How to make your CV the‘real deal’
As a recruiter I have gone through a plethora of CVs in my time.Some have stood out, some have been sent and some have led to aplacement. I am often asked by people looking to get themselves outthere once again; where the best place to start posting there CVis. Well before you even think about firing on all cylinders,I highly advise you look at the source material itself, is your CVup to scratch?
There are no guarantees as a candidate whether you will getplaced. The CV is usually the first piece of material anyone has toreview your skills and achievements. As your CV’s custodianit is up to you to make your resume or portfolio presentable, up todate and relevant.
You can be as ambitious as you want with your CV, I often seevery visual ones nowadays, filled with infographics, timelines andcolour. These are attractive and can get key information across ina more concise and effective manner. 79% of jobseekers have saidthey wish they could make themselves more presentable online. Inthe time of the great rise of social media, a huge focus has beenput on your ‘personal brand’. You are effectively selling yourselfand the rules of marketing still apply here, ‘nicepackaging’ is a good start. Here a few of my tips for reallynailing a top CV.
Keep it Skills based: Itmay look impressive to write paragraphs upon paragraphs of everysingle thing you did in your big role at the company you just left.Truth is, those reading your CV will lose interest quickly ifyou’re not straight to the point. Make your CV a competent fewsentences about your key skills and how they’ve benefitted yourcareer. you can always highlight figures and ROI, as MD/FD ownersof business are always looking for this information.
How many pages? Ah, the bigone. How many pages should your CV be? Well there’s no set number,it all comes down to relevance. What I mean by this is to not listevery single role you’ve ever had ever, but to tailor it to roleswhich fit in with the one you’re currently applying for. Youcan then cross reference skills you’ve picked up across theselected set and use this to explain while you might be relevantfor the role.
Specify: Your job titleshould not be, the be all and end all of what you can do as aperson. A Marketing Executive may be a 20k role in some companies,but a 35k in another. When putting a job title in yourCV, ensure you describe your seniority and just how you sawyourself within that role. There is no room for complacency here.So feel free to sell yourself.
I hope some of these points will help on tailoring your CV, it’sessential to remember though, that your CV is only the introductionpiece of any job process. How you present yourself at interview andhow you really sell yourself are entirely different stories. WhichI hope to cover in future instalments.
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