You've probably heard that employers expect to see an exact match to their skills on your CV, and that you should be tailoring your CV to each job. But, you might think if I do that, I'll be writing forever!
Relax -there's a point to customizing your CV to meet the needs of employers. In The CV Centre, we regularly cover the fact that a CV needs to deliver a clear message to be effective. However, this doesn't mean that every CV you send must be a completely different version.
If you're unsure whether you should be preparing a new version of a $ {cv} or not, here are 3 ways you can tell:
1) Your skills aren't focused on one main career goal.
Our clients often find that they can target one job type by showing strengths that match that role. If they wish to pursue a similar position but with another employer, we recommend that they change a few words here and there.
However, if they focus on an entirely different job type, that's another matter. It's hard to convince employers of your business development skills, for example, if your CV is centered around your expertise in operations management.
Similarly, if you see yourself with a "fallback" option of sales management, but you'd rather be a strong individual sales performer, it's best to divide these goals into two CVs to clarify things for employers.
2) Your credentials are so broad that your CV goes on forever.
If your CV gives hiring authorities too much to read (especially if there's too many interesting facts that don't add up to one message), then it's time to narrow your focus.
Proving your fitness for a job is a matter of tuning the text around why you're qualified, and then backing up your story with achievements and other examples.
3) Tweaking your CV for each job application requires a major rewrite.
If you can't reasonably dedicate your qualifications profile or summary to one suite of skills, then you should separate out your career goals and your CV versions.
This may involve extra effort on your part, including additional keyword research and a different presentation, but the end results will be worth it.
To avoid confusing yourself, save one version of your $ {cv} as the “master version”, then reference each subsequent version with either the job role or company for which you are applying.
Remember, recruiters have enough CVs to read without getting confused by what you want to do! Zeroing in on your specific, measurable credentials allows you to quickly convey why you are qualified, eliminates the potential for confusion, and gets your CV noticed much faster.
If you are looking for professional CV writing services, then check out https://www.cvcentre.co.uk
