How To Create A Stand Out CV.
The One Thing Every Candidate Asks Me About (No Matter Their Experience Level)
Lately, I’ve been speaking with a wide mix of candidates. I have seen graduates fresh out of university, parents returning to work after time away, and highly experienced professionals who’ve spent years with one company and are finally ready for a change.
Despite being at completely different stages of their careers, almost everyone asks me the same question:
“Can you review my résumé?”
Everyone wants reassurance that their CV is actually doing them justice.
After reviewing hundreds of résumés across industries and levels, a few consistent themes come up again and again. The issue is rarely experience. It’s usually clarity, structure, and prioritisation.
Below is how I recommend thinking about your CV, starting with what must sit at the top, what belongs further down, how to structure longer careers without overwhelming the reader and also what to absolutely leave off.
First: Think Like the Employer (and the Recruiter)
Before worrying about templates, fonts, or layout, put yourself in the reader’s shoes.
Recruiters and hiring managers are time-poor. CVs are often skim-read in seconds, and searched electronically in databases before a human ever reads them. If your most important information isn’t immediately obvious, your application is unlikely to progress.
A simple test - What does the employer need to understand about me in the first 10 seconds? Your CV should answer that question without effort.
What Belongs at the Top of Your CV (Page One Is Non-Negotiable)
Your first page is prime real estate. It should contain only the most relevant, decision-making information.
At a minimum, page one should clearly show:
Your name
Your location (city or region only)
Your specialty
Any relevant links to portfolios or other works
Either the most recent brand and role you held, or preferably a listed professional experience summary (see strong recommendation that follows)
Specific platforms and skills relevant to the roles you are applying for.
If a reader can’t quickly tell who you are, what you do, and where you fit, the CV needs to be reorganised.
Strong Recommendation: An Experience Summary on Page One
I strongly recommend including a concise professional experience summary on the first page, regardless of seniority. Ideally listed neatly in bullet points starting with the most recent and working backwards. This is particularly beneficial if you have extensive experience.
It should highlight:
Your job title
The brand or company
The dates you were in the role
If you think relevant, any topline achievements or key projects (you can leave this one off if its not needed)
Think of this as the headline version of your career that gives context in those crucial first seconds before the reader dives into detail.
What Belongs Further Down (Pages Two and Beyond)
Your CV is not meant to be a full autobiography.
Once you’ve established relevance on page one, you can use subsequent pages to go deeper.
This is where you expand on:
Role scope and responsibilities
Team size or leadership breadth
Key projects or initiatives
Measurable outcomes and impact
For longer careers, this structure is far more effective than trying to cram everything into one or two dense pages.
File Format Matters More Than You Think
This is one of the most overlooked (and most critical) details.
Your CV should always be submitted as:
A Word document, or
A text-based PDF where content can be highlighted and searched
Highly designed or image-based PDFs may look polished, but they often can’t be read properly by recruitment databases. If the text can’t be searched, your CV is far less likely to surface, regardless of how strong your background is.
Accessibility and searchability matter more than aesthetics.
Tailor the Story You’re Telling
Your résumé is a curated marketing document, not a full career history.
Prioritise experience that’s relevant to the role you’re targeting
Summarise older or less relevant roles
Clearly articulate transferable skills, especially if you’re returning to work or pivoting
If the employer has to connect the dots themselves, they usually won’t.
Creative Roles: Your Portfolio Is Essential
For creative roles, a portfolio is non-negotiable. Additionally, it needs to be easily accessible.
Best practice:
Transfer your portfolio into an online version accessible via a link (password optional and at your preference)
Include a clear, clickable portfolio link on your CV
Edit ruthlessly and aim for 10 strong projects or pages, not everything you’ve ever done. Best work first, this does not need to be chronologic
Focus on relevance, outcomes, and thinking
Volume doesn’t equal impact here. Selectivity does.
Great-to-Haves That Add Real Value
Elements that genuinely strengthen a CV:
Measurable results and outcomes
Relevant tools, platforms, or systems
Leadership and stakeholder exposure
A clear professional summary that explains your direction (a first page option as long as everything else makes it there first)
These help employers understand not just what you’ve done, but how you create value.
What You Can Confidently Leave Off
Your CV does not need:
A photo
Marital status
Date of birth
Full home address (city or region is enough)
Your CV is a professional document — not a personal profile.
Final Thought
No matter where you are in your career, starting out, returning after a break, or stepping into senior leadership, your CV should work for you, not against you.
If you’re ever unsure, come back to one simple question:
What does the employer need to know, and how quickly can they find it?
A strong CV guides the reader, respects their time, and surfaces relevance quickly. Get that right, and you’ll dramatically increase your chances of being seen, shortlisted, and hired.
If you’d like to connect with Mikaela, please email Mikaela@thetalentmill.com.au today.
By Mikaela Young // Edited By Shannon Parsons