Are your credentials "ticking the boxes" on the recruiter's consideration list?
If we’ve said it once – we’ve said it a dozen times: At Arras, we have been mad busy with lots of new diverse roles within the project management arena this past month or two, which is great news! Not only for us as it keeps us out of mischief, but also for candidates out there who are looking to make a move or secure a new role after experiencing redundancy.
However after posting a number of roles on our dedicated PM recruitment website, we have been in receipt of some less than average CVs (amongst some exceptional ones, too) – not uncommon for a recruitment company no, but bearing in mind the follow up calls after being notified they have been unsuccessful – a familiar response is, “But why? I have done all that is set out in the advert!” The general response from the consultants after re-reviewing the CV to provide more detailed feedback is, “It doesn’t say you have in your CV!”
Here’s a no-nonsense way to ensure you have the right detail in your CV:
- Ensure you give enough detail about the project you are involved with – without writing a dissertation, one short paragraph should suffice. Look to include type of project, complexity, budget and benefits.
- What was your involvement? If you managed it or part of it or if you provided support for it – let us know.
- How did you deliver? Think about the responsibilities / skills involved and contextualise within the CV.
Here’s a great tip: get your CV and put it next to a typical job you would apply for – remembering you should only be applying for roles you meet at least 95% of the criteria detailed. Now look down the job description against your CV, does it state clearly in your CV the key skills required? If it does then great you will be “ticking the boxes” for going into the consideration list – if not, you will be going into the reject list. I had a role recently which attracted over 280 applications; we only ever put forward 3 or 4 CVs to the client (after interviewing the candidates). Therefore only the CVs clearly demonstrating the experience and skills required will be considered for interview.
For advice on how to best place yourself and write your CV refer to our dedicated careers support repository here or alternately, book yourself a careers clinic with one of the consultants here at Arras and we will assist you in setting yourself on the right track to securing one of the many fantastic opportunities available out in the field of Project Management today!
