UK Job Search
Create a Competitive Edge by Tailoring Your CV/Resume
Applicants that want to increase their chances of getting a job will send their CVs to as many organisations as possible. Many times, however, they have not invested the time to tailor their CV to the recruiter’s specific job requirements; because in the eyes of some it is time consuming. Whilst this perception does have some truth to it, job seekers that want to stand out in the crowd will take the necessary steps to ensure that the information that is presented in the CV is in accordance with the skills, talents, expertise, years of experience and qualifications that the organisation is looking for. Those that try to get into through the back door with “standard” CVs find that their search for a job is anything but short.
What then does it mean to tailor one’s CV? It simply means taking the time to edit, modify, rearrange and emphasise specific information based on the job in question. This may mean spending extra time to make the necessary adjustments to more than 10-20 CVs at a time, but the end result of getting called to an interview is more than worth the sacrifice. A job recruiter does not spend hours reading line by line on an applicant’s CV; in many instances the time spent is watered down to a few seconds before a decision is made about calling him/her to have an interview. If the CV was not able to win the job recruiter in the initial 15 seconds then it is basically a lost opportunity; because the chances of recruiter going back to look through CVs that have already been read with the intent of “finding something that was missed” is one in a million.
The steps involved in modifying your CV to ensure that it is in line with the job requirements revolves around one basic question: What does this organisation want? Once you have answered this question then it will be easy to rearrange or highlight certain types of information that will make you more competitive than most applicants. An example of this can be clearly seen in the following example: “Leading organisation is seeking an enthusiastic individual to join its competitive environment and boost productivity”. To answer the call to this cry you should highlight your accomplishments as they relate to being enthusiastic and working in a competitive environment--an example of this would be: “managed a team of highly motivated problem-solvers and reduced operation costs considerably whilst securing lucrative transactions fostered through productive operations”. The main keywords in the job requirement have been highlighted in your accomplishment and this is exactly what will set your CV on the top; however, do not invent accomplishments to achieve this.
Tailoring your CV during job search does not need to be tedious task. The easiest way around this would be to create a master copy of your CV that contains all the information about your employment and academic history along with any other type of relevant information. You will then do the necessary edits to a copy of your master copy ensuring that it is targeted to the organisation and audience that you want to reach. You will find that by editing your master copy you are simply rearranging and enhancing the format in which the information is presented, thus increasing your chances of getting the job.