Article by Sara Sabin, Founder of ProCircle
Read time: 2 mins.
The CV is still a well-established way of finding a job – most employers and recruiters will certainly want to see one. However, it’s hard to make yourself stand out with a ‘traditional’ CV. They can be bland and full of clichés – dynamic, enthusiastic, anyone?
So how can you make your CV stand out in a pile of paper or its electronic equivalent? Here are 5 ideas.
- Your Online Presence
OK, so this is not something that you necessarily put in your CV as such. Although you should add links in.
Before anyone wants to talk to you, they will almost definitely check out your LinkedIn page. So, make sure it’s up-to-date, showcases your skills and shows you’re active – posting articles and commenting.
A step further than that is having your own website or blog – which offers a larger space to portray your skills and personality to potential employers. You can use this as a forum to create an interactive CV.
- Include a link to a Video CV
More applicants nowadays are including a link to a video as a unique way to set yourself apart from the crowd.
“On video, job candidates can show off their personality, communication skills and ambition. It can help hiring managers get a better insight into the candidate and will allow them to envision how the candidate would fit into the company culture. Employers want to see job candidates who are confident and able to come up with creative solutions to common problems, and video résumés are a great way to demonstrate just those qualities.” Josh Tolan, CEO Sparkhire
- Include Infographics
Perhaps, an option for the more design-oriented among you.
An infographic CV should offer the same information as a more traditional CV but in a visual format. Among the text, you can include elements such as images, graphs, charts etc.
Instead of conveying your work experience in the standard chronological format, you could convey this information in an illustrated timeline.
- Present your CV like a Business Plan
Instead of making your CV a document about you, why not make it about the employer you are applying to work for?
Whatever job you are applying for, you could instead approach it as a business plan and make a case for why you want to work for that company, your skills and experience that are relevant to them, what you plan to do for them and most importantly, talk about how you could add value to that company if you were to work for them. You could even add a Video CV to make it even more impactful.
Every employer wants to know what you can bring to the table, so use your CV to get to the point.
- Offer of a live webchat
In your CV, you must include contact details, so that the reader knows how to contact you. So why not go one better?
Include an offer of a live webchat within your CV, so that you’re offering the employer the opportunity to have more of a personal meeting/chat with you before beginning the interview process.
Is there anything that you’ve tried that made your CV stand out?
