Is your CV Job Search Ready?
Written by: Jacqueline Jacks
When job hunting, your résumé represents the first impression you make on recruiters looking to fill your dream position. Here are some tips to make yours stand out.
There’s no better time than the start of a new year to take stock of your life and make any changes needed. If you’re in an unfulfilling job or want to make a career change, you need to dust off your old CV and bring it up to date.
You have mere seconds to grab the attention of a recruiter or prospective employer, so it’s worth spending time on this document. Here are some points to keep in mind when sitting down to update your résumé.
DON’T FORGET THE DETAILS: Your CV should include your full name, telephone number and email address, so that we can get hold of you. This may seem obvious, but such essential details are sometimes overlooked. Location is also important to mention as well as your flexibility regarding relocating, if applying for jobs in other regions.
SPEAK TO YOUR STRENGTHS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: Your CV is your chance to sell yourself, so make mention of what you’ve achieved in terms of measured results. For instance, you could list your units of sales, or the results of a great campaign you worked on.
TAILOR YOUR CV TO MATCH THE JOB YOU’RE APPLYING FOR: To make your CV stand out, tweak it according to the job description (JD) of the role you’re applying for. Highlight your experience and skills that relate to the job and pay attention to the keyword clues in the JD to ensure your CV is among the strongest.
MENTION SOFTWARE PACKAGES: If you’re a designer or a content person who has worked on an array of content-management systems, mention them. If you’re in IT, it is absolutely essential that you mention your technical competencies and specialist skills. If you don’t, it may be assumed that you don’t have the necessary experience.
EDIT CLOSELY: CVs should be concise and relevant, so you may need to cut down what you’ve written by deleting any extraneous information. Spelling mistakes are a strict no, no. There’s nothing worse than receiving a great CV that’s littered with spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and badly constructed sentences. To prevent such mistakes from reflecting poorly on you as a candidate, give your CV a final thorough edit, or let someone else check it over for you.
INTEGRATE YOUR PROFILES: These days, it’s equally important to have a strong online presence, so it’s worth matching your CV to your LinkedIn profile.
Remember, your CV is your first opportunity to represent yourself to recruiters or potential employers. Ultimately, you want your CV to present a complimentary depiction of your professional self because first impressions matter.
