The 6-Second Scan: What Recruiters Actually Read First
Before anyone reads your CV word for word, they skim it. That first pass is fast — a handful of seconds to decide whether you're worth a closer look. If you know where their attention lands, you can load those spots with your best evidence.
The eye starts at the top third
Attention lands on your name, your most recent title, and the line just beneath it. Everything that decides "keep reading or move on" usually happens in the top third of page one.
So don't waste that space on a generic objective. Use a two-line summary that names your role, your strongest result, and what you're targeting next.
Job titles and companies carry the skim
During a skim, people read titles and employers more than bullet points. Make those instantly legible — consistent formatting, clear dates, no abbreviations a stranger wouldn't know.
If your title undersells the work you did, add a short, honest clarifier next to it. "Coordinator (acting team lead, 6 staff)" tells the real story in a glance.
One number stops the scroll
A single concrete result — a percentage, a count, an amount — interrupts the skim and earns a real read. Put your most impressive metric in your top role's first bullet, not buried at the bottom.
Design the top third in Oktop
Oktop's templates keep your summary, latest role, and headline metric exactly where the eye lands first, and the live preview shows your page the way a recruiter sees it. Clarity is strength — make the first six seconds count.