700 applications later: What really convinces HR experts

An industry insider reveals which CV strategies actually work and which myths should finally be buried.

Practical insights from a decade of talent acquisition

Sam Struan, a 36-year-old recruitment specialist from Scotland, transformed his ten years of expertise in recruitment into a full-time specialization in application optimization two years ago. His portfolio now includes over 700 professionally reworked CVs - an experience base that provides rare insights into successful application strategies.

Struan's philosophy shatters common CV myths: while many guides focus on superficial design elements, keyword optimization or page limits, he advocates substance and strategic clarity.

Fundamental building blocks of successful application documents

Every professional CV first needs complete contact details - e-mail address and telephone number are the minimum. However, a precise value proposition formulation at the beginning of the document is much more important. This one- to two-sentence introduction should include concrete years of experience, specific areas of activity and company characteristics (categorized by number of employees and sales volume). Struan explicitly warns against meaningless phrases such as "results-oriented leader with a proven track record of operational excellence". Instead, he calls for fact-based descriptions that eliminate room for interpretation and make it easier for HR managers to make an assessment.

Corporate context as a differentiating factor

An often overlooked but critical success factor is the integration of company summaries for each job station. These one- to two-line descriptions include products, services, target markets, staff size and sales figures. This contextualization saves recruiters time-consuming research while demonstrating industry-specific expertise. For example, if applicants can demonstrate experience with companies of a similar size or comparable product portfolios, this significantly increases their attractiveness to potential employers.

Avoidable application mistakes

Struan identifies overly stylistic design elements such as images or corporate logos as the most common components to be eliminated. Although these elements do not automatically lead to rejection by Applicant Tracking Systems, they can interfere with the correct data analysis of the software.

Meaningless soft skills

The expert is particularly critical of blanket soft skill claims such as "excellent communication skills" or "results-oriented way of working". Such self-assessments remain completely insubstantial without concrete contextualization or evidence.

Strategic length optimization instead of rigid rules

Struan breaks the widespread myth of one-page CVs: while university graduates or career starters with just a few years of experience should really aim for one page, experienced professionals definitely need several pages. His own CV with ten to 15 years of professional experience runs to two and a half pages.

Industry-specific requirements

Positions in government, healthcare or science typically require even more extensive documentation due to necessary certifications, publication lists or other proof of qualifications. While Struan has never screened out candidates solely on the basis of CV length in his recruiting career, he also criticizes completely disproportionate documents - such as 20-page CVs with only five years of professional experience.

Structural optimization strategies

Regardless of the overall scope, current professional experience must appear directly on the first page. Struan regularly observes the mistake of only listing recent activities on subsequent pages - a structure that costs recruiters unnecessary time.

Clarity before creativity

The formula for success remains simple: clear fonts, black ink and metrics-based arguments to justify suitability for the job. Complexity does more harm than good.

Conclusion: substance is more convincing than superficiality

Struan's 700 years of practical experience confirm a fundamental insight: successful applications are based on the quality of content and strategic presentation, not on current design trends or supposed secret formulas.