CV RECOVERY

With a record number of people hitting the job market, at ARx we realise it is exponentially more important to make the right first impression, and that means; CV renovations.

We’ve been helping candidates throughout the last few months by advising on some of the best ways to kit out your CV when applying for a new job opportunity. These tips apply to both our industries as well as more generally.

So below are the top 3 tips we have for your CV:

It’s time to ditch the Latin

After reviewing hundreds, maybe even thousands of CVs this Summertime, one thing became prevalent. Everyone feels the need to either write “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae” or “Resume” on their CV. 

It’s pretty much how we were all taught, however, it’s no longer necessary when creating the document as people already know what it is, and in a world where recruiters and hiring managers are looking for short, concise information, it is just taking up “page real estate” that could otherwise be used to highlight another great area of your experience. Instead, we suggest the following layout for your title:

JOHN J. SMITH

Senior Account Manager (Pharmaceuticals)

This provides the reader with a clear idea of who you are and also what industry/job role you are in and already starts to highlight your background.

Plain Format versus Imagery

As much as we hate to say it, as recruiters, there is seldom anything more frustrating than a CV designed with a platform like Canva or that has a tonne of images and logos etc. It messes with most CRM systems and plays havoc when we are trying to reformat the document to our clients. Most consultants can spend up to 15 minutes editing a CV like this and some even have to be retyped entirely.

It’s more likely that your CV will be represented faster to a client and in a better light if when working with consultants you send a plain text version, so try and have one to hand. For direct applications, however, a more graphic CV may come across well and stand out from the crowd, so it is definitely an idea to keep both on hand.

Whatever type of CV you choose, try and keep it basic and simple. It’s not a marketing piece it’s a summary and most companies are not looking for the colour scheme or font but simply for the jobs you’ve done and experience you have.

One size doesn’t fit all

As much as it is a faff editing your CV all the time, companies skim your CV in seconds, and you need to be able to show clearly with keywords and job roles that you are right for this job, without all the added information they won’t be interested in, so for each role, before applying edit your CV quickly, or if you are applying for four main categories, prepare four versions (each lending themselves to the industry or role type applied for). This way you can just send the relevant profile and occasionally tweak as necessary.

So there you have it, our top 3 pieces of advice surrounding mistakes that we have all been taught when editing CVs.

Keep reading our posts for the latest recruitment advice and industry trends!

If you’d like to get in touch and offer even more advice on CV writing, feel free to leave a comment below and we will try and include your advice in future posts.

If you’re looking for CV help in Lockdown Pt.2 then please e-mail [email protected] and one of our expert consultants will be in touch.