Thousands of CVs pour into the inbox of a recruiter each day. To get through them all, a hiring manager probably spends no longer than six seconds scanning each one. If your CV doesn’t make it into the recruiter’s consideration pile, it probably never will get seen by anyone else.
To convey the most information in the shortest amount of time, jobseekers are slowly visualising their CVs, presenting their credentials in formats other than words.
Putting things into perspective, think of your CV as your personal marketing tool, designed to:
1. Break out of the CV clutter
2. Convey information about yourself
3. Grab a potential employers’ attention
4. Help you land that desired job interview
It may seem daunting to step out of what is considered the “norm” for CV writing, but it doesn’t have to be. Let us show you how to say more, with less:
Keep it easy on the eyes
Extensive paragraphs of text can be a strain on the eyes of a recruiter, as they attempt to zoom in on vital details about you.
Play around with your font sizes, kerning and styles to bring attention to what’s crucial on your CV. This can include details like strengths, your past clients and work experience. To be on the safe side, we recommend choosing one universal font family that works across different operating systems and recruitment tracking software, so your fonts and format do not mess up.
Inject personality into your CV
While your personality is not what helps land the job interview, it can increase the chances of you landing it. That touch of personality gives recruiters a sense of how you fit within the organisation, putting you ahead of others in the consideration process. If you’re lucky, you might even make your recruiter’s day – just like the ones below!
Creatively break down information
Cut down on the text in your CV and lay your information out in a meaningful and organised fashion. This can be done through the use of tables, charts and graphs, giving recruiters an overview of your skills and other information in a quick glance.
Other considerations
At the end of the day, it’s the substance of your CV that will give you that edge over others vying for the same role. If that pretty CV comes at the expense of important information that cannot be compressed, drop the idea. While you’re at it, remember to keep your information concise, presentable and preferably no longer than one page.
CVs riddled with mistakes shout sloppiness and do not sit well with recruiters. Proofread several times for spelling, grammatical and other formatting errors. A fresh pair of eyes can be helpful for spotting these mistakes you might have missed!
With that, your CV is more than ready for some action. Find out who’s hiring here now!
