CV’s

CV’s are used to eliminate candidates rather than hire them.

When a CV is first received it is usually one of a huge pile and the first stage is always to cut the pile down to as few as possible. Many will not be qualified to have submitted a CV for the role and the rest are fighting to get the viewers attention, if you do not know how to you won’t get the interview. CV’s don’t get jobs; people do.

I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t getting interviews, the CV workshop helped me understand and make sure my CV was ready… I immediately started to get interviews. Kay Lock

Your objective is for your CV to secure you an interview; at that time it will be used by the interviewer as an aide-memoire for your interview. Here lies a dilemma if you are submitting a CV to an agency or on a website it needs to cover as much as possible to get as many viewing it and seriously considering you as possible but that general CV is not likely to have the relevance or detail required for a specific role, so what can you do about it?

Create a master CV detailing your full career history, that means job title, who you reported to, job responsibilities and achievements using the STAR acronym (Situation Task Action Result), your full educational qualifications and a detailed list of your CPD (Continued Professional Development). Add any other relevant information for example volunteering, and community work. Once this is finished get it checked and correct it as it will be the CV you edit for every job that you apply for as you will need to tailor it to match the job description.

When you have created your matched to job description CV use Skillsyncer or Jobscan website software to optimize your keywords in your CV against the job description. The higher your score the better your tailored CV is for your application. Aim for a score in the 90’s to maximise your opportunities.

Remember

Focus on accomplishments, skills and results
Never include statements or accomplishments that cannot be
substantiated
Keep sentences short and punchy
Your CV should be attractive and easy to read: good spacing, margins and bold printing. Avoid overcrowding
Do not use abbreviations when there could be a doubt as to meaning. Be clear and precise
Keep it short. A good CV will be as short as possible, no longer than two pages, a third page detailing Education and CPD is acceptable
Use “Action Words” to describe each accomplishment
Whenever possible, show results in numbers
Avoid exaggerations and flowery terms
Show month and year for starting and end dates
If you were promoted within the same company show the dates beside the job title
Don’t include inconsequential data