The 3 CV Hotspots Your Candidates Need To Know About

Great news; hiring is on the increase according to the CIPD. More placements for us to fill which is always good news, provided of course our clients love the CVs we send over?

Yep even in today’s ‘connected’ world great store is still placed on the humble CV. As recruiters we know it is the first stage of a process and the real magic happens when our clients get a personal experience of our candidates. We just need to get them to that place ASAP.

This is where we can add value to candidates from the word go. Though we wouldn’t advocate writing a CV for a candidate you can certainly help steer them in the right direction when it comes to the key areas that all clients judge on a CV.

So what makes a good client friendly C.V.? To answer that question it’s better to ask an employer. Luckily that data is available through a key research study in the US. The results confirm exactly what our own clients tell us.

Here are the 3 key areas that you must make sure you candidates pay attention to. Quote this data if they need more convincing.

Presentation

First impressions count. 25% of employers want something easy to read and 14% expect good spelling and grammar. That is a huge 39% of the total impact. Make sure someone reads over what your candidates they have written before you send it. If you are not a grammar geek get one of the other recruiters in your office to help you.

Big blocks of text put people off. Make sure your candidates use bullet points and shorter sentences. Potentially their C.V. might even be read on a mobile device so it needs to be clear and legible.

Work Experience

This is the big one. Approximately 45% of employers look for previous work experience. Make sure they add the relevant experience aligned to the role that they are applying for. This is an area you can help with. Get your candidates to think about how their previous experience links to the current role they are applying for.

Qualifications and skills

The key challenge for many UK employers is the shortage of skilled staff. That is why the figure is high at 35 % when it comes to the level of importance.

Make sure your candidates ditch their shyness! They need to be clear and detailed about what they can do.  Remember; it must be relevant. For example their expertise in a given skill is the major part to communicate. Their qualification as a swimming instructor less so. Help them think it through. What are the connections? Make it obvious for your client to see the possibility your candidate presents.

We read hundreds of C.V.s. The ones that impress employers enough to interview a candidate always adhere to these guidelines.

Till next time,

Cheryl Wing and the GSR2R team