It can be difficult to stand out from the crowd when applying for a job. In many cases, budding apprentices are going to be competing with other people who have similar past experiences or qualifications. During the application process. it’s reasonable to think that a highly detailed and well written CV is going to wow employers and guarantee at least an interview.
However, it turns out this isn’t likely to be the case. As proven by a now famous study from career advisory company The Ladders, employers spend just six seconds on average looking over each CV. Due to this practice, the longer and more detailed a CV is, the more it will suffer. Instead – as hard as it may be – it’s best to be economic and focus on the keywords employees are searching for.
If you need help finding apprenticeships in Australia, get in touch with the team at BUSY At Work. By registering online or talking to our staff, you can find a role to help your career get underway.
How can you catch employers’ attention?
Six seconds spread over one to two pages of information is not a lot of time, which means its up to jobseekers to know how to direct employers’ attention. Even more important to consider is that fact that your CV may also be filtered through technology that is designed to weed out unsuitable applicants. Online job posting site CareerBuilder notes that many businesses are starting to use applicant tracking systems which are programmed to pick out specific keywords to dictate employee eligibility.
Ideally, CVs and cover letters should reflect specific terms outlined in the original job posting. This shows employers that applicants have adjusted their CV to fit the specific role, rather than simply cutting and pasting the same copy each time.
Understanding the value of keywords
In a Forbes article, leadership and entrepreneur expert Susan Adams detailed the words and phrases employees are looking for. This doesn’t just include those with positive connotations, however, as there are many that can also put employers off.
Adams advises against many of the cliched terms that have lost meaning after years of misuse, such as “dynamic”, “go-getter”, “results-driven” and many others. Instead, she encourages jobseekers to use more practical terms that describe what they’ve actually achieved in past roles, including, “achieved”, “improved”, “influenced” and “resolved”, among others.
By pairing an economical CV with the right words that, jobseekers can create further opportunities for themselves and stand out in the job market.
