10 tips for an effective CV
It happens to everyone, while scrolling through the main page of Linkedin, to see posts of some links addressed to unskilled recruiters who did not recall the applicant even though the profile was perfect. We should always bear in mind that we may not know the selection procedures and remember that no job application is a lost one at that moment. It is also right and important to take a step back and ask ourselves: have I actually made my cv appealing for that job?
Our resume is the first image to reach the recruiter’s hands that may be dealing with a very important opportunity in our professional life at that moment.
As an HR Consultant, I can say that every day we see a significant number of resumes, and therefore it is our responsibility to give you 10 tips to consider when sending your CV in order to make it as successful as possible.
1) Format.
Everyone likes to give their opinion regarding the layout of their cv. We are seeing pie charts to indicate skills, so many different layouts, and so many colors being used. In relation to the type of job you want to hold, a certain type of format can be considered more or less appropriate to show the skills you possess. For example, the online European format is increasingly recommended. Regardless of whether or not one chooses to use it, it can be taken as a cue not to forget both to deal with certain aspects and to understand the order in which to deal with the points. As a guide it is to be considered very good and fluent. If you decide to use it, however, do not forget to remove the parenthetical advice. The “theme” format is not recommended. It is important to make sure that it is not too time-consuming to locate important information.
2) Length.
The CV have to summarize your professional life: we know that and we know that it is not an easy mission to recap many years of experience. The recommended length is about two pages. Thus, try to be schematic and always put yourself in the shoes of the reader. I suggest you to start by telling about your last professional experience. If you need to optimize the spaces and taking inspiration from the European format as the most used one, you can put the name and address of the company on the same line. In any case two pages is an indication, if it were three it will not be discarded. But, you need to remember that it is better to have one more well-paragraph page than one less page where it makes reading difficult.
3) Certificates.
The more our professional experience grows, in more courses we need to participate, such as compulsory training courses or safety courses. No one will doubt your preparation for absence of certificates of participation attached to the CV. During the interview you can ask if they can serve the recruiter as additional material to present to the client.
4) Photos.
It is not mandatory to insert your photo into your CV, but if it seems more complete to combine a face with a professional path it is recommended to choose a photo in passport style, so that it takes us in the foreground and lets see up to the shoulders. Photos cropped from group photographs or family albums, selfies and photos at the beach or on vacation are not advisable. Those who look at us must be able to see reliability and professionalism. But, if you really think you are not photogenic and have come wrong in all the photos, you are free to do not use it.
5) A few words to explain your role.
You don’t need to be afraid to tell in a concise way our role under our job title. I can assure you that different roles and tasks can be identified behind the same position. In order to make your resume effective and to help readers understand it, you need to dedicate a few lines explaining what our tasks are and what responsibilities we have. Surely, there will be an opportunity to take more into the account during the interview, but this small explanation will be of great help for those who follow the recruitment process.
6) Do we have to write literally everything down?
Although we would love to, no recruiter is an all-rounder. The world of Recruitment and Selection is one of those environments where you never stop learning. All the words in the resume take on great importance in order to understand if that cv can actually identify the right person. If you are an expert candidate, you may have had more than one experience. So, considering the perfect lenght of the CV, now you can delete the experiences gained during the studies, unless these are used to justify dates in the cv, but you don’t need to invest too many words to tell them. Give space to meaningful experiences.
In case you are interested in different fields or job roles, try to readjust your cv by highlighting the experiences that make you be the right person for both one and the other position, writing two resumes and sending them according to the ads you find.
Remember that in cvs what should not be missing for any reason are our contacts. If you apply for an opportunity with a CV without a phone number it will be very complicated for the recruiter to be able to get in touch with you. Always prefer personal contacts to professional ones.
7) Report the names of companies.
When an head hunting company reviews our CV it is required to do so in a confidential manner without disclosing the data with which it comes into contact. We don’t need to be afraid to write the company we are working for. That data is very important for the recruiter for its time optimization. There are businesses that explain to the recruiter both realities in which they are interested and realities from which they do not want to find candidates, but in this case if your profile is interesting you will be contacted to introduce yourself and to be introduced to other businesses. But if your company were in the first case it would be a shame to miss that opportunity!
8) Date of birth: yes or no?
Even for this, there are some conflicting opinions. But we need to consider that a profile must be considered for the experience gained in the field. Moreover, if we put ourselves in the company’s shoes we can say that it helps a lot to know the age of the candidate, this also for internal dynamics such as the age of the manager or the age of the people from whom the team is composed. Inserting this data helps those who are involved in the selection’s process to be able to do so by following the customer’s instructions. It is not intended as discriminatory. If the fear is that of not having the opportunity to do an interview, remember that each of your applications will be entered in any case in the company database. Having entered the date of graduation or graduation, the recruiter will still make the calculations to trace your age. So don’t be afraid of your years.
9) Grammar.
Reviewing the CV’s body copy before saving it is important, ensuring that there are no typos, grammatical or typing errors. A correct syntax will show the attention to detail that you have both in your life and in your work.
10) Saving the file and sending it.
When you are saving the cv, remember to name the file in your computer or inside the download’s folder, so it can be always traceable. In this way, the CV will be easily traceable even through keyword searches, increasing your visibility. If we consider the layout, it is revelant to remember the preferred format. Thus, I recommend compatibility formats like .doc or .PDF. Moreover, avoid sending photos of the print of your CV, unless the consultant to ask you to do so… in that case,within a few hours, send it in digital format in one of these two formats.
