Every time you apply
for a job, usually you will be asked for your CV. Remember that CV is your logo, and
needs to represent you well when applying for your dream job.
Your CV should be well laid out, easy to read
and to the point. It should be a maximum of 2 pages and its content should not
be repetitive. It should be designed to stand out from the CVs of other
applicants and it must contain information that will make you look attractive
to a recruiter.
Write a impressive high quality Curriculum
Vitae that gets you noticed.
Focus on matching your knowledge and work
experience to the recruiter’s requirements.
Put a positive slant on things, but do not lie
or exaggerate.
Show enthusiasm for the company and the job.
Design a CV that fits into 2 pages and is
concise, uncluttered, and relevant and attention grabbing.
How to write a CV
Research and studies of job applications and
of the entire recruitment process have shown that your curriculum vitae only
has about 55 seconds to make an impact on a hiring manger. Within this short period
of time it is either rejected or put into a pile of candidate applications to
be looked at later on.
For this reason alone you should write and
target your CV at the vacancy you are applying for. By focusing your CV on a
specific job role, you stand a much better chance of impressing the recruiter
and getting noticed. There is no need to change the entire layout, fonts or
style. Just focus on altering the text and content by inserting keywords
relevant to the target job and mentioning your related abilities and skills.
Re-write your CV by highlighting skills and
experiences that are relevant to those being asked for in the job advert.
Remember that this may be time consuming but by doing this you will stand out
from the vast majority of other applicants who send the same CV in to every job
they apply for.
The aims of your CV
Your CVs first immediate objective is to
encourage the recruiter to continue reading it. Once they do this it's second aim is to
convince the recruiter that you (the applicant) have the requirements that they
are looking for. It's third objective is to persuade them to
invite you to a interview.
How to target and optimize your resume
The first point to remember is that you should
treat your curriculum vitae as a marketing document and to lay it out in an
organized way so that it’s easy for an employer to quickly find the information
that they are looking for in an employee.
Investigate the company
Read up and research the company that is
advertising the vacancy. What are the products or services that they sell, what
is the state of the industry that they are in? Is it booming or going through a
recession.Check their website or online for any press
releases, research the local newspapers, radio or TV stations to see if they
have been in the news recently.
Whatever you discover you should try to
mention it very briefly in your personal profile, career summary or covering
letter and explain how you feel it can affect your ability to do the job.
The advantage of doing all of this is that you
are showing a prospective employer that you are aware of what is going on in
their industry and marketplace. This is sure to impress them for two reasons.
Firstly not many other candidates will have done it and secondly it shows you
have your finger on the pulse and are aware of what is going on around you.
Choosing a career, Read the job advert
Try to get into the mind of the employer and
find out exactly what they are looking for in a applicant. Do this by carefully
reading the job description and making detailed notes on the job specifications
and also what qualities, skills, qualifications and experience the employer has
asked for in the job advert. Write down the key phrases and terminology that
are used and then mirror these by mentioning them in your CV. Click here
reading job adverts for more on this topic.
Focus and be concise
Be as precise as you can in highlighting that
you have exactly what the employer is asking for. Try to ensure that every
section of your CV from the personal summary, career history, areas of
expertise right down to your academic qualifications is relevant to the job you
are applying for.
The advantages of directing your CV at a
specific job
You have a much better chance of standing out
from other competitors for the simple reason that most job seekers will send
the same CV to every job they apply for.
Pollute your CV with unnecessary facts and make
it difficult for the reader to find useful information about you. This would
make it harder for them to read and they may just give up half way through it
and bin your applications there and then.
Remember that hiring managers are human too,
they may have had a long day and could be feeling tired and irritable. If it’s
the middle of the afternoon and they have a heavy work load ahead of them the
last thing they will want to do is to try to read a disorganized resume that is
crammed full of irrelevant facts. They will simply move on to the next one and
focus on those that are well laid out and easy to read.
By having your CV focused you make it much
easier for a recruiter to read and find the skill sets that you have and that
they are looking for. This makes their job a lot easier and their day just a
little bit less stressful, both factors that they will appreciate.
You can impress prospective employers who will
appreciate the fact that you have taken the time and effort to write something
especially for them. They will acknowledge that you have spent time researching
their company and its business and that you have spent a few hours writing and
putting together a curriculum vitae that is for their eyes only and no one
else’s.
Finally when writing your CV remember that
it’s very rare that an employer is going to be looking for a ‘jack of all
trades’. It is much more likely that they will be looking for someone with
specific traits, abilities and experience, your CV is an opportunity to show
them that you have the exact qualities that they are looking for.
