Are you looking to secure your next role within Telecoms, Construction, Technology or Power/Utilities? – Then there are a few things for you to consider before you start applying for that ‘dream job’.
When it comes to securing jobs in these popular sectors, competition is high, with roles sometimes having hundreds of applicants. What’s more, the chances are that employers and recruiters will only spend a few seconds reading your CV, so it is vital to make sure you stand out from the crowd. The best way to do this is to sell yourself in the right way, via a relevant, concise, and powerful CV.
One important thing these industries have in common is that skills, experience, and in some cases, qualifications or certifications, are key. And as you don’t have long to grab an employers or recruiters attention, you need to keep your CV short and sweet – making sure to highlight the important aspects about yourself that play to the job role you are aiming for, right away.
When it comes to actually creating your CV, how you structure it, what you include and the language you use are vital in creating an impactful CV which is easy to read and to the point, but informative.
Keep it simple…
Although tempting, avoid making the design of your CV over complicated, this just makes it harder to read and distracts from the important bits, which are actually going to help secure you an interview.
• Use a simple, clear font and plain colour scheme, giving any imagery, such as profile pictures and company logos, a miss.
• Don’t fall into the trap where your writing becomes long winded – get right to the point with bullet points and short descriptions with only relevant details – cut out the useless fluff.
Your content – words matter…
When writing your CV, the type of language and your word choice can make a difference, you want it to be impactful, positive, relevant and reader-friendly. There are several ways you can achieve this:
• Use powerful language when demonstrating your experience, skills and achievements such as ‘executed’, ‘designed’, ‘assessed’ and ‘established’ – whilst trying to avoid overused words or phrases like ‘helped’, ‘managed’ or ‘hard-working’.
• Adapt your job titles to reflect the roles you are applying for, without misrepresenting yourself. – Most jobs have various titles depending on the company, so you want the job titles in your CV to immediately highlight, at a glance, your experience that will show the hiring manager that you are a good fit for the job.
• Including specific keywords that reflect important aspects of the job advert can also increases your chances of being noticed. These can be found in the job title or opening brief and will be repeated throughout the advert.
Example
What’s more, in today’s technology forward world, more and more, recruiters and companies are using CV screening software that helps them identify CVs with content that matches the role the company is looking to fill, so optimising your CV using these tips can help make sure it doesn’t get missed.
Do it in order…
You want to structure your CV in priority order that reflects what employers and recruiters would find significant to the role they are looking to fill. To beat out the competition and make your CV instantly more appealing to employers highlight the best bits first – follow these useful steps when putting together your CV.
1. Personal Details
⁃ Your Full name
⁃ Address (Town/Postcode)
⁃ Contact Number
⁃ Email Address
⁃ Professional Profile Links e.g., LinkedIn, online Portfolio
2. Professional Summary / Short Personal Statement
⁃ Remember this is your first introduction to employers of who you are professionally.
⁃ Keep it brief, no more than 3 or 4 sentences; and targeted towards the role you are applying for. The goal is to grab an employer’s attention and keep it, so try to use common keywords/skills identified in your desired job specification which highlight why you are suitable for the role.
3. Professional Qualifications / Certifications
Don’t let your accomplishments get lost by leaving them until the end. It is vital to ensure employers and recruiters can immediately see that you meet the desired criteria, especially if the roles you are applying for require specific qualifications or certifications that show you have the knowledge to do the job.
Example
4. Key Skills / Achievements
Like we said before, you have very little time to catch a recruiters attention. To make sure you maximise your chances, highlight relevant or significant professional skills, achievements and experience right from the start. This means recruiters don’t have to go searching through your full work history to see if you are a good candidate for the role they are hiring for. Remember, keep the information to the point, and don’t over-elaborate beyond what’s necessary. You can expand on each during the interview process.
Example
- Work Experience
Detail your work history in chronological order – Start with the most recent position and work back from there.When writing each of your job roles use 3 clearly defined sections:
⁃ Job heading – Include Job title, the company name and the dates you worked there (make this bold font to catch the readers’ eye).
⁃ Job outline – A very brief overview of the area of work e.g. project, environment, sector etc.
⁃ Your key responsibilities – In bullet point form, describe your competencies while focusing on any experience or achievements that demonstrate your ability for that role e.g. skilled or higher level tasks or/and duties that reflect those found in the job advert.
Account for any career gaps longer than a couple of months:
⁃ There are any number of reasons why someone may have gaps in their work history; from having children, to studying, travelling, caring for a relative or looking for a job. CV gaps are understandable, but they are a red flag to potential employers. They can suggest you unreliable or someone who doesn’t stick at roles for long and raises questions as to why you haven’t been working consistently.
Example
6. Education/Qualifications
List any relevant Qualifications and training targeted to the field you are interested in, followed by your highest educational achievement, whether it be a Bachelors, Master’s or professional certificate. Include the name of qualification, institute that awarded it and date it was achieved – make sure not to miss noting down any impressive academic achievements.
7. Additional Information
Although it’s best to prioritise job-winning content in most of your CV, adding an additional information section can help impress employers and give them an insight into your personality.
You can include:
⁃ Languages (spoken and written),
⁃ Licenses e.g., driving license,
⁃ Volunteer work,
⁃ Hobbies and interests.
Make sure you finish the job…
After spending all that time on creating yourself a great CV, why leave the job half done – make sure your CV is free from grammar and spelling mistakes. Use spelling and grammar tools to avoid your application being dismissed by employers or recruiters as a CV full of errors gives the impression of sloppiness and a lack of effort, which no employer wants in someone they hire.
By following these useful tips, you can, not only catch an employers or recruiters notice, but show them why you would be a good fit for the job role they are hiring for, increasing your chances of getting an interview and securing that ‘dream job’.