13 Apr 2023
Having a great CV could be your ultimate way of getting the job you want or the attention you need from recruiters. Making sure your CV is up to scratch and presentable for potential employers is something that requires special attention if you want to give your career a boost.
Check out the five tips and tricks below for producing a CV good enough to get you the ticket for an invitation to an interview.
1. Tailor your CV to the Industry
We know sometimes it can be tempting to include all of your employment history and experience in your CV. However, if you add too much irrelevant information then this can turn recruiters off.
The easiest way to maintain copies of different CVs for different jobs is to create a master CV. On a master CV, you should include all of the details of your previous work experience and employment. This way, you have a template ready for you when applying for any future jobs.
When it comes to applying for a specific role, you can remove all of the irrelevant information from your master CV that does not apply to the job you are applying for. Save this as a new CV copy. For example, you may have a Customer Service CV, a Support Worker CV or a Team Leader CV etc.
This means that the nxt time you have a CV that is for a particular job niche, you already have a CV that you can use as a basic template to adapt for it. This can cut down considerably on the time that it takes to produce the CV that you need for the next job you are going for. It is an excellent way to save time and energy when you apply for new jobs in areas you have applied to before.
2. Is your CV easily readable in 9 seconds?
Your CV should be such that it is very easy to read and allows for quick glances. According to studies, it only takes an average of 8.8 seconds for recruiters to look over one CV. Try to make sure your CV does not exceed two A4 sides, by keeping information simple and compact.
Nine seconds seems an almost inconceivably small window of time in which to read a CV but recruiters are well used to them and have adapted their speed reading to process the CVs more efficiently.
The best way to achieve a readable CV is to have a consistent format and structure throughout your CV. Make a distinction between the different headings and sections of writings by using different fonts and sizes for them throughout your CV.
Readability should be a real priority for you when putting together your CV. Recruiters are almost always looking for reasons to discard even more CVs from the process so don’t let some sloppy use of fonts be your undoing that prevented you getting your dream job.
Consistency is your key and should keep you in the process until they have at least read the most important parts of your CV. Anything beyond that is down to the discretion of the individual recruiters.
3. Have a profile statement
Since it only takes a short amount of time for recruiters to review a CV, it is best to have one section of the CV that can offer a quick summary of what to expect from an employee like you. This means that if they see nothing else on the whole CV, they have seen and read your profile statement. This is what you want them to read and that is why you take care with the positioning accordingly.
The profile statement should be positioned at the top-middle of the CV, as this is the first place that recruiters first glance. The profile statement should confirm what you are seeking and how you can be an ideal candidate for the job that you are applying for. It is not always easy to get and hold attention from recruiters as the sheer numbers of people applying to many jobs make the CVs one huge mass of paper, or emails if they have come in that way.
Despite an increasing number of CVs being sent via email. Many recruiters still prefer to print them out and read them, rather than read them on a computer screen. It’s funny how some old habits die hard, even in this new era of computers and high technology.
4. Understand the job description
Understanding what your recruiter wants from you can help you create the right CV. You must read and understand what the job description is asking from you, especially the part where it tells you what they are looking for in an ideal candidate.
If you feel that you meet those ideals, then use those exact words in your profile statement, skills and experience section. That way, when a recruiter looks at those sections they will feel like you are ticking their checklist!
Being able to tick all of the recruiter’s boxes should mean you are one step closer to getting an interview, but remember that there may have been hundreds of applicants for one job, so it may not always be possible for you to get called, no matter how well you did pulling together your CV. That is just the way things are sometimes, not every job will go for you.
5. Keep your CV updated
It is vital to keep updating your CV as you continue to develop on a professional, as well as personal level. If you have acquired a new skill or completed a new job or a project then include this on your CV.
Potential employers may look for specific skills that make candidates with an added experience or skill stand out as unique among the other applicants so it is important that you pay attention to how you update your CV and the competencies that you add to it.
