1. Who do you expect will read your CV?
Believe it or not, most job applications are not initially reviewed by a human being. Instead, an electronic system will scan your job application for keywords and skills. If you are fortunate enough to have an actual human read your CV, the design can either hurt or harm you, depending on its effectiveness and readability.
Keep in mind that HR professionals may not be familiar with all industry or job-related acronyms, so use both the acronyms and the actual words. Managers will pay more attention to your specific accomplishments to try to determine if you would be an asset, so make sure these are prominently featured.
2. Which industry are you targeting? If you are open to a variety of industries, this point does not apply. But if you are seeking a position in the manufacturing industry, for example, industry keywords need to be included in your CV. This will increase your chances of your CV being picked from a pool of others, especially if the hiring company is using an electronic system.
3. What specific position are you seeking? Unfortunately for the over-stressed and over-worked, the days of sending out a generic CV for several types of jobs are behind us. You have to design your CV with a particular position in mind. You have to know what keywords, skills, areas of expertise, and qualities an employer is looking for in a candidate.
And then you have to make sure you feature them in your CV and show – not tell – that you have them. That brings me to the next bullet point.
4. What results do you want your CV to showcase? Do you get things done? Do you improve processes or procedures? Do you surpass sales goals? Do you lead teams?
Simply stating that you possess a certain quality will have almost no positive impact on a potential employer. In fact, it may actually work against you. How many times do employers read, “Highly motivated, multi-tasking, very organized, successful, team player…?” Too many times! They either yawn or toss the CV.
Instead of telling the reader about your skills, show them what you’ve accomplished using actual amounts, percentages, descriptions of projects, and other quantifiable results.
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