Are Your Construction Candidates Making The Most Of Their CVs?

Traditional CVs may be losing some of their clout with the rise of LinkedIn and digital CVs, but in the construction industry a CV is still overwhelmingly the way we recruit.

The problem is that candidates don’t always do a very good job of writing these CVs in a way that gets them maximum attention and the best chance of securing an interview.

A big part of the problem is that candidates don’t really understand the way recruiters and hiring managers use CVs- and realistically, how would they know this? They’re applying for a construction role, not a recruitment role, and they can’t really be expected to know what it’s like to be reading hundreds of CVs every week. Or, more importantly, what makes those CVs stand out or get discarded.

And perhaps as a recruiter you’re so accustomed to the ins and outs of CV writing, that you just assume everyone else knows this information too.

However, when you think about the CVs that come across your desk, you realise that many people don’t know what you know about CVs. Yes, like that great senior quantity surveyor candidate who only wrote one line about his past experience at a huge firm, or that guy who’s going for a management role with spelling mistakes littered like confetti through his CV. Yes, all of those people need your inside knowledge.

So, it’s time to share that info. In order to be a great biller in 2016, the first thing you need to do make absolutely sure your candidates understand how hiring managers look at CVs.

1. Many of your candidates probably think their CV’s are printed out, so they don’t know that in reality the hiring manager is probably looking at them on screen and pressing Ctrl F like crazy to find the magic keywords. Tip: Make sure your candidate has identified the important keywords in the job description and included these keywords strategically through their CV.

2. Hiring managers want to see the most recent job at the top, otherwise they find themselves getting frustrated when the CV jumps through time like Doctor Who’s Tardis. Tip: Make sure your candidate is using a chronological format, even if the most recent experience isn’t the most relevant. On that point, make sure they know to pull out all transferable, relatable skills from each past role and package them in a way that is relevant to the current role.

3. Hiring managers want to see clear CV formatting, with no spelling errors. Construction workers don’t need to be Hemingway, but spelling mistakes are so easy to catch on spellcheck, and the lack of effort in doing so shows a lack of attention to detail that might count against them, particularly for the better jobs. Tip: Get your candidates to spellcheck their CVs, or if you really want to place them, check their CV yourself. Just think: top biller.

4. Hiring managers read so many CVs that they like ones that stand out- but not in a bad way. Tip: Get your candidates to put a little bit of themselves on the page-perhaps with a bit of humour in the ‘Interests and Hobbies’ section. However, advise them against including overly personal information.

5. Hiring managers can spot a generic cover letter and CV in a second, and it instantly marks the candidate as not particularly keen for the role. Tip: Convince your candidate of the importance of crafting their cover letters and CVs for each different company or different role.

CVs are such crucial documents, and as a construction recruiter you know how important they are to get right. Now it’s time to make sure your candidates know this too. Top biller, here you come.

Until next time

Cheryl