Show you’re the perfect hire with these CV tips
Many professionals argue that the CV will be extinct in just five short years.
However, in the here and now, they’re an essential component of any job application — and recruiters read thousands of them every day across the world. To help you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of an interview, here’s how to show you are the perfect hire on your CV.
Read the job description carefully
Before you even begin to start tweaking your CV, you must read the job description carefully. Not only is this to make sure that you are qualified for the role, but to ensure that this is an opportunity you really want.
Too often, job hunters apply for a wealth of jobs without double checking whether they fulfil the requirements. This is a waste of your precious time. When it comes to looking for a job and submitting an application, it’s all about quality not quantity.
So when you read through the job description, pay particular attention to the essential requirements and desirable traits to make sure that you fit the bill. Then take a look at the description of the company and the benefits on offer. If these factors seem in line with your ideal job, then you can proceed to tailoring your CV for the application.
Tailor your experience and skills
The simplest way to show you are the perfect hire is by tweaking your experience and skills so that they are targeted towards the job you are applying for.
Skim through the job description and identify the requirements you fulfil. Then, make sure they are displayed prominently on your CV.
As a rule of thumb, the higher up the information on your CV, the more important it is. This is because a recruiter will read it first. Therefore, ensure you tailor your professional profile and consider adding a key skills section underneath, featuring your most relevant abilities.
When scanning the job description, also pull out industry jargon and acronyms and sprinkle them naturally through your CV. The recruiter will be looking for keywords from the job description, and industry terms are sure to jump out, painting you as a suitable match.
Cut down on the irrelevant
Tailoring your CV to showcase your talent is important. However, so is cutting down on the irrelevant areas to ensure that your top qualities shine through.
If your CV has large sections filled with abilities not referenced in the job spec, you can afford to reduce their detail. Not only will this make your relevant skills pop, but it will also free up some space to expand on the skills recruiters are looking out for.
Quantify your achievements with facts and figures
Now that you have highlighted your relevant skills and cut the not so savvy, it’s time to refine your content. To show you are the perfect hire, your skills and achievements should be listed in sharp, snappy bullet points.
When writing these points, utilise powerful action words to demonstrate your impact. Here are a few great examples:
- Created
- Developed
- Handled
- Organized
- Promoted
- Managed
- Established
- Collaborated
Then support each of your points with facts and figures where possible. Quantifying your claims and accomplishments, from your successes and growth, to your qualities and skills, helps provide a metric to measuring results.
In addition, numbers jump out in a document of text, therefore making your points easily digestible.
Here are a few examples to get you started:
- Received over 50 incoming calls from customers and clients daily
- Increased client database by 25% in first 6 months
- Trained new IT staff, on one-to-one and in groups of 30, in complex systems such as…
Make your CV easy to read
It’s all very well including this fantastic information, but it will get you nowhere if you have not thought about your CV’s format. You want to make the recruiter’s life as easy as possible when it comes to digesting your CV.
Start by splitting your CV into clear sections marked by bold headings. Then choose a clear font, such as Ariel or Calibri, tweaking the body font size between 10 and 12 point, and headings to size 14.
Your CV should fit two pages comfortably, perhaps three if you’re a seasoned professional. If the content it just over or under, tweak the font sizes and margins to make it fit and look more complete.
Then proofread your CV thoroughly to ensure it looks polished and professional to show you’re the perfect hire.
Now that you have a handle on how to improve your resume, take these tips to Jobbatical and get a job abroad.
Laura Slingo is Digital Copywriter for the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library. For more expert advice on job searches, careers and the workplace, visit their Career Advice pages.
