These are challenging times, and many people are finding themselves in the market for a new job — sometimes for the first time in years. Unfortunately, we can't offer everyone the perfect job, but we may be able to help with a few lessons we've learned from the past ten years of sourcing talent to join the Quick Release team.
Get your CV to the top of the pile
When job-seeking you need to stand out from the crowd. That's never been more obvious than right now, with every good job receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of candidate applications. Any company that receives large numbers of applications will have a CV filter element to streamline the process. In our experience, up to 90% of applications will be rejected at this stage — and it's often the formatting rather than the information itself that is holding you back. A little attention can go a very long way to improving your chances.
Here's our quick guide to making sure your CV stays at the top of the pile every time:
1. Introduce yourself
Start your CV with a brief overview. Three or four sentences that sum up who you are and what you've achieved in your career. You could finish by explaining what you're looking for next — but make sure it's relevant to the role you're applying to.
2. Qualifications
The next section should be a well-presented overview of your academic record and other relevant qualifications. Always include your scores or grades, even if they were low. If you don't include them, the recruiter will likely assume it's for a reason and reject your application. For higher-level jobs, include A-levels and summary GCSEs.
3. Experience
Only list your last three or four jobs. Always include dates and a one-line overview before bullet-pointing the three most important elements of each role. Research shows that recruiters tend to scan — so you increase the chance of them missing important information if you give too-long descriptions. Make any internal progression clear and include a reason for leaving after each job's dates. Include a "previous jobs included X, Y, and Z" section if you think earlier roles are relevant.
4. Key skills
We recommend you follow your nice, concise Experience section with a table showing your Key Skills. This is where you include all that good stuff you haven't had space to include in your three-line job descriptions. Limit it to relevant skills that you can back up with good examples — and proof these for your interview.
5. Hobbies
Remember that you're looking to stand out, so "travel, reading, and five-a-side" doesn't really cut it. Recruiters are looking for evidence that you've got a passion for life — that you make things happen rather than letting life happen to you — and this is your big chance to prove it. We know from experience that most people come up with great examples when they're in interview, so why not do the same here and get these down on your CV. It may be the difference between progression and rejection.
6. References
Don't worry too much about this unless they've been requested. "References available upon request" is fine.
7. Finally, and most importantly
There are many ways to present your CV successfully, and points one to six are just our suggestions. There is, however, a hard and fast rule that will have a binary impact on a recruiter's decision: keep it concise, to the point, and never more than two pages. Anything longer will dissuade them.