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What Your CV Really Needs to Land Interviews

August 10, 2025
Woman with dark hair, glasses, and a black blazer smiles at the camera, hand on hip.

Our Senior Consultant Emilia shares her top tips for standing out in today’s HR job market.

Want to learn more or connect directly? You can connect with Emilia on LinkedIn or read more about her experience here.

If you're exploring mid to senior-level HR roles and your CV isn’t opening doors, a few smart changes could make all the difference.

As a specialist in People & Culture recruitment across Sydney and beyond, I know what hiring managers and recruiters are scanning for - and how quickly they make decisions.


Before you hit apply again, download our Market Insights & Salary Guide 2025. It will give you a clear sense of what’s in demand and how to align your experience to market needs.

Here’s what I recommend every HR CV includes:


1.Use the Right Keywords
Hiring managers and ATS systems are looking for alignment. Make sure your CV reflects the language used in the job ad. For example, if the role mentions “change enablement,” include that phrase in your summary or experience. It shows you’re across industry language and helps your CV pass automated screening.


2. Make Career Movement Clear
Help us follow your journey. If you’ve been promoted, shifted due to a restructure, or exited after redundancy, say so. A simple note like People Partner – promoted from Advisor role gives important context and builds credibility.


3. Make It Easy to Skim
Recruiters often decide within 30 seconds whether to keep reading. Clear formatting, bullet points, and listing your roles from newest to oldest gives us what we need, fast. This is especially important in high-volume areas like HR recruitment.


4. Show You’re Growing, Not Just Experienced
We want to see that you’re still engaged with the profession. Mentioning a short course, new system, or recent transformation project demonstrates that you’re progressing, not just repeating.


5. Nail Your Summary
Your opening summary should speak to who you are, your specialisms, and what you’re aiming for. For example: Experienced HR Business Partner passionate about capability-building, culture uplift, and advising senior leaders through change.


Want to Stand Out in Your HR Job Search?

If you're ready to take the next step in your HR career and want advice on how to sharpen your CV, align to the market, or find the right opportunities - I’d love to help.


📧 emilia@levyl.com.au
📞 0497 938 177

Connect with me on LinkedIn


Whether you're actively applying or just want a sounding board, feel free to reach out. Let's make your next move count.


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