You’ve read the job description; you feel like you could do the job with ease or that it is the perfect next challenge for you. But time after time, you’re not seeing the response you expected.
What is it you’re doing wrong? Why is your CV being ignored when you have the perfect skills for the role?
There are plenty of reasons why a recruiter might overlook your CV for a job – while some are minor mistakes or areas that require improvement, below, we’ve outlined four clear reasons why your automotive CV isn’t shifting gears.
Your Cover Letter is weak
Many people spend hours on their CV, but neglect to do the same for a cover letter. This is could be detrimental to your entire application. or don’t even offer a cover letter. A cover letter is your chance to sell yourself and ensure your CV gets the attention it deserves. For automotive professionals searching for a new job, your cover letter is a chance to look beyond your qualifications and showcase the other characteristics that make you an excellent fit for the organisation.
A cover letter can demonstrate your personality, so it is important to be personable without being informal. While your cover letter should demonstrate skills and experience, as well as passion and enthusiasm for the role and the organisation, remember to keep it brief. Recruiters will usually only skim your cover letter, so make sure to focus on the headlines. This might be any key points you’ve picked out from the job description that are important to the recruiter.
Your CV has no profile
A personal profile is a short introductory paragraph at the beginning of your CV that gives the recruiter the edited highlights of your CV – this is a showcase section that needs some serious attention, particularly as it’s the first paragraph of your CV, and therefore the first real insight a recruiter gets of your experience. As recruiters don’t spend long on their initial glance at your CV, it needs to make an impact, so it has to be hard-hitting to grab and retain their attention.
Despite being the shortest section, the personal profile is the hardest to write. It should be less than 200 hundred words and ideally less than 5-6 sentences long. The profile should cover who you are, what you can offer to the company and career goals that demonstrate this.
Your CV is hard to read
You may only think what you say on your CV is important, but actually the design, structure and format are essential. As recruiters see hundreds of CVs every week, they need to be able to skim it to find for the relevant information first. A logical and clear format is essential for the readability of your CV.
It can help to create clear sections for your CV, making sure to include a profile, your key skills and achievements as well as your most relevant experience. Remember to focus on your automotive expertise. If that is lacking, make sure to demonstrate how your transferable skills make you ideal for the role. You should also aim to keep your CV under 2 pages in length, as busy recruiters and hiring managers will not have time to read anything much longer.
You don’t prove your impact
Your word is not enough to prove you are a skilled candidate. Numbers, statistics and achievements are the proof that your CV needs to give you the best chance possible. Instead of saying that you are skilled mechanic, prove that through the 100 5-star reviews your customers provide, or the fact you have won the ‘employee of the month’ award eight times in the past year. Perhaps you were responsible for a contract worth a significant amount of money, or you saved a client a huge sum through your innovations.
Use the numbers and facts you have to demonstrate that what you’re saying on your CV is true and why you are a cut above the rest.
Remember, that on average, recruiters may see 39 applications per job. You have to make sure your CV will get noticed and be memorable. Make sure to tackle these four reasons, and you’ll have a CV that works harder for you and, hopefully, lands you the dream job you are applying for.
Andrew Fennell is a former recruiter and founder of StandOut CV, a leading advice centre for CV writing and job search. Andrew contributes careers advice to a number of sites including The Guardian, Business Insider and CV Library.
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