CV and job-hunt advice
Honest, UK-focused advice on tailoring your CV, beating applicant tracking systems, and actually getting a reply. Backed by 700+ real UK job adverts we read so you don't have to.
'Fast-paced' in UK job adverts: we read 5,982 and the busiest jobs barely use it
'Fast-paced' appears in 54% of UK retail adverts but only 4% of waitressing adverts, one of the busiest jobs there is. We read 5,982 live UK job adverts across 29 occupations. The phrase tracks habit, not workload. Here is the full per-occupation breakdown, what it really signals to candidates, and how to read past it.
We read 30 UK bus driver job adverts. Over half will train you from scratch, no bus licence needed.
We read the full text of 30 UK bus driver adverts from 30 different employers. 16 say they will train you and fund your PCV licence, including Arriva, First Bus and Go North East. Where a points limit is stated it is almost always 6. Pay is stated openly in 29 of 30. Here is what a trainee application should lead with.
See LinkedIn jobs posted in the last hour: the one URL trick (2026)
LinkedIn's date filter stops at 'past 24 hours'. Change one number in the search URL and it shows postings from the last hour instead, before the applicant queue builds.
Which UK jobs actually use an ATS? We read 5,012 adverts. Only 2.6% name one.
The "beat the ATS" advice is sold as universal. We checked 5,012 live UK adverts across 24 occupations: only 2.6% name a real tracking system, and among the adverts that say how to apply, two thirds point to a person. Automated screening is real but it concentrates in the public sector, the NHS and large employers. Here is where it sits, and the CV that survives both routes.
Gender-coded job adverts: we read 5,000 UK adverts and the language is still split
We measured masculine and feminine-coded language across more than 5,000 UK job adverts. Teaching assistant adverts come out 85% feminine-coded, recruiter adverts 56% masculine. Trades, sales and logistics lean on driven and competitive; care, teaching and admin lean on supportive and caring. The wording quietly changes who applies. Full per-occupation breakdown inside.
Do you need a degree to get a UK job? We read 5,012 adverts. Only 6% ask for one.
We analysed 5,012 live UK job adverts across 24 occupations and counted how many ask for a degree. The answer is 6%, and many of those say "or equivalent". A degree appears most in sustainability (43%), doctors (30%) and teachers (27%), and is close to invisible everywhere else. Here is the full per-sector breakdown, and what UK employers screen for instead.
HGV driver CV example (UK 2026): a full worked Class 1 example you can copy
A complete Class 1 HGV driver CV example, section by section, with the licence categories, Driver CPC, tachograph and route experience in the order a transport manager scans for. Built on 240 real UK HGV adverts. Only 2% ask for a clean licence and only 16% want experience, so lead with your card and category, not your years.