Make sure your CV gets through the application hurdles

We are now at the stage where many of you are applying for jobs that ask for a CV. It’s really important to recognise that every role you apply for, even if they have the same job title, will differ. No two jobs are the same. So having a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach to writing your CV can mean your application gets put very quickly into the rejection pile. Which you don’t want!

So in this blog we will work through some key tips that can help you improve your chances of getting through to the next stage.

Firstly start with the job description and work out what they are seeking.  Start with the essential skills and experience required and support these in your CV by showing clear and strong evidence of meeting the criteria. Its a difficult area to comment on as you don’t know how you compare to the other candidates but if you have about 70-80% of the criteria and feel very interested in the post it’s still worth applying.  You need to make a judgement on this but as long as you meet most of  what they want, its worth a try. Employers can offer training to enable you to develop your skills further.

See the cover letter as a chance where you can show you understand the business and have knowledge of the industry and demonstrate what you can offer by referring back to the CV.

Remember at the first stage of application. your CV , especially with larger companies, will not be seen by an human eye but will be scanned by an Application Tracking System ( ATS).  This wil be looking for key words that were specified in the job advertisemnt. If these are not evident your application can end up being rejected.

If you get through to the next stage it may be then screened by a team who may be looking for reasons to get the short list down to a manageable number.  They may not read all the CVs in depth but will be looking for the gist of what you can offer. So again you need to make sure its very clear to follow and someone can quickly see how well you match the job description.

If its gets through these stages it will then reach the people you will potentially be actually working for. If you impress at this stage you could then get called for an interview or assessment centre…

For more information on CVs, applications and interviews please go to our website.

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-a-job/cvs-applications-and-interviews/index.aspx

 Peter Miller via Compfight