A CV has less than 7 seconds to make an impact. Employers and recruitment consultants are frequently faced with hundreds of CVs for one job opening. Would your CV jump out at them?
Herein lies the problem, 87% of candidates think their CV is strong yet hiring managers report that over 80% of CVs are weak.
Your CV is your sales pitch. And, probably the most important and potentially lucrative marketing document you are ever likely to create. When it’s written in a compelling and dynamic way, it can give you access to multiple opportunities and should deliver exactly what it is designed for – an open door to the interview room.
The recruitment market is constantly evolving, your CV needs to move with the times and be aligned to today’s hiring practices.
Here are six reasons why a professional CV writer is one of the best career investments you will ever make:
1. Your CV writer will help you stand out from the competition
A good CV writer will never deliver a generic, one-size-fits-all CV. They’ll take the time to get to know you, your long-term career ambitions and short-term objectives. They’ll also dig deep into what makes you special; what are you unique talents, skills and value proposition?
Every City CV client has a 1 – 1.5 hour ‘career therapy’ call with their CV writer. That’s before they even start the usual 8 hours of writing that goes into preparing the finished document. Your CV is about marketing you – we can’t write it based on job descriptions and exam grades.
2. They’ll turn your executive summary into a compelling pitch
A recruiter or hiring manager wants to know who you are, whether or not you can do the job and what benefits you can bring to their company. All in the first few seconds of glancing at your CV. The executive summary at the start of your CV is not the place to be vague or long-winded.
It’s your sales pitch. It needs to be a short, concise profile that persuades them to read the rest of your CV. And with no tired clichés about being a self-motivated team player.
Many of our clients find it difficult to sell themselves. But, there is no room for modesty on a CV. Our CV writers are experts at summing up what you offer to an employer, in a few key sentences and bullet points, in a style that you feel comfortable with.
3. They’ll turn your responsibilities into benefits
When summing up your career history, it’s tempting to just list your responsibilities. But, it’s more compelling to state your key achievements and transferable skills using powerful words that will capture attention. And, provide evidence to back up your claims.
4. They’ll help you navigate the CV robots
Almost all recruiters and large companies now use artificial intelligence in the form of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These algorithms scan for keywords in CVs and reject those that don’t meet their criteria. A CV writer is trained to research relevant keywords, and include them in the optimal place in your CV in a way that sounds natural and professional.
5. You’ll save a huge amount of time
Your CV should include; your name, contact details, profile, career history, education, and relevant supporting information. In what order these should appear will depend on several factors. But, don’t expect to be able to compile and articulate all this information convincingly in a couple of hours. It takes us approximately 8 hours to create each CV, and we do it all the time.
Even getting the basics right takes time. According to a nationwide survey by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), 47% of recruiters said that over half the CVs they receive contain spelling and grammar mistakes. Many also fall down on other basics such as layout and difficult-to-read typefaces. All our CVs are subject to an exacting quality process, overseen by our CEO (a former head hunter and blue chip recruitment manager) and our in-house Professor of English.
6. You’re likely to quickly recoup your investment
Meet Susannah, one of our recent clients. She’s a marketing manager with a few years experience in the City. She came to us because she had a very clear idea of her target salary increase.
When she subtracted the CV writing fee from her desired (and realistic) pay raise, she worked out that she’d recoup her investment in a few days. Savvy candidates, like Susannah, see a professional, interview-winning CV as a worthwhile investment in their career. For some of our clients, the CV fee is only equivalent to their daily rate.
With many employers, the decision to interview or reject a candidate is purely made on the strength of their CV. Often you will be pitching in competition with many other job seekers, many of whom will have made the professional CV writing investment. Your CV is your tool of achievement and potentially your only opportunity to sell yourself to an employer.
If you were a business and needed life-changing support with your marketing, maybe a sales brochure or website, would you take a risk and do it yourself? Or would you invest in expert help? Your own CV shouldn’t be any different.
City CV will provide you with a professionally written CV that qualifies you for the roles you’re targeting and generates interviews.