There's a gap between what candidates think recruiters want and what recruiters actually respond to. We spoke to hiring managers across finance, technology, and professional services to find out what really moves the needle.
## Clarity beats comprehensiveness
Every recruiter we spoke to said the same thing in different ways: they want to understand quickly what you do and whether it's relevant. Long CVs packed with every responsibility you've ever held slow that process down.
"I want to see the headline story immediately," said one senior recruiter at a London-based fintech. "If I have to hunt for why someone is right for this role, they've already lost ground."
Candidates who lead with a clear, specific summary and keep descriptions tight consistently outperform those who pad their applications.
## Evidence matters more than adjectives
"Results-oriented," "passionate," "dynamic" — these words appear on almost every CV and mean almost nothing without evidence behind them. Recruiters have become entirely immune to them.
What gets attention is specificity. What did you actually do? What changed because you were there? Even in roles where outcomes are hard to quantify, you can describe scope: the size of the team, the scale of the project, the complexity of the problem.
## Cover letters are read — when they're good
There's a persistent belief that no one reads cover letters. That's not quite true. Most recruiters skim them and many will read them properly when the CV is strong. The real issue is that most cover letters are bad: generic, repetitive of the CV, or both.
A short, direct cover letter — three paragraphs, genuinely tailored to the role — is noticed. It doesn't need to be long. It needs to tell them something the CV doesn't, and it needs to sound like a person wrote it.
## Cultural fit is real, but it cuts both ways
Recruiters do assess whether someone seems like a good cultural fit. But the smart ones know this assessment has to be conscious and evidence-based, not instinctive. The question isn't "do they seem like us?" — it's "do they seem like they'd thrive in the way we work?"
As a candidate, you can address this directly. Research how the company works, what they value, and how they describe their environment. Show in your application that you've thought about fit — it signals that you're serious about this specific role, not just any role.
## The follow-up matters
Candidates who send a brief, professional follow-up email after an interview are remembered. Not because it's expected, but because so few people do it. One or two sentences thanking them for their time and noting one specific thing you took away from the conversation is enough. It doesn't change a bad interview outcome — but it can tip a close one.