Mind me asking what space you work in (Tech, Sales etc). Have recently done some work for a recruitment firm looking at their process end to end assessing and selecting candidates. Here’s my pennies worth….
If applying through LinkedIn and filling out an application make sure you give it some time. Recruiters of big companies that have large volumes of applicants use software to get a percentage match for your application versus job description. Your application may never be reviewed if not hitting some buzz words from the job description.
I agree it’s a waste of time paying someone to do a CV nowadays. Plenty of tips you can get online, a lot will contradict each other though. Keep your CV to 1-2 pages and make sure you highlight your skills in a section. Most people just focus on their experience nowadays and the skills don’t shine through.
Format I would use is:
1. Introduction ( about me and how great I am)
2. Skills (pull from Job Description if you can i.e relationship building, process design, communication etc)
3. Experiences (career to a date. 1-2 lines about the role and bullet points on achievements/responsibilities)
4. Education
5. Interests
Recruiters mostly use your LinkedIn profile to see if it matches your CV. LinkedIn is like any form of social media, full of lies, glorified self importance and inflating achievements. Keep everything there short and snappy and at a high level.
Biggest downfall for CV is believing that the same one will work for every role you apply for. 90% should stay the same. Tailor the intro narrative for the role (pull from job description) and do the same for your skills section.
Also, recruiters can be lazy. Don’t get disheartened by not hearing back. They get huge volumes of applicants and most likely stop looking at CVS when they have a few that suit the role.
Edit: one way to always get your CV reviewed is by having the balls to ring the recruiter that posted about the role of it says feel free to do so. Shows genuine interest and lands you right on their radar. Have your script ready of what you want to say and give yourself the clear opportunity to show communication skills etc. Remember, landing a job is like sales, it’s as much about them selling the role as you selling yourself.
