Career guides

All guides

• Write an ATS-friendly CV

  Section names, formatting and file types that survive parsing — and the layout choices that quietly get you filtered out.

  • •Use standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills
  • •One column for the main content flow
  • •Export as PDF unless the posting asks for Word

• Tailor a CV to a job description

  How to mirror the language of a posting without keyword stuffing, and which three bullets to rewrite for each application.

  • •Pull the five repeated terms from the posting
  • •Lead each role with your most relevant result
  • •Keep one master CV and duplicate per application

• Turn duties into achievements

  The pattern behind every strong bullet: action, scope, measurable outcome — with before and after examples.

  • •Start with a specific verb, not 'responsible for'
  • •Add scale: team size, budget, volume
  • •Close with the number that changed

• Cover letters that get read

  A four-paragraph structure that takes fifteen minutes to write and says something the CV cannot.

  • •Open with why this company, not why you need a job
  • •Give one story with a result
  • •Close with a clear, low-friction next step

• Prepare for the first interview

  Build a short bank of stories you can reshape into most behavioural questions instead of memorising answers.

  • •Six STAR stories cover most question types
  • •Rehearse out loud, timed to two minutes
  • •Prepare three questions of your own

• Follow up and negotiate

  When to chase a silent application, and how to respond to a first offer without risking it.

  • •Follow up once after seven working days
  • •Never give the first number if you can avoid it
  • •Negotiate the package, not just the salary