Follow These 5 Rules If You Want Your CV To Work Before The Year Ends.

We are almost ending the year and for most job seekers, I am sure one of the resolutions at the beginning of the year was to get a job. If you haven’t gotten it yet, all is not lost; there are a few tweaks that you can make to your CV to land a job before the year ends.

If you want to change your career or you want to apply for a senior role before the year ends, then you probably need a professional resume.

A curriculum vitae is a story of your life, that summarizes your work history and skills and acts as a sales pitch that should be crafted to impress the employer.

I had a conversation with Eliz, a career advisor and a resume coach at CSS who was explaining to me why some job seekers apply for jobs without being considered. I probed more to understand how one can refine the resume and get over the first hurdle.

To increase your chances of getting an interview, Eliz put together the five rules to take into account to succeed before the end year ends.

1. Keep It Visually Appealing

First impressions counts and since employers have little time to read through every application, make sure your resume is super clear, easy to read, and the sections separated to make it easy for them to find the information they are looking for.

With the candidates who submit their documents to our CV database, I have seen most of them miss the opportunity when our recruitment is head hunting because of poor representation in their resumes despite having the relevant experience. 

Having a well-crafted CV that demonstrates your suitability impresses employers and will make them read through and increases your chances of getting an interview.

2. Think Like A Recruiter

When customizing your curriculum vitae, place yourself in the position of the employer. Read through it and ask yourself if it contains relevant information that you want to see, would you read through the whole curriculum vitae or you will put it in a no pile?

The above questions will help you identify where there is a gap and fix it to make you the best fit when looking for a job.

3. Think About The Job You’re Applying For

One of the tricks that I used to find out if I was fit for the role was to read through the job description so that when I was tailoring my resume, I had the relevant keywords, skills, and experience at the back of my mind.

Having the relevant keywords in your curriculum is an indication that you understand the industry, and you know what the employer is looking and that helps you have an ATS-compliant CV.  

4. Trim What Is Irrelevant

“One of the mistakes that I have seen candidates make is listing everything that they have done which makes their CVs very long” Eliz said.

Every word should have a purpose and before you include it, ask yourself if it makes sense, if is it relevant to the role, and does it help you get the job.

Compress it to three pages by removing the experience and skills that are not related to what you are looking for.

5. Think About Unique Selling Points

The job market is competitive and before you send your curriculum vitae, identify what makes you different from other applicants.

With the many applications that our recruitment team receives every day, one of the things that determine the best candidate is how unique the person is because everyone may have the skills, and experience relevant to the role. The unique features that you have to make you stand out from a pool of many applicants.

The Bottom Line

The chances of being called for an interview depend on how you present yourself through your CV. It is therefore important to take it as a marketing document and identify what will make the employer buy it.

To have a document that sells you out to potential employers, consult our professional resume writers today for a FREE CV review.