Getting past the shortlisting stage in a recruitment process requires a candidate not just to tick the right boxes in terms of skills, qualifications and experience – they need an eye-catching CV too. And ensuring your CV stands out is particularly crucial in a competitive jobs market such as today’s, says Louise Campbell, senior manager at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
“Your CV acts as the shop window to secure that vital first interview or meeting with a potential employer,” says Campbell. “There are several non-negotiables when it comes to creating a strong CV: it must be free of typos and grammatical errors, clearly highlight your education and work experience, and effectively showcase your skills, demonstrating your suitability for the role.”
In addition to the essentials, a CV should include a strong opening profile. “This summary, typically no more than two or three sentences, should encapsulate your key skills, qualifications, experience, and career vision,” Campbell explains.
“A well-crafted profile, tailored for each position you apply for, helps potential employers quickly understand who you are, what you bring to the table and how your goals align with the position, making it a valuable tool to grab attention right from the start.”
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The first job your CV needs to do is pass the initial screening, says Cathy Balfe, career coach with Career Coach Me; that’s where a HR department or recruiter will check a candidate meets the minimum essential requirements for the role.
“This will sometimes be checked through an online application process, sometimes through applicant tracking system (ATS) software that scan-reads your CV into a database and tries to establish whether you have met the minimum requirements, or by someone physically reading through your CV,” says Balfe.
Your CV should therefore be easily read by both ATS software and HR professionals. “Some key things to keep in mind with ATS is to submit your CV as a pdf or Word document,” says Balfe. “Check the file types accepted. Avoid the use of tables, columns, figures, icons and other graphical elements such as lines and boxes. Avoid putting anything into headers or footers. Use standard section titles like profile, work experience, education, skills.
“HR professionals will sometimes do keyword research on the database – so ensure the relevant keywords are included in your CV – short and long-form if appropriate, such as search engine optimisation and SEO.”
Balfe advises candidates to ensure their CV is easily read by humans as well.
“Good practice here includes moderate use of bold font – for example, to highlight names of employers, job titles and dates of employment, right aligning dates of employment and education so it’s easy to scan read the CV and see what you were doing and when.
“A profile section is a great opportunity to summarise your relevant experience, education and a few key skills for the job to catch the recruiter’s attention in the first 10 seconds.”
Gen AI – yes or no?
When it comes to standing out in the recruitment process, especially at the shortlisting stage, having a well-presented and compelling CV is crucial, says Jennifer Gallivan, head of talent acquisition at Deloitte.
“GenAI can indeed play a significant role in this area,” she says. “AI-driven tools can assist candidates by offering personalised suggestions for improving the structure and content of their CVs. These tools can provide insights on optimising keywords, enhancing formatting and emphasising accomplishments that align with the job description. AI can also help identify areas for improvement by analysing successful CVs from similar roles.”
AI tools can be incredibly helpful for refining certain aspects of a CV but you should never simply paste a job description into ChatGPT and ask it to write your CV, Campbell says.
“While this might seem like a shortcut to get noticed by a hiring manager, recruiters and recruitment platforms are increasingly adept at spotting these generic, AI-generated CVs,” she explains. “Instead, focus on crafting your own story, personalising your message and highlighting your unique skill set to stand out in a meaningful and authentic way.”
Balfe warns about some other considerations to be aware of: “If you feed the Gen AI software your personal data, it might be stored and used by the software to help better performance in the future. Check privacy and data policies.
“Also, as software is being developed to detect text created by Gen AI software, it might not look good to a recruiter if it is flagged that your CV was Gen AI created – particularly, for example, if the role is looking for strong communication skills.”
Balfe recommends that clients tailor their CVs for each application.
“In my opinion, it’s better to send five strong applications than 50 weak ones,” she says. “Often, people are applying to similar jobs, with similar skills and requirements – in which case their CV may only need small tweaks. Other times, people might be targeting quite different roles and it can be helpful to keep different iterations of your CV for roles that look for different skill sets, which can then be tailored further for particular roles.”
It’s important to remember that while technology can provide substantial support, the essence of a strong CV remains rooted in authenticity and personalisation, says Gallivan.
“Candidates should always tailor their CVs to reflect their true experiences and strengths, ensuring that their professional story resonates with recruiters,” she adds.