As we reach the end of the year and our bonuses have been, or are about to be paid, many of us will be thinking about our future and our careers and maybe taking the bold step to move on to pastures new. We all face more competition for every Job than ever before especially when applying for a job position posted on JobBoards, company websites or LinkedIn. We have read the Job descriptions and have the relevant experience, skills achievements and great references, and we really want to get that next Career Opportunity with that Great company, but do we know how to get ourselves at the top of the “Shortlist for interview” pile - and craft the most unbeatable resume to get ourselves in front of the interview panel?
If you think that resumes are not read as they used to be, you may be fooling yourself. Nowadays, CVs are important as they ever were and maybe even more important. Because of the volume of CVs that are being sent online, often 100’s for a single role, yours must be that perfect one and sell itself. Critically it must make an impact within seconds, as studies show the average CV reviewer will only give it less than 10 seconds before either rejecting or shortlisting based on scanning quickly through key areas on the CV document.
But how to make this document effective, avoid that silence response and get that call for an interview?
The 10 CV Tips that will Help You Land An Interview
1/ Keep it Simple - A resume should always be simple and no longer than one or two pages. You should never think that more pages, detail and information is better, they just won’t get read, and you may inadvertently bury your direct and relevant experience under paragraphs of waffle and not get the interview you deserve when you may have been the perfect candidate. Each job you have held should be summarized to a paragraph or about 5 bullet points of the Key responsibilities that are relevant to the job you are applying for (5 to 10 points for your current position if you are in a Senior role and have a lot of responsibilities), followed by a list of your Top 3-5 Relevant and significant achievements. Tailor these bullet points to the Job Description (JD), using similar words ie: if the JD asks for a person with “Entrepreneurial Mindset” then write that in your CV, but don’t exaggerate or suggest you have experience, skills or traits that you actually don’t have. You can offer more facts and details when you win that interview.
Get Rid Of the 'Fancy' Fonts - You can chat with fancy fonts, send stickers and selfies on cell phones and social media. But when it comes to sending your CV, it is recommended to ditch them - and instead use the traditional fonts such as Times New Roman in 9 to 12 point size, and only 2 size variations throughout your CV to keep it looking neat and readable.
2/ Use A Simple Word Format - When saving your CV/resume and cover letter, always make sure to click the category 'Word 97-2003 file'. This will ensure that everybody who receives your documentation is able to open the file.
3/Do Things In Reverse – When listing your professional experience your current /most recent jobs and accomplishments must come first, as roles earlier in your career may not be relevant and they are better placed as the last item on a CV as the reviewer may never get that far anyway before deciding the weight of your candidature. The CV reviewer will rank you more highly if your current experience is directly relevant to the job description and they must see that experience within the first few seconds of viewing your cv.
4/ Ditch The Personal Objectives and create a bullet point Summary- You should get rid of the objectives about your aspirations and instead summarize your Job specific and relevant Key Achievements at the top of the CV after your Name and before the detail of your Professional Experience, Education and Personal info. Talent Acquisition, Recruiters and HR want to short list people that are doers and achievers not dreamers. You can discuss your aspirations at interview, you need to get that interview first though.
5/ Quantify achievements - Numbers and percentages will really sell your value - therefore, make sure you get attention and instead of writing 'increased profits', write 'increased profit by 30%'. Obviously, you should have enough facts to back up any statement you make that will later be questioned at interview.
6/ Use Words Referring to Recognized Titles - Always put your positions as actual job roles, including customer service, controller, manager and accountant, many companies will describe a role with its own unique title, it’s important that the reviewer of your CV knows that your current Job title is actually the right job for your level of expereince. For example some organizations entitle the position of a Private Banker as “Client Advisor” or “Relationship Manager” however universally they are all doing the role of a Private Banker – so you would need to highlight that for clarity.
7/ No Photos - it's time to ditch the photos and only send it if it is being asked for, or if it is recognized as standard practice in your industry or country to send one, a modelling job for example. Websites like LinkedIn are a more appropriate place to display your professional image, and the modern savvy interviewer will be checking online profiles of the shortlisted candidates in their preparation for your interview anyway– make sure LinkedIn profile and your CV match each other for content, experience, skills, qualifications and dates!
8/ Add Some Color - Black and white resumes are too generic, and adding some color won't hurt yours especially if you are applying for an art or design related job such as Graphic Designer. However, be careful what you choose and never use aggressive color choices, get second opinions, ideally from a professional Recruiter or acquaintance who holds a senior role that may have sight of many CVs.
9/ Make It Print-Ready - Try to print your resume at your home or a print shop, just so you can see if it turns out good as sometimes formatting and fonts may look good on your Home PC however may not always print out right. Reviewers and interviews are still printing resumes, and it's always great to have a one sent that will look great.
10/ A universal rule is to not include details of references on you CV, especially your current boss, except on request of the hiring company, and that request normally only occurs after at least the first interview if not at the end of the hiring process. You may find yourself being asked for references by a Recruiting Agency even when they have not secured you an interview, this is because they are most likely looking for profiles more like those of your Boss rather than you! You may politely refuse the Agency unless you have been through one or 2 interview rounds, then it’s appropriate. However if you want to do so, then you can include referees that have a Senior level of authority, maybe from a previous employer from many years ago or a senior manager who has indirectly managed you in previous jobs, but do not use friends and family as although nice, they will not carry any weight.
Once you have sent you CV it’s important to stand out, and you may get lucky and hear within a few days, although the news may be positive or negative, still it’s good to get a response. More often people experience not hearing back for weeks and weeks, relying on the impersonal disclaimer from some organizations that if you do not hear back then you are effectively not shortlisted. Usually the most appropriate CV’s will get their owners a call/email relatively quickly. If you have not heard after a week of sending your CV, write a polite LinkedIn mail, or email if you know it, to the person who posted the role on LinkedIn, or the job board or company website and highlight the job you applied for, its title, and reference number, expressing your interest, and highlighting your matching experience and skills and maybe reattach your CV again. Recruiters, Internal HR and Talent acquisition professionals often have large workloads and it’s very easy to miss a great profile, and if you are a good fit they will be tremendously grateful you rose above the crowd and put the spotlight on yourself. No need to be a pest, just write once. If you don’t receive a reply either positive or negative after that then you can move on knowing you tried your best, and one opportunity missed brings you closer to the next one and ultimately achieving your Career and Personal ambitions.
Good luck in winning that Interview!
Perry Barrow is the Founder & Managing Director of First Global Direct Executive Recruitment, for the Banking, Private Banking, Sales, HR and Fintech industries https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrybarrow/
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