Here are some tried and tested tips for you to consider whilst putting together your CV…
First impressions count as much with a CV as when you meet in person, so a well presented layout is important. Making it easy to read and well-spaced helps busy hiring managers quickly see what you’re about. This isn’t a must, but keeping the page count to 2-3 pages means they are likely to read it all rather than get bored. If you’ve a number of years of job experience, it may be wise to summarise prior to a certain date.
Hiring managers expect CVs to reflect the person and how they may work. This includes a candidate’s attention to detail so make sure you double check for mistakes. Typos happen to us all, but there really is no excuse for little mistakes in these days of spellcheck etc.
Every potential employer is different and hiring managers will respond better to a CV of a bespoke nature that is tailored to the job in question. A more general CV is a good starting point for you, but hirers could get lost in useless information and could even miss out on the best person out there, so a CV for each opportunity and company, highlighting the most relevant skills and experience each time is a valuable tool. Consider where your experience matches the job and develop a CV around that.
Show those that matter your best side, your achievements and your most positive attributes. Shout from the rooftops with info like what you personally contributed to successful projects you’ve worked on, your turnover if in sales, anywhere you may have saved your employer money via efficiencies etc. and anything else within the context of a job application… Add value!
If available, insert some testimony on you and your abilities from either a manager, colleague or customer. If unavailable, put a few calls in to those you trust to gain some. Social proof of your skillset is so important and hearing how great you are from someone other than you is so much more powerful.
Nearly everyone out there has an online footprint these days with the likes of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to name a few. Google yourself, think about what kind of online persona you’re putting out there on social media and be aware of any potential pitfalls down the line, prepare for it and get together any potential rebuttals to reservations the web throws up. Admittedly this has little to do with actually writing a CV, but you need to get yourself in the right frame of mind and uniformed across all platforms to execute this properly.
Often the first stage of recruitment is to talk through your CV and career journey so far. Your CV is your shop window and the hiring manager has a blank cheque, so know it inside-out, chinks in the armour and all and always explain any career gaps and include them in your CV – did you go travelling? Were you job-seeking? It’s all relevant and fair. Also, make sure you inject some personality in there by highlighting your hobbies and interests – you never know who could be into the same things as you… What an ice-breaker!
It’s a good idea to continually keep your CV up to date, even if you are not looking for a new job. This is an easy way to keep track of your achievements whilst with your current employer and reinforce your abilities and successes once the time comes to move jobs.
Specialist recruiters for the Industrial Control & Automation, Process & Instrumentation and Motion & Robotics industries.
<a href="mailto:info@mojo-automation.cominfo@mojo-automation.com
iwantthatjob@mojo-automation.com
We cover the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
