Great news: 90% of job-seekers still use generic CVs. So, if you’re in the 10% minority you stand a great chance of success. Truth be told it’s hard work creating a tailored CV. Take the test below to see what camp you’re in.
Most job seekers have a CV documenting a series of responsibilities (“managed a team of 5”, “responsible for delivering a sales target of £1m pa” or “reconciled accounts on a monthly basis”). Some go on to offer a profile highlighting the key skills and perhaps weave in a few examples to back this up. Very few compose their CVs according to the specific requirements of a company.
The test
How many points do you make in your CV specific to the:
1) General job role (sales, marketing, IT, HR, research, consultant)?
2) Function (management, new business, account management, online or offline marketing, technical specialist, project manager)?
3) Industry (travel, FMCG, media, consulting, engineering)?
4) Type of company (small, medium, large, multinational, disparate, high growth, mature, fledgling, conglomerate)?
5) Core skills needed (influence & communication, leadership & team-working, commercial awareness, creativity, analysis & decision making, customer focus)?
6) Specific job description (evidence to support your case matched against the job specifications)?
7) Specific employer (exactly what can you bring to company x, are you a good cultural fit, what challenge does company x face you can help with)
If you have 7 points embedded within your CV you can count yourself in the 10%. If not, then reconsider your content – it’s not necessary to cover every point above, just be sure enough material exists to demonstrate to a specific employer why you offer more than the next applicant.
Remember; success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.
For more tips on CV writing visit our CV writing page powered by Abintegro.
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