You might be surprised to hear that we still receive the odd CV through the post – a little alarming in this day and age! With so many means of communication at our disposal (not to mention the fact that we are an agency specialising in IT recruitment!) there is no excuse for CVs that are stuck in the dark ages.
CV makeover
Bringing your CV into the 21st century means two (and if you are feeling brave, three) things:
- Offering multiple channels by which recruiters can contact you – such as mobile, landline, email, LinkedIn, Skype
- Making use of current digital tools to improve your application and online presence
And for the fearless…
- Presenting your CV in a way that sets it aside from the majority of standard CV applications.
There is nothing wrong with avoiding most social media channels if you prefer to, or if you can’t take calls at work, limiting the means by which recruiters can contact you. But when you are looking for a new job, you need to take into consideration the following:
- If it is difficult for recruiters to get hold of you, you may miss out on opportunities.
- Demonstrating that you have a large network of professional contacts is highly beneficial.
- We have more tools than ever at our disposal to impress prospective employers.
With this in mind, you should think about including the following details on your CV in addition to your basic contact details:
- A link to Your LinkedIn profile – It’s really easy to get started on LinkedIn so there’s really no excuse for not having a presence on it. As a professional rather than a social networking site, it is not intrusive in the way that Facebook can be. If you are looking for a customer facing role in sales or consultancy and don’t have a profile, or have a poorly maintained profile with few contacts and recommendations, you will probably find that prospective employers consider this to be a serious disadvantage to your application.
- Your Skype ID – In addition to giving recruiters an additional means of contacting you, many of our clients are choosing to do first interviews via Skype video conference. This means that you can do a face to face interview without even leaving your home using your computer, tablet device or even your mobile phone, and it doesn’t cost a penny. With home working becoming more commonplace, and many businesses using Skype regularly as a business tool, it is worth demonstrating that you are thinking ahead and already embracing the technology.
- A portfolio of your work – If you are a developer or designer, or even a graduate looking to get into a development role, you can really add value to your CV and accelerate the recruitment process by including a link to an online portfolio of your work. Similarly, if you write a blog or maintain your own website related to your line of work, this demonstrates that you have passion and enthusiasm for the industry – so make sure you include it.
It doesn’t stop there though – with more competition than ever for roles, we’ve seen some really impressive tools being used by innovative jobseekers that want to elevate their CV above the rest. Some are using Powerpoint to make their CV into a presentation, using online tools to make their CV into an infographic, or even doing video applications for jobs! Obviously there is a risk involved, and of course if the employer specifically requests a Word document then that’s what you ought to provide. Increasingly though, thinking outside the box and generating innovative ways to demonstrate that you are the best candidate will be rewarded. If you haven’t dragged your CV into the 21st century yet, there has never been a better time to make it a priority.
