If your CV isn't getting the response you expected, the temptation is usually to change the template, rewrite a few sentences or ask someone to make it look more professional.
But that assumes you already know what the problem is.
You might not.
A CV can look clean and professional while still making it difficult for a recruiter to understand your value. It can contain all the right sections but communicate your experience poorly. It can also look perfectly readable to you while creating problems when processed by recruitment software.
Before rewriting your CV, it helps to know what actually needs fixing.
Your CV can look good and still be weak
Design is one of the easiest parts of a CV to judge because you can see it.
The harder problems are less obvious.
- Does your CV make your experience relevant to the jobs you're applying for?
- Does it clearly communicate what you have contributed in previous roles?
- Can somebody quickly identify your strongest capabilities?
- Does the document structure make sense to recruitment software as well as a human reader?
These aren't always things you can identify by looking at the template.
More information doesn't always make a stronger CV
Another common reaction is to keep adding information.
More skills. More responsibilities. More courses. More detail about previous jobs.
But a CV isn't simply a record of everything you've done.
What matters is whether the information helps someone understand why you are relevant to a particular opportunity.
A CV can therefore contain plenty of good experience and still fail to communicate it effectively.
ATS problems aren't always obvious either
Applicant tracking systems are part of many recruitment processes, but there is also a lot of misleading information online about how they work.
You don't need to redesign your CV around tricks or stuff it with keywords.
What matters is whether your CV is structured and written in a way that can be interpreted clearly.
And again, that isn't always something you can tell just by opening the document yourself.
So what should you fix?
That depends on your CV.
For one person, the biggest problem might be how their experience is written.
For another, it could be structure.
Someone else might have a strong CV that simply isn't positioned well for the roles they're applying for.
That's why rewriting everything before understanding the problem can create a lot of unnecessary work.
If you are actively applying, see where South African job seekers can look for opportunities.
Find out what your CV actually needs
FixMyCV ZA can assess your existing CV and identify where it may be letting you down.
Start with a free CV check and see what needs attention before deciding what to change.
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