The ideal career resolution next year should be to make your CV stand out. In this article, we tackle 5 CV trends that will push you ahead of the rest in your applications.
One thing we should be sure about is that CVs are making it into 2023. Nevertheless, your current CV style might need to stay back. Hiring managers are becoming more and more specific with their needs. This means that for your CV to make it past the screening stage, you need to become creative and adapt easily to market trends. For instance, the style of writing, formats, and grammar among other influencing factors. As you pen down your new year goals for 2023, adapting to these 5 CV trends will make your CV stand out;
1. Achievement-based CV
It is no longer about your day-to-day responsibilities at work, the recruiter is interested in what you have achieved in your role. They want to assess your problem-solving skills and this can be seen through one’s achievements. How you have made an impact in the company, overcome challenges, and established working solutions in your workplace? How were you able to perform better than others and how is the company benefiting from your performance? State your achievements in a quantifiable and measurable way. In this way, recruiters can easily identify your strengths and align them to the job requirements at hand.
For example, "I was promoted to lead a team of 10 field sales officers and increased the company’s profit margin from 60% to 85% in 1 year."
Are you in sales and wondering how to highlight your accomplishments? Lilian Nerima shares the perfect way to show your accomplishments in sales to recruiters in your CV.
2. Skills-centred CV
In this article about the best CV formats, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, Patricia Awori mentions that using a skills-based CV will always work in favour of recent graduates or people with limited work experience. If you are afraid of submitting a short CV, adopt this CV trend. State your skills and how you are growing them depending on the job in question. From the CV formats article, Patricia also added:
“Since skills-based CVs focus on skills rather than chronological work history they may be best suited for candidates with minimal work history as the emphasis is more on skills and abilities than work experience. It’s a great option for those switching careers as well because it enables them to highlight their transferable skills. It allows you to highlight your qualifications without having to go into too much detail about each job”
3. Online profile CV
An online profile is essential for today’s job search. Platforms like Fuzu give you the option of building your professional online CV. It is very important that as you look for a job, you also utilize this opportunity to display your experience and working history to a potential employer. Recruitment trends keep changing. At some point, hand-written and hand-delivered applications were the norm, lately, 80% of employers are using emails and their websites to receive applications. The same applies to online profiles. Job adverts may not require you to send a copy of your resume but will take the information on your profile. What you say in your online profile is very crucial. Take time to audit your online presence, in case you are to submit it to a recruiter, will you make the cut?
4. Customizing your CV for each application
If you want to make your CV stand out in 2023, you should tailor your CV to match the jobs in question. Making a generic CV and sending it out to tons of job vacancies won't make you stand out. It is outdated and your CV won't stand a chance to make it to the next stage. Therefore, as you make your CV for that job, carefully study the job description, and identify the keywords used to describe the desired experience and qualifications as well as the roles and responsibilities. Use these keywords to highlight your experiences. Recruiters are looking for keywords to either say yes or nay to your application.
5. Brief CVs
If the recruiter has less than 20 seconds to decide on your application, then a ten-page CV is not going to do you any good. Even if you have ten years of experience across five organizations, you need to summarise your CV by highlighting your key achievements and skills across your work history. Eliminate hobbies and other sections that might not add substantial value to your application. Making it easy for the recruiter to skim through your CV will boost your chances of making it to the interview stage.
Your CV is not written for you but for the recruiter. Tailoring it to meet the recruiter's needs will increase your chances of being hired. Your CV is the passport to your dream job, make it count.
