Everyone applying for a job would like their CV to be seen by a recruiter or line manager, right?
Well, truth be told, there are various reasons why potential candidates CV’s aren’t being looked by recruiters, managers or even any human at all.
Knowing why this is, and how to improve your chances of your résumé saying hello to a human eye, is essential for landing that job you want. How can you prevent this from happening and stand a better chance of being discovered amongst thousands of other applicants?
Why the miss?
Nowadays, with increased complexity and more CVs being submitted per online job than ever before, those judging the CVs for rejection or interviews are inundated with administrative work. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) and CV parser technologies have entered the market and do most of the “dirty work” by sifting through hundreds of applications and automatically rejecting those that don’t seem to made the grade.
Still, some software programs used by recruiting agencies and companies are at fault in the fact that they mistakenly disregard CVs based on a lack of info (such as the right keywords, for instance). However, applying certain formats and key aspects to your CV, whilst omitting others, will go a long way to getting your CV in front of the right person.
Experts suggest the following tips:
- Make sure that your CV is spelling-error free – spelling mistakes can cause your CV to be discarded with words not being recognised by the software. This is especially important when it involves important words in your CV such as job title, for example.
- Zoning in on skills – use keywords related and directed at your skills and put them into your CV. The software can pick these up when filtering out the best CVs. An example would be for a software developer to use the words programming, coding and developing in their CV instead of only using one all along.
- Utilise MSWord format or PDF – When it comes to format, you have to choose which one will stand a better chance. Depending on the advancement of the software, it may read PDF, but sometimes it’s best to go with a regular formatted MSWord document instead. Don’t use anything other than these two options.
- Consistency – being consistent with the format of information on your CV plays an important role for example stating work history (company name, job title, location and date).
- Simple easy to read font – When it comes to the font choice, it’s best to go with a standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial or Tahoma. Also don’t colour your CV fonts, rather stick to regular black ink.
- CV headings – keep your CV headings standard such as skills, education, languages and work experience.
When it comes to things you should avoid on your CV, the following are some pointers to steer clear from:
- Avoid using image files or images in your résumé
- Don’t use white font in an attempt to add keywords – CV parsers are sophisticated enough to spot this
- No tables – these confuse the software packages when they “break down” the tables to text
- No special texts or fonts
- Avoid spamming a company with several CVs to the same job – most ATSs can spot this and may even ignore ome of your applications
- Avoid unnecessary abbreviations that may not be recognised by software parsers
- Don’t put any headings into the footer and header sections of a page – these are often not read by the robots.
Your CV May Never Be Seen by a Human
Everyone applying for a job would like their CV to be seen by a recruiter or line manager, not right? The question is rhetorical, in fact, why wouldn’t it be seen, even if only for a short few minutes before being rejected? Well, truth be told, there are various reasons why potential candidates CV’s aren’t being looked by recruiters, managers or even any human at all.
Knowing why this is so and how to improve your chances of your résumé saying hello to a human eye is essential in landing that top job you want. How can you prevent this from happening and stand a better chance of being discovered amongst thousands of other applicants?
Why the miss?
Nowadays, with increased complexity and more CVs being submitted per online job than ever before, those judging the CVs for rejection or interviews are inundated with administrative work. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) and CV parser technologies have entered the market and do most of the “dirty work” by sifting through hundreds of applications and automatically rejecting those that don’t seem to made the grade.
Still, some software programs used by recruiting agencies and companies are at fault in the fact that they mistakenly disregard CVs based on a lack of info (such as the right keywords, for instance). However, applying certain formats and key aspects to your CV, whilst omitting others, will go a long way to getting your CV in front of the right person.
Experts suggest the following tips:
- Make sure that your CV is spelling-error free – spelling mistakes can cause your CV to be discarded with words not being recognised by the software. This is especially important when it involves important words in your CV such as job title, for example.
- Zoning in on skills – use keywords related and directed at your skills and put them into your CV. The software can pick these up when filtering out the best CVs. An example would be for a software developer to use the words programming, coding and developing in their CV instead of only using one all along.
- Utilise MSWord format or PDF – When it comes to format, you have to choose which one will stand a better chance. Depending on the advancement of the software, it may read PDF, but sometimes it’s best to go with a regular formatted MSWord document instead. Don’t use anything other than these two options.
- Consistency – being consistent with the format of information on your CV plays an important role for example stating work history (company name, job title, location and date).
- Simple easy to read font – When it comes to the font choice, it’s best to go with a standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial or Tahoma. Also don’t colour your CV fonts, rather stick to regular black ink.
- CV headings – keep your CV headings standard such as skills, education, languages and work experience.
When it comes to things you should avoid on your CV, the following are some pointers to steer clear from:
- Avoid using image files or images in your résumé
- Don’t use white font in an attempt to add keywords – CV parsers are sophisticated enough to spot this
- No tables – these confuse the software packages when they “break down” the tables to text
- No special texts or fonts
- Avoid spamming a company with several CVs to the same job – most ATSs can spot this and may even ignore ome of your applications
- Avoid unnecessary abbreviations that may not be recognised by software parsers
- Don’t put any headings into the footer and header sections of a page – these are often not read by the robots.
If you can master the art of creating or sprucing up your CV to pass ATS and CV parser software then you’re well on your way to a possible interview.
If you can master the art of creating or sprucing up your CV to pass ATS and CV parser software then you’re well on your way to a possible interview.
Source: Adzuna
