I’m a huge do-it-yourselfer. I spend my free time making invitations for my upcoming nuptials and trying out new recipes on my family. I’m becoming a fantastic baker. I even took a cake baking class at my local community college. I know what you’re thinking and the answer is: No! I would never attempt to bake my own wedding cake. Here’s why: It’s time consuming. I don’t know where to begin making the cake. What if my guests don’t like it? Today there are plenty of options to personalize the cake and make it look professional, such as colors, sizes, shapes and adornments. The bottom line is: it’s still a homemade cake and homemade cakes aren’t sophisticate or appealing. Similarly, a “homemade” CV isn’t sophisticated or appealing for a major interview.
Like baking a wedding cake, CV writing has to be tailored to your audience. It should be brimming with personal achievements and other milestones. Sometimes, as job seekers, you don’t know what works and what doesn’t work in terms of CV writing. A professional can pull information out of you and bring it back together to form a beautiful CV. It will cost you more to hire a professional but it is worth the confidence in knowing that you have a well-made “professional branding document”. Here is how you know it’s time to hire a CV writer:
Related: How to Write a Winning CV
1. When You’re Stuck
Are you trying to attach an Objective onto your CV? Why? Most managers would agree that objectives are a waste of space. Hiring managers are not particularly interested in what you’re seeking. Instead, they want to know how you can bring value to the company. Again think of your CV as a branding document. It communicates your worth, by presenting your skills and qualifications, for the purpose of selling YOU to the hiring manager. Still don’t know where to begin?
Hire help. Call a CV writer. CV writers have been trained to objectively analyze your strengths and weaknesses and properly write about these unique qualities in ways that grab attention. Remember you’re partnering with someone who has been educated in current and best practices for CV writing. They know which methods work and which to abandon, and will construct your CV using techniques that produce results.
2. When You’re Not a Good Writer
It is vital that you use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Grammatical mistakes can get your CV trashed faster than a CV written in lipstick, on perfumed paper! Well… maybe not that fast. The way you speak and write tells others a lot about you. Poor grammar translates to lack of attention to detail or lack of interest in the position. Both are undesirable qualities employers do not want in their employees.
Did you know that some phrases weaken sentence structure and are nearly meaningless when used in your CV?
Here are some examples of phrases that fall into this category:
Assisted with…
Successfully…
Effectively…
Productively…
Related: 10 Helpful Tips to Improve Your CV for a Job Application
3. When You’re Changing Careers
In this tough economy many jobseekers are reevaluating their careers and looking for work in new industries. If you are pursuing a new career path, you know it can be more difficult to generate interview call backs.
A good CV writer will have in insider knowledge in the field you’re trying to embark on and will help you discover what you have to offer that appeals to hiring managers. They tailor your resume so that the qualifications you list match the vacancy. Although, you may not have the experience, it is likely that you have transferable skills from your previous positions. A CV professional can showcase those skills in such a way that can make the difference between being a jobseeker and being qualified to exceed goals and grow in your new career.
4. When You Need to Stand Out
Employers only spend a few seconds scanning a CV before making a decision to call the prospective candidate for an interview. You have 10 seconds to grab that hiring manager’s attention before you are placed in the “although-your-skills-are-impressive-we-chose-someone-else”stack.
CV writers know how to get you noticed. Whether it’s adding numbers to highlight your accomplishments and skills or creating unique layouts, a CV writer can certainly get you to the second round. When recruiters browse through resumes, they’re looking for keywords that match the job description. Incorporating buzz words will attract attention, but professionals can take it a step further. They understand the attractiveness of numbers and to quantify your success.
In today’s highly competitive job market a well formatted CV is the most valuable document you will ever own. Forgo the cookie-cutter CV approach. Instead, hire a CV writer to customize your resume to focus on the skills and experience that a job ad cites to show recruiters that you have a particular interest in the job they’re offering. Stay steps ahead of your competition, hire a CV writer.
Photo By: Joseph Russell
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