With the security industry bursting at the seams with operators seeking employment and companies literally receiving hundreds of CV’s a week, how can you make yourself stand out from the crowd? Your CV will usually be the first contact your prospective employer will have from you and its true what they say about first impressions counting. The average time spent looking at a CV by an employer is less than 10 seconds so it is crucial that something grabs their attention and keeps them engaged.
Many of the CV’s we receive are carbon copies of each other, a reflection of the small number of specific roles within close protection and the backgrounds the majority of guys have come from, so what can you do to differentiate yourself from the others?
Presentation
Can you make your CV more appealing to the eye without reaching for the glitter and felt tip pens! The use of shaded text boxes will make your CV eye catching and different than most. It can make it easier to read as each box simply separates the content of your CV into colour coded sections. It is also a good indication that your IT skills are in order however simple these functions are to use, you have made the effort to utilise them.
Keep it Simple
Short, sharp, punchy sentences are far more likely to be read than pages of long drawn out egotistical waffle! Prioritise the points you want to make and give a considered and efficient response.
Tailor Your CV to the Position
Your CV should cover no more than 2 sides of A4 paper, any more and it’s highly likely you are wasting paper and ink as the chances are that it will not be read. Unfortunately most people who have spent any time in the industry will have worked on so many individual tasks that they could quite easily write a book. With this in mind prioritise some of the jobs you have done to highlight examples of responsibility, high profile tasks and tasks which have a direct relation to the position you are applying for.
Define your skills
Be clear on your value to the company – why would an employer want to recruit you – Ask yourself:
What are my core skills (i.e. managing teams, being creative, delivery…etc.)?
How have I utilised these skills in the past?
How transferable are these core skills?
What skills can I bring to a future employer, which will add value to their business?
Be Honest
Be as honest as you can when putting your CV together, an over exaggeration of the truth or a blatant lie will blow all credibility out of the water and is likely to end your chances of progressing in the employment process. If there are gaps in your CV justify them. If you have gaps in your employment history explain why, were you undertaking further training during this time or broadening your horizons travelling or studying, what did you gain from this period of time.
Common mistakes
Remember this is your one time to shine so the last thing you need is to be tripped up over a spelling mistake. Get someone else to proof read your CV, if nothing else it will give you a reaction to gauge its effectiveness. USE YOUR SPELLCHECK!!! You would be amazed by how many CV’s have basic spelling and grammar errors.
A survey carried out by a recruitment agency found that the most common causes for an applicant being rejected based on their CV were;
- CVs with spelling mistakes or typos 61%
- CVs that copied large amounts of wording from the job posting 41%
- CVs with an inappropriate email address 35%
- CVs that don’t include a list of skills 30%
- CVs that are more than two pages long 22%
- CVs that detail more tasks than results for previous positions 16%
- CVs that include a photo 13%
- CVs that have large blocks of text with little white space 13%
Finally
Very importantly – when job hunting be prepared to take advice, don’t be defensive, remain positive and make yourself available for opportunities by being proactive.
