Turn your CV into a page a recruiter can read in thirty seconds
A recruiter's first look at a CV is a skim: headline, current role, a couple of recent results, how to get in touch. An online resume page can be built for that skim in a way a PDF can't, opening instantly on a phone, reading cleanly with a screen reader and living at an address with your name in it.
Why a page beats a PDF link
- It opens where it's tapped. A PDF on a phone means pinching and zooming, or a download prompt inside a messaging app. A web page reflows to the screen.
- It can be updated without resending. The link in last month's application shows this month's version.
- It's readable by more people. Headings, real text and alt text work with screen readers and translation tools; many PDFs exported from design software don't.
- It carries your name.
alexmorgan.dev/cvis easier to remember and say aloud than a file-sharing link.
Keep a PDF too. Many application systems ask for a file, and some recruiters want something to attach to a shortlist. The page and the file should match, and the page can link to the file.
Built for a thirty-second skim
Write the page in the order a recruiter's eye moves, and make each part answer one question.
| Section | The recruiter's question | Keep it to |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | What are you, and at what level? | One line: "Senior data engineer, payments and fraud" |
| Current role | What are you doing now? | Title, company, dates, two results |
| Previous roles | Is the path consistent? | Two or three roles, one result each |
| Proof | Can I see the work? | Links to two or three things: a talk, a repo, a case study |
| Skills | Do you match the job's keywords? | A short list grouped by kind, no rating bars |
| Contact | How do I reach you? | A contact form, LinkedIn, and where you're based |
Results beat duties. "Cut card-fraud losses by a third in a year" says more than "Responsible for fraud models", but only write numbers you could defend in an interview. Drop anything older than about ten years unless it's essential to the job you want.
What to leave off
- Your full home address and date of birth. A town or region is enough.
- A personal phone number on a public page, unless you're happy with unsolicited calls. A contact form avoids it.
- A photo, in countries where recruiters expect not to see one.
- Skill ratings out of five. Nobody knows what "four stars in SQL" means.
Building it with Anticode
As a resume website builder, Anticode works best when you paste the CV text itself into the request with a line about the role you're aiming for: "a resume site for Alex Morgan, senior data engineer looking for payments roles; here's my CV…". The Architect shows a plan of the sections and may ask whether you want one page or separate pages for work and contact. You can then edit any wording in place.
Choose a quiet design system so the content does the work: Swiss (Inter Tight) for a strict grid, Technical (IBM Plex Sans) for engineering roles, Editorial (Geist) for writing and research. The site uses one font family and one action colour throughout, which is what a recruiter's eye wants.
Fast and accessible by default
Pages from the design engine ship with no scripts, so they open quickly even on a poor connection. Before you can publish, the design gate checks the basics that make a page readable for everyone: a declared language, a phone viewport, visible keyboard focus, reduced-motion support and alt text on images. The gate also blocks placeholder text and stock AI phrases, and the Critic flags them too, which catches the leftover "Lorem"-style filler and the generic "results-driven professional" lines that make a CV read as boilerplate.
Publish to a free anticode.dev address, or connect your own domain on a paid plan. Free sites show a small "Made with Anticode" badge; see /pricing.
Limits
- No PDF generation. Anticode doesn't produce a matching PDF of your CV; export that from your word processor and link to it.
- No private links. The page is public. Don't publish anything you'd mind a current employer reading.
- No application tracking. To keep track of where you've applied, see the job application tracker app.
- English pages only. If you need a CV in another language, keep it as a separate document.
Questions people ask
Do recruiters actually read online CVs?
They read what's quickest to open. A link that opens a clean page on a phone gets read in places a PDF attachment doesn't, such as between meetings.
Can I make it interactive?
If you want something more playful, an interactive CV can be built as an app. For most applications, a plain, fast page is the safer choice.
How is this different from a personal website?
A resume page is for one reader, a recruiter, and one decision. A personal website introduces you to anyone. Many people start with the CV and add an About page later.