We suggest you start with a skills summary: On the first page of your CV, include a brief summary of your skills, highlighting your most relevant and impressive skills. We recommend these be shown as up to 10, strongly worded, one line bullet points. This should attract the recruiter’s attention and give them an excellent, relevant, idea of what you can bring to the table.
Use bullet points: When describing your skills, use bullet points instead of long paragraphs. Aim for 10 bullet points. Make sure they are easy to read and allow the recruiter to quickly scan your CV.
Be specific: Use specific examples to illustrate your skills. Instead of simply stating that you have “project management skills,” give an example of a project you managed and how you successfully completed it. This will make your skills more tangible and impressive.
Use action verbs: Commence each bullet point with an action verb that demonstrates your skills. For example, instead of saying “I worked well in a team,” say “Collaborated with a team of X to achieve Y.”
Use industry-specific keywords: Where practical, use keywords that are well understood in your industry, such as technical terms or software that you have experience with. This will clearly demonstrate to the recruiter that you have a strong understanding of your field.
Tailor your skills to the job: Look at the job description and highlight the skills and experience that the employer is looking for. Make sure you include relevant skills that match the job requirements.
Show results: Whenever practical quantify your achievements. For example, instead of saying “I increased sales,” say “Increased sales by X% in Y months.” This will show the recruiter that you can produce tangible external venetian blinds results.
Be honest: Don’t exaggerate your skills or experience. If you’re not proficient in a particular skill, don’t include it on your CV. Keep to the facts and what you are truly competent in
Prioritise relevant skills: Ensure you prioritise the skills that are most appropriate to the job you’re applying for. It is possible you many skills, but instead, just focus on the ones that are most important for the job you are applying for.
Overall, do your best to highlight your skill set in a clear and concise manner by highlighting your most impressive and relevant skills. By identifying actual examples, strong action verbs, keywords specific to your industry and results-oriented statements then you will be going s long way to demonstrating to the recruiter that you have the skills and experience necessary to excel in their advertised position.
22 Comments