Have you ever wondered why you send out CVs to apply for jobs and yet do not get any positive response? Your concerns are valid, after all, your CV is the ticket that will let you through the first gate and onto the interview table. To shed more light on what you could be doing wrong and how to correct it, we hosted a Twitter Space aimed towards educating job seekers on essential elements a winning CV should contain and the many DOs and DON’ts.
Subject matter experts- Dorothy Chukwuma (People and Culture Advisor, Jobberman) and Damilare Elegbede (Senior Recruitment Consultant, Jobberman) shared many valuable tips and insider secrets on how job seekers can create a CV hiring managers will not be able to resist.
Here are some major takeaways from the session
- For security purposes, do not put your full residential address on your CV. Your CV can land anywhere and you have no control over who gets that information about you. All that’s needed is a location. For example, Ikoyi, Lagos.
- Fonts. Ensure you’re using fonts that are clear and easy to read at first glance. We know you’re woke and all that but, keep the fonts as simple as possible. There are some recommended fonts (Font size 10 – 12):
- Calibri
- Arial
- Times New Roman
- Formatting. It’s advisable to always send out as PDF, except where stated otherwise by the hiring manager. It helps your CV retain its original form no matter where it lands.
- Pay attention to details. Don’t rush to submit an application to the point that you leave out the necessary document. Check, and double check before you hit ‘SEND’
- Keywords: Many times, before your CV ever gets before the hiring manager, it has already been run through a recruitment software – The Applicant Tracking System (ATS). What this does is to search through the CVs and select those that contain the relevant keywords as they relate to the job function. E.g in recruiting for a Digital Marketing role, CVs that contain keywords like “email marketing” “Social media management” SEO” “Google ads” will naturally rank higher in the ATS.
- Make sure your contact details are on your CV. Imagine the recruiter going through your CV, liking what they see, and at the end they cannot even contact you.
- Appropriate number of pages on CV. Your CV is supposed to be precise. The less pages, the more attention it gets from the recruiter. Ensure you include the important and relevant information only.
Some CV Do’s and Don’ts to live by
- DO include:
- Relevant contact info
- Educational Background (not necessarily sec. school and primary school)
- Certification
- Job experience relevant to the role you’re applying for
- Be precise about your skills (do not over tweak your CV)
- Languages spoken (when it could be an advantage)
- CV Don’ts:
- Don’t include your religion
- Don’t include your pictures unless it’s specifically requested for. (head shots or full pictures)
- Do not send an artistic CV if you’re not a tech personnel (graphic, UI/UX designer). Overly designed CVs are often flagged off by the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). You can engage the services of professional CV writers to help review and optimize your CV and increase your chances of being seen by hiring managers.
- Do not apply for jobs you are not qualified for. Don’t submit an application if you do not have the core competence/experience
More bonus tips
- Your career summary/objectives is very important as it sums up your experience. It is the 2-second elevator pitch that captures who you are as a professional.
- Having a 100% completed Jobseeker profile on Jobberman can be the missing link to you landing your next big job. Create yours now!
- A cover letter is more like a summary of your CV. Incorporate your achievements, your responsibility in previous jobs, what you bring to the table. You should always tweak it for different job application
- Key Learnings: CV Hacks To Land Your Next Job As A Jobseeker
