What do employers look for in a CV?

Keeping your CV updated regularly will save you a headache, if and when you need it. Like cleaning the oven, tidying the garage or visiting the dentist, it’s never something some of us do until we absolutely have to. The jobs’ market is a highly-competitive landscape and making an impact isn’t always easy. Today we look at what recruiters are looking for and how to make your CV profile stand out from the crowd.

Striking a balance

A CV is the blank page that allows you to impress and convince potential employers that you’re the perfect candidate for the role available. Sensible employers will look at CVs as a guide to what the candidate’s capabilities are. In some cases the best person for the vacancy won’t necessarily be the one with the best qualifications. It’s sometimes about assessing a candidate’s suitability and striking the balance between being an impressive, interesting candidate – who is capable and qualified for the job – and an appealing personality who will be a great addition to the company.

Making introductions

Try and sum up in a short introductory paragraph who you are and why you’d be the ideal fit for the role. Keep this profile updated, to include new skills and areas of expertise. If you attend events such as networking, you can also use an adapted version of this profile as an introduction, to sum up who you are, what you’re about and your skillsets. But never create a standardised CV that goes out time after time. Your CV should be subtly tailored to each individual role you apply for.

Avoid clichés like the plague

Try to be original in the way you outline your skills, so you avoid the clichés of CV writing. If it’s possible and appropriate to, demonstrate your skills in action with actual examples. Write well and with clarity, without being too clever. Most importantly, make sure there are no basic grammatical errors or punctuation mistakes. They will automatically put off any potential employer and undermine your credibility.

The personal touch

Other factors affecting the employer’s decision might include the applicant’s personality – and that personality must also be highlighted in the application. Potential employers won’t get a feel for a candidate’s personality until they secure an interview, so you must present yourself in a positive light, without waffling and without being boastful or misleading. Employers will ask themselves, “Do I want this person to work for me?”, “Would they fit in with the existing staff?”, “Would they change the team’s dynamic?” or “What advantages would they bring to the business’s outputs and goals?”

Also where appropriate, establish your outside interests beyond work. This demonstrates a knowledge of a wider range of subjects than those required for the job, and an awareness and experience of the world at large. Through practice, think about what works and what doesn’t. Use this understanding to further hone your profile into an attention-grabbing, job-winning CV.