Working with a career coach can help you to tidy up your resumé and make it more appealing to potential employers.
First thing to understand is what an employer is looking for from your resumé or CV.
3 things a potential employer seeks to discover when going through the recruitment process:
- Are you capable of doing the job?
- Are you willing to do the job?
- Are you going to be a good fit for them?
Your resumé is often the first impression you get to make, and it is where you get to demonstrate your capability.
It should include your relevant qualifications and details of your work experience that demonstrate your relevant skills and talents.
But nobody wants to feel like they are reading an encyclopaedia or a page full of acronyms.
You want your resumé to stand out from the crowd and make it to the top of the shortlist.
Putting some personality in your resumé, by introducing a bit about who you are, can add a little essence around your willingness to do the job as well as your potential fit. You want a bit of your character to shine through and make a memorable positive impression on the person reviewing your application.
There are many ways you can do this.
- A short written profile at the beginning detailing this is who I am and this is what I’m looking for.
- An introductory video may be a great way to make an outstanding impression.
- Links to your public social media profiles such as LinkedIn or your professional website.
Working with a career coach can help you figure out which of these tools to use and when.
Next essential note is that your job application should be tailored to the specific job you are applying for.
Tailor every one of your applications to the job that you’re applying for. Each job you apply for will be different and therefore each application should be different.
Important Note to Remember: Potential employers are likely to also search your online presence as part of their recruitment process.
What do your public social media profiles look like to a potential employer?
Do they reflect what is detailed in your resumé?
Is this a positive impression you wish to make with a potential employer, or is there content online that you would not want a potential employer to discover?
When applying for jobs, your resumé is not the only thing that can be considered before they are even willing to talk with you. Your online presence may also influence their decision about your application. This means your resumé needs to go hand in hand with your online profile.
For example when updating your resumé consider what is displayed on your public LinkedIn profile.
Make sure they are synchronised so that you don’t end up saying you’ve worked in a particular role for five years but on your LinkedIn profile there’s no mention of it whatsoever.
This can be a red flag to a potential employer and it may put you at the bottom of the pile no matter how good your resumé is.
When updating your resumé consider the person that has to review it. What makes your resumé more exciting than everybody else?
Working with a career coach can help you figure out what is most important to include in your resumé. The aim is to make it a positive attention-grabbing application and not just a dry record keeping document of where you’ve been and what you’ve done.
Need help with sorting out your resumé?
Call Angela Couch (NZ Career Coach) on 0226467818 or email angela@careerinspiration.nz to discuss your next career move.