4 CV Tips to Help You Impress Recruiters This Year
A strong CV could help you to further your career and stand out from the competition. Follow these CV tips to write a CV that nets you a new job!
A strong CV could help you to further your career and stand out from the competition. Follow these CV tips to write a CV that nets you a new job!
OUR USERS HAVE BEEN HIRED BY
A curriculum vitae (or CV for short) is a written sum-up of your skills and work experience intended to show hiring managers why you are the ideal candidate for a job. This document should contain all of the key information that a recruiter needs to make a decision about your capabilities and contact you if they wish to arrange a job interview. If you want to land your dream job in this competitive market, CV writing tips are some of the best career advice anyone can give you. Your CV is the face that you present to recruiters. An effective CV could get you a job interview, while a bad one will make your job search much more difficult.
A curriculum vitae (or CV for short) is a written sum-up of your skills and work experience intended to show hiring managers why you are the ideal candidate for a job. This document should contain all of the key information that a recruiter needs to make a decision about your capabilities and contact you if they wish to arrange a job interview.
You need a CV because a hiring manager will not be able to decide whether you are a suitable candidate without one. Think of your CV as a passport to a job opportunity. If everything is in order, you will be invited to discuss the job further. If not, the recruiter will reject your application. This helps companies filter applicants and use their time effectively. This is also why most large companies now judge an ATS CV.
Though there is a range of CV formats and layouts you can use, the basic structure and elements of an effective CV remain the same. The three CV formats are chronological, hybrid or combination, and functional.
A chronological CV format focuses on work history primarily and should include up to 10 years of work experience. This makes the chronological format perfect for those who have a lot of work experience. A combination format balances the skills and employment history sections. Include around three to five years of experience in this CV format. This balance makes it perfect for those changing careers.
Finally, there is the functional CV format. This format focuses on skills and education rather than work history and includes up to three years of work experience. This format is perfect for those seeking entry-level work and recent university graduates but is less ATS-friendly.
If you want to make a strong first impression on potential employers, you should include these basic sections regardless of the format you choose:
The header should be placed at the top of your CV and include all the key personal details and contact information a hiring manager will need to reach you. This includes your full name, your phone number, an email address, and professional social media links, such as your LinkedIn profile.
Directly below the header, you should have a CV summary statement. This is a personal statement that summarizes your most relevant and notable skills, achievements and qualifications. This snapshot is the first section a hiring manager will consider and can help to convince them to read your CV in full.
Your skills section should contain 8 to 12 bullet points with the most relevant key skills you have. These can be hard skills or soft skills but should be relevant to the job advert you are responding to. Remember, hard skills are those skills needed to do the job, for example, CPR for nurses, while soft skills refer to how you do a job, for example, creative thinking.
The work history section of your CV should include up to 10 years of work experience presented in reverse-chronological order. Include your job title, employment dates, and a summary of your duties and achievements in the role. You can include internships and unpaid positions in this section as long as they relate to the job you want.
Your education section will become less important as you gain professional experience, but you should still include your most advanced and relevant academic qualifications. Of course, you can choose to include additional sections for professional certifications and awards, as well as other relevant information.
This basic CV structure is effective, but there are some steps you can take to elevate your next job application and get an interview. These four top tips will help you to stand out from the crowd and write a good CV:
The best CV formats for ATS are those which are easy to scan. Chronological or hybrid formats are, the most effective, as functional CV formats often lack the relevant keywords to rank well in ATS algorithms.
Read the job posting thoroughly and mirror the skills, qualifications and personal qualities listed as necessary for the role. Including the keywords used verbatim and mirroring other aspects of the language can also be useful as this indicates that you have been paying attention.
When you discuss your achievements in your CV, be as specific as possible. For example, rather than stating you improved sales, you should say you improved sales by 15%. Better yet, you should use active language to take ownership of your achievement. Created and implemented an upselling technique that increased sales by 15% is a sentence that will catch any hiring manager’s eye, for example, as opposed to responsible for upselling techniques.
This is one of the best pieces of CV tips you can receive. One of the main issues that stand in the way of a new job for many people is an inefficient CV. Taking a few moments to tweak the details of your CV for a new job application can make all the difference. Focus on updating and tailoring your summary, skills section, and the achievements you list in your work history section for the best effect.
If you use a CV builder, you will be able to choose from a range of eye-catching templates that are well-formatted and effective. This is a quick way to level up your CV and stand out!
Soft skills are those skills that primarily concern how you work, unlike hard skills which indicate technical proficiency. Soft skills are often overlooked by job seekers but are in high demand from employers. Recruiters are particularly interested in communication skills, problem-solving, creativity and critical thinking skills.
The most common CV mistakes that job seekers make are failing to proofread, using an unprofessional email address and relying on buzzwords and cliches. These are very simple issues that can nonetheless undermine a strong CV.
Yes, when you submit a job application you should include a cover letter. Matching your cover letter and CV layouts and design elements will give your job application a professional appearance. These small details can make a strong impression on recruiters.
We personalize your experience.
We use cookies in our website to ensure we give you the best experience, get to know our users and deliver better marketing. For this purpose, we may share the information collected with third parties. By clicking “Allow cookies” you give us your consent to use all cookies. If you prefer to manage your cookies click on the “Manage cookies” link below.
