Recruitment Consultant CV Examples & UK Templates

Finding the right talent is key to the success of any organisation, but what about when the right talent is you?

A recruitment consultant CV should convince the company that you have the skills and experience to help them make the best hiring decisions that move them closer to their goals. 

How can you create some buzz with your recruitment consultant CV? By showcasing your confidence and professionalism from the start, with a dash of personality.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll explain exactly how you can impress the hiring manager with a polished CV that markets you as the best person for the job.

CV guide for a recruitment consultant CV

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This CV guide and the corresponding recruitment consultant CV example will cover the following:

• How to write a recruitment consultant CV
• Choosing the right CV format for a recruitment consultant
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your recruitment consultant experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right CV design/layout

How to write a recruitment consultant CV

The first step in writing your recruitment consultant CV is understanding what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

Recruitment consultants should be aware that their CVs will face extra scrutiny by hiring managers as they are employed to evaluate the CVs and applications of other job seekers. That means there is no room for error in either the writing or formatting of your recruitment consultant CV.

It likely comes as no surprise that the first step before beginning to craft your CV will be to review the job description posted by the company. What are their overall hiring goals? What is the company culture? What problem are they hoping a recruitment consultant can solve for them? Answering these questions will help you customise your CV to the specific company and role.

Regardless of the recruitment consultant role you are targeting, follow these key principles:

• Showcase your strengths and achievements. While it’s simple to list daily tasks when describing your experience, highlighting your achievements demonstrates the unique value you will bring to the recruitment team.
• Ensure the tone of your CV aligns with the company you’re applying to. Adjust the content and tone of your CV to match each employer's tone and branding.
• Convey a professional image by selecting a clean and crisp format for your recruitment consultant CV. Busy formats can be confusing and difficult to read.
• Optimise your CV with keywords to impress recruiters and ensure your CV performs well when parsed by applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Choosing the right CV format for recruitment

Recruitment consultants know how important a strong CV format is, and that certain formats are easier to evaluate than others. 

The reverse chronological format is the logical choice for most recruitment consultants as it focuses on your previous experience and gives you space to describe the results you brought about for other clients. Previous experience is listed from most recent to oldest, going back to about ten years (or as long as is relevant.) This format is preferred by most recruiters and is also the easiest for ATS to scan as they look for CV keywords.

The functional CV (or skills-based CV) format is another option for job seekers with limited work history. This format focuses more on skills and minimises employment history. It is best reserved for first-time job seekers. The combination, or hybrid, CV format can be a great happy medium for people with only one or two previous positions to show.

Check out our job-winning CV templates so you can see these formats in action and select the one that is most relevant to your unique situation. We also have 170+ CV examples if you need some more inspiration.

Include your contact information

When a hiring manager spots a top-notch recruitment consultant CV they will be keen to get in touch. Having your contact information up-to-date and clearly presented is therefore vital.

Think of your CV header as a professional business card that you hand out to prospective clients. Here is the information you should include and exclude: 

• Full name & title. Start with your first and last name, then add “Recruitment Consultant” as the main job title.
• Professional email address. Include a suitable email address where employers can contact you, such as firstname.lastname@email.com.
• Phone number. Add a phone number where you can easily be reached, with a professional voicemail message.
• Location. There is no longer a requirement to include your full address on your CV, so simply list your town or city and country.
• LinkedIn. Many prospective employers will check your LinkedIn profile, so make their lives easier by including a link. Ensure your profile is updated.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Including your DOB can lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: Personal details are not required, so avoid detailing your marital status, NI number, or nationality.

Make use of a summary

Your summary, or profile, serves as the introduction to your recruitment consultant's CV and is your opportunity to quickly build rapport with your intended audience; the employer. 

Create 2-3 sentences to introduce yourself, highlight your most relevant experience, and spotlight any impressive accomplishments. The goal of the summary is to grab the hiring manager’s attention and stand out in a crowded application pool. 

Be sure to focus on only the most intriguing bits of your profile – after all the employer will be able to find more details further down the page. The summary is also the place to add a bit of (professional) personality and describe what sets you apart. 

Action verbs in the simple past or present tense are a great way to make your summary pop. Examples include inspired, boosted, delivered, transformed, negotiated, and cultivated. 

While the summary section is at the start of your CV, a good approach is to write this section last. After you’ve written your key skills and work history sections you’ll probably find that creating a summary of your career to date is a lot easier. Follow the rest of this guide, then loop back to create a compelling professional summary.   

You can also find adaptable recruitment consultant example summaries below:

Outline your recruitment consultant work experience; your career journey

The employment history section of your CV is likely the place that will draw the hiring manager’s attention first so it’s important to craft it well and with a specific company in mind. 

For each previous project or role, create subheadings with the company name, your title, the dates worked and location. If you were working in a freelance consulting capacity, make sure to mention that within the first bullet point. 

You’ll want to add 4-5 bullet points to each subheading to describe your duties, skills, and most importantly the results of your work. Try to quantify each accomplishment with numbers or statistics, whether that be in terms of hires made, budgets managed, or time saved. 

Facts and data demonstrate your skills in action. Rather than simply listing duties and responsibilities, highlight your accomplishments in the workplace. For example, you may have held the following responsibilities:

• "Sourced and screened candidates.”
• "Assessed recruitment needs.”
• "Liaised extensively with clients.”

While these statements provide details of your core duties, they are pretty bland. Adding some specific facts and tangible results will add some colour to your work history. For example:

• "Connected talent with viable roles, sourcing and screening candidates for diverse internal positions aligned to existing and forecasted business needs.”
• "Partnered with managers and leadership team to define recruitment needs, identifying business gaps and openings.”
• "Leveraged strong communication skills to exceed client expectations, maintaining a 93% client retention rate.”

Take a look at the recruitment consultant employment history CV sample below:

How to write a recruitment consultant CV with no experience

If you don't have any recruitment consultant experience, you can still create a compelling CV to land an entry-level opportunity. The strategy here is to focus on transferable skills and your passion for all things recruitment.

Think about the transferable skills you have gained from a part-time job or any voluntary work. Maybe you secured a weekend job in customer service, where you honed your communication, sales, and problem-solving skills. All vital skills that you can relate to recruitment.

Another way to get a foot in the door if you have no direct experience is to show your commitment to pursuing a career in recruitment. Perhaps you are pursuing studies or certifications in the fields of recruitment or HR for example. Even if these qualifications are in progress, you can still mention this information on your CV.    

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great recruitment consultant

Think of the skills section of your CV as a “greatest hits” list. This is the place for an employer to check your abilities, personal qualities, and areas of expertise at a glance. 

A good balance of hard and soft skills should be included in your recruitment consultant CV. Hard skills may include candidate sourcing and screening, talent management, and contract negotiation. Soft skills are general traits that help employees excel at work, such as communication and problem-solving. 

You should also pay extra attention to include any specific skills mentioned in the job description using the employer’s exact language to increase your chances of getting past the CV scanners.  

Our CV builder provides a wide range of key skills to choose from, with proficiency levels you can adjust. You can also add your unique skills.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our recruitment consultant CV template.

While you should mention your key skills in this section, you can also weave them throughout the rest of the document. Add them to your professional summary, work experience, and education sections. For example:

• Demonstrate your expertise in managing the full recruitment life cycle, from sourcing and screening, through to selection, hiring, and onboarding.
• Critical thinking skills by analysing the performance of recruitment campaigns and making adjustments to facilitate optimal outcomes.
• Collaborative approach by describing your role in achieving and exceeding recruitment team targets and KPIs.

Look to the original job advert for inspiration on the critical skills to include.

Detail your education & relevant recruitment consultant certifications

While recruitment consultants can come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds, it is preferable that you can show a degree on your CV. 

Make sure to list your education in reverse chronological order like you did for your employment history section. Add the degree name, the name of the school, the location, and the dates attended. If you have completed a university degree, you can leave off your secondary education. 

Aside from your formal education, you can also include other certifications and training related to recruitment in this section. For example,

• Training and certifications. Courses and certifications boost your credibility, such as training in HR, recruitment, and employment law as well as accreditation as a SHRM Certified Professional.
• Internships. If you’re just starting your recruitment consultant career, then include details of any internships or work placements in this section.
• Professional development. Professional memberships boost your credibility, so mention registration with organisations such as the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) or the Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD).

Pick the right CV layout and design for a recruitment consultant's CV

The layout and design of your CV are essential components when it comes to conveying your professionalism and interest in the role. You should first consider the image of the company when choosing a layout. 

Big, bold colours should be avoided. Instead, apply a neutral colour scheme and professional font to make a strong first impression. When in doubt, it’s better to err on the side of caution – you can let more of your personality shine in the interview. A professionally designed CV template can make it easy to strike the right balance of attractiveness and professionalism.

Poor formatting, distracting designs, and awkward layouts won’t be effective. Instead, keep it simple. Check out our CV templates and user-friendly builder tool for professional, field-tested results. 

Recruitment consultant text-only CV example

Key takeaways for building a recruitment consultant CV

Recruitment consultants will need to take extra care when preparing their CVs as they are considered to be hiring experts and will face extra scrutiny during the application process.

Having a clear understanding of your target audience is vital. Always refer back to the job description and tailor your CV to the demands of the position. This will ensure you deliver a compelling story of your candidacy for the job opening and boost your chances of an interview.

Kickstart your job search by using our online CV builder to create the perfect recruitment consultant CV in mere minutes.