In a tough jobs market, CV content – more than ever – is the key to securing a job interview.
What is astonishing is that eight out of ten job hunters said they they send the same CV for every job they apply for. Are they surprised that they don’t hear back from employers? They should be!
If you are not rewriting your CV for each and every job that you are applying for then you may as well put your CV straight into the nearest shredder because that is exactly where it is going to end up.
Let’s take a simple example: if you are applying for a job in retail and your CV does not contain the word customer then don’t bother sending you CV: it’s not appropriate for the vacancy.
When recruiters write the advertisement and job description/person specification for the job they are telling you exactly who they are looking for. Read that last sentence again and let it sink sweetly into your mind.
This knowledge is going to get you a job interview. Trust us.
Employers are giving you the information you need to write the perfect CV for their vacancy. If you haven’t already written one, follow this link for a winning CV template.
The CV that you have written is not your CV. It is your Standard CV and is used as a base to write off-shoot CVs for various vacancies that you see as you go about your daily job hunt.
Look at the advertisement for the vacancy. Look at the job description. Now, look at your CV. Does your CV perfectly fit the mould you have been given?
As ever it all comes down to language and pitch.
Go through the job description and make note of what they are looking for. It may look something like this:
- Customer service experience
- Motivated
- Be of smart appearance
- Experience of exceeding targets
Your next job will be to pick away at your CV and look for where you can include these four elements. They should fall into the first two section of your CV. This might be in your Personal Profile or you may have a bulletted list called Key Skills. You may even want to include one or two of these elements in the outline of the last (or current) job that you did.
Your job is to TARGET your CV to each and every job that you apply for. Above all else, this is the very best thing you can do to ensure that you get a job interview. Do not forget this.
Print this article off and pin it up somewhere that you will see it every day.
You will find a job now. You’re ready.
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