You go on the Internet, look for the name of your profession followed by the word “job offer” and start the search. Suddenly you find an offer that suits your profile. The surprise comes when you see that more than 300 people have already applied for the position. How to stand out from the rest of the candidates? Without a doubt, everything goes through the curriculum vitae.
The curriculum is the document with which we present ourselves to the recruiters of the company. It is our letter of introduction, our first impression. The problem is that very few candidates pass the first filter after the Human Resources managers review their CV. "98% of job applicants are eliminated in the first screening of resumes and only 2% of candidates make it to the interview," explains Workopolis.
For this reason, it is essential to prepare a resume carefully, following a series of tips and recommendations with the aim of making a difference and attracting the attention of recruiters.
In this sense, it is important to avoid certain mistakes that make a resume a bad resume. We refer to those documents with grammatical or spelling errors, with inappropriate photos, with very small or very large fonts, saturated with information or with few reference data that demonstrate the indicated skills.
The most important thing about a resume is the information that this document collects. When preparing it, we must carry out an important synthesis exercise, since on a single page the candidate must collect all the relevant information about himself from a professional point of view: contact information, training, work experience and languages.
The format must be simple and legible, using a common typography that incorporates the keywords included in the job offer. If we are opting for a more creative job, we can opt for a more daring format, with graphics, symbols or illustrations.
In the case of junior profiles that are starting in the sector, candidates can add experiences that are not directly related to the position but that demonstrate their skills. We refer, for example, to volunteering, university awards or international stays.
Regarding the structure, it is recommended to use a reverse chronology that is direct, easy to understand and linear. In this way, professional experience is displayed from the most recent jobs to the oldest.
One of the most important points is the professional profile, which is the section in which the candidate briefly summarizes who he is, his most important achievements, soft and hard skills, and professional specialization. In this section it is advisable to use action verbs and energetic phrases, in addition to being creative to capture interest.
To succeed, experts also recommend that you don't use the same resume every time. In other words, that this document is adapted to each job offer, including the keywords for the specific position and updating our information to highlight those skills that are valued for selection. In addition, it is important that the document that we upload is in PDF, to avoid that the information is disfigured.
In recent years, Human Resources departments have become accustomed to using a series of technologies that facilitate the work of reviewing resumes. We refer to the management systems of the selection process Applicant Tracking System (ATS). These systems use artificial intelligence to collect CV data automatically, looking for keywords in the text. In this way, they can quickly rule out those candidates who do not match the job offered.
What is the problem with ATS? That require that the resumes have a specific design and structure so that the machine can read them correctly. Specifically, the CV must be textual (without symbols or illustrations), with a simple format that includes experience and training in reverse chronological order.
When applying for an offer, it is essential to know if the company for which we are applying will use the ATS systems or if, on the contrary, it will be a person who manually reviews the documentation of the candidates. In case there is no ATS, we can opt for a much more creative and colorful design that aims to attract attention.
