Making your CV work harder for you

We frequently hear from candidates that their CV’s do not generate enough traction and a common solution to this is to turn to professional CV writer. Opinion seems to be split of the value they can add.

From a recruiter’s point of view, here are the key things that I think you should be aware of before paying for this service.

Firstly, what is a good CV format? There is no such thing as a singular good CV format! This is highly subjective and every recruiter/HR professional/hiring manager reads CV’s differently. Some love innovative designs and funky layouts, others prefer a much more clean cut, professional look.

You should not have one CV that you use to apply to every position. Your CV will never contain all of the information about your skills, experience, projects, etc. If it does it will likely be far too long and difficult to understand.

You should look to tailor your CV for every single application. Yes, this might seem like a lot of work, but a hiring manager will read a CV and want to see quickly the reason to interview you. If you have relevant skills and experience which are not written in your CV, how is the hiring manager, HR professional or recruiter supposed to know this?

Application letters are common in Switzerland but in the majority of cases they are only reviewed after interest in the CV has been established.

It is highly impractical (and costly) to employ a professional CV writer every time you wish to apply to a new position so if you do get professional help, get them to make it as generic and easily editable as possible. Have them return it to you in a couple of formats (ideally word and pdf) and make sure that it isn’t made with a fancy CV software tool that you can’t then make changes to yourself! You don’t want to be tied in to going back to the same source every time you need to change your CV.

Think about the position, company and hiring manager that you are applying for. Tailor your CV to their needs. A good recruiter who has met with the hiring manager and understands the position, will be able to help you do this.

When dealing with recruiters, be flexible when we ask you to add something from our conversation into your CV. We are doing this for one reason… to have a better chance of securing you an interview.

Also quite often recruitment companies need to reformat your CV to remove contact details, add their personal notes or include a coversheet that the client has provided us with. For that reason, difficult to edit formats are not our friends and why we so often ask for a word format. If you are worried about what is being sent to the end client, just ask the recruiter for a copy before it’s sent, they should be more than happy to oblige.

In today’s competitive market, your CV needs to sell you more than ever, so team up with a good recruiter in your sector and ask them for advice!