Anxious About a Job Hunt? Here are 4 Tips to Improve Your CV
Writing a powerful CV can be challenging in today’s world. The good old days of the Human Resources department spending time reading each line of a candidate’s resume are long gone. Today’s employment landscape is tech-driven, and your candidature is almost entirely dependent on how you optimize your resume for both humans and electronic scanning systems.
So, if you’re anxious about a job hunt, go through our four tips to improve your CV we’ve listed below.
1) Ensure the reader gets a good first impression after reading your resume
The most critical thing while preparing your CV is to write it in a way that it’s readable. Keep in mind that most hiring managers and recruiters do a quick scan of a resume for a few seconds before deciding whether they’ll actually read it. After all, on an average day, in all probability, they’ll be scouring through 100’s of resumes to shortlist just a few.
You should use resume keywords at the first instance to ensure that it passes any applicant tracking system that the recruiter may be using. It’s also essential to use simple formatting and ensure that the resume layout looks neat.
You can either do all this by yourself and risk the chance of being overlooked by a recruiter or check out these 10 services for resume writing to get professional assistance.
2) Start with a strong summary or objective
Your resume summary or objective will most likely be the first thing that a recruiter will see, so you need to write it in such a way that it stands out from the crowd. Use action words where you can to leave an impression on the reader. If you have many years of actual work experience, write a resume summary.
Such a summary will focus on your work experience and job skills to convey to recruiters why you’re the perfect fit for the job post.
On the other hand, you should write a resume objective if you’re switching careers or just starting out in your career. It should focus on your skills and knowledge to show hiring managers how you are a great candidate.
3) Customize your CV for each job you want to apply to
Many job candidates make the mistake of using a generic, boilerplate template-based resume for every job application. Be warned that most recruiters will spot these a mile off, and you won’t be doing your candidature any favours.
It is important for you to customize your resume for each job you apply for. You don’t need to write a new CV for every job application, but it does mean reading thoroughly through the job post and identifying the skills you have that will be relevant to the job.
Think to yourself how your knowledge or your experiences relate to the job. Then highlight those experiences in both the resume and the cover letter. This particular point is one of the top tips when you’re doing a job search.
4) Highlight why you should be hired
Keep in mind that your CV’s purpose is to highlight your experience and achievements so that the recruiter thinks that you’re ideal for the job. Include keywords that recruiters and managers will be on the lookout for, and write your experience around those keywords. For example, if you’re a Software Engineer, you should mention the exact software you’ve worked with.
On the other hand, if you’re a senior executive or manager, quantify the team sizes you’ve led and the major projects you’ve successfully delivered.
In Summary
To get shortlisted ahead of other candidates, you should ensure that your CV is concise, attractive to look at, and highlights your relevant experience and knowledge.
Recruiters and hiring managers will discard poorly written resumes. They’ll also be able to quickly understand if you have the expertise relevant to the job. Keep in mind, the more effort you give to your CV, the greater chances of your being hired. Use the tips shared in this article to build a resume that stands out.
