How long should it take to write a CV?
Writing your first CV is slow because it is mostly remembering. Adapting it for each job should be quick, and most people skip it.
Job applications, explained honestly
Practical guides to CVs, ATS screening, and applying smarter. Written by the people who build JobShaped, with no fluff and no scare tactics.
How do you explain being made redundant on your CV?
You mostly don't, not in the CV itself. Over-explaining a redundancy is what makes a screener read it as something worse than it was.
Should you follow up after applying for a job?
Sometimes, but what it changes depends on who receives it and how the process is run. Here is what actually happens to a follow-up on the other end, and when it reaches nobody who can act on it.
Does applying early actually make a difference?
Sometimes, and it has nothing to do with you. Whether a screening pile is worked through as applications arrive or all at once after the deadline decides the answer, and you can often tell which one you're looking at.
Should you apply if you only meet half the requirements?
Often, yes, but not because confidence closes the gap. Requirements lists mix genuine dealbreakers with wish-list items, and knowing which is which matters more than how many boxes you tick.
What does “we’ll keep your CV on file” actually mean?
Usually it means what it sounds like: your CV is stored, not actively reconsidered. Here is what actually happens to it, and the one case where the line is not just a formula.
Are ghost jobs real, and how do you spot one?
Yes, some job postings stay up with no real intention of hiring right now. Here are the legitimate reasons that happens, the one reason that is not legitimate, and how to tell which one you're looking at.
How far back should your work history go?
There is no fixed number of years. What matters is whether a role is still relevant to the job you're applying for now. Here is how to decide what stays, what gets trimmed to a line, and what gets dropped entirely.
Do you still need a cover letter?
Only when the application actually requires or clearly invites one. When it is optional, a generic letter is worse than no letter, and a specific one only helps if it says something the CV cannot. Here is what a cover letter is actually doing once it reaches a reader
Should you put a photo on your CV?
In the US, UK, Canada and Australia, leaving it off is usually the safer default, and in several cases including one can work against you. In much of continental Europe it is still customary. Here is why the advice splits by country, and what actually decides it.
How long should a CV actually be?
One page if it genuinely fits, two if it does not, and almost nobody is counting past that. The one-page rule has a specific origin and a specific limit, and both matter more than the number itself.
Why your CV was rejected, when a human actually read it
Rejections almost never come with a reason, so candidates invent one, usually about keywords. Here are the reasons a CV gets turned down once a person has genuinely read it, and which of them you can do something about.
Why you never hear back after applying for a job
Silence after an application almost never means your CV was rejected by software. It usually means something much more ordinary. Here is what actually happens to an application after you send it, and the small number of things you can change.
Which CV rules are real, and which are just folklore?
One page or two, photo or no photo, references on request. Most CV rules are repeated because they were repeated, not because anyone checked. Here is which ones change what a reader learns about you, and which ones nobody has cared about in years.
Can ChatGPT tailor your CV to a job description?
Yes, and a lot of people already do it by pasting their resume into a chat window. Here is where that genuinely works, where it quietly goes wrong, and what changes if the tool actually keeps a copy of who you are.
What a recruiter actually sees in the first glance at your CV
Real eye-tracking research says a recruiter's first look lasts about six seconds. Here is what actually happens in that time, and what happens after it, from someone who used to be the one looking.
Employment gaps on your CV: stop trying to hide them
Most advice tells you to disguise a gap with a functional CV format. Recruiters know exactly what that format means. Here is what works better, including what to write for the most common reasons.
Do ATS systems really reject 75% of CVs?
The number comes from a 2012 sales pitch by a company that sold ATS optimization and went out of business in 2013. Here is what actually happens to your CV, and what is worth worrying about instead.
Are free CV builders actually free? Here is the five-minute test
Most "free" CV builders are free right up until you click download. Here is how to find out which ones are real before you spend an hour on yours, including exactly where we stand.
How to tailor your CV to a job description (without lying)
Tailoring your CV means reshaping what you already did, not inventing what you did not. Here is where the line sits, and a method for staying on the right side of it.