Elevate Your CV and Supporting Statement to Stand Out

At the beginning of each year, many people naturally pause to reflect on their careers. It’s often a time when CVs are revisited, supporting statements are refreshed, and questions start to form about what the next role or opportunity might look like.

Whether you’re actively exploring new roles or simply want to be prepared, having a strong application ready matters. Your CV and supporting statement are often the first way you introduce yourself, and the right approach, supported by informed recruitment guidance, can make all the difference.

Your CV: Clear, Credible and Impact-Led
Your CV is often the first impression you make, and in many cases, it will be skim-read before it is studied in detail. Clarity, structure and relevance matter.

Get the foundations right
A clean, well-organised layout is essential. Use consistent fonts, clear section headings and plenty of white space to make your CV easy to navigate. Simplicity works. Your CV should be easy to scan at a glance, allowing the reader to quickly understand your background and strengths.

Accuracy is just as important as presentation. Proofread carefully and sense-check dates, job titles and contact details. Small errors can undermine an otherwise strong application.

Tailor, don’t recycle
A generic CV rarely does justice to your experience. Tailoring your CV to each role shows intent and understanding. Start with a concise professional summary that reflects your career trajectory, key achievements and future direction, while naturally incorporating keywords from the job description.

This isn’t about keyword stuffing, but about signalling alignment. Employers want to quickly see how your experience maps against what they need.

Responsibilities show scope, achievements show impact
When outlining your experience, include the essentials: organisation name, job title and dates. Then split each role into two clear sections:

• Key responsibilities – outlining the scope and scale of your role. This might include team size, budgets, programmes led or stakeholder complexity.
• Key achievements – demonstrating the difference you made. Use action-led language and quantify results where possible. Metrics such as cost savings, service improvements, growth figures or delivery outcomes bring credibility and help your CV stand out.

Numbers tell a story quickly and give context to your contribution.

Qualifications and personal details
Include qualifications and professional memberships that are relevant to the role. If you’re unsure what to prioritise, the job description or a conversation with a recruitment consultant can help clarify what matters most.
To reduce unconscious bias, avoid including personal details such as photographs, age, marital status or beliefs unless they are explicitly requested. Keep the focus on your skills, experience and achievements.

Your CV should reflect your professional journey with confidence and clarity, showing not just what you’ve done, but the value you bring.

Your Supporting Statement: Context, Motivation and Alignment
If your CV shows what you’ve done, your supporting statement explains why it matters.

A strong supporting statement complements your CV rather than repeating it. It gives you the opportunity to add context, demonstrate motivation and show how your values align with those of the organisation.

Avoid generic statements
Hiring managers can quickly spot a generic supporting statement. Taking the time to tailor your statement to the role and organisation makes a significant difference.

Research the organisation’s purpose, priorities and culture. Reflect on what genuinely resonates with you and use this to demonstrate alignment between your experience, motivations and their mission.

Tell a focused, relevant story
Your supporting statement should read as a coherent narrative about your professional journey and your interest in the role. Rather than listing everything you’ve done, focus on the experiences and achievements most relevant to the role profile.

Use specific examples to bring your skills to life, whether that’s leading teams, navigating complexity, delivering change or improving outcomes. Framing achievements in terms of impact helps your application feel memorable and authentic.

Show values and cultural fit
Technical capability matters, but values and cultural alignment are increasingly important. Your supporting statement is the right place to demonstrate how you approach leadership, collaboration and challenge, and how this aligns with the organisation’s direction.

Whether the organisation prioritises innovation, inclusion, service improvement or partnership working, show how your experience and aspirations support those goals.

Structure for clarity
Clarity and brevity are key. While it can be tempting to include everything, selectivity strengthens your message. Aim for no more than four pages and keep your language focused.

Where possible, align headings in your supporting statement with the role profile. This makes it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to assess your suitability and ensures you are clearly addressing the essential and desirable criteria.

Finish with confidence
End your supporting statement on a positive, assured note. Reiterate your enthusiasm for the role and your commitment to adding value. A confident close reinforces intent and leaves a strong final impression.

Bringing it all together
Your CV and supporting statement should work together to present a complete, compelling picture. One provides evidence, the other provides context. When both are clear, tailored and impact-led, your application becomes more than a list of roles; it becomes a story worth engaging with.

At Tile Hill, we support candidates at every stage of the application process. If you’d like guidance on refining your CV, strengthening your supporting statement, or understanding what employers are really looking for, our team is always happy to help.