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The Role of a CV Isn't What You Think!
You’re wrong about the purpose of a CV. You don’t actually know what the main role of a resume is, which is why you’re not getting it right.
After all, you can’t write a document well if you don’t know what it’s for.
In this article, we will explain why the role of a CV isn’t what you think it is. We will debunk common misconceptions which, in turn, will teach you how to write your resume well.
Overview
The role of a CV isn’t to get you hired. Its purpose is to convince the recruiter to invite you to a job interview. It needs to catch the recruiter’s attention and make them want to find out more about you. Your CV should be 1 page long and only contain the most relevant information for a specific job. Avoid using graphics, tables and fancy fonts in your resume so that it passes through the Applicant Tracking Systems.
What is the role of a CV?
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To land you an interview
A CV isn’t supposed to get you hired. Its only job is to get you an invite to the interview. That’s it.
During the interview, you will provide more information and make a real attempt to demonstrate that you’re the right person for the job. A CV isn’t supposed to do that.
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To catch and hold the recruiter’s attention
The role of a CV is to catch the recruiter’s attention and hold it. This is why it has to be easy to read and clearly structured.
Keep your resume short to make sure the recruiter’s attention doesn’t stray. They review dozens of CVs every day, so after a while, the task gets repetitive. If they encounter a resume that’s 3-pages long, they will lose their focus before they even reach the experience section.
A CV that is too long or has uncommon formatting surely stands out - but in the wrong way. If you want to catch the recruiter’s attention, stick to the norms and follow best CV practices. It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s what will increase your chances for success.
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To intrigue the recruiter
Here are the top 3 things recruiters want a CV to be:
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clear
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concise
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relevant
They don’t need to know your entire professional history from your resume. They only want to learn enough to decide if they want to meet you for an interview or not.
Therefore, try to fit your CV on 1 page and include only the most relevant details for the specific position you are applying for. Leave out any jobs that you had a long time ago or that were in a different sector.
Pro tip: include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your resume. This way, the recruiter can easily visit it to verify the information included in a CV or find out more about you.
What is NOT the role of a CV?
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To get you hired
You don’t write a CV to get the job. It’s way too early in the recruitment process for that.
You write a CV to get invited to an interview and get a chance to provide more details about yourself.
Think about it. If getting you the job was the role of a CV, what would be the point of conducting job interviews?
Talking to candidates takes up a lot of employers’ time. First, a screening call - about half an hour. Then the actual interview - another hour. Sometimes, also a third interview with the manager - another hour or more. Not to mention the time it takes them to prepare for every conversation.
If a CV could tell employers enough about candidates, they would use it as the only resource. But the recruitment process is much more complex than that, and a CV is nothing more than your entry ticket for the journey.
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To outline your entire career history
Because the role of a CV is NOT to get you the job, it doesn’t have to include every single detail about you. It only needs to have enough relevant information to intrigue the recruiter and make them decide if they want to find out more.
Your CV should be 1 page long, and 1 page long only.
Recruiters have daily quotas. Sometimes, they have to review dozens of resumes every single day. They are held accountable for completing these goals and can get into trouble if they don’t meet them.
Now, imagine you’re a recruiter. You have to review 30 CVs today. You were busy with other tasks and now you’re only halfway through and it’s already 3 o’clock. Your boss won’t be happy with you if you don’t complete your daily quota. Suddenly, you pick up a 3-page CV. Reviewing it will take you triple the time it would to review another 1-page CV.
What do you do?
Yeah. Don’t even try to deny you wouldn’t chuck the 3-page CV and move on to a shorter one. It’s the jungle rule: eat or be eaten.
So, if you send a resume that’s longer than 1 page, you only spite yourself because it decreases its chances of being read. Find out what not to include in your CV to save some space.
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To distinguish you from the competition
This used to be the case before ATSs came into play. Now, we’re back to black-and-white CVs written in Word.
What are ATSs? Applicant Stracing Systems are multi-purpose software used to streamline the recruitment process. One of their functions is scanning resumes and selecting the best ones based on the presence of keywords.
Now, although most companies use ATSs these days, the software is still rather basic. It can only process text files.
This means that if you use fancy fonts, tables, graphs, and images in your resume, an ATS might not read it. Your CV won’t get selected because it won’t contain the right number of keywords and a recruiter won’t even see it.
You can stand out in other ways. Have a strong online presence, network with people in your industry, and write a tailored cover letter. But just to be safe, submit a plain CV in a PDF format.
Key takeaways
Here are the key takeaways you should remember from this article:
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The role of a CV is to land you the interview, not get you the job.
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Your CV should be 1 page long.
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Your CV shouldn’t contain all your professional history - only the relevant details.
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Keep your CV simple. Don’t use graphics, tables, or fancy fonts.
Can you see now how you have been wrong about the role of a CV your whole life? Don’t worry - this is a common misconception, which is strengthened by incorrect career advice shared by many sources.
Now that you know the real purpose of a resume, you can stand out from the competition. Don’t hesitate to wield that secret knowledge and use it to your advantage.
Feeling inspired? Visit our blog for more career advice! How can you be sure the information we provide is top-notch? We are a group of professionals working with recruiters, career coaches, and HR specialists from all over the world!
Trust our experience and let us help you find a new job in Europe!
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