This part of our service gives you a quick overview of how you can make sure your details get to literally hundreds of Recruitment Agencies through the best use of Internet job boards. Thousands of Recruitment Agencies will log onto their own favourite job sites to search for candidates every day. You could of course simply send your CV to each and every one of them, but you would still get a less satisfactory response than you would should you place your details on to the Top 10 job boards!
How to get your CV noticed. Firstly you must understand that the agencies don’t search for your ‘CV’, on the job boards - you are asked to select job sectors and skills which match your key skill criteria. It is this specific data and the free form text within your registration details that alert the recruiter to the fact that you exist.
There are a number of tricks of the trade in terms of how to make sure you get noticed by recruiters. Look at this example of a great way of ensuring your registration details get noticed:-
I am looking for a position in Catering as Catering Manager or Head ChefSous Chef or Executive Chef or Food and Beverage Manager or F&B manager or Hotel Manager or Deputy Hotel Manager or Contract Catering Manager. This opening statement on your registration details will ensure that every recruiter who is looking for CV’s with these skill sets are immediately alerted to the presence of your CV. When a recruiter logs into the site he will do a key word search, looking sometimes for job titles, sometimes qualifications, sometimes specific employers. Once the search has been activated the ‘engine’ will look for ‘keywords’ highlighted above. Your details will pop up into their box.
Make yourself available - always leave your CV to be available on the job board, to be downloaded by the recruiter at their convenience. Leave your mobile on at all times to ensure you don’t miss any calls, and always return the calls, you never know when you may need these people again in the future.
Always be honest with the recruiter, if your are not interested in a position just say so, they will not be upset in any way, and may offer you alternative positions they have available with other clients, or they may pro-actively ask other clients they may have if they are looking for the skills you are advertising. Always have a clear understanding of the wage you can live with and take bonuses and benefits into account when deciding if the position is right for you or not.
Now that the recruiter has found you as a candidate, your CV needs to be simple and easy for the recruiter to use. It is nice to personalise your CV with photo’s or graphics, but by doing this you may stop your CV getting past some computer firewalls, keep it simple and keep it brief - 3 pages maximum.
Top ten mistakes on your CV
Spelling Errors, Typos and Poor Grammar
We believe that poor grammar and poor spelling really can put some clients off seeing a candidate. It can show a lack of attention to detail. Don’t forget this is the first impression of you that the client and the recruiter will have. When you have finished creating your CV, leave it until the next day, read it again with a view to looking carefully at every phrase and word. Remember the spell check will not always bring up an incorrect worm, I mean word, see how easy it is!
Too Duty-Oriented
Some CV’s just detail almost “generic job descriptions and duties”, when you should be highlighting your successes and achievements. If you were an employer what would rather see on the CV, “I was a Sales Manager in charge of 20 staff” or “As a Sales Manager I over achieved budget and targets by 45% for 2005/6 by use of innovative sales and marketing strategy delivered by a highly motivated team developed by myself.
Inaccurate Dates or None at All
Gaps in employment should be clearly logged and accurate details of dates to and from for each should be clearly marked on your CV. If you can’t remember what the dates were for older positions from the past, you could try to contact the company to try and find out. This is a very good reason to ensure that you keep your CV up to date at the time of the job change and you should always have the right information.
Inaccurate or Missing Contact Information
Make sure that you have the very best contact details on your CV. If you are out all day and work in a bar at night you may not pick messages up at home, so leave your mobile number, and make sure the number is your latest one. Many people have 2 or 3 phones so make sure you look at the messages left on the mobile and respond accordingly - always phone back, you may not want the position on offer but the recruiter may have any number of other potential offers they are dealing with.
Poor Formatting
Do not use fancy formatting, as this can often lead to real problems when the recruiter tries to use the CV to send to the client. Let me explain what happens - when the recruiter has spoken to you and you say you are interested in having your CV put forward, they “format” your CV to remove any direct contact details you have on the CV and cut and paste the rest of the CV onto a Headed format of their own. If the formatting is in lots of different fonts and sizes with graphics and pictures it can take a lot of time to standardise the view. So the answer is to keep it simple, make your CV easy to use.
Functional CVs
You should always try to avoid a “standard” CV, one size will never fit all, remember what a CV is designed to do, its sole purpose is to get you through to an interview, be prepared to redesign the achievements of each position you held to meet the individual job requirements of the specific position you are applying for. It may be that your CV as a Facilities Manager shows all of your experience, but doesn’t bring out your project management skills, which happen to be essential to the new job you are applying for. It would mean adjusting your CV to emphasize these skills to ensure you get through to the selection phase for interview.
Long CVs and 8. Long Paragraphs
Bullet point key objectives and results, try and avoid lengthy paragraphs and flowery explanations. Keep the key-points simple and to the point, and relevant to the job requirements, at the same time don’t just put in job title and a glib statement, “I was responsible for every aspect of the operation” as a one line descriptor.
Unqualified Candidates
If you apply for a position advertised, remember one thing, if your CV doesn’t fit the criteria it will be discarded almost immediately at the first sift. Don’t waste the recruiters time applying for positions you do not have the proven skills to deliver. You may feel that you have the skills but your CV will say different, don’t waste your time. Try instead by phoning the recruiter first and asking, they will always be honest, if they have many applications from people with the right skills, then your application will be a waste of time.
Personal Information Unrelated to the Job
It is important not to get involved in lengthy explanations on your CV about your personal life. Significant achievements are acceptable however - like “Captain of a football team”, “Charity Worker and fundraiser”. Some CV’s go into detail about personal issues like divorce and child care, hobbies and interests which may hinder your application. Stick to your work based skills and significant achievements in and out of work.
