Does your CV design affect hiring? Here's what HR professionals really look for

A CV (Curriculum Vitae) is one of the key documents that catches the attention of hiring managers, as it's often the first thing they look at. Hiring managers conduct an initial screening based on the CV and other available information selection details, following certain preliminary criteria and selection guidelines.

This document plays a crucial role in getting prospective employees noticed during the hiring process.

While often used interchangeably, CV and Resumes are different documents. A Resume is a concise summary of your work experience. While a CV is a comprehensive, multi-page document detailing your entire academic and professional history.


Read below to know more about what HR personnels see in a CV.

Does the format/design of a resume influence decisions, or is content everything?

Deepshika Thakur, Chief People Officer, Bikaji Foods International, told ET Wealth Online that a clear, scannable CV format that highlights key points at a glance, combined with zero spelling or grammatical errors, creates the strongest first impression. Content is important and design makes it accessible.

Pratik Vaidya, Managing Director and Chief Vision Officer, Karma Management Global Consulting Solutions, said to ET Wealth Online that content is still the heart of a CV, but presentation matters because a recruiter often spends very little time on the first scan.

Vaidya says: "Today, with tools like ChatGPT, Claude and other resume builders, candidates can improve both format and language much more easily than before."

But the real differentiator is not just a polished design. According to Vaidya, what makes CVs stand out is whether it carries the right role specific keywords, practical achievements and functional depth. Those nuances usually come from someone who has actually done the job or understands that industry well.

Vaidya explains using an example: a software CV, a banking operations CV and an admin CV cannot all sound the same. A clean CV with the right words, right examples and right outcomes will always score better than a decorative resume with generic content.

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Do HR personnel in India these days rely more on ATS or human judgment in the first round?

Vaidya says that for white collar hiring, especially in banking, IT, software development and administrative roles, the first level is increasingly a mix of technology and human judgment.

Vaidya says: "Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are used to manage large volumes of applications, filter obvious mismatches and identify role linked keywords."

Thakur says: "It is mostly industry specific; in our industry, we use ATS for initial resume screening since it efficiently filters candidates based on keywords. However, the first-round interview still depends on human judgment through virtual or in-person meetings to assess fit and soft skills."

Vaidya highlights that some companies in India have also started using AI tools for resume parsing, candidate ranking and even early stage AI-based interviews. But this should not become a substitute for human judgment.

Generally speaking, how much weight do HR personnel give to top brands like IITs, IIMs and top companies versus actual work done?

HR experts say that even though big colleges give a weight to a prospective employee's CV, for long-term hiring of experienced candidates, companies want to see how much work in what domain did the person do after completing the education from the prestigious college.

Thakur says: "Top colleges such as IITs and IIMs give candidates a significant headstart through brand prestige and networks. However, with time for long term hiring decisions, the actual weight shifts to roles done after education, accomplishments, and diverse experiences."

Vaidya says that brand names do carry weight, and one should not dismiss them casually. Institutions like IITs and IIMs are great brands for a reason. The selection process is tough, the peer group is competitive, and students go through a strong ecosystem of deadlines, projects, case studies, simulations and problem solving.

Vaidya says: "So, recruiters do see that as a signal of discipline, ability and exposure. Similarly, experience in a reputed company can show that the candidate has worked in a certain standard of systems and pressure."

But for experienced roles, Vaidya says brand names can only open the door. It cannot replace actual work. What did the candidate deliver? What problems did they solve? What scale did they handle? What was the business impact? These questions matter more as the career progresses.

Vaidya says: "With Gen Z and newer talent, pedigree may create an advantage, but organisations are increasingly looking for adaptability, ownership and real execution. A strong brand helps, but proven work sustains the opportunity."