How to Get Your CV Noticed Post-lockdown

If you’re recently unemployed thanks to the Coronavirus, then sadly, you’re not alone. However, thanks to the fact that there are so many job-seekers in the same boat as you - the job market post-lockdown is going to be more competitive than ever. 

There are more people looking for work, which means there will be more applications for each post, which of course means that your application needs to be better than ever to make the cut. As a result, your CV is going to need to stand out from the crowd.

Here’s how to get your CV noticed post-lockdown.

 Be concise 

Your CV needs to be concise. With more applications to sift through thanks to the increase in applicants, you need to succinctly and efficiently sum up your relevant experience in no more than 2 pages where possible.

There’s nothing worse than having to rifle through pages and pages of work experience that isn’t necessarily relevant or applicable to the job role in hand. 

Communicate clearly, don’t waste words, and make sure that you’re only mentioning things that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Murder your darlings

On that note - to have a great CV, you’re going to need to murder your darlings. That means any work experience that isn’t directly relevant to the role you’re applying for, or doesn’t add depth and context to the role you’re applying for - it’s time to get rid of it.

It’s right to be incredibly proud that you managed to successfully complete your degree while holding down a part-time retail job, but the likelihood is that this is taking up valuable real estate on your CV, where you could be fleshing out the work experience that is directly relevant to the job you’re applying for. 

Time and effort = success 

Having said that, one surefire way to make sure that your CV stands out from the crowd is to update it for each and every single job that you apply for - even if that means having multiple copies of your CV in circulation at the same time.

Your TV should be carefully tailored to reflect the position you’re hoping to fill - meaning you need to adjust your introductory sentence including what your career goals, skills and experiences are, you need to adjust which skills you hero when listing each of your individual work experience options, and you need to adjust the skills and certifications section to ensure that you’re meeting all of the essential criteria that a job description lists. 

Before you apply for a job, read the description carefully and thoroughly. Highlight all essential criteria and read the person specification closely. Then, you get to work on your CV to make sure that you’re highlighting the specific skills, experiences and personal attributes that you have that will make you perfect for the job.

This careful time and effort taken to reshape your CV each time you apply for a job is what will help you to stand out from the crowd in a post-lockdown job market. 

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