How to optimise your CV for job boards4 min read

Today we’re bringing you a guest post in collaboration with Laura at CV-Library all about how to tweak your CV to enjoy the best possible results on job boards. We wrote an article for their blog all about Jobboard Finder and how to use it for your next job hunt or recruitment campaign that will go up on their Career Advice page here. So without further ado, here’s Laura’s post.  

Job boards are an incredibly useful tool if you’re looking for a job.

Firstly, you can search through thousands of the latest vacancies and apply for jobs that pique your interest via the site. Secondly, you have the opportunity to be headhunted by top recruiters and employers once you’ve uploaded your CV.

Now that’s smart searching.

To make sure you’re getting the most out of job boards, here’s how to optimise your CV and find job search success.

Include relevant keywords

Keywords are an extremely important component of your CV – and if you think you’re unfamiliar with keywords, you actually use them every day.

Remember the last time you searched something on Google? The words you used in your search were keywords.

Recruiters also use keywords when searching job boards’ CV databases to identify the most relevant candidates for their vacancies.

For example, if a recruiter is looking for someone to fill a digital marketing manager role, they might use the keywords “digital marketing”, “marketing manager” and “digital marketing executive”. They are also likely to search via requirements listed in the job description, such as “marketing experience”, “email marketing”, “excellent communication” or “PPC”.

Therefore, to make sure that your CV crops up in recruiters’ searches, you must inject keywords related to your ideal role and industry. Simply use relevant job descriptions for inspiration.

Prove your skills and experience

Now that you’ve peppered your CV with keywords and caught the recruiter’s attention, it’s time to make your abilities zing.

To make sure that you stand above other applicants with similar experience, you must quantify your abilities with facts and figures.

Some measurements of growth and success may include revenue you’ve generated, percentages of targets you’ve achieved or the number of people you’ve managed. Just remember to keep your tangible results targeted to your ideal role, industry or company to help you become an irresistible candidate.

Cut the fluff

Once your CV is optimised with relevant information, it’s time to start cutting the unnecessary. This is to stop irrelevant details clouding your more impressive abilities and to create space for other important talking points.

Firstly, if you have included details such as your marital status, age or date of birth, you can cut this immediately as they do not affect your ability to do the job, and to be asked about these details is illegal or discouraged under the UK Equality Act.

You can also tweak your address to the format “Town, County” as details of your location will already be on your account with the job board.

Also take a look at the skills and knowledge you’ve included in your CV. If parts are not mentioned in the job adverts you’re responding to, then you can afford to cut down those sections slightly.

On-point CV formatting

Your CV’s formatting needs to be slick and professional to ensure recruiters can identify the information they’re looking for as efficiently as possible.

Ensure your CV is broken down into clear sections, introduced by bold headings. You also want to choose an easy-to-read font, such as Arial or Calibri, and ensure the formatting is consistent throughout.

Your CV should neatly on fit two A4 pages, perhaps three if you’re a seasoned professional. If it’s just shy or spilling over, try adjusting the font sizes and page margins. A comfortable fit will make your CV look complete.

Most job boards, like CV-Library, are compatible with creative CVs. However, if you’re ever in doubt about whether your CV will look the part, a traditional format saved as a .pdf file is your safest bet.

Up-to-date contact information

This point almost sounds too obvious. However, there is a staggering amount of job hunters that fail to give up-to-date contact information or include details with typos and errors.

If you’re actively job hunting, make sure that you double check your contact details before you click submit, or it could cost you your dream opportunity.

 

Laura Slingo is Digital Copywriter for the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library. For more expert advice on job searches, careers and the workplace, visit their Career Advice pages.

For their profile on Jobboard Finder, click here.