What every candidate should consider when writing their CV-Part 1
The resume is usually the first point of contact the recruiter has with your job application. And even though many are starting to look at more embedded sources of information due to various issues with the CV, it’s not going away any time soon. That’s why in this article, we continue our previous conversations about the resume. We’ve had a look at various free resources in our previous articles to help you get your resume game on. But what do employers look at when you submit your CV for a job opening and what are some basic mistakes candidates make? Here’s an insider look.
Design & Formatting
While this may not be one of the things that get you disqualified, design & formatting go a long way in helping the recruiter get a picture of you. And since you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, would you risk being dismissed because of a few Grammar errors that tools like Grammarly could have easily sorted out? A lack of attention to detail sends the wrong pings to the recruiter and you can’t afford that. And when you’re competing against thousands of applicants for a recruiter’s attention, a good slick simple design could be the reason they slow down at your resume. The key is to have enough to pique someone’s interest in the first 5 seconds. When it comes to formatting, I always suggest highlighting everything in your document through Ctrl-A and then selecting a font, color, and size and applying that. This ensures uniformity across the doc after which you can then maybe bolden section titles or make similar changes.
Content & Structure
However, there’s also no point in having a good-looking CV with zero content. Have all the critical information at the top of the CV or the first page i.e. your name & contacts, current position/professional title, and skillset. Your experience should be in chronological order with the most recent employer at the top. This goes for your education and professional training as well.
Keywords & Skills
Over 75% of resumes are cut off by ATS that use keywords to sieve people out fast. Luckily for you, we’ve told you about some online platforms that can do a keyword check for you and tell you how likely you are to stand out in your field against other candidates or the keywords that the normal ATS will pick from your CV based on the job you’re applying for.
ATS Compatibility
Most employers use applicant tracking systems, especially international organizations, to screen applicant CVs. For most, this involves uploading your CV to a system that then parses your CV info to their internal system in a standardized format. For this to happen smoothly, your CV has to follow the advice above which is general to all types of CVs. For instance, if your employment dates are not consistent, the ATS might pick your work experience wrongly or distort the order of information. While ATS does not guarantee 100% accuracy in parsing(and this is why they give room to cross-check the info and edit it), you should do your best to ensure your CV info looks organized & consistent, has only the most important info in a way that makes sense and highlights your most valuable skills easily that puts your resume ahead of others’ instantly. All the best
For more in-depth notes on the above, check out our follow-up Part 2 article https://medium.com/jobonics/what-every-candidate-should-consider-when-writing-their-cv-part-2-6a397855fae7
