how to write a compelling CV WHAT’S THE PATH OF YOUR LIFE? Although there is a growing emphasis on demonstrating your skills to potential employers in other ways, such as through online portfolios and social networking tools, the CV still has a key role to play in getting you the job you want. There are, however, some differences on how you should present your CV in each market. Across the world, the way CVs are written and read varies. In Europe, it is literally translated as the “path of your life”, so it’s important to show detail, responsibilities and progression rather than just a chronological list of job titles and duties. There is flexibility in how you create the right CV for yourself, but there are also some pitfalls you should try to avoid. Let’s walk through the kind of CV that compels employers to act and how you can create it. 2 GET THE FORMAT RIGHT The role you’re applying for, and the stage of your career, should determine the kind of CV format you should use. These are the basic CV types to choose from: 1 Functional CV: If you’re applying for a job that is a big step upwards, or is outside your dominant skill-set or industry, this format can be good. It also works if you’re returning to work after a break because it emphasises skills and ability rather than employment chronology. State your career objective first, then, broadly discuss your skills and qualifications, detailing all the relevant technical skills you have. List your education and qualifications and in a separate section, provide your work history and what you’ve learned-without providing dates/timeframes. Be as detailed as possible, and provide job titles and names of organisations you’ve worked with if possible. 2 Chronological CV: These list every position you’ve held and the responsibilities you’ve had, starting with your most recent position. If relevant, include both paid and unpaid positions. This CV type is the most common in Europe. List temporary positions in reverse chronological order, just as you would full-time positions. If you worked with a temporary staffing company, use its name as your employer, grouping all of your assignments together. Clearly state that the assignments were temporary. 3 4 Combination Functional & Chronological CV: Use elements of both to highlight all aspects of your skill base, particularly if you have qualifications that have not been utilised in specific roles. Visual CV: These are becoming more common and can combine all kinds of visual elements, including photographs, videos, infographics, tables and charts. These are great for people starting out in their career who may not have a lot to say, but want to show what they’re capable of. 3 KNOW YOUR MARKET More people are looking for work across borders and it’s important to get your application just right for the market you’re applying in. In France, CVs should be written in French and accompanied by a handwritten cover letter. In Germany, it’s common practice to put your picture onto your CV, yet in the U.S. employers are required to discard these if they receive them. A little research can go a long way and if uncertain, contact a recruiter or HR consultant to help you out and provide you with good examples. Targeting effectively means knowing what’s important. For example: The length of your CV is often considered less important than the structure to European employers. It’s recommended to avoid avoid over-used statements in your industry or location. You can find great lists online, which show who uses which buzzwords in each location and how you can differentiate your descriptions. Often it’s better to show rather than tell an employer you have skills like creativity, motivation or problem-solving skills. You can do this by using concrete examples, or in the way you design your CV. Be specific about your qualifications as these are often difficult to compare across borders. Include important facts about the schools, colleges and universities you’ve attended that might reinforce their good reputation to someone who doesn’t know them. Be careful of your wording — English is a second language to most and using complex corporate or technical jargon can make it difficult for the reader to understand what you can do or have achieved. Beware of different formatting and printing standards across countries too. If you’re in Europe and sending your CV to the U.S., use the correct paper size and vice versa. 4 The New Digital CV The digital or infographic CV format is becoming ever popular. In a world where people are increasingly time poor, tools such as vizualize.me are allowing job seekers to bring their plain old paper based CVs to life using visual images and icons. This easy to digest CV option can be created using links to your social networks and provides a unique way of presenting your skills and achievements. Referring to a digital CV in your job application can ensure you stand out amongst the crowd, especially in a highly competitive job marketplace. 5 DO’S & DON’TS It can be a real challenge understanding all the do’s and don’ts when writing your CV across several countries in EMEA. We’ve consulted with some recruiting professionals in the local markets to bring you their 3 top tips France 3.Avoid sharing personal information, 3.Personal details should include: 1.Mention your position at the top of your CV to clearly identify the position you are applying for. You can also mention - at the top - a foreign lan- guage IF you speak it fluently. 2.Your professional experience: This part of your CV is generally the most important one, unless you are a junior with no experience. For each job, you need to mention the following information: - Dates (beginning/end)/job title/name of the company/location - A sales line/accomplishments with real figures - Keywords used in the job ad. useless data and make sure the presen- tation is nothing short of excellent. Do not print on both sides, send photo- copies or use crinkled paper. Don’t ne- glect to mention your foreign lan- guages or computer skills if the posi- tion requires them. - Last Name, First Name - Date of Birth - Place of birth - Citizenship(s). UK 1. Aim for 3 pages maximum. Germany 2.Photos are not advised in the UK - 1.Include a professional headshot pic- ture either in the upper left- or right- hand corner. 2.You should use up to two pages for your CV. However, these two pages should not be crammed with small- print information. It should be reader friendly. Therefore, choose your word- ing very carefully and make sure that your font is a minimum of 11 points. including one may inadvertently encourage discrimination. Also there is no necessity to include, sex, age, marital status for the same reasons. 3.Avoid clichés. 6 DO’S & DON’TS Switzerland 2.Recruiters in Russia prefer to receive Portugal 1.Describe the tasks of your most recent a CV with your photo. But make it a professional photo with a clear white background. 1.Keep it short - A good CV should ide- jobs matching them to the job you are applying for. 2.Structure to follow: personal informa- 3.Always write about goals you’ve tion and picture, professional experi- ence, educational background, lan guages, IT knowledge, special recog- nitions/certificates, hobbies, faculta- tive: references (can also be requested on demand). 3.A nicely designed cv is always a plus > use some colours or background de- sign, structure the text very well and make it easily readable. Russia achieved, and specify them (#, %). The Netherlands ally cover no more than two pages. 2.Layout - Keep it clear and accessible. 3.Have different versions available Keep each one relevant to the job you are applying to. 1.Keep the layout to a maximum of 2 to 3 pages, make it short and concise. 2.Recruiters prefer a chronological, clear structure with the most recent experi ence listed at the top. 3.Add your personal interests and hob- bies to give your CV some added per- sonality. 1.If you apply to any middle or senior management position never reference your unprofessional private e-mail in your CV like [email protected]. 7 GET THE DETAIL RIGHT Take a look at tools like the LinkedIn analytics site, which shows what other people are doing with their job search and CV writing (and what to avoid). Specific elements to pay particular attention to are: Write a great objective Take some time to think about this. It needs to reflect how you genuinely feel about your career. If you’re motivated by customer service, say so. If you’re focused on promotion and leadership, say so. If your goal is simply to work for one company because you believe in the culture, purpose and what they do, say so. Be specific! Be measurable and give examples When highlighting your achievements, be specific about what you’ve done. If you’ve worked with a large team on one project, use the word “I” instead of “we”— say what you did in the process and what you were responsible for. If you’re going to give examples of cost or time savings, say how much you saved rather than stating you made ‘significant’ or ‘substantial’ savings. If you improved a process, say what you did and how it benefited the company. Be aware of your tone/style Be professional, direct and to-the-point. Try to be objective and accurate in everything you say — descriptors like ‘good communicator’ or ‘results-oriented’ are very common and should only be used if you have examples to prove you really are these things. Find tangible ways to prove your ‘team-player’ attitude and all other ‘soft’ skills, and if you don’t have any, consider leaving them out. Without examples they make very little impact anyway. List all your contact details It sounds obvious, but triple-check your phone number, email address and street address is correct. Include your twitter tag, website address and your LinkedIn profile reference if appropriate as this will provide employers with more material to assess your suitability for the role. 8 TELL THEM WHAT THEY REALLY WANT TO KNOW When reading your CV employers will have these questions at the forefront of their minds. If you can answer them, you’re on the right track: “What can you do for me?” “Do you have the skills I need?” Ask yourself if your CV captures the reader’s interest, clearly summarises who you are, your greatest strengths, and the main benefit of hiring you. Place key words or phrases from the job ad you’re responding to throughout your CV. Reorder your skills list to put the most relevant to the role first. “Are you a valuable employee?” “Do you have relevant experience?” Ensure that your CV demonstrates that you have made successful contributions elsewhere. This doesn’t all need to be about other employers — demonstrate value at your school or university, community organisations and other volunteer positions too. A job title might not accurately convey your relevant job experience. Consider using bullets to outline interesting information that applies to the position. Keep this information brief and accurate. “Are your education and credentials appropriate?” Use correct terminology and keywords to ensure your information isn’t overlooked by employers or CV scanners. “How are you unique?” Distinguish yourself from other candidates before you meet the prospective employer. Highlight ways that you work that is different from others with your skill-set, and highlight extra skills such as foreign languages or technical expertise. 9 Proofread and get feedback. If you’re not sure you’ve answered these questions, get a trusted friend or colleague to proofread and doublecheck the detail in your CV. They can also help you pick up inconsistencies, errors and unintentional negative comments or tone. 10 BE NOTICED BY THE ROBOTS Don’t assume that a human being will be reading your CV at the first stage. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are software tools used by recruiters to sort candidate applications. They are used often across Europe, so you should assume your CV will be processed by one, particularly if you’re applying for a role with a large organisation. These systems can be error-prone and relatively simplistic in how they group information. So, you need to ensure your CV is ready to meet the robot and make the right impression. 1 2 Send the right format: word documents are still best. PDFs and other formats can be difficult for the software to import. Avoid other graphic elements too — text is all that will be imported. 3 Be clear about role titles and employer names: don’t get too creative here, list things clearly and succinctly so the ATS imports your information correctly — this is very high on the recruiter’s priority list so if you get one thing right, make it this! 4 Use the job ad as your guide: take note of the keywords mentioned in the job description and mirror these in your CV. Say what you mean: label each section clearly so that the ATS imports the correct information into the right fields. Title your employment history as “employment history”, “work experience” or anything else that says what it is. 11 ATS can reduce 75% of job seekers’ chances of gaining an interview* *www.cio.com “5 Insider Secrets for Beating Applicant Tracking Systems” 12 BE ACTIVE NOT STATIC Even if you’re not an active job seeker right now, there are benefits to taking a proactive stance in your career. Different employers will search for you in different places, so diversify your presence online to increase the likelihood you’ll be found by the employers you’re targeting. It’s increasingly important to use everything from social media and networking events to online job boards in your search—don’t rely solely on your two-page CV to get you noticed. Boost your job-seeking presence by: • • Networking and connecting with col- leagues and like-minded individuals (on and off-line). 2 Starting discussions on blogs and industry sites. 3 Participate in groups and engage with others in your field to broaden your networks. • • 1 Position yourself as the thought leader/ subject matter expert within your field by publishing examples of your work. Consider creating a digital portfolio with tools like weebly or about.me. 4 Post your CV in places like Slideshare, CareerBuilder and anywhere else that might be relevant to your industry. Get active in professional social media networks, such as LinkedIn. Consider putting your CV into animated PDF or PowerPoint presentation format (but don’t send these formats if you’re going through a recruiter as their ATS will not be able to read it). 13 Crowdsourcing through Kelly experts: Stefan Renzewitz Sally Hunter Bence Bak Stefano Giorgetti Patrick Broderick Lauren Clovis Astrid Akse Stefan is the Operations Lead for Talent Sourcing in the DACH region. He has strong experience in Career Event, Employer Branding and Talent Relationship solutions including campaign planning and execution with a focus on graduates and young professionals (Business, Engineers and IT). As RPO Practice Lead EMEA for the Kelly Outsourcing & Consulting Group, Sally is responsible for the RPO proposition from client relationships via the account management team to consulting on HR transformation. Sally has extensive experience in the human capital sector, including leadership positions within strategic account management for staffing providers to operational delivery. Bence Bak is EMEA Sourcing Manager. Bence has 4 years experience in both researching and sourcing for different levels of candidates in the IT industry. Currently responsible for training and maintaining the knowledge base for different stakeholders, creating new standards and processes around proactive search and implementing a new international IT system. Stefano is the Managing Director and Vice President of Kelly Services in Italy. He has a strong history of working within the recruitment industry and is currently an innovation champion for Kelly focusing on improving the candidate and customer experience. Patrick Broderick – Business Development Director EMEA, is a hugely respected ‘Consultant to the Recruitment Industry’. His pedigree in Recruitment is ‘Executive Search’ where he was a ‘360°’ Consultant and personally responsible for the launch of four “desks” in Telecommunications in an award winning team. Lauren is EMEA Marketing Manager, focussing on employer branding, candidate communications and events organisation. With a strong background in finance recruitment and a history of working on client premises to deliver contingent workforce solutions, Lauren’s experience focuses on both B2B and B2C audiences. Astrid is HR Manager EMEA at Kelly Services. Having worked for several years within recruitment leadership roles, Astrid is now responsible for HR across the EMEA region. Astrid has an international outlook and her current role focuses on internal recruitment amongst other responsibilities. Kelly promise You’re unique and you’re different, it’s what makes you, you! At Kelly we understand that not everybody wants the same thing out of their work. Whether you’re just starting your career or have many years of experience behind you, we are committed to helping you find a role that’s just right for you. Every person’s path has its own twists and turns and in this new world of work, it can be tricky to navigate through. You can find useful DIY career information at www.kellyservices.com and when you decide to contact us directly, we’ll work together with your passion and expertise to guide you to your next challenge. Whether this may be in the flexible and temporary workforce or as a permanent employee, Kelly is here to help every step of the way. Kelly facts Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 550,000 employees annually. Revenue in 2011 was $5.6 billion. 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