As it stands, the employment market is very competitive. The result of the pandemic has unfortunately led many candidates to being made redundant and seeking new employment. This blog has been designed to give you some tips on how to make your CV and application stand out.
Include correct contact information
One of the simplest yet crucial parts of a CV, is ensuring your contact information is not only just correct, but also included. You could have an outstanding CV, but if there is no telephone number or email for Recruiters or Hiring Managers to contact you, then you won’t be contacted.
Back up your claims
Lots of candidates make the mistake of saying (for example) ‘I work well in a team’, but when hundreds of other CV’s are also stating this, the statement can become meaningless. Therefore, it is important to back up your claims with evidence and state why you can work well within a team.
Showcase your results/achievements
It is important for your CV to not just list all of your responsibilities and instead, list your results and achievements. Rather than saying you’re a good salesperson, show it. What were your targets? How did you perform? What did you achieve? What was your biggest sale? Who did you sell to?
Ensure your CV is clear and concise
Ensure your CV is clear, set out professionally and easy to read. It is also important for any dates on your CV to be correct to ensure the recruiter or hiring manger is able to quickly see your most recent role and any other information they may need or be looking for. The dates you provide will be the dates that are cross checked if a reference is requested, so make sure they're correct!
Tailor your CV to the role/industry you’re applying for
If you are clear on the role or industry you’re applying for, then it is important to tailor your CV to fit this. Often recruiters will search job boards using industry sectors for example ‘Finance’ or ‘Customer Service’.
Use keywords
As mentioned, keywords are so important. Recruiters will search job boards using relevant key words to any roles that they may be working on. Therefore, it is essential that you include these keywords within your CV, so that your CV gets picked up by the systems search.
Treat your virtual interviews properly
One of the biggest mistakes we are seeing with all candidates, is that they are doing all of the above correct and then getting through to the interview stage and not treating their virtual interview as they would a typical face-to-face. It is vital that you treat every interview (whether it is telephone or video) with equal importance. If you need any additional support, get in touch!