Here is an article written by Lilit Grigoryan  , Consultant, Middle management at STRAMMER

Only 2% of applications are short-listed for an interview for the average job opening according to Glassdoor.

Your CV is a personal branding tool which reflects your professional pathway and your skills. It should be clear to anyone reading it and should show that you might be the best match for the job. But, how to make sure your CV will get noticed from the crowd and will secure you a job interview? Here are three simple suggestions which will help you to create a successful CV:

1. Customize your CV to the job description
2. Show your added value
3. Include relevant content and keep it simple

Customize your CV to the job description

Do not send generic CVs. Tailoring the CV to the position you are applying for is becoming more crucial today. Here are the reasons why. One of the impacts of modern technologies on the recruitment process is the Applicant Tracking System which tends to be broader used also in 2018. Usually big companies apply it to pre-screen the hundreds of applications they get on daily basis. On the other hand, the recruitment staff or hiring managers will not spend more than 2 minutes reviewing your CV, so it must give the right message and be to the point.

How to customize your CV to the position you are applying for?

Part 1: Read the job description carefully and understand it well. Make sure you understand the objective of the position and identify the keywords.

Part 2: Ask yourself what can I offer for this specific role? Then make a list of your skills and experiences that will be relevant for the role. Of course, make sure not to use false information, put only skills, experience which you indeed have, and you can offer.

Part 3: After these steps write a CV specific for the role you are applying. Do not be lazy! Customise your skills and experience with the terms used in the job description. Let us take an example:

Job description: Experience in clinical sales in the field of interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery

CV: Sales experience

You can notice that the CV lacks the very important keywords « clinical« , « interventional cardiology » and « cardiothoracic surgery« . This could be a result that ATS will not short-list your resume.

Use the important keywords several times in your resume . For examples if it is a sales role make sure to use the word « sales » in several parts of your resume if possible.

Show your added value

While you prepare your CV, focus not only on the job description but also on the company you are applying for. Make a good research of the company, its values and organisational culture. Inform yourself about its products and services and check the profiles of company’s leadership team. Then ask yourself: how can you fit to this picture? and how can you contribute to the company? In your CV and cover letter make sure to share your certain value you would bring to the organisation and how you could make a difference for the company. Remember companies hire not only because you can do the job but because you can fit into the organisational culture and offer added value to the company.

Include relevant content and keep it simple

Your CV should be clearly presented. It must include your personal data, skills, professional experiences and education. You may include also a personal statement, interests and references. Make a detailed skill summary. Put all the relevant soft and hard skills in bullet points. Make sure to list all the relevant professional experiences. I recommend to make a short description of tasks and achievements under each position. For example (as a sales representative I reached my target to X% or raised the turnover of my region to Y%).

The information in your CV should be simple to understand – do not use complex words. Do not make it too long and do not go into much details – in the end you should leave a certain room for curiosity for the hiring managers in order to get to know you in person, in order words to invite you to the interview.

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