10 CV tips to help your CV stand out, say the experts
Here's how to climb to the top of the candidates' swimming pool.
When you hope to land the work of your dreams , your CV can serve as a secret weapon you need to set foot in the door. As a first point of contact that you will have with a potential employer, it must stand out from the crowd if you want to be invited for a real interview. This is particularly true on the highly competitive labor market today.
"A great curriculum vitae is not just a piece of paper on which to record the history of employment; it is a strategic tool to mark you as an ideal candidate", explains Vitré Koval , a global hiring and remote work lawyer in the hiring society Take a walk .
In this spirit, experts say that there are a handful of ways that you can upgrade your CV to make sure it is found in the right hands and makes the right impression. These are the 10 best CV tips to put your career goals at hand.
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1 Focus on the results, not just experience.
Employers want to know the strengths of your career so far, but the simple fact of listing your experience will not weigh the full table.
"Too much CV simply list the experience," said Renee Fellman , an interim recovery and CEO expert at Renee Fellman & Associates . "For your CV to stand out, understand clearly and concisely the results you have obtained which can be verified by the person to whom you have pointed out."
She recommends asking you: "What were your goals? What have you achieved?"
At this point, experts all agree that it is a good idea to rely on data to quantify your achievements and present your impact. "Data is one of the most underused CV improvement techniques," explains Daniel Space , a senior human resources director and content creator who passes Dan of HR .
For example, explain how you have helped save $ 100,000, how you optimized a process for 11% efficiency, ensured training for a set of data analysis of 900 employees or managed a Budget of $ 6 million, says space, stressing the importance of specificity.
2 Adjust the CV to adapt to the description of the work.
Then you will want to adjust your CV to adapt to the description of the work and demonstrate a strong correspondence for the role, says Jasonica Jasonica , COO of the endowment company Spec on work .
Sharon Hull , MD, MPH, PCC, author of the new book Professional careers by design: a manual for tailor -made life , suggests keeping a master document and updating it regularly, then adapting it to specific job requests. This will save you time and allow you to highlight your largest and direct skills and skills.
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3 Use a professional format for easy readability.
Lamonica also recommends taking care of your CV formatting, opting for a "clean and professional" style easy to read.
Hull is advisable that the “format counts”. It recommends using standard fonts (Arial, Cambria, Garamond and Times New Roman are all considered standard for CVs), the appropriate use of white space, and clear margins and alignment.
Although consistency is essential, the space adds that you can also use visual indices to highlight the most important information on your CV. "For your best achievements, use daring lettering to attract the reader's attention," he suggests.
4 Consider your order of presentation.
The order in which you share your experience, your data on results, education and skills can also make a difference. "Highlight the skills and key achievements at the beginning for the accent," advises Lamonica.
"Your most important information is your experience - it should take 80% of the page," added space, noting that education should take place at the end. "You don't need a professional summary if your CV is directly appropriate for the role."
5 Be short.
Submit a curriculum vitae which represents many pages can point out to your potential employers that you are unable to synthesize information in digestible formats. Your greatest achievements are also likely to be buried in too much information.
"Bredit and clarity are curricated qualities of a great curriculum vitae," said Hull, who was also founding director of an executive coaching program for the faculty of the Duke University Medical Center.
It recommends keeping your CV between one and two pages, depending on the volume of your previous work experience. Recent graduates or new people on the job market with less than 10 years of experience should stick to a CV of a page.
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6 Use digital formats to your advantage.
Submission of a CV is different today from that a decade ago - one of the biggest differences being that most CVs are now digital. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
Using the right relevant keywords, you can optimize your CV and go through all automated tracking systems (ATS) used to filter candidates initially. In particular, you can include keywords, including specific skills and qualifications, which stand out from the post description.
Lamonica also recommends providing a link to a professional online profile or a company's website for more information.
7 Fill all the gaps in employment.
Submitting your CV to consideration is the very first opportunity you will have to tell your story. If you leave gaps in this story, your potential employers could make unfair assumptions.
This is particularly important to remember if you have had major shortcomings in your job. "Tell the story of what was going on. Explain, don't be defensive and focus on how the gap may have improved your skills, including resilience," suggests Hull.
8 Use a "previous experience" section.
Having a lot of professional experience is a good thing, but the inclusion of details on the jobs you occupied two decades ago can withdraw from your most recent achievements. The space adds that, unfortunately, "age is one thing" - which means that you may not want to emphasize how long you have been on the job market.
However, there is a simple solution. "Having a" previous experience "section that comes from the ball as a" skills "section with the title and the company is more than sufficient," says Space. "You do not need a full entry for the one -year work you had in 2009."
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9 Reread, raise, reread.
Nothing will deactivate a potential employer faster than to notice typing mistakes or reckless errors in your CV. Since your CV is your only chance to put your best foot forward, even minor errors in spelling, punctuation or choice of words can point out that your work is botched or precipitated.
To avoid this error, read it slowly, ask a friend to give him a second pass and do your job through a spelling verifier. "Reread meticulously to ensure error -free content," advises Lamonica.
10 Always include a cover letter.
You must always include a brief but thoughtful and personalized cover letter "will significantly improve your chances of" employment, explains Koval. This is where you can really tell your story, share your enthusiasm for the position, the company or the general work area and let your personality shine.
"It offers you the possibility of saying why you are passionate about work and how your journey makes you a perfect adjustment. A cover letter personalizes your application and can make a memorable impression," notes Koval.