Competition for jobs can be fierce. When jobs are posted on online job boards, hundreds or even thousands of qualified applicants may send in their CVs.
With such stiff competition, how can you land the job you want?
It may be time to read over your CV and give it a refresh. Consider the following tips to help your CV stand out.
Your CV Should Please the Eye
Have you ever thought about what it is like to be a hiring manager, sorting through endless stacks of applications and CVs? You don’t want your HR contact to pass over your CV in boredom. Fortunately, there are ways of making your CV stand out visually.
Free CV templates are available online to give your CV an updated look. These templates have been professionally designed. When using them, you won’t have to worry about fonts, font sizes, bold headings, or the like – the step-by-step software takes care of these formatting tasks for you.
You also won’t need to worry about having the proper margins. Such templates automatically adjust to fit your text, avoiding squished content, narrowing margins, or large gaps of empty space.
Instead, you will have a clean and easy-to-read document.
Your CV Must Run the AI Gauntlet
As mentioned above, companies may receive large numbers of applications for a single position. Rather than reading each one, they may use an applicant tracking system or ATS to do some of the work for them.
The ATS software can “read” the CVs, looking for programmed keywords related to the position. If your CV has them, the software will recommend your application for further consideration.
To score well, you need to know the right keywords. Look for them in the original job posting. Common keywords include necessary degrees or certifications, skills, tools or tech used on the job, or levels of experience. Once you locate these keywords, try to incorporate them into your CV.
Another benefit of keyword-optimizing your CV is that you might be found to be a good fit for a position other than the one you applied for. Many ATS offer searchable databases. So, your name may come up as a good fit for another position in a different department or at a later time.
Your Information Should Be Easy to Find
According to Business Insider, “recruiters spend an average of ‘six seconds before they make the initial “fit or not fit” decision’ on candidates.”
This means that you need to prove your fitness in a very short period of time.
As the hiring manager scans your CV, they should be able to quickly find information such as your work history, education, and skills. Highlight these and other categories using bold headings.
Additionally, you can use the personal profile at the beginning of your CV to include keywords tailored to the specific job you are applying to. Since the personal profile includes “a few lines about you, who you are, what you hope to achieve, and your goals,” it is more fluid than some other aspects of your CV.
Keep Your CV Up to Date
Some people think of CVs as static documents. And it is true that your past work experience and education won’t change – but you should expand it and add to it as time goes on.
How often should you update your CV? Reading over it and making any necessary changes once or twice a year is a good benchmark. If you experience a major change, such as a change of employment or residence, you should also take a moment to update this information on your CV.
Save and Send in PDF Format
Whether you use an online CV builder or create your CV manually, you should always save or export your document as a PDF file. Why?
Likely, you will be submitting your CV electronically rather than printing and mailing a hard copy. It looks good on your computer screen, and you want it to look good to your contact as well.
Word processor documents do not always retain their formatting when opened on a different device or with less-than-compatible software. Your nice margins and orderly sections could become a jumbled mess! If this happens, the hiring manager is likely to pass over your resume rather than trying to unscramble it.
The solution is the PDF format. PDF documents are read-only and will look the same on any device.
Pro tip: keep a .doc version and a PDF version of your CV saved on your computer. When you need to make changes, you can do so in the .doc file. Then, replace the PDF with an export of the new version.
In Conclusion
You can make your CV stand out in the crowd by:
- Using a template that is visually appealing.
- Seeking out and including job-specific keywords.
- Ordering and heading your information so that it is easy to find.
- Regularly updating your CV.
- Saving it in PDF format.
