A CV is your first chance to impress the hiring manager and according to studies, a recruiter spends 7 seconds looking at your CV on average. This means you only get 7 seconds to make the recruiter see that you are an interesting candidate that may be a perfect fit for the job. But, how do you gain the recruiter’s attention in mere 7 seconds? After all, a recruiter views hundreds of job applications daily and is probably tired of looking at the same types of CVs over and over again.
This means your best chance of impressing a recruiter is by sending in a CV that stands out. A CV that grabs the attention of the recruiter enough to land you an interview. Here are some simple yet effective ways that we have handpicked, with help from professional cv writing services in Pakistan, to help you create the perfect CV that will help you catch the eye of the recruiter among the sea of candidates.
1. Start Out with a Bang:
After writing down your personal information, the next section should be Profile Summary. A profile summary is a perfect chance to introduce yourself as well as talk about your professional experience and key achievements. A profile summary should contain enough information that a recruiter learns all the major things about you just from reading it.
Start out the summary by mentioning your skills that are directly relevant to the job you are applying for. This will not only attract the recruiter but it also might make them intrigued enough to read the rest of your CV. You want to make the right impression with your profile summary as it tells the recruiter exactly who you are. Here is an example of a strong profile summary:
“Detail-oriented and growth-focused professional with extensive experience in managing financial operations and supervising various projects for driving business growth. Broad background in training and coaching team members, monitoring them to ensure timely task completion and providing them technical support to resolve persisting issues. Stellar record of developing a training procedure to inform the team members regarding the deadline of the training process.”
2. Tailor Your CV:
Customizing your CV for a job is necessary by all means. You cannot use a general CV to apply to every job position. Your CV should come as a direct response to the job description. Your CV should explain exactly why you are the perfect candidate for the role and that you have fully understood the role that you are applying for. The best way to do this is to include the skills that are relevant to the job position that you have as well as relate your accomplishments to the role you are applying for.
Make sure you also include some of the words from the job description in your CV or use similar wordings like the ones used in the job ad. Tailoring your CV to every job position that you are applying to might take longer than usual but it will help you find the perfect role and position.
3. Show Industry Knowledge and Insight:
Employers prefer candidates that have an understanding and prior knowledge of the industry they are applying for. This is why it is important that you demonstrate in your CV that you have all the required industry insights and knowledge. Showing that you are aware of all top trends in the specified industry will instantly make your CV stand out. Make sure you are up to date with any news and industry changes so that you are able to demonstrate this knowledge in the interview as well.
You can also use some industry-specified, exclusive words in your CV that will make the recruiter believe you really have all the knowledge. Adding words directly from the job description will also help in this case as well.
4. Use Power Words:
Let’s face it, recruiters are tired of reading the same words and over-exaggerated adjectives all the time. This is where power words come in. Power words emphasize your accomplishments and increase the impact of your CV. Instead of using overly used words such as motivated, creative, passionate, organized, etc., use power words, such as demonstrated, adaptable, achieved, innovative, developed, and implemented for every achievement you are including in your CV. Not just this, make sure you follow up these words with impressive quantitative results or outcomes that demonstrate what you have delivered.
5. ATS Optimized:
Many companies use database software to scan the CV and filter out candidates depending on how much their data match the required criteria. This is why it is important to make your CVs ATS-optimized. According to professional CV writers in Pakistan, the best way to make sure you pass the ATS scan is to include keywords from the job description in your CV. Read the job ad carefully and try to understand what the recruiter is looking for and then tailor your CV to it accordingly. A lot of the ATS software cannot even read the CVs that are not formatted in the standard way.
You will find a lot of the important keywords in the job responsibility section of the job ad. Include these words in your CV, either in the skills section or relate them to your accomplishments and previous professional experience.
Creating a good CV may take up a lot of your time and require some research on your part but in the end, the results will be worth it as it will help you get the job you are dreaming of. Make sure you follow all of these steps to make your CV shine and stand out from the thousands of CVs a recruiter views. You can also format your CV in a way that is easy to read and highlights all your skills (such as making all the quantitative data and figures bold). This will make the recruiter easily view all your key accomplishments and qualifications in a few seconds, without having to read the entire CV.