Your CV, as you know, is a fundamental part of the hiring process. It can sometimes seem unfair when your years of hard work and experience have to be concisely crammed onto 1-2 sheets of A4. So, just how do you convey your experience, knowledge and personality quickly and effectively?
As we’ve mentioned before in our previous blogs, here at IRC we’re all about people- experience and qualifications are of course a great underpinning, but is the person you’re interviewing a good potential fit with your team and company ethos, will they be able to hit the ground running or do you have the time to train them?
First things first make sure your contact details are up to date including a professional email address. In a survey carried out by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation it was found over 76% of employers disregard a CV if it has an unprofessional email address.
Keep your layout and information clear and concise. Make sure the company has the opportunity to know why they should hire you immediately. Do you have any experience, qualifications or achievements that will set you apart from other candidates?
Proofread your CV- this is an important one. Getting someone else to read over your CV, wording, spelling and grammar can make all the difference. This goes for your cover letter too, taking the time to write a well-researched cover letter explaining your suitability for the role is heavily appreciated, as it shows you’re interested in that specific role and not just sending copy paste applications.
Having a recruitment agency put you forward for a position can be a great help here, as agencies tend to have great working relationships with the client and a clear idea of their requirements making the matchmaking process simple.
On average 80% of jobs available are never advertised as firms, more than ever, are choosing to recruit when potential applicants make direct contact or via a dedicated agency. So surfing job boards and company websites means you could be missing out on those major opportunities.
When your CV is polished up and ready to go- send it over to us at info@ircfs.com with a cover letter about the roles you’d love to take on and we can begin matching you with our latest opportunities.