When it comes to finding a job, the very first thing that everybody needs to prepare is a perfect Curriculum Vitae. A Curriculum Vitae, or CV for short, gives potential employers all the important information they need about your qualifications, employment history, and personal skills. Your CV is one of the most important factors which will decide whether you get a job interview or not. Whilst it may take you days to carefully plan every detail of your CV, potential employers may only spend a few seconds glancing at it before dismissing it.
With so many people going for every available position, it is more important than ever to present the perfect CV. In this article, we will give our top 5 tips for how to write a winning CV which will maximize your chance of securing an interview.
Tailor Your CV to the Job You are Applying for
One very important thing that many job seekers overlook, is that your CV should be written specifically for the job which you are applying for. If you are in a certain industry, a doctor, for instance, your CV will always be the same. However, as stated by the experts at CVGuru, if you are applying for different kinds of jobs, then you need to tailor your CV to fit each job application. The first thing you need to do is to make sure you understand the job description and requirements. These will generally help you to answer these 3 important questions in your CV:
- Who are you?
- How do you fit the company?
- What are your career goals?
In your CV, you have to answer these questions in a way that will show your potential employers that you are the right candidate for the job.
Grab Recruiter’s Attention with the CV’s Intro
The best way to grab the attention of your potential employers is to open your CV with a catchy CV intro laying out your objectives. Briefly describe your motivation for applying for the job, how you will be a positive asset to the company, and where you would like to be in the next five years. By clearly explaining your career goals, both in the short term and long term, potential employers will be able to assess your mindset and briefly evaluate whether your personal goals and the corporate goals match.
To ensure that your CV is not dismissed at first glance, make sure this intro catches the attention within the first two to three sentences. It is so important to make sure that this very first section of your CV is perfectly written because it can potentially make or break your application.
Make Sure You Include All the Relevant Information
It is vital to make sure that you include all of the relevant information and to properly format your CV. Employers hate nothing more than a disorganized CV that is difficult to read.
Here are the essential sections which must be included in your CV:
- Personal contact details: Remember to double-check if your name, phone number, and email are properly written, otherwise, the recruiters will not be able to get in contact with you.
- Employment history: This section gives you a chance to showcase your previous work experience with relevant achievements that make you the ideal potential candidate. Prevent your employment history in reverse chronological order, from latest to oldest.
- Education & qualification: Presenting your educational history shows recruiters that you are qualified for the position and that you have the appropriate level of training and education to do the job. Again, present your qualifications in reverse chronological order with the institution’s name, the specific qualification, and the year that you received the qualification.
- Key skills: Detail four to five skills in this section to highlight your abilities to perform the job.
Pay Particular Attention to Your Employment Record
The most important section in your CV is your employment record as this will show that you have the requisite experience for the job you are applying for. Potential employers will look at this section first so it should be the first main section of your CV. Essentially, employers often want to know that you have done similar work before, so that you won’t be totally new to the role and won’t need extensive training.
Pay careful attention to the job description and requirements and pick out some keywords to integrate into your CV employment record. For example, if the job requires you to manage digital campaigns across channels, make sure to include that you previously worked as a Digital Planner working on ads and other marketing techniques for two years. Focus on your accomplishments, duties, and skills from past positions and be sure to highlight how they apply to the position that you are applying for. If you apply for a position in sales or business development, make sure to highlight appropriate sales achievements or records. For instance, if you have broken a previous company’s record with $50,000 sales in just 6 months and were promoted as the best seller of the year in 2019, make sure to highlight that in your CV.
Be Concise
When writing your CV, your aim is to show potential employers that you are exactly what they are looking for. That’s it. Stick to the relevant information that shows you are the perfect candidate and that you have all the skills, qualifications, and experience necessary for the position. Make sure that every word in your CV is in there for the sole reason of securing you an interview or the job itself.
No recruiter is going to labor through a four-page CV so you must keep it concise! As long as the information is relevant and shows you in the best possible light, then less is always more.
Your CV is the best weapon in your arsenal when it comes to securing an interview or a new job. Never underestimate its importance, especially at this time when there are so many applicants for every available position. Follow this guide and you will maximize your chances of a successful job application.
