5 things you need to know before you create your CV

If you have recently been made redundant or are exploring new opportunities post pandemic, you may be inclined to quickly update your CV so you can start applying for jobs immediately. CVs have evolved over the past few years, so before you dust your CV off and click ‘apply now’, here are 5 things you need to know!

Personal Branding

Your CV forms part of your personal brand and what you want to be known for. It is a sales document and is there to promote your expertise, specialties, and skillset. It also needs to showcase your suitability against the role you are applying for. Your CV will be the first point of contact that a potential employer has with you, so you need to make a positive impact but also demonstrate your suitability.

As a step in the application process, the CV is there to secure you an interview, not get you the job. The interview will then give you an opportunity to sell yourself to the employer and hopefully then get a job offer.

Conduct a self-analysis

With this in mind, before you write or update your CV, ask yourself what type of skills and responsibilities you are looking for in your next career move. Are you clear on what that next role needs to look like for you? If you are not, it is important to conduct a self-analysis. What skills do you enjoy using? What are your strengths? What tasks would you like to feature in your next role? What other aspects of your career are important to you? Also consider your career priorities, which could include salary, location or industry.  You may find it useful to start looking at some job boards to determine what roles interest you so you can consider the experience required for the position. This will help when you are either creating or updating your CV.

Create A Master Copy CV

Now you have given this further thought, create a Master Copy CV. Look at job specifications and role profiles online and start thinking about the relevant experience you have. You can create a master copy CV including all your experience to date that can be your ‘go to’ document.  Each time you see a role of interest, go through your Master Copy CV with a highlighter pen and highlight the experience required for each role.  You can then remove, amend and reorder your CV to match each opportunity of interest. You may end up with several default CVs you can then continue to tailor against each role.

Tailor your CV for each application

Your CV has around 20 - 30 seconds to impress any potential employer and in that time, they will decide whether you are suitable for the role. Over 70% of CVs are missing vital, relevant information and, as a result are discarded by an employer or the applicant tracking systems. So it is essential each CV you submit is tailored.

Be aware of the bot

It is estimated that over 70% of employers and recruiters use Applicant Tracking Systems, a software that provides recruiting and hiring tools for companies. These systems collect and sort thousands of CVs based on keywords and shortlists them in terms of how they meet the criteria. Therefore, it is essential that your CV is tailored and relevant to the role that you are applying for. You will need to think about the key words in the job specification and ensure they are included in your CV.

Renovo is the UK’s leading outplacement and career transition specialist. We work with both organisations and individuals to support all their career transition requirements. If you would like to understand how Renovo can help you please call 0800 612 2011 or email info@renovo.co.uk