In this digital and competitive job market era, the rules for writing a CV have changed. While a lot about CVs may appear to be the same, there are things that you as the job seeker need to do differently today.

Some old CV writing tips may have been effective as recently as a few years ago, but if you want your CV to get into the right hands and help you get through the doors to your target employer, ignore these outdated CV writing tips below.

1. Keep the CV To One Page

Fact remains that no employer will want to go through pages and pages of a CV. However, trying to keep your CV down to one page is not as important as the content you have to present in it. 

If you have information that has to be included to tell your career story then do it. Especially if the information is relevant. There’s no harm done if your CV ends up being two or three pages long.

The fact is many employers today also run CVs through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before it even gets into human hands, so your first mission is to get your CV past the ATS. 

In order to do that, it needs to include the right keywords that are often listed or mentioned in the job description. It needs to be optimized for the specific position that you’re applying for.

2. Include Basic Technical Skills

Technical skills are desired in practically every profession, but the days where you’d highlight your knowledge of MS Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and so on, are long gone.

The technical skills you need to talk about on your CV today have to directly relate to the function of the job. 

Also, it’s not about just listing that you know it. You have to help the employer understand how you put the skill to use and what results you gained from it.

This is to effectively deliver the message that your technical expertise will benefit the employer and allow you to succeed on the job.

3. One CV Does It All

Maybe you were able to get by with sending out the same CV over and over again to every employer in the past, but if you want to compete today, you’re going to need a CV customized to the employer’s specific needs.

Today’s CVs need to inform employers what you have to offer them. So, customize your CV for each position that you apply for. It may take more work upfront, but your strategic efforts will pay off in the long run.

4. Your CV needs to list everything you’ve ever done

Your resume is a marketing tool: Everything you put on there should support the message you’re trying to get across and the story you’re trying to tell. If something doesn’t support your message—or worse, undermines it—it doesn’t belong on your resume.

In Conclusion,

Updating your CV is something that one should constantly do when applying for different jobs. It’s time to kick out the old CV writing tips that no longer work and revamp your CV with the techniques that work today. Wondering how you can do this? Reach out to CV writing professionals who can update your CV to fit the current job market.

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