In the current job seeker climate, the competition is no longer just candidates in the locale, but across the world. You really do have to be at the very top of your game with your CV and interview skills to get noticed by a potential employer these days. So, if you’re currently looking for work, we have collected some extra-special CV tips to help you truly stand out amongst the crowd in today’s competitive job market.
Read on for 9 tips that will give your job search a boost, and get those all-important callbacks rolling in:
What better way to get your CV noticed than with some ‘clickbait’ style words? Don’t be afraid to embellish your achievements and accomplishments with adjectives and relevant buzzwords. But do not overdo it. Another way would be being extra innovative when drafting your career objective. For example, you could showcase your awareness and knowledge of a company’s position in the industry and among its competitors by adding something like “and this is why you need to hire me before *companies competitor name* does” at the end of your career objective.
Of course, this is just a creative example, but it gives you an idea of a twist that could get your CV noticed. Just make sure you support these embellishments with a fantastic CV that continues along the same impressive and creative path, otherwise, you’ll be actual clickbait, which won’t get you the job.
On a CV, it is natural to highlight the experience that you had from a job, rather than the person or company that hired you in the first place. If you know that where you worked or who you worked with previously, are names/companies known in the industry you work in, highlight that. There is nothing wrong with getting some kudos from your previous experience that reaches beyond the work that you did. Yes, it is name-dropping and no, there is no shame in it.
Your knowledge and experience can provide a wealth of support to those who are still looking. Keep an active presence online, write blogs about your subjects of passion, participate in discussions on Bayt.com Specialties and continue building new relationships. Why take the chance of employers missing out on seeing your skills? Most CVs can now be posted online, so make sure you add links to blogs or discussions that are relevant and give your employer a quick and easy chance to see exactly how much you know about your field of expertise.
The rise of technology and digital culture opens up new doors when it comes to applying for jobs, providing new ways to supplement your application and stand out from the crowd. Video CVs are still not very common and are only just gaining traction. In some years, they will probably become a staple of job applications, but for now, they’re relatively new, they’re fresh and they can be your ticket to distinguishing yourself.
For that reason, Bayt.com enables you to post a video CV to your profile that will give employers a better chance to get to know you. A good video CV delivers a quick summary of the information on your CV to the employer, shows innovation and a level of tech-savviness on your part, so it is well worth considering. Just make sure the video CV you include is of good quality, so it doesn’t hinder your success.
Believe it or not, more and more employers use social media to screen potential candidates. This means that the chances are high that your future employer is going to look you up on social media, so you may as well cut out the middleman and connect them on your CV.
Listing your relevant social media handles or links to any relevant websites and blogs, shows how connected you really are. It shows that you are proud of your online presence and understand that those profiles could be part of the way you are screened. Additionally, it can be a great way to showcase your work and expertise. Just make sure you have vetted those linked profiles and ensure any personal profiles you want to keep personal, cannot be viewed publicly.
When it comes to the font, content and wording you use in your CV, the overall theme should be simple. A minimalist approach to the content ensures what details you include is purposeful and powerful, and any unnecessary images, huge paragraphs or flamboyant fonts are avoided. Keeping it simple and crisp makes your CV stand out because it isn’t chaotic in format or content, which will appeal to potential employers.
Confidence is where you are proud and aware of what you have achieved, what you can do, and most importantly, what needs improvement. Ego is where you think you are right all the time; you think you know it all and you think everything revolves around you. Employers want a confident candidate, not an egotistical one and you’d be surprised how many CVs these days lean towards egotistical in a bid to get ahead.
Savvy employers know that ego is only a barrier that hinders employees from thriving in their job position. In that sense, highlighting your strengths but without sounding like a know-it-all is paramount, because it shows potential employers that you’re able to go into the job with great skills and abilities that can be utilized and developed over time.
Sending a standard CV to lots of different employers is a terrible idea. Quicker? Yes. Less effective? Also, yes. Taking the time to read up on the company you want to work for, and tailoring your CV to suit that position you’re applying for is important. It makes your CV stand out because it shows that you have taken the time to learn about the position, and you have highlighted how you fulfill its requirements.
Shockingly, a lot of job seekers tend to lie either on their CVs or at some point during the hiring process. Doing this may make your CV stand out to some degree, but it isn’t hard for employers to fact-check and quickly find out you’ve been telling a few fibs. Instead of falling victim to this awkward situation, learn how to truly highlight what you have actually achieved, and what you can achieve.
For example, you worked alone serving customers and stacking the shelves in a sweet shop. That highlights fantastic customer services skills, organization skills, stock management, display awareness, willingness to multitask, and ability to self-manage. You could list these as key skills learned during the job, or as an explanation of things you enjoyed about the job. Doing this isn’t inflating the truth, it’s highlighting the true value of your experience, rather than fabricating it, and employers will truly appreciate the honesty from you.
Using the above tips will make your CV bolder, better and truly attention-grabbing in all the right ways. Soon enough, you’ll get job interviews flooding in and be well on your way to a career that you love and deserve.
Still looking for a job? No responses on your applications yet? Don’t get complacent and keep your rhythm by applying to any of the 44,000+ jobs available on Bayt.com on any given day.
