We all know the CV still plays a significant part in the recruitment process. Most commonly, we talk about its ability to persuade employers or recruiters to add you to the shortlist of candidates and lead to an invitation to interview. But your CV can also help you shine at the interview. A well-authored CV allows you to benefit from the fixed amount of time allocated to an interview and position you ahead of your competition.
If your CV is crafted to include only information that’s relevant to the vacancy, it should have already answered most of the questions recruitment consultants or hiring managers are likely to have about your expertise, experience and contributions. This means the interviewers don’t need to spend as much time in these areas. Instead, they can probe more deeply, and you can engage with them in a higher-level discussion about how you do things, why you do them that way and how you approach challenges and problems.
The interviewer, therefore, gains more information about you, and they remember you because it was an interesting discussion. They got to understand more about your motivations and drivers, your approach to your work, how you could fit with their organisation’s culture and how valuable you are likely to be.
The more they know about you, the better the decision.
To enable hiring managers and recruitment consultants to get to know you as well as possible, make sure that your CV clearly expresses the tangible value you added during your career. Also, mention the challenges you overcame in getting things done. If you don’t provide this level of information, expect to spend time during the interview answering questions that could have been answered in your CV.
Many clients have told me that their interviews went exceptionally well because pretty much everything the interviewer needed to know about their current and previous roles was included in their CVs. They could, therefore use 80% of the interview to discuss how they could make a difference to the organisation. This helps potential employers imagine you in the job. It sets you apart from many of your competitors because you didn’t have to go through the tiresome process of answering questions about what you did, how you did it and the impact of what you did. Instead, you can devote most it to demonstrating how you can make a valued contribution.
