When you were looking to land your first job, you were a bit desperate and would’ve poured into your CV anything that could’ve passed for experience. The more you advance through your career, you should be grooming your CV to make it work to your advantage. Here are 5 cv tips – harsh reality – that are often missed even by professionals:
You don’t have to write in your CV every single work experience
I’ve intentionally listed this one first out of all the cv tips. Your resume is not a confession. Most of us worked different jobs through college, trying to earn some money, which had nothing to do with our aspirations or what we do nowadays. One of my first jobs during college was that of a bartender in a deluxe cafe. I’m not embarrassed about it, I’ve learned a lot about people on that job and also a skill. However, you will not find that in my cv, nor a few other first jobs I had. It simply doesn’t help in any way. Second, I’m honestly telling you that people can be very condescending when scanning cv-s and may disqualify you for an interview, based on some jobs that were too low level or non-related to the domain you applied for.
Read / create your cv from a recruiter’s perspective
What does a recruiter need to see? I am telling you that literally no one will read everything you write in there, when faced with hundreds or even dozens of resumes. Nowadays cv-s are submitted online, so they will show up in searches based on keywords. Next, your cv will be compared against a list of job requirements – which let’s be honest, it kind of gets copied from one job description to another. If you’re applying for a manager role, you need to show results. For a creative position, you need to have links to a portfolio. If you’re applying for a software developer role, you need to list programming languages, development experience and tools.
Don’t add every language you speak, unless you want to (and can) use it as a working language
The foreign languages you speak will count as criteria for hiring only if it’s a job requirement. Nobody will stare in awe reading your language abilities. A rare foreign language may spark a conversation, but that’s it. I had to remove two foreign languages from my resume for the simple reason that I don’t want to be hired anywhere based on that (and expected to speak in those languages).
Too many academic titles may backfire
I know it takes a lot of effort to complete certain academic curricula. Personally, I appreciate people who shift careers. Those people have realized they were on a wrong path and instead of going deeper, they went back. But that’s my view.
Most people are envious or develop an inferiority complex once they see two college degrees or PhD-s. If they make sense in the overall context: for example, you are applying for an IT manager role and you have two degrees – one for management, one for computer science, those link well together. But if your first degree was one in Economics and the second one in Medicine and you are applying at a corporation – that Doctor in Medicine title will not help, it may actually backfire. I know it will break your heart to remove certain achievements, but you have to be smart about it. Plus, academic titles can’t match hands-on work.
Don’t try to look overqualified when you apply – prove it during the interview
Looking overqualified may make it difficult to get an interview. First, because it will spell you are expecting a huge salary which may or may not be true. Your resume has only one role: to land you an interview for the job you want. You will prove your skills during that interview, which will qualify you for a certain paygrade. I know people with exceptional work results and professional titles who had to downgrade their cv to get invited to an interview. Think also about the courses and international qualifications you want to list – why do they matter for the specific job you are applying? Listing more than 5 of them barely makes sense – nobody will read them anyway.
Be smart. Read your resume through the eyes of an interviewer and consider what value, every line in it, brings.
If you would like to encourage other people, leave a comment telling us what was your first job as a student and what is your current job role. Don’t forget to share these cv tips with those who need them.
