It’s that time of year when many assess their career and decide that
it is time to move on. But before you jump right in and send your CV
out, it’s vital to take the time to review it and update it with your
latest skills and achievements. And while you might not need us to tell
you not to use your megalad@gmail.com or goddess@yahoo.co.uk email
address when applying, we do have some very useful advice that our many
years of experience in recruitment tells us will pay off. And with the
average recruiter spending less than ten seconds reviewing a CV before
deciding whether to keep it, yours needs to stand out from the crowd.
Here’s how:
Tailor it
Nothing stands out more than a generic CV that hasn’t been updated
for the specific job you’re applying for. Recruiters and potential
employers want to see how well matched you are to that position so it’s
no good sending out the same application every time. Read the job
specification thoroughly and ensure your skills match the criteria that
the organisation is looking for and you’re likely to receive a lot more
responses than your regurgitated CV would bring.
No photo
Opinions are mixed over whether you should include a photo with a CV
or job application. Some people think you should, more people think you
shouldn’t. We’re in the latter camp and from our perspective, it’s much
the same as including your birthday and only leaves you open to some
employers potentially discriminating against you through their
unconscious bias. While it shouldn’t make a difference, if an
organisation is that keen to see what you look like then they can look
at your social media channels. Which leads us onto our next point…
Sort out social media
While this isn’t part of your CV, it may as well be in the 21st
century as you’ll be hard-pressed to find an employer that won’t carry
out at least a cursory search of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the
like to see what you’re really like. You don’t have to delete all the
photos of you on a night out, or dressed up for a friend’s birthday, but
do
hide them as they’re hardly likely to impress your next potential boss.
All it takes is an update of your privacy settings and bang – the dirt
is gone, or at least hidden.
Keep it simple
There’s no need to add in every single detail about your life
achievements so far. Your 25m swimming badge isn’t going to make the
difference between getting an interview or not, so the best advice is to
cut the superfluous detail and only highlight what will actually help
you get the job you’re applying for. Consider that the recruiter who
deals with your potential job probably receives hundreds of CVs every
day and is fairly unlikely to read all five pages of yours so keep it
concise, put your most important information first and cut the waffle.
Check, check and check again
The final point is every recruiter’s bugbear and if there’s one thing
likely to get your CV thrown in the bin, it’s bad spelling and grammar.
This is barely even excusable anymore as, unless you’ve written your CV
by hand or on a typewriter, you will have had access to a spellchecker.
And if you’re reluctant to rely on technology, print it out and read it
out loud to yourself to ensure it makes sense. And then ask a friend to
check it. It may sound like a lot of effort, but if it makes the
difference between your application being considered and being binned,
it’s probably worth it.
Got a killer CV?
Once you’ve completed this checklist you’re ready to go!
And if you need a helping hand why not get in touch with us today to see how we can help you get the job you’ve been dreaming off.
For advice on nailing your interview, click here.