Since the pandemic, people have struggled with finding a proper job or finding one at all. The market is getting more competitive, meaning applicants must up their game and provide the best they can, but employers need to better asses their expectations. It’s true that for a good job, you must be suitable first, and that will be reflected in your CV.
But some make the mistake of applying to several positions with the same resume without updating it accordingly. So, today we’ll get through the most important things an applicant must do to create a job-promising CV.
Keep it simple
One crucial mistake we’ve all made in our early working years was filling out CVs with irrelevant information, thinking that the employer will select what’s compatible with the job requirements. But that’s far from the truth ― companies usually don’t have time to get through many applications manually. They typically use software to scan the most relevant CVs and then maybe make another selection.
But since you can see the job’s demands, you may want to include only the suitable things in your application. For example, if you apply for an accounting job, you shouldn’t have unrelated part-time jobs and volunteering that you did or some skills that won’t help you thrive in this industry. Plus, your CV should not exceed three pages of information. Don’t worry about your valuable competencies being omitted because employers should be able to notice them in your following interview.
Make it look good
Next, depending on the industry and job type, you should consider making your application look neat. Of course, that doesn’t mean overfilling it with too much colour or inserting complicated designs. Looking for online models will help you determine what you like and what might fit the job’s overall vibe. Your goal would be to make it easy to read. Create a few different templates to complete and look at them: Are they coherent? Do they strain your eyes? Do they appear all over the place? Then try to change them.
This might be difficult if you want to change careers or haven’t changed your CV in a long time, but you can ask for the help of legal recruiters at legalrecruitmentagencyuk.co.uk to perfectly tailor your application. Experts will assess the structure and layout of your CV to draw attention to your best attributes. Since they know what employers are looking for, they can also link you with those responsible for recruitment to discuss your experience and skills with them.
Know what to focus on
It may seem like all your working experience fits the job you want to apply for, but remember that every employer has different requirements, even though the responsibilities might be the same as other job applications. Some of them want people who can work under stress, and others want employees who can focus on the same task for extended periods. Your goal is to thoroughly analyse the company’s profile and find the relevant experience you should include in your CV.
Besides the education and relevant working experience, include volunteering and side projects that can put your skills in the spotlight. You should provide a snapshot of your skills by using specific statements. Let’s see some examples for a few industries:
- For office and administrative jobs: problem-solving, decision making, organisational and communication skills;
- For sales and retail jobs: contract negotiation, product knowledge, cashier skills;
- For IT jobs: debugging, programming languages, cloud management and security;
Highlight accomplishments
An impressive CV will also include one’s accomplishments in previous jobs and projects. They’re highly important because they provide an in-depth perspective on their candidate and what they are able to do. Again, we’ll give a few examples in the same industries as we did previously:
- For administrative jobs: “I have managed busy schedules for more corporate executives”, “I have saved this much money in office supplies after negotiating a new deal”, or “I have implemented a new CRM with reporting capabilities”.
- For sales and retail jobs: “I have developed relationships with these many new clients”, “I have maintained a customer retention rate of a certain per cent above company average”, or “I have trained and coached these many junior staff members”.
- For IT jobs: “I have reduced security breaches by a certain per cent for all customers”, “I have increased user experience scores by this certain per cent for this company”, or “I have created a mobile app that got millions of downloads”.
When writing the, keep in mind to include them into your work experience and quantify them by frequency and scale, like how much work you were able to complete within a certain period or how many people were on your team.
Update it frequently
It’s wise that no matter what small project or short-term job you have, to add them to your CV and keep it updated frequently so that you don’t have any gaps. You can add a new language you’ve just learned or another new skill, and it can help your application timeline flow. This way,
you’ll ensure that you don’t forget something significant regarding your experience.
Whether you’re looking for a job or not, you still have to work for your development to become valuable in a company. If your resume is frequently updated, you’ll save a lot of time for when you want to apply or for an unexpected situation when you need to change career paths.
An updated CV will also give you an insight into your previous experiences and help you figure out better what you can do or what you’re best at. For example, if you see a bad or good pattern in your working experience, you can do something useful with that information and use it purposefully.
Wrapping up
Your CV is the most powerful tool when it comes to finding a good job. Whether you want a career in another industry or just leave your current job, keeping your resume neat and up-to-date will help you progress by knowing yourself better.
