Curriculum Vitae - Latin - Course of Life
Did you know, on average, recruiters spend just 75 seconds reading your CV? This means you have just over a minute to sell yourself and your strengths to the reader.
So anytime invested here, is time well spent.

Use the filters – Most job sites will offer filtering options that allow users to tailor search results to their specific requirements. Alongside searching for your preferred job title and location, you should also make use of job type, salary, and suitability tools, to provide you with the most personalised results.

Set up daily alerts – Never see your job search as a one day task. Although it might seem more convenient to just dedicate a few hours to your applications – this definitely isn’t the most effective method. You’ll limit yourself to a smaller number of vacancies, and won’t be able to see new roles as they come up. So, search as frequently as possible, and use daily email alerts to ensure you don’t miss out.

Think outside the box – Using the job title to search is fine as a starting point, but it never hurts to try different ways of saying the same thing – i.e. alternate phrasing/wording. Use keyword searching to pinpoint roles looking for specific skills, responsibilities or qualifications, and you’ll end up with a much more suitable set of results.

 Make sure your preferred sectors are accurate – Whether it’s that you’re not 100% sure on your ideal job title, or you just want to be found by recruiters from outside your favoured industry, taking the time to edit your sector preferences should never be overlooked. What’s more, as many jobs span different sectors, pigeonholing yourself into one area might just be limiting your results – regardless of your overall suitability.

Start being specific – If you’re getting too many irrelevant results, it could be that your search is just not specific enough. Instead of wading through a large list to find the ones you want, consider narrowing your search. Sometimes a slight adjustment to simple things like location, or adding in a few extra keywords (see: Boolean searching) can make a big difference to what’s available.

Apply for every job you see – Rushed job applications are unlikely to impress any hiring manager, so sending out as many as you can (as quickly as you can) could mean that you miss out on the job you actually want. If you don’t take the time to gain a thorough idea of what each role entails, you might end up applying for unsuitable positions – which is only wasting your time, as well as the hiring manager’s.

Forget to complete your profile – Having a full and comprehensive profile will avoid the danger of underselling yourself, or not providing enough information to validate a recruiter’s consideration. An unfinished profile is only likely to indicate a lack of effort to prospective employers, and just means you’ll miss out on another way to leave them with a good impression.

Tell everyone about it – Although venting your job search frustrations on social media or to your colleagues can seem like a great way to let off steam, it’s unlikely to ever end well. Not only will potential employers be able to view your online profiles, your current one will too, so don’t give them a reason to doubt your professionalism. Bottom line – whether it’s good or bad news, always keep your job search activity private when it comes to social media.  

Expect an instant reply – Remember: the recruitment process takes time. If you spend a week job searching and are wondering why you haven’t heard back from anyone yet, don’t panic. Responses can take up to six weeks to come through and in some instances, even longer. Stay motivated and patient, and most importantly, don’t let a long response time leave you despondent.

Have your profile hidden – Sometimes your CV or profile can be hidden on a job site without you even realising it. Unless you have a good reason for not making it visible to recruiters, it’s always best to leave this box un-ticked in your profile’s privacy settings. Then, you’ll get the most coverage possible, and won’t risk missing out on your perfect opportunity.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started on writing one:

First things first, you need to do your research.

Take some time to look into the role you’re applying for and the company – and use this information to tailor your cover letter accordingly.

When writing a cover letter, you should find out:

Once you’ve found answers to these questions, you’ll be able to make it clear in your cover letter how your skills and abilities match up with what the employer is looking for.

Not only will doing research give you the knowledge you need to tailor your cover letter and CV to the style of the company, it also demonstrates that you’ve got a real interest in the specific role and company.

Download the sample cover letter that you may like to base your next cover letter on.