3 simple tricks to crafting a very precise CV

Some candidates stick to generalities when crafting their CV, thinking that they will save additional details to talk about during the job interview. But the question is: will they get an interview?

To help recruiters make a fair and full assessment of your qualifications, it’s important to include as many relevant details as possible while keeping your document concise and honest. There’s no value in writing that you are “a leader” or “results oriented” if that’s all you say. You need to deliver the message you want to convey in a concrete and measurable way.

1. Know how to describe tasks in qualitative and quantitative terms

Noting in your CV that you “trained new employees” as part of your job is important information. But if you mention it without providing any other details, it’s too insubstantial to help the recruiter understand what that task entailed.

You can get more specific and say you “trained new employees with a personalized approach based on their personality, and by having them undertake an inspiring mission for the company.”

Not only will the recruiter understand that you are focused on action, but also that you get results using a human-first approach. They can then imagine you in the workplace setting. This description also ascribes value to the task and makes it clear that you’re comfortable applying yourself.

Don’t be shy to add quantitative data to back up your tasks: how many employees in total did you train? How often did you train employees? How long did the training sessions last?

The recruiter will be able to get a clear picture of how you handle tasks and will also will take away that you put effort into being precise with your answers.

2. Emphasize what distinguishes you from the “average” candidate

Many recruiters use a type of competency scale to evaluate candidates. For each skill, there are candidates who demonstrate “below average” but there are also candidates who demonstrate “average” and “above average”.

Being in the “average” category means someone who does what is expected of them according to the normal standard of what’s satisfactory. In other words, “average” rated employees do their work in away that avoids any criticism.

For example, an “average” employee might describe their task as “training employees in alignment with the expected timeframe and training standards.”

Being “above average” means surpassing expectations according to measurable criteria. We can illustrate this as: “I proposed a new training program inspired by current best practices, and my efforts were praised by company directors during a meeting.”

3. Showcase your successes using the STAR model

The STAR model is a method for responding to interview questions about your previous experience. The acronym STAR means Situation (S), Task (T), Action (A) and Results (R). During an interview, you can respond to questions with concrete examples by talking about a Situation or problem you faced at work, what Task was required to address the problem, the Action you took and what the Results were.

In the context of a CV, you can take inspiration from the STAR model by slightly tweaking it and changing the sequence of the letters.

Here’s an example:

“Implementing a new training program for employees based on observational micro-sessions, a project that I suggested after noting difficulties related to employee integration. My initiatives resulted in a more than 30 percent increase in satisfaction levels reported by new employees.”

The Task and Action are placed first in this example, i.e. “Implementing a new training program…”

The Situation is “…after noting difficulties related to employee integration.”
The Result is “…a more than 30 percent increase in satisfaction levels reported by new employees.”

In conclusion

Candidates often don’t realize that they are communicating a lot of information by not providing certain details. All information you provide or don’t provide has significance to a recruiter. Being precise when crafting your CV takes more work, but it’s in your interest to include everything required to get them to the next step of the process: the interview.

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