CVs and Chocolate Eggs

So how do you choose the right Easter egg? I mean they’re all the same right?

You have the fancy packaging; you have the chocolate egg wrapped in shiny silver foil with a glitzy design on it. Then you’ll have some sort of fillings and if you’re lucky maybe an extra surprise or two. But essentially they’re all the same basic ingredients, so what makes one stand out over another and which one do you choose? Which one ticks all the boxes and makes you think, “yes that’s the one I really want”?

Well your CV is pretty much the same. On the face a pile of CVs can all look pretty much the same to an employer. So how do you make yours stand out from the rest and be the one that’s chosen?

Take a moment to consider the job you are applying for. What is the employer looking for? What are the specific requirements of the role? What kind of experience do they want? Do they want Java or C++ skills, product management or social media experience?

It’s very easy to adopt a one size fits all approach to your CV but you really should consider tailoring that most important of personal sales documents to each position or type of role you apply for. I’m not saying that you need to re-write it every time you apply for a job, but maybe making sure it has the right packaging, the necessary glitz to catch the eye or adding carefully selected fillings will enhance your chances of having the stand out CV in the pile.

Start by making your CV look nice. Add some formatting so that it looks visually appealing and reads / flows in a natural manner. Include a photo of yourself or add a strong, sharp headline which pitches you to your prospective employer. Go through the job specification and write down all the things you have done in your job or studies that are relevant to the brief. Transfer these ingredients into you CV and if there are any surprise little extras which might be relevant, any training courses you’ve completed or any special achievements you’re proud of then put them in too.

Finally, take a step back, read through what you’ve created and assess it as an overall package. If your CV was an Easter egg on a long line of shelves full of other Easter eggs, would yours be the one that ends up in the basket?

Tags: CV, ecommerce, employer, java, job, jobs, social media