We are often asked what makes the ideal CV when there are so many variables to consider. Each hiring manager has their own style and preference, so it’s a legitimate question to ask when you are trying to craft a CV that appeals to the most amount of people in many different company’s and even industries. Studies show that on average recruiters and hiring managers spend 6 seconds reviewing a CV!
In today's job market there are so many things to contend with. Ensuring your CV is ATS Ready (Applicant tracking system), whilst simultaneously trying to come across as personable, easy to read and convey your best skills and attributes. Your CV (curriculum vitae) serves as your first impression on potential employers, and in a time strapped world, you will not be able to please everyone. Trust us.
Answering the question about what makes an ideal CV is a hard one and after a lot of consideration, we at CVesy believe that there isn’t such a thing as an ideal CV. We won’t promise you that every job you apply for you will get interviews. We won’t say that your CV will get you roles for jobs 3 tiers higher than your current level. I told you we are no-nonsense….
What we can offer is a CV that will cut to the chase. We can offer a CV that will showcase your experience in a digestible and attractive format that means recruiters and hiring managers jobs are made easier by your skills and experience being obvious. Make those 6 second’s count!
If you don’t believe us, no problem; below we have compiled the CVesy CV Writing Guide to a no-nonsense CV. Have at it!
Avoid the generic…
Have you ever seen on a CV that someone is a team player but also works great alone? So have I (and probably most hiring managers) … Wouldn’t it be easier to write “I always work well”?
Do you see my point?
Hiring managers have a knack for boredom (stark generalisation) and when your CV is their 50th CV read today, and the 30th where they are a “tenacious go getter” you need to stand out from the crowd by avoiding the generic and making their life easier.
Know what you want
Have you, or anyone you know, every been phoned about PPI insurance? It’s totally irrelevant, frustrating, and a waste of mine and their time. But imagine if there was a database of people actually owed money through from PPI mishaps, everyone would be happy with no time wasted explaining that you haven’t ever been mis sold PPI.
Just like those poor, infamous PPI Cold Callers, Recruiters are not mind readers (even though I am sure they wish they were).
Write what you want from a new job in your opening paragraph. If you want to work part time, then tell people. If you want to only work at home without a commute so you can wear your best pyjama trousers, then tell people (Not the trousers part). It saves everyone time and energy, especially you.
Stick to the point
You’ve avoided the generic and you’ve told the recruiter what you want in your CV. Smashing. Now stick to the point. If you want a job as an IT technician, those years spent as a night club representative in Ibiza 20 years ago may not be relevant.
No, I’m not saying get rid of every part of your CV that isn’t relevant.
What I am saying is, don’t add three pages on to your CV talking about areas that are irrelevant to the job you want. When we write CVs, we stick to the point. If you want a job as an IT Technician, discuss how you set up the website and managed the cyber security for the club in Ibiza (yes, I may be clutching at straws with this one).
My point is, stick to the point.
Spell check exists for a reason
Honestly, do I need to go into too much detail on this section?
You know when you get a response to an email and your name is spelt wrong. That is the same feeling when a CV has 100 spelling mistakes. You can understand why it happened, we all make mistakes, but make the effort.
Bullet points are your friend
Does anyone write a shopping list in paragraph format? I have never seen it done like that before and hopefully for good reason. Our brains are trained to spot words in manageable formats. Bullet points are just that.
Showcase your CV in a way that someone can spot your key skills and experience easily. Remember to make those 6 second’s count!
Hopefully these tips go some way towards making your CV no-nonsense. We genuinely hope you can make your CV better with these points.
If you are still struggling to stand out after using the CV Writing Guide, we are here to help. CV writing is not taught in schools and there is no shame in struggling to talk about yourself (very British I know!)!
Get in touch to find out how we can help further on hello@cvesy.com
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