I hear the same bits of job-hunting and hiring advice repeated all the time. Some of it was true once, some of it was never true, and some of it is half right in a way that causes more problems than it solves.

These are the ones that come up most often in my conversations with candidates and hiring managers, and what I’d tell you instead.

1. “Your CV must be one or two pages ONLY”

It’s absolutely fine to have a three-page CV, especially if you have many years of experience or have covered lots of projects and contracts. A 23-page CV is not fine. (Yes, I have seen one.)

The page count matters far less than whether the information relevant to the job is actually there. I regularly hear “I have that experience, it just wouldn’t fit on one page”… make it make sense. If that skill is the reason you’d be a great fit, it deserves the space more than an arbitrary rule does.

And for hiring managers, it’s worth remembering that some of the best candidates won’t have a perfectly polished CV. Particularly in technical roles, someone’s experience and abilities can be far more impressive than their ability to summarise them neatly on two pages.

Interestingly, the same study behind the next myth found that an engaged recruiter will happily read on to your second page. Relevance is what keeps them reading.

2. “Recruiters only look at your CV for 7 seconds”

This one comes from an eye-tracking study by the careers site Ladders, first run in 2012 (six seconds) and updated in 2018 (7.4 seconds). What it’s really highlighting is how quickly recruiters form an initial impression, rather than how long they’ll spend considering every CV.

If your CV heading says “Business Analyst specialised in public sector” and you’re applying for a Director of Marketing role in fintech, then no, it probably won’t be looked at for more than seven seconds. That isn’t a recruiter being careless – it’s the CV telling them it’s for a different job.

The first page, and the first thing someone sees, should be the most relevant to the role you’re applying for. Put your critical information at the top, use a clean layout, and mirror the job description. Something like: “I’m a Software Engineering Manager with 5 years of experience leading teams to develop music production software.” Anyone reading that for a role in music tech knows straight away why they should keep going.

For hiring managers, the other side of this is making sure you’re assessing people against what actually matters for the role. A candidate might not use exactly the same terminology as your job description, but that doesn’t mean they lack the experience you need. Good screening is about recognising relevant skills, not just matching words.

3. “You have to pay for access to jobs, recruiters or CV services”

You should never have to pay a recruiter for access to a job opportunity. A recruiter’s job is to help candidates find the right role and help hiring managers find the right person. They’re generally paid by the company doing the hiring, not the person looking for work.

Professional CV writing and career coaching are separate services, and some people find them useful. But you shouldn’t need to pay for either just to get considered for a job.

Any good recruiter will, and should, give you honest, constructive feedback on your CV as part of helping you find a role.

If you want to work with a recruiter, find one who specialises in your industry or skillset. They have the best market knowledge, already know the companies where you could fit, and have access to jobs that aren’t posted publicly, as well as a direct line to hiring managers.

A really good recruiter also has relationships with companies that may not have an opening right now, but they know the kind of people and skills that suit the team, and can make an open introduction for you.

And that works both ways. For hiring managers, a specialist recruiter can introduce you to people you might never reach through a job advert. They understand the market, know who might be open to the right opportunity, and can help you think beyond the candidates who happen to be actively applying.

4. “Interviews are a gatekeeping process where you must defeat the Final Boss”

Interviewing should be a two-way process. It’s as much for you to find out whether you like the team, the way of working and even the workplace, as it is for the interviewer to find out whether you’re the right person for the role.

Of course you want to show you’re suitable, but it shouldn’t feel like you’re unworthy until proven otherwise.

Ask about the interview process. Understand what happens at each stage, who you’ll meet, and what each step is for – getting to know you, a technical discussion or task, meeting the team. A good recruiter will know all of this and support you through it.

And hiring managers, remember that you’re being interviewed too. Candidates are forming opinions about your company throughout the process. A clear, well-organised interview experience tells people something about what it might be like to work with you. A confusing process or poor communication can leave a very different impression.

A surprise technical task doesn’t get the best result for the candidate or the hiring manager. Everyone benefits when expectations are clear and people have the opportunity to show what they can actually do.

5. “Apply for 5, interview at 4, reach the final at 3, get 2 offers, pick one”

This neat little pipeline gets quoted to job seekers and hiring managers alike. The trouble is that the job market, and the way hiring and applications work, has changed (and not necessarily for the better).

As a hiring manager, you’re relying on that pipeline staying the same with nothing else influencing it. You might run three final interviews, only for your first-choice candidate to accept a different role. Or you might receive dozens of applications and discover that very few people have the experience you actually need.

A recruitment process isn’t a guaranteed funnel. Particularly when you’re hiring for specialist technical skills, the right person might not be actively looking, and finding them can take more than posting a job advert and waiting for applications.

As a candidate, giving yourself the best chance isn’t about hitting a number either. Apply for roles that are genuinely relevant, make sure your key information is in that first impression of your CV, and do your research so you’re prepared for each interview.

For both sides, quality matters more than quantity. Five genuinely suitable candidates are far more valuable than fifty applications that were never likely to be a match.

6. “Human recruiters will be made obsolete by AI”

Sure, AI agents can handle the first level of screening – searching for keywords, industries, experience level. And there are plenty of ways AI can make recruitment more efficient.

But finding someone with the right skills is only part of making a successful long-term hire.

People have motivations that don’t necessarily appear on their CV. “I’m relocating.” “I want to work with a bigger team.” “I’d rather be in a smaller company.” “I’m looking for room to grow.” Those are the things that can determine whether someone is happy in a role a year later.

And hiring managers know that finding someone who can do the job isn’t always the same as finding someone who will thrive in the team. There are personalities, working styles, expectations and ambitions to consider, many of which are difficult to capture in a job description.

AI can help gather and organise information, but building relationships, understanding those nuances and helping both sides make the right decision is where a good recruiter adds real value.

After all, most people still want to meet the people they’re going to work with before deciding whether it’s the right fit.

The short version

Whether you’re looking for your next role or trying to find the right person for your team, there’s no magic formula.

Make your CV relevant rather than short. Look beyond keywords when assessing candidates. Treat interviews as conversations, not tests to be survived. And don’t rely on recruitment formulas that assume the market stands still.

Good recruitment is about understanding people, what they can do, what they want, and where they’ll do their best work.

And if you’d like a second pair of eyes on your CV, some advice on your next move, or help finding the right person for your team, our door is always open.

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