How your CV can get you on the jobs shortlist
Whether you employ a professional to write your CV for you, or decide to market yourself without help, there are a few crucial tips to take on board.
These are drawn from my own long experience in HR and recruitment, which taught me what gets a CV to the shortlist - and why so many end up on the discard pile.
1. Don’t use pictures - unless there’s an obvious reason for it
We received a CV from a young girl who had included a rather provocative photo of herself - she was applying for an administrative job. When we met her, we quickly realised that she was a terrific and capable girl but was suffering from the MySpace / YouTube effect we are seeing so often with Y generation candidates.
Even an inoffensive headshot is unnecessary unless there is a good reason to include it - and there rarely is.
2. Climb outside the job titles
“Grade 1 Level 2 Clerical Officer” is a job title that means precisely nothing to someone outside the organisation it applies to.
So instead, think in terms of function rather than title. What roles or functions were you performing in that job?
Remember that the person reviewing your CV already has a full-time job, and this task is an imposition on their time, albeit an important one.
In the same way a reader scanning a newspaper will decide in the first three or four seconds whether to read a complete article, your CV will be scanned quickly for relevant words and phrases and either discarded or kept to be read fully later.
So keep it simple and highly relevant to the job in question.
3. Focus on the future, not the past
By simply listing your education, work and some of your personal history, your CV remains a bland record of your life.
What’s more relevant to potential employers is where you see all this leading, and what you can do for them.
For example, suppose you have spent lots of time on data entry in previous jobs, but you don’t want to be performing this function in the future. Simply stress the roles and functions you are keen to hold onto. Say why you enjoyed a particular job - what roles you were best suited to.
This gives a more accurate picture of where you see yourself headed and helps recruiters and employers to map your desires onto their needs. But keep it succinct - no rambling. Read Diagnosing Zero Results for more advice, and Get to the Point applies similar techniques to both CVs and interviews.
To increase your chances even further, edit your CV for each job application. Weight the list of roles and functions you have performed in the past towards the those required in the job you are applying for.
Be honest though - you don’t want anyone to be suspicious that you are leaving out information for the wrong reasons. People Who Read Resumes makes useful reading on this point.
4. Use email wisely
When you send your CV direct to a recruiter or employer, take the opportunity to include a short, sharp email message showing why you are applying for the job. This is a very powerful way to get attention right at the start and can only work in your favour.
Once you’re on that shortlist, your CV has done it’s job.