In today’s competitive world of work, finding a job is often a daunting challenge for many. Hundreds of resumes reach the hands of recruiters in each job offer and standing out from the rest of the applicants becomes a complicated task, especially in highly demanded jobs where hundreds of applications accumulate. For this reason, passing the first filter in a selection process has become a key objective for workers.
In this context, the curriculum vitae is the main tool that makes the difference between being considered for a first interview or being forgotten. It is, in a certain way, the letter of introduction of the candidates and on what the company will base itself for that first filter between selected and discarded.
The CV is the reflection of our experience, skills and achievements. Or, at least, that’s how it should be. The problem is that, in practice, not all candidates are able to attractively collect all the professional information about themselves. When designing our resume, we can follow four key tips.
One of the secrets to stand out in the selection process is to customize your resume for each job offer to which you apply. Recruiters look for candidates who specifically fit the needs of your company, which is why it is essential to study the job offer in detail. The first question we must ask is what skills and knowledge are they asking for. Then we’ll worry about how to reflect that on our CV. Try to add keywords that appear in the offer and eliminate everything that is not relevant in each case.
An effective CV should be more than just a list of past jobs and tasks completed. Avoid making huge lists with the responsibilities you have acquired in each position. Instead, try to highlight your most significant accomplishments and the key skills that make you stand out as a candidate. “I managed to increase 10% of the company’s sales” or “I led a project with four workers” are some examples of notable achievements.
The professional profile is a brief summary of your career that is included in the upper part of the curriculum vitae, reflecting your experience, training and skills that you most want to highlight. This profile must be adapted to each job offer, highlighting what you think may most attract the attention of the company to which you are applying. It is usually an effective strategy to capture the attention of recruiters and make them continue reading your CV carefully.
Maintaining a clear structure is essential when developing a CV. In this case, it is recommended to use a reverse chronology so that professional experience is shown from the most recent jobs to the oldest. As for the design, it is advisable to use one of the many tools available on the Internet that facilitate this work. This can be helpful, especially for people who don’t have much design knowledge.
The curriculum is a fundamental tool, but it is not the only one to pass the first filter of a selection process. Nowadays, depending on the sector, companies are interested in other aspects, such as the Linkedin profile. This is one of the most used tools for job search, but also for recruiting workers. In more artistic and digital profiles, recruiters also tend to give importance to the content posted on social networks by candidates.
