By Michael Muir
Notes from the desk.
Recruiter insight on CVs, career positioning, and how hiring decisions are actually made. From twenty years reading CVs for real mandates.
From the Desk
Six topics. One perspective. Everything here is written from the hiring side of the table.
P16 pieces
Your CV
The document that speaks when you are not in the room.
Explore the pillar
P26 pieces
The Search
How to find the right roles.
Explore the pillar
P32 pieces
The Market
What the data actually shows.
Explore the pillar
P43 pieces
The Myths
What turns out to be wrong.
Explore the pillar
P52 pieces
The Interview
From first call to signed offer.
Explore the pillar
P60 pieces
The Quiet Part
What nobody says about job search.
Coming soon
All Notes
19 pieces
Why You Are Not Getting Interviews
Fivereasons your CV is being rejected. None of them are formatting.
9 min readRead
What a Recruiter Sees When They Search for You on LinkedIn
200profiles a recruiter scans to build a shortlist of eight. Here is what makes them stop.
8 min readRead
The Follow-Up Email Nobody Sends
95%of candidates skip the follow-up. The 5% who do it well change the outcome.
8 min readRead
Made Redundant? The Job Search Strategy That Actually Works
Firstthing most people do after redundancy is update their CV. It is the wrong move.
10 min readRead
How to Use AI for Your Job Search Without Sounding Like Everyone Else
3 in 4job seekers now use AI. Most of them sound identical.
7 min readRead
How to Read a Job Description Like a Recruiter
Halfof a job description is a wish list. A recruiter can tell you which half.
8 min readRead
How to Approach Companies Directly Without Applying
70%of senior roles filled without a public job posting
9 min readRead
Career Change After 40: What the Data Says
40+is not a limitation. But the rules are different. Here is what the data shows.
8 min readRead
Best CV Review Services in the UK: An Honest Comparison
Onequestion separates a useful CV service from a waste of money
11 min readRead
AI CV Builders vs Human CV Review: What Actually Gets You Hired
30sto generate a CV with AI. About the same to spot one.
10 min readRead
Nobody reads your CV in six seconds
1%Recruiters who actually spend less than 10 seconds on a CV
13 min readRead
The ATS rejection myth: what software actually does to your CV
92%Recruiters whose ATS does not auto-reject anything. The myth, busted.
11 min readRead
What your recruiter would tell you before the interview
5 stagesFrom research to debrief. Where most candidates lose the interview before they walk in.
14 min readRead
The UK hiring market in 2026, honestly
+127%AI-mentioning job postings. Overall postings are down 27%.
13 min readRead
The history of the CV, from Leonardo to AI
500 yrsFrom Leonardo's 1482 letter to the AI-drafted CV of today
17 min readRead
Why Your LinkedIn Profile Is Undermining Your CV
BothA recruiter reads your CV and your LinkedIn side by side. Most profiles don't match.
5 min readRead
How Recruiters Actually Read Your CV
3The three places a recruiter's eyes go, in order
5 min readRead
What Positioning Actually Means (And Why Your CV Probably Gets It Wrong)
Wrong QMost CVs answer where you have been. Recruiters need to know what you are for.
6 min readRead
The Difference Between a CV Rewrite and a CV Assessment
TwoVery different things, often sold as the same service
5 min readRead
The writing is free. The personal version is the report.
Notes from the desk apply the thinking broadly. The CV Intelligence Report applies it specifically, to your CV, with a full rewrite and two production-ready documents.
Order Your Report£99 · 24 hour delivery