With tens, if not hundreds, of applications for every advertised vacancy, your application needs a stand-out CV to grab the hiring manager’s attention. There are plenty of tricks you can use to make sure your CV is as unique and memorable as you are, so let’s explore the top five tips for getting your application to the top of the pile.
1. Write for your audience
Don’t assume your reader knows what you do. It’s likely that the first people to review your application will be recruiters or members of the HR team – they probably don’t have in-depth insight into what your role entails.
Therefore, ensure that for every job you list, you briefly summarise the remit of the role and what it involves. Take care not to use acronyms, internal jargon, or project names – that’s a surefire way to alienate your reader. Write so that a stranger on the street or a teenager could easily grasp what you do.
2. Focus on impact and contribution
An extensive list of your duties and responsibilities is dull. It doesn’t grab attention or engage the reader. Instead, focus on the impact you’ve had and how you’ve contributed to the business. Show that you understand how your role sits within the wider business and that you’d be a worthwhile investment.
The easiest way to create a stand-out CV is to list some
quantifiable achievements. For every positive impact, try to include figures showing the positive outcome for the business.
3. Use a professional format
Grabbing a recruiter’s attention is great – as long as they’re noticing you for the right reasons, not the wrong ones. CVs are generally presented in the same way as a business report – that is to say, in a clean, single-column, easy to navigate manner. While logos and graphics might get noticed, they don’t add any value and aren’t considered very professional. They also don’t perform well when your CV is scanned into an applicant tracking system.
Templates downloaded from Word or Canva aren’t created by CV or recruitment professionals – avoid over-designed layouts in favour of a simple yet
professional layout.
4. Pay attention to details
The presentation of your CV matters, as it will often form someone’s first impression of you. If your dates are in different formats, your headings are different sizes, your margins aren’t consistently justified, and you’ve used multiple fonts, it really doesn’t say a lot about the time, care and attention you’ve put into the application.
Proofreading is time well invested. As well as checking your own CV, you can rope in friends and family and use free online tools to pick over it until it hits perfection.
5. Present a consistent story
Your CV should tell the same story as your
LinkedIn profile, which in turn should tell the same story as your cover letter or application form. Inconsistencies in dates, company names, and focus don’t just say volumes about your lack of attention to detail – they’re also a red flag to recruiters who may think you’re being flexible with the truth.
While
tailoring your CV to the role is advisable, the key information you present should remain the same across every medium.
Bonus tip: outsource your stand-out CV!
If creating a stand-out CV on your own seems like a tall order, there’s help at hand. CV Shed offers
CV writing services for job-seekers from every industry, ensuring that you can present an attention-grabbing CV whatever your budget.
Find out more or get in touch via the
CV Shed website.
