Getting a job in a competitive field can be a real challenge. In fact, only two percent of people that apply to jobs end up getting an interview. That’s a frightening statistic for someone who’s in desperate need of being hired. Luckily, there are ways to increase your chances of being included in that two percent, and it all starts with your CV. Your CV will be the first thing a business sees about you, and if it’s bad, you’ve got no chance of landing an interview. So, here’s how to make your CV stand out so that companies invite you back for an interview.
Remember the Basics
If the business you’re applying for is requesting a CV, you need to remember the basics of writing a CV so yours doesn’t immediately end up in the trash pile. The purpose of a CV is to outline a person’s entire professional and academic career, as opposed to a resume which should only highlight parts of your career. Therefore, a CV will be longer than a resume at around two or three pages. The layout of a CV is also unique, and it’s best to use a CV maker so you can just focus on the content instead of spending time trying to get the layout to be perfect.
Tailor It to the Job You Want
A company can tell right away if you’ve created a “one size fits all” CV, and it’s extremely off-putting. It shows that you don’t really care about where you work, you just want any job. Companies want to hire people who are excited to work there because they will be more productive and will stick around a lot longer than someone who’s just looking for any job. So when you’re creating your CV, make sure you tailor your personal statement to the job that you’re applying to. Write it with that specific company in mind so they can tell that you really want to work with them.
Emphasize Results, Not Responsibilities
When talking about your career experience, one of the most common mistakes is to list the duties or responsibilities that you had in your position. This is an immediate red flag to employers because it’s not really telling them much. That’s why you need to avoid talking about duties and highlight what you accomplished at each position. For example, instead of saying “worked with clients on a daily basis” you could say “grew company client base by 25%”. This shows that you worked with clients and you were able to pull in a ton of new business to grow your company.
Now You Know How to Make Your CV Stand Out
Companies see hundreds of CVs each month and the only way you can keep yours out of the garbage can is by making it stand out. But that doesn’t mean adding bright colors or bold text, it means making yourself shine through above all the rest. With these tips on how to make your CV stand out, you can grab the attention of businesses and pique their interest. Looking for more professional advice? Check out the rest of our site!
She has spent the last 11+ years helping aspiring entrepreneurs start new businesses, raise capital and get connected to the resources they need to grow and thrive. She also spent this time helping B2B and B2C companies generate more leads and sales for their businesses via web development and the implementation of various digital marketing and advertising strategies.
She enjoys writing about her experiences as an entrepreneur and using data and information from reliable sources to back up what she writes about. Through her writing she aims to educate other entrepreneurs on how to build successful businesses doing what they love.
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