Career: Sending CV's

I apologise for the long silence since my last post seeing that I promised to put up the next post by the next day. Lets just say the "tomorrow" has finally come. I genuinely didn't mean to tarry this long, some circumstance beyond my control "happened".

I promised to put up a post on the best way to send CV's. I partnered with Careers and Beyond to put this together.

The 1st thing to put in mind when sending your CV to an individual is that your CV is probably not the only one the recruiter will take a look at. He/she may spend 5 minutes if you are lucky. To maximize the 5 minutes, you have to make sure your CV captivates him ("him" being generic for male or female) enough in the first 3 minutes to make him go through it. Remember he has other things that he has to do as well as other CV's to look at before settling for the "one".

Don't ever send a blank email or email without content. This speaks volumes of the person sending the CV. The message it is sending is "I can't really be bothered". The recruiter gets the impression that you are not serious and he tends to discard your CV. He may not even open the attachment to discover the treasure hidden in there. A brief introduction is important as well as how you heard about the job opening. Mention that you have attached your CV and close with thanks.

Don't ever send an email without an attachment. Sometimes, when in a hurry to send CV's, applicants tend to send the emails with their beautifully worded cover letters. Without your CV there is no way to determine if you are the right candidate for the job. Remember the recruiter has other CV's to attend to as well. He won't go out of his way to email you back to ask for your CV.

Don't send in an application for a job you know you don't qualify for. Forget it. Its just a waste of your time and hope too if I may add. A recruiter is looking for a Business Development Officer and you send in your CV with the experience of a Front Desk Officer. How on earth do the roles fit? The recruiter won't even bother himself. While others are kept in the "to be considered" pile, yours will most likely be trashed instantly. If you have recently taken a course or certification that qualifies you for the job, make sure you state same in a cover note.

Don't send in your CV with others in one email. If you send a group application to a recruiter, he gets the impression that the people sending the CV are not serious and doesn't even waste his time.

Do send a cover letter always with your CV. It oozes professionalism and gives the recruiter the impression that you know what you want. Make sure it is properly worded and not grandiose. Try as much as possible to avoid typos and other errors.

Do follow instructions always. If a recruiter asks for a particular subject when submitting your CV, make sure you follow it to the letter. 

Do save your CV in a format that all computers can access. Make use of the basic Word Document which is 97/03. No recruiter will go out of his way to open an attachment as he has too many CV's to deal with.

If you have any questions, please send an email to ask4emaATgmail.com.