Over the years of my career, I have met many talented people and qualified candidates, who were doing their best to get their positions. However, I put in tons of monsters that were doing the same thing. It is not to insult anyone, but that is a reality. Every time you need to hire someone – be it a marketing manager, personal assistant, creative team, salesperson, or accountant – you get hundreds of resumes that, honestly, suck.
I mean, literally, they’re so bad or so off topic, you don’t even want to read them. And you don’t. Sure, there are plenty of good choices, but let’s not talk about them.
Did you decide to make your CV? Ok, good start.
You went through all those online posts from leading influencers like “How to write a perfect CV”, “How to get an interview”, “10 tips for the best CV”, etc. He googled some “free resume templates” or even “highest paying resume templates”. Good work! You just wasted your time on an investigation that will never bring you anything new.
resume templates.
If you decided to use a template and just fill in your details, that might work for some positions. But what about individuality? If I receive two CVs that are made from the same CV template, I just don’t look at them and take the next ones in my hands. Even you are a great talent, and I need to hire you, will I know if your CV is just copy and paste someone’s creativity? I suppose not.
Please do not use templates. Show me that you worked on your CV, at least a little. OK, at least it changes the colors of one template.
Many of you will not agree with what I said above, but many will. Using a resume template can save you a lot of time and land you the job of your dreams. It really can, if the content is relevant.
Relevance.
It’s about who you are and why you’re applying for a position. I’ve seen hundreds of resumes where my first question to an author was “what are you good at?”
Make sure your CV is simple and represents your best qualities for the current position. Stop being lazy and spend some time tailoring your resume to a position you’re applying for. If I see “I’m looking for a position in marketing or sales” on a resume for a senior position, I’m asking one thing: “Did you know that marketing is not sales and sales is not marketing?” Lack of relevance can get you nowhere, and even if you are a master of both areas of expertise, the HR manager will simply approve your profile and go to a candidate with a better focus on the job offered.
Including your key benefits and proven results tracking is one of the most important points. No HR department wants to read blah, blah, blah into your three-page creative brief (it can work if you’re just applying for the writer position). Be specific, include industry-specific terms. But again, only if you understand the meaning of them. If not, better think about taking another approach.
Keep it short and crisp.
I love one page resumes. Okay, sometimes two pages are necessary, but for goodness sake, don’t make it five pages.
Trust me, one CV page is enough to showcase your core values if you are an expert in your industry. I can accept more time only if it is a junior position.
Go straight to the point. No one wants to know about your typing skills if you apply for a position that will deal with advertising management. Just like nobody cares if you worked as a waitress when you apply for a content marketer position. It sounds harsh, but it’s true. I care what I’m looking for, and wasting time reading nonsense from one CV is making me look for another.
If you lie, be brief.
Who never lied on a CV? Oh, come on! They all did. Don’t write too much about something you never did. Remember, the more you write, the more questions you will get during the interview. And you don’t want to be in a situation where you just don’t know what to say.
Tell the truth. Even if you don’t have experience, show that you want to get it.
I was hiring people with no experience whatsoever, for their honesty and passion in a position. If you are ready to learn and want to learn, why not give it a try? The question is whether you accept that challenge and prove that my decision was not a mistake.
Experience. Should you show everything?
Let’s go back to Relevance. Yes, you should include everything that you think can keep you above other candidates, but keep it short and relevant. Don’t add your part-time college jobs that you were doing just to get some extra money. Tell the recruiter only what you think might be helpful and something they are willing to listen to.
A photo on a CV.
That’s a tricky part. Including a photo on a CV is illegal in some countries and is also considered unprofessional in some places. Well, I can’t tell you to include your photo or not. It all depends on a position. Sure, if a position is for a hostess or a model, a photo is a must, but if not, then you should think twice. There are many discussions about this part and many pros and cons of having a photo on a resume… It confuses me to advise. All I can say, if you made the decision to put it up, please make it professional looking and not half page sized (believe me, I had full page photo resumes on my hands).
Contacts and Social Network accounts.
Don’t forget to include your phone number and email. It is essential. Some don’t remember.
Including social media profiles can be an advantage in only one situation if your social media activity is relevant to your position. If not, then you better not do it. Sometimes it can damage your reputation when the HR manager opens your Facebook and sees a naked body with chocolate with the comment “it was a great party”. Or a post that insults your former/current employer in a rude and profanity manner. I’m not making this up, I’ve seen things like that from candidates for managerial positions.
Go ahead and do it.
If you think too much, it means you have nothing to say. Simply highlight all of your key accomplishments, look back at your employment history, and write it down on paper. Just like sounds.
Take it easy and remember, it’s just a CV… But yes, it’s the first impression you have of yourself. Do not forget this.
Good luck with your resumes!