There is such a thing as a perfect CV! And an experienced HR specialist will recognise it immediately: it attracts and holds their attention and inspires trust. What to avoid and what to focus on? We got valuable tips directly from our recruiters.
1. Bet on the first impression
How long does it take for someone to make an impression on us? According to some studies, less than ten seconds, while others say a tenth of a second. The same is true of your CV. In this case, you make a first impression on the recruiter and later on the hiring manager, who decides whether to pass your CV on at all and whether you will meet with your potential boss.
2. Save the recruiters time
State everything important, but don’t overdo it. The ideal CV has one or, at most, two pages.
Also be sure that it contains important keywords. Our recruitment specialists often search in internal databases by specific terms such as “payroll accountant” or “data engineer”. Include key skills and technologies with which you know how to work.
3. Don’t rely on a chatbot
Knowing how to work with generative AI is definitely an advantage in today’s labour market, gut that’s not entirely true when writing a CV. Our recruiters can easily recognise if a CV is authentic or if it was written by a chatbot. If you want to automate or use the assistance of artificial intelligence, preferably try a specialised tool like CV-Lite or Resume.io. Both are free.
4. Have your grammar checked
You can also use online tools for this. Meticulousness pays off – nothing turns off recruiters immediately like grammar errors in a CV. At PwC, we care about the perfect quality of work and of communication with clients, so at this stage you have an opportunity to show that you see things the same way.
5. Don’t be afraid to add a photograph
Of course, the selection process is not a beauty contest, but a professional-looking photograph can be appropriate for a CV. It will definitely help if the HR specialist can connect a face with your name while reading about you. What doesn’t work? A blurry selfie, a vacation snapshot, a school photo from 2005. What does work? A high-quality portrait with a monochromatic background and a nice smile.
6. Be consistent
It is important that all dates match and that the information in your CV matches that shown in your LinkedIn profile. You can be sure that recruiters very often compare them. Discrepancies arouse mistrust.
7. Start at the end
Your CV should start with your most recent job and continue chronologically into the past. It will thus be clear to recruiters what phase of your career you are currently in and they will immediately form the right image of you.
Bonus How many of your previous positions should you mention?
That primarily depends on your level of seniority.
If your career spans decades, it’s good to trim it down. It’s enough to list the last three or four positions that you have held. For individual positions, briefly highlight the basic area, your responsibilities and key success. Numbers sell. A link to references will also help.
Conversely, are you a complete junior and it seems to you that you don’t have anything to show off yet? Feel free to mention all of your previous part-time jobs, from handing out fliers to working in fast food. You will thus demonstrate your work ethic and maybe even some relevant experience.
See you at an interview? Have a look at the offer of vacant positions at PwC.
