You give the first impression of your expertise through your CV. Your CV is a highly important sales document. Its objective is to get you an interview. In current economic times you may be competing with hundreds, even thousands of other applicants. You need to grab the attention of your potential employer.
While preparing your CV bear in mind the following:
Targeting the Reader
Always consider who the likely reader of your CV is going to be. When possible, send your job application to a named person. It only takes one phone call to an organization to find out who is in charge of recruiting. It also gives you the chance to introduce yourself.
The words you use are very important. You should always address people who "speak your language". I remember watching a TV program about an interview. The interviewer did not understand several jargon words from the candidate's CV and he was annoyed. Obviously the candidate did not pass the interview.
Mirror the Job Description- Keywords and Phrases Related to the Job
The best way to adapt your CV is to feed back specific phrases used in job advertisements and highlighting how you fit those requirements.
When you do both, you are not only showing the potential recruiter that you have the required Keywords from the Job Description in your CV, but also you back it up with your experience.
Employers and recruiters are trying to determine a match between you, the job you are applying for, and the organization's culture.
When screening your CV, the reader will not only be looking for proof of your capability to do the job, but also trying to evaluate whether you are the sort of person who will be compatible with the organization's work ethic and culture.
Your CV may also not be read by human eyes. Some larger employers and recruitment companies will scan your CV into their recruitment systems. Their software then identifies keywords and phrases in your CV and matches these with the requirements of a role.
Don't just list the responsibilities-insist on how you achieved results, for instance, by winning new customer, controlling finances, making cost savings etc. Show how you made a difference by introducing new ideas for example: I boosted sales by 20% vs. I Increased the sales.
Be specific in your numbers, measure your achievements.
Create both your CV and covering letter with a view to the company needs i.e. mirroring the job description Key Phrases and Keywords in both: your CV and Covering Letter.
Dealing with Recruitment Agencies- The Golden Rule
When you contact any recruitment agency make sure the agency operates in your field. It is very easy to check what the agency specialises in by only checking their website.
The golden rule for you to remember is that the recruitment agencies or companies find people for jobs, not jobs for people.
They receive the requirements from their clients and they need to match them with suitable candidates. Therefore, when you apply for the given job make sure your skills and experience corresponds to the job advertisement. Very often I receive the CVs that have nothing to do with the job advertisement. They will most likely finish in a database and be only searchable if they contain job related keywords.
I cannot stress enough how Job Related Keywords are important in your CV. 10 Minutes Exercise:
1. Take your already existing CV
2. Take 2-3 job descriptions of the jobs you are applying for and underline important Keywords
3. Screen your CV and count how many Keywords appear in your CV
4. Ask yourself: is only 1 or none keywords going to attract the employer, the agent to give me a call and discuss the job opportunity?
Hope it helps and hopefully, even if we are all interested in finishing our work early today and watch the next World Cup match i am sure we'll find some time to check Job Related keywords on our CVs. Next time we'll talk about achievements. Till then, enjoy the Football World Cup! To your success!
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_Leszczynska
