Recruiters see hundreds of CVs a day so what makes them choose the CVs that they send to hiring managers? What makes the chosen CVs stand out? I sat down with one of our consultants to find out.
How do you make yourself standout?
Your CV is the first impression you will make on a hiring manager so you need to ensure it is the perfect representation of yourself; this will ultimately decide if you are going to get an interview or not.
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Write it as simplistic and to the point as possible, bullet points are great. Hiring managers do not have a lot of time so they need the best and most crucial information as easily accessible as possible.
Sell yourself straight away – you want them to start the CV off thinking ‘yes this is the one’.
Include continuous professional development – any accreditations, etc, that you have as this shows your expanding skillset.
Tailor your CV to each role – if a client sees a generic CV, then they may think you are not interested in the role. Essentially, you need to make it look as if your whole application was made for the role.
Put your key successes and achievements – under your experience make sure there is a section with all your key achievements; this gives them a better idea of your skillset in action.
Include 5 years plus of solid experience (ideally 5-10 years). When including experience; include anything that you have done that is relevant to the sector.
Your CV only needs to be 2-3 pages- you don’t want your CV to be so long that by the end, the hiring manager has forgotten the content from the beginning (the most important part!)
What makes a good CV?
Do not include a picture – it can detract from your skills.
Do not pack out a CV with hobbies and interests; only add ones that are relevant to the role and how you are trying to sell yourself.
Qualifications do not need to go all the way back to GCSE if you have more recent qualifications (it takes up space that could be used for more relevant information).
Filler words – don’t let filler words pack out your CV. It needs to be straight to the point with everything easily laid out; hiring managers don’t have the time to read vague and wordy CVs.
The Ultimate Tip
Read through your CV and put your hiring manager hat on! If you were reading your CV, would you interview yourself. You need to think, is it going to make the hiring manager take time out of their day to put you into a panel interview? If not, think why and change it!
Remember…
Use simplistic language
Don’t overcomplicate it
Use minimal filler words
Tailor your CV
2-3 pages
Think….would you hire yourself?
You have the skills and the ability to do the role, you just need to make your CV reflect how amazing you are…Good luck!
