If you’ve been job-hunting for a while and it isn’t quite going to plan, you may have been advised to get your CV written by a professional.
But you might also be asking yourself: how does a professionally written CV help in your job search?
It’s a fair question! Working with a professional CV writer is an investment. But if your job hunt isn’t quite going to plan, or you just want to put your best foot forward, the rewards are more than worth it.
According to Forbes Business Magazine and Harvard Business School, having a professionally written CV increases your probability of employment by up to 40%.
In this blog, we will break down some of the key advantages that a professionally written CV can have for your job search.
Your CV will be attention-grabbing.
On average, recruiters will only spend 7 seconds looking at your CV. Making a striking first impression is key to getting shortlisted for an interview.
If you’re writing your own CV, your might focus on the wrong places or make it so long that your unique selling points don’t stand out.
A professionally written CV will be an appropriate length, split into key sections, and include all of the required information to help you stand out as a candidate.
Recruiters will generally be able to tell whether you’ve put your CV together yourself, or if you’ve contacted a professional to help you make the best first impression. This proves that you’re taking your job hunt seriously and reflects positively on your work ethic.
Your key strengths will be effectively highlighted.
When you are writing about yourself, it can be hard to emphasise your achievements and experiences. Talking about yourself in this way might be something you find uncomfortable, which is completely understandable!
A professionally written CV will help you to tick all the boxes and answer a recruiter’s questions about what you can bring to a position. It can also give you talking points for your interview.
This will in turn build your confidence. You will be reminded of all the amazing things you have achieved in your career so far and will be entering any interview understanding what you have to offer the organisation.
Your CV will be ATS-compliant.
A key point to remember when applying for jobs is that a person may not even get the chance to read your CV!
Many organisations will use Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) to filter through the first round of applications for positions. Essentially, the software takes information from your CV and pre-populates its system. Recruiters will then use the software to search for the keywords that are relevant to the role. The CVs that include these terms will appear at the top of the search results.
ATS is a big subject amongst jobseekers, so we decided to write an explainer blog to help you understand what it means and how it impacts your application documents. You can check it out here.
A professionally written CV will be put together with ATS firmly in mind, so you can rest assured that key terms will be included to give you the best chance at securing an interview.
Your CV will be mistake-free.
When you’re working on your own documents for a long time, it’s easy to start skimming the text and missing mistakes.
A professionally written CV will not only be written by someone with years of experience, but will also have been edited and proofread to ensure there is no outdated language, grammatical errors, or formatting or spelling issues.
You can focus on finding the job you want.
Perhaps most importantly, a professionally written CV can reduce the stress involved with a job hunt.
If you are clear on the kind of role you are looking for, a professionally written CV will provide a master document for you as it includes all the relevant information from your previous experience and qualifications.
All you will need to do is adjust the language slightly, depending on the specific role you are applying for, and you’ll be good to go!
Plus, by handing over the responsibility of creating your CV to someone else, you free up your time to focus on the job search itself. You will have the headspace to find your dream role, and prepare for other elements of the job application process such as aptitude tests.
We hope that this blog has helped you see the different ways a professionally written CV can help in your job search.
If you aren’t ready to get your CV professionally written just yet, our free CV review service could be what you need.
All you need to do is upload your document on our website, and one of our team will get back to you within a few days to cover what is working, and what could be improved in your CV. You will walk away knowing what needs to be done to make a great first impression on recruiters.