The key issue for anyone writing a CV is that the document conveys them in the best possible light. You have to be able to find a balance of what the reader requires from you to fulfil a given role. All too often people either just waffle about what they think is important instead of considering what would make the most impact and grab the interest of a prospective employer. Unfortunately the demands of Western Society are such that the opportunity to make an impact has diminshed along with peoples attention span. We live in an age of texting, instant messaging, web based news feed, rss, social networking, 24 hour news and tweeting where the sound bite is, rightly or wrongly King.
The Web seems to be one of the key drivers of this trend as our daily lives are turned into a digital reality that you cannot escape if you wish to progress (read more here). If this sounds like a William Gibson novel, its not meant too but the comparison cannot be avoided. The main reason for this is where your CV goes first; This is usually a recruiter. If not a recruiter, then a recruiter database and then a recruiter. Either way, your CV will be scrutinised in a very quick and simple way.
The recruiter
will look for what it needs to fulfil the role on offer. This person will look for tangible evidence of suitability, such as achievements and responsibilities. They will examine how this links with experience, how recent the experience is, how this experience matches the position requirement and then will form a judgement upon you and your CV and a benchmark against the role.
The database
will parse your CV, reference the detail of the document and then look for suitable roles and notify the recruiters of your suitability whilst also putting your name as a potential against other roles. All of this is achieved through a pre-set of criteria that has been determined by, you have guessed it, the recruiter.
You then have to consider that the vast majority of recruiters are inexperienced twenty-somethings and are just treading water until they get a “proper job” The worrying trend here is that the situation is not only becoming worse but spreading into once credible firms. As the job market becomes harder, managers become pressurised to perform and keep the numbers up. As we all know, this pressure is then focused on the front line staff and puts more and more pressure on results. This in turn results in an increase in the churn of staff as they decide to leave thus diluting the experience bank and credibility of the firm and ultimately the recruitment market. It is a complete and enduring cliché. Don’t just take our word for it, type “recruiters are a waste of time” into any search engine and look at the results.
But it is not all a baron apocalyptic wasteland as amongst this backdrop there are companies and individuals that perform at the very top of their game. You will know when you have talked to these people as they will work incredibly hard and efficiently to help you if they can see that you have helped yourself.
What do you need to do?
Ask us to write your CV for you. To create a high impact CV can take a lot of time and effort especially if you feel that you do not know where to begin. Our CV Writers have the experience to produce a Professional CV for you that will make a difference to the way recruiters respond to you, the way HR will interview you and it will increase your confidence in your abilities whilst giving you clarity about your career to date. Everyone of our clients has remarked on the thoroughness of the consultation process and results that are achieved. Not only do we extract the detail needed for your CV but you also start realising and become during this process in what to expect during an actual interview for a job.
Try looking at your CV and be impartial. If you are a manager ask yourself this:
Would you employ you?
Does your CV really cover what’s important?
How long is it?
Does it give away too much about i.e. Personal interests Enjoys socialising (drinks to much) and watching football (drinks too much and probable thug). OK, that’s an over exaggeration but nobody really cares, even less so if you mention nothing. Or maybe you should try and be a little smarter and say Interests are endurance cycling and marathon running every second Saturday. That would make everyone think that you have commitment, endurance and the mental strength to achieve great things.
Stand out. If you manage the content of the CV correctly then recruiters will not have to think about what is missing, as you have done it for them. Briefly tell them about the companies you have worked for (A couple of lines should suffice and if you have an up to date comapny url, use it)
Match key responsibilities and key achievements to the companies that you have worked for. If you are the greatest change manager the world has ever seen then be clear about which company that was for. Do this for all roles. Take a CV completely in the direction of the role that you wish to win. Align your key strengths to the role that you are after.
Formatting a CV shows a level of care, attention and consistency. It sharpens the overall impact of the CV and draws the attention of the reader.
Do not use more than two fonts and three sizes. See the examples here:
To clarify:
Ensure your CV has visual impact by using a bold heading or colour accents; your application will be one of many, so stand out from your Peers.
(Read the full article here)
