Simple Things You Can Do To Make Your CV Stand Out
January 7, 2021Written by Rafal Szaniawski for myGwork.
Do you always plan to revamp your CV but end up simply adding a few lines to your last version? Do you dread the idea of any major rewriting or even tailoring your CV? If you answered Yes, you are just like most of us. Me too (guilty!).
But it may also be one of the reasons why you end up sending dozens of applications and then hear nothing or just rejections. Let’s be real - in a highly competitive job market, especially in the current economic climate, having a stand out CV is key to secure an interview and, ideally, a new role.
Easier said than done? well, not really!
I know that CV writing doesn’t have to be so painful, as we have some easy rules to follow, whether we talk about layout, structure or the actual content.
I encourage you to look at that exercise as a form of storytelling and a great chance to look at your career and think of your strengths, achievements, as well as ambitions and growth. Step by step, you can ‘nail it’, and create a really impactful and effective CV.
One element of an impactful CV is a clean and clear structure, which is easy to scan, follow and read. Quite a task, given that your CV may be first scanned by Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and then a recruiter and finally hiring manager and other interviewers. Fonts, links, spelling, grammar, margins… all those must work! Once you open your CV on the screen, what do you see? How easy is it to scan and find important information and continue reading? Remember, the recruiter won’t spend more than 30seconds, maybe a minute screening your CV. You want them to pause and continue reading, not swiping left and moving on.
The second aspect of your CV is the actual content, so WHAT you write and HOW you write it. We often hear about tailoring our CV to the job description, but what does it really mean? Definitely not using copy & paste function and simply turning the job description into your new CV. That’s a NO. It means writing your career history in a way which shows your experience, capability, potential to do the job you are applying for. Nothing more, nothing less. ‘That’s hard’ people tell me. Not really, but requires a bit of practice, reality check (have you REALLY lead that 10million project or did you contribute to it by providing analysis?) and a bit of self-reflection.
Your career story needs to show your achievements, experience, skills and ability to do the new job. It needs to be structured and active, easy to read and follow. We don’t want people to get confused, lost and ultimately moving on to the next candidate.
If you want to see that strategy in action, hear some great tips and ask questions, register for our CV Writing webinar and start 2021 with a brand new CV! We look forward to seeing you there!