We lament. But we don’t put in the hours. We don’t do the work.
I offer CV advice for free to a selected few. The CV usually starts with “Private and Confidential curriculum vitae of so and so”. Page 1 wasted.
After initial feedback and coaching, the CV doesn’t drastically improve. It’s full of job descriptions and free marketing of the company he/she works for. It lacks the personal spice. What did you do to make things better? How did you make a difference? What sets you apart?
It takes me an average 23 seconds to reject a resume/CV. It takes 90 seconds to toss it into maybe pile. 2 minutes for a firm yes.
Usually, when the first page simply states the name, the rest of content is hardly a page turner. It’s inconsiderate of the reader as I need to figure out how this person fit into the overall organization and how she added value.
How do you make it better? My guidelines are as follows.
- Ask yourself. Do you want to read it?
- Then ask. What do you think of your CV, if you were the hiring manager?
- Contact details should be clear and concise. Include your name, email, phone, and the city of residence. You don’t have to include the following labels: email, phone, and address. If someone can’t tell that your email address is someone@somewhere.com , you don’t want to work for that person/company
- Number the pages on the bottom.
- Formatting and readability matters. If you have multiple sections, all sections/headers should all look the same. Avoid multiple formatting/colors and font sizes.
- Be concise and specific. Avoid jargon.
- Instead of stating your job description, tell us what you achieved: Situation, Action, Result.
- If you don’t tell us, we won’t know what you did. We never will because you won’t be invited to interview.
In closing, do the work. It takes at least 6 revisions to make it better. Revise it. Sleep on it. Look at it again. Share with others for honest feedback.
Do the work! Do the work!