Curriculum Vitae, better known as a CV, has existed for hundreds of years. In fact, Leonardo DaVinci is credited as the first person to list out his experience in order to land a job. In the 500 years since, creating a top-notch CV has remained a daunting task for job seekers. “What’s the best format, and what do you include? Will anyone even look at it?” These are a few of the questions that come to mind when sitting down to create a resume.
As a leading staffing company, we know the importance of putting your best foot forward professionally. Follow our tips below to streamline your CV and boost your chances of securing the job of your dreams!
Sell yourself
Like an “elevator pitch,” the goal of a CV is to quickly and effectively sell your skills and experience. Studies indicate that, on average, CVs are reviewed in 6 seconds, and if nothing catches the reader’s attention, they move on to the next CV.
This brevity makes it crucial for you to sell yourself clearly and entice your audience to read further. We suggest utilizing the career summary section at the top of your CV as your elevator pitch. In no more than four sentences, describe your career and note significant accomplishments, along with how you hope to impact the organization you are applying to. With a captivating career summary, you are sure to win the reader’s attention and create enough interest to have them delve further into your experience.
Stay relevant
While a CV should include your work experience, relevancy is vital to enticing a hiring manager to consider you for the position. Detailing work experience from decades ago that do not pertain to your current career is a waste of time.
Instead, start with your most recent, relevant experience and add detail for each job pertinent to your current career path. You can list the position and organization for irrelevant prior roles but skip out on the detail. Including unrelated jobs and avoiding lengthy information will help keep your resume tight and accurate while showcasing your relatable experience.
Axe the fluff
When creating a CV, there is often a tendency to add extra adjectives to make our work more appealing, but this might actually produce the opposite effect.
“Fluff” words, or words that slow down the reader, can make you a less appealing candidate.
Because hiring managers and recruiters likely have hundreds or even thousands of resumes to review for each position, you need to ensure that your CV stands out. “Fluffy” resumes can be viewed as a waste of time and therefore tossed aside. Instead, using precise wording allows the reader to quickly understand your experience.
Fluff words to consider removing:
Driven
Creative
Dependable
Dynamic
Experienced
Expert
Goal-Oriented
Hard worker
Results-driven
Specialized
Synergy
Words are important
Now that you know what words to avoid, focus on adding in active, result-oriented words for more insight into your experience. For example, while being a team leader is excellent, the title does not paint a full picture of your success. Instead, identify your specific accomplishments and their impact on the organization.
Consider adding these active words to your CV:
Advised
Aligned
Cultivated
Defined
Delivered
Empowered
Resolved
Revitalized
Secured
Strategized
Streamlined
Surpassed
Partner with a recruiter
To help ensure that your CV will catch the hiring manager’s eye, consider partnering with a recruiter. Recruiters understand what their clients are seeking in a candidate and can help you highlight your relevant experience to stand out. For help streamlining your CV and to find the best role for you, connect with one of our many talented IT recruiters today!