Imagine recruitment was like Tinder, where recruiters swipe left or right to make a decision on whether to shortlist you. In fact the reality isn’t so far off the mark. Busy recruiters often have to sift from many CVs to find the few that hit the sweet spot. This post will explore how to make your CVs one of the chosen few.
When you apply for a job it’s therefore worth considering taking a similar approach to online dating. You’ve swiped right on a job you want to explore. Now it’s the recruiter’s turn to like what they see.
To encourage ‘swipe rights’ you need to make the recruiter feel you really understand their needs. For online dating sites you’d select your best photo and really think about how to describe yourself and what you’re looking for. You would invest time curating your profile. You certainly don’t want to attract large numbers of ill-matched suitors. Similarly recruiters want to narrow their field to attract the right candidates- hence the job description and person specification.
1. Size matters
Keep it short- 2 pages max for your CV, unless the instructions are for a 1-page document. An academic CV can be 2 pages with an appendix for research and publications; ideally no more than 1 page for these.
2. Go for major impact
Recruiters will give your CV up to 30 seconds- often less- to discover whether you hit the criteria specified in the person specification. Ensure they find what they need on the first page at the top.
It’s not T.K.Maxx. Recruiters don’t have time to rummage for what they’re looking for. If they can’t see what they need within a few seconds they will automatically swipe left.
Using a skills- based format is more likely to deliver what the recruiter needs to see than a reverse chronological CV if you have employment experience.
After your personal details at the top, create a section headed either Key skills and experiences or Key achievements. Under this, select key skills from the person spec and qualify these with supporting evidence. You can use bold text to highlight the key skill followed by the impact/output. This should be specific. The use of bold type draws the reader’s eye and will focus attention on what you need them to see.
3. Employment history and qualifications
Your work history follows next – but with minimal detail as you will have selected examples from these in the ‘Key skills and experiences’ or ‘Achievements’ section above.
Next is Qualifications followed by Training courses (no need to list everything you’ve ever done; just select relevant courses).
4. Additional skills
Here you can list skills that enhance your application further. Again ensure these are relevant. Most recruiters will assume you are proficient in Microsoft packages. However, if you have undertaken advanced courses or specific skills that would add value these can feature here.
5. Interests
Keep these brief and specific. So rather than reading, you might mention a specific genre/type of book. Not just travel- but specific places of interest, etc.
Conclude your document with References available on request.
6. Keep it neat
Ensure consistent use of tense – your CV represents what you’ve already done, not what you intend to do, so it should be expressed in the past tense and in the 3rd person.
Make sure your CV is easy to navigate. Use clear and consistent font and don’t go below a size 11 font. Any smaller and it’s harder to read. Align and format dates and keep headings consistent. Leave some white space between sections.
7. Tailor each CV you submit
Yes, it’s time-consuming. However it is always worthwhile. An untailored CV is frankly the same as receiving junk mail. Spam recruiters and you can guarantee multiple rejections. .
It may seem counter-intuitive to send fewer CVs, but you are much more likely to succeed through fewer, tailored applications.
You can have a ‘kitchen sink’ CV which runs to several pages. All your raw material is in one place and you can select and curate each time from your longer version.
Tip: It will take less time to tailor your CV if you keep the master copy up to date once a year.
8. Be ruthless
Ask yourself with each item ‘why does the recruiter need to know this?’ You may have extensive project management experience but unless it’s a requirement of the job it is unlikely to be relevant. However, there may be aspects of project management that are. Check the person spec for key skills and if an aspect of project management illustrates a key skill then you can tailor it accordingly. For example, problem solving or effective time management.
9. Check and check again
There is no excuse for poor spelling, typos or grammatical errors. These are freely available to you through your computer software. It’s always a good idea to ask a critical friend- as you might with an online dating profile, to read through it before you press ‘send.’
No one ever said that finding true love- or an ideal job would be easy. However, putting the effort in to tailoring your approach will significantly enhance your chances of finding it.
Click for your FREE downloadable CV checklist
CV tips thecareercatalyst.co.uk
In my next post I’ll explore how to write a compelling cover letter.
