How To Write A Powerful CV Profile That Attracts Employers

By Ruoro Kairu  

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

The first impression normally creates a person’s opinion of you.

While writing a CV, you want to make the impression that you meet the qualifications, skills and experience the employer needs. There are various ways to showcase yourself as the most fitting candidate for the position.

However, the employer does not have the time to read every word on your CV. They’ll merely spend a minute –or less, scanning through, and then decide to call you for an interview or not.

Making the right impression, then, becomes key to having a professional CV.

I consulted Ms. Brenda, a CV professional writer here at corporate staffing services, on how you can make a strong introduction on your CV.

“One area that most employers read is the profile summary. This is the area where you give an overview of the CV. If you have a powerful profile summary, the employer will be interested in reading the rest of your CV. If the summary is generic, the employer goes on to the next CV.” Ms. Brenda.

Ms. Brenda is right, if you don’t capture the employer with your profile summary, there’s little chance they’ll continue reading your CV.

Unfortunately, most professionals pay little attention to this area.

How strong is your profile summary?

Will it lead the employer to continue reading your CV?

Here are three effective tips to have a professional profile summary on your CV.

1. Give a professional introduction

You first want to notify the employer who you are professionally and your level of experience.

Employers get a lot of applications from professionals who do not fit what they are looking for. Once the employer doesn’t see your direct relation to the position mentioned, they move on to the next CV.

Here’s an example of a professional introduction;

“I am a proficient and keen to detail Finance and Accounting Professional with experience in navigating through challenges enthusiastically. Some of the skills I have acquired through experience include; accounting, finance, credit control, and administration.”

Within a few words, you already know what profession the applicant is in, and which areas they have experience in.

2. List your skills and achievements

After you have introduced yourself, you want to show the employer why you are best suited for the position, and what sets you apart from other candidates.

This second part can at times start from the introduction. Here’s a good example;

“Some of the skills I have acquired through experience include; accounting, finance, credit control, and administration. Moreover, I have been engaged in roles such as; Maintenance of fixed and stocks assets of the company, through routine verification and stock takes, Costing and pricing of products, Financial planning and budgeting and handling of statutory deductions”

The first sentence shows the skills the professional has that will enable them to perform the tasks required. The second part then shows some of the outstanding moments of the professional’s profession.

From the achievements you list, the employer will have an indication of your experience level. So focus on your key achievements and list the less or repetitive ones later on in the CV.

3. Show your expectations and ambitions for the future

Finish by outlining what you are looking to achieve next in your career. Make sure this links to the role in question. The employer needs to know that your ambitions are relevant to the opportunity and that you would, therefore, be driven and likely to succeed.

Here’s an example;

“I am now looking to secure a position where my skills and proficiency in both accounting and finance will be utilized in ensuring the smooth running of the accounts or finance department.”

Finally, the profile summary can determine if the employer considers you for the position or not. Increase your chances of landing the job by having a professional profile summary.

Need help creating a powerful profile summary that will wow the employer? Talk to a professional CV writer today.