letting it be a boring one.