4 Tips for writing a CV when job hunting in the digital age

As a job seeker, one of the most difficult things to do is grab someone’s attention and make a great first impression without ever meeting that person. The first step to job hunting is ensuring you put together an outstanding CV that tells your career story. Recruiters receive thousands of applications every day, so it’s more important than ever to ensure your CV is the needle in the haystack that gets discovered.

Here are four quick tips for updating your CV so that you can get the job you want before the end of this year.

Write your CV for busy people
It’s important to create a CV that’s current, relevant, and appealing. You need to signpost the most important aspects of your skills and experience. No one is interested in your internships or entry-level positions unless you’re still starting fresh. That is why you need to make it concise and informative so that even when it is skim-read it conveys your message. Use a clear structure, heading, and bold subtitles and remove everything irrelevant.

Think keywords
In the digital era, the reality is that most often companies use programs to assist with scanning through applications. It’s therefore important to ensure your CV includes certain keywords that will help software match your skills to a job. Choose keywords directly from the job description, especially those mentioned more than once. Your keywords should be thoughtfully woven into your overall story, ideally in several places throughout your CV.

Highlight accomplishments and achievements
The job market is competitive so the best way to sell yourself is not focusing on your duties at your current or previous jobs but rather on accomplishments and achievements. Using numbers, context, and meaningful metrics, your CV must paint a picture of you in action. How you contribute to the organization, how you show initiative in your job. Highlight what you did on the job that was different or better than anyone else holding that job. 

Fill in the gaps upfront
Whether you were retrenched, you had to care for an ailing parent, chose to raise your family, or you took time off for furthering your education or simply traveling, never leave gaps in your work experience on your CV. It’s not about trying to catch you out, recruiters and employers just want a reasonable explanation for your absence from formal employment.

Whether you are a candidate urgently looking for a new job or somebody looking to form a long-term career-building partnership, talk to us. We have a team of dedicated consultants specializing in the Finance,  IT, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Freight industries. They can connect you with Top Employers in South Africa while assisting you to map both long and short-term career objectives and advise you on what steps to take to reach your ultimate career goal. Communicate Recruitment Connecting Great People with Great Careers.