By Courtney-Amber Paioni, Hustle Co.
Recruitment is an incredibly selective practice. While we recruiters often find the magic in deeming potential in candidates, it’s not often a client veers from non-negotiables before completely dissecting one’s CV. I have dedicated my career to recruitment and strategic hiring and during my many years headhunting on behalf of companies globally, I have slowly curated a summary of client turn-offs and quirks. My goal? Avoid the turn-offs, dodge the quirks, and ensure your profile stands out… Because here’s the thing: as a recruiter, I’ve felt the spark when a CV grabs your attention—not once, but twice. That moment where you pause, scroll back, and think, “Wait, who is this?” That’s what I call the Double-Take effect. And that’s exactly what my Double-Take formula is designed to achieve.
Double-Take Formula for CVs = (Clarity + Impact) × Personal Brand − Fluff
Breaking It Down
- Clarity: The Foundation of a Standout CV
- Use a clean, well-structured format with clear sections. We like breathing room; do not condense to such a degree where it feels… squashed.
- Prioritise readability: professional fonts, font size between 10-12, bullet points.
- Be concise—every word should serve a purpose.
- Impact: Showcase Your Value in Seconds
- Lead with a powerful introduction, and showcase results-driven statements.
- Use quantifiable achievements (e.g., “Increased revenue by 30%” instead of “Managed sales development”).
- Align your experience with the company’s needs – make it obvious why you’re the perfect fit. It’s okay to adapt your profile to highlight where your expertise matches that of the spec!
- Personal Brand: Make Your CV Unforgettable
- Inject personality – your CV should sound like you, not a template. Have a strong introduction that captures your unique value proposition. Bare in mind to keep the content in third person; i.e. Alice is a dynamic, cloud operations enthusiast with a successful history in SaaS, Fintech and Software Development.
- Add capturing colour/s, a smart use of font, the works!
- Align your CV with your LinkedIn profile and personal brand. This is so important; your LinkedIn is often referred to during any recruitment process. Make sure it is as impactful as your CV.
- Fluff: The Silent CV Killer
- Cut generic phrases like “hardworking team player” – show, don’t tell.
- Avoid long paragraphs and a ten page CV; keep it to precise statements and max three pages (if needed).
- Don’t list outdated or irrelevant experience – keep it targeted. And please, list your most recent experience first.
Bonus insight: Do NOT add a photograph of yourself, to your CV, unless it is professionally shot. An unprofessional image alters the high quality standard of your profile.
Now that your foundation is covered, let’s discuss template options. There are many sites that offer fantastic, user-friendly templates to provide the ultimate structure guideline or inspo-ready, editable options. My personal favorite platform is Canva. Here is a short selection of Double-Take CV templates:
You now understand the importance of foundation, you have also acquired your preferred template… time for drafting.
Example section; the written overview that may help your drafting experience.
Personal information:
Include your full name, contact information (both email and mobile), location (city/county), LinkedIn profile (link it rather than pasting the full URL), and ID number should you be comfortable.
Example below
Alice Mayor
+27 12 345-678
Cape Town, South Africa
ID: XXXXXX XXXXXXX
Introduction: make it count.
Alice is a cloud operations powerhouse with a passion for building seamless, scalable, and secure infrastructures. With a deep-rooted expertise in SaaS, Fintech, and Software Development, she thrives at the intersection of technology and efficiency, ensuring that cloud environments are not just operational but optimised for growth. Whether she’s orchestrating complex cloud deployments, fine-tuning automation workflows, or enhancing security protocols, she brings a sharp analytical mind and a relentless drive for excellence. Alice thrives in translating technical challenges into strategic opportunities, and bridging the gap between development and operations.
Experience: begin with your current employment!
Position/job title; company, duration of employment.
Responsibilities – Max 10 bullet point breakdown (keep precise, impactful and insightful)
Should you have more than ten years experience, you can purely list, in a similar format, the remaining employment history.
Cloud Operations Specialist
The Amazing Cloud Company
2018 – Current
Responsibilities:
- Cloud Infrastructure Management – Oversees, optimises, and maintains cloud environments to ensure high availability, performance, and cost efficiency.
- Automation & Scripting – Develops and implements Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools like Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation to automate deployments and system configurations.
- Performance Optimization – Analyzes system performance, identifies bottlenecks, and optimizes cloud resources to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
- CI/CD Pipeline Management – Supports and enhances continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes to streamline software delivery.
- Cross-Team Collaboration – Works closely with development, security, and IT teams to align cloud operations with business goals and software development workflows.
Skills: whether it’s technical or soft skills, include them.
- Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible
- Automation & Scripting: Python, Bash, PowerShell
- CI/CD & DevOps Tools: Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD
AND/OR
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Strategy Development
- Project Management
- Process Improvement
Education: highlight your most recent qualification first.
Include the institution, qualification name, and date on completion.
University of Cape Town
Masters: Marketing Management
2025
References: it’s your choice!
You do not need to include your reference information, they can simply be available upon request.
Finishing Touches:
- PDF CV versions are best; it protects your data and ensures your CV cannot be tampered with.
- Document title: Name Surname CV
Final Thoughts: Your CV Is More Than a Document—It’s Your First Impression
Recruitment might be selective, but opportunity is abundant – for those who know how to present themselves. A great CV doesn’t just list achievements; it communicates potential. It’s not about being perfect on paper, but being compelling enough to make someone stop, scroll back, and look again.
That’s the double-take. That’s what you’re aiming for.
So, refine the layout, cut the fluff, speak with intention – and always write like someone is reading it with 30 seconds and a stack of CVs ahead. Because they are. Your job is to make those 30 seconds count.
When your CV gets that second glance, you’ve already won half the battle.
And so, from the Hustle Co. team, happy CV building!
- Courtney-Amber Paioni
