The Curriculum Vitae

So, you’re ready to take the next step in your career, and it’s time to start job-hunting. Before applying anywhere, you must prepare, or update your Curriculum Vitae (CV).  

What is a Curriculum Vitae and why is it important?

A summary of your professional and educational history, your CV provides potential employers with an overview of who you are and why you might be the right fit for their company. Your CV is quite simply the most powerful tool you have to get you where you want to go in your career. 

The objective is to get potential employers interested in meeting you. A great CV can open the door to an interview. This is when you’ll get your opportunity to show them that you’re the perfect asset for their business.

To understand why it’s crucial to build a great CV, we have to look at today’s job-hunting reality. Most employers, recruitment companies, and job seekers now use online portals as their first option.

Here are a few interesting facts:

• Around 1,500 people will see a typical online job posting.
• 200 will start the application process.
• 100 will complete the process and submit their CV.
• Of these applications, around 75 will be rejected immediately by management software or by a junior recruiter.
• The allocated recruiter will review around 25 CVs. 
• A short list of around 10 CVs will be passed to the hiring manager. 
• More will be rejected for those who survive the second screening, and, typically, only 3 or 4 will be selected for the interview.

What can you do to increase your chances of making it through to that short list? The answer is: Prepare a Curriculum Vitae that will ensure you stand out from the crowd and make a positive impression.

Making a positive impression.

To make a positive impression, ensure that your CV is:

Professional.

It must include all contact details, professional experience, and educational history. Recruiters don’t have time to hunt for missing components.

Concise.

With hundreds of CVs to review, it’s unlikely that a recruiter, who may have multiple positions to fill, will read more than one or two pages. Keep it short and to the point.

Relevant.

Focus on details of your most recent experience, especially that which has a clear connection with the role you’re applying for.

Visually appealing.

Select a clean, attractive layout that will be pleasant to read.

Error-free.

Spelling or grammatical errors are never impressive. Also, make sure that your employment and education dates are correct, as these may be checked at a later stage.