It's common knowledge that recruiters don't spend long reviewing your CV, 8.8 seconds to be precise according to this article. So, how can you ensure that those 8.8 seconds are going to involve your recruiter reading something that will attract their attention?  

An interesting point in the article is that the CV should be one page. Well, this is quite a hot topic amongst students and Careers Consultants. Standard British CV length is two pages, however, if you are applying to a US organisation, even in the UK, they may specify that it should be one page only. And this detail is easily overlooked. Goldman Sachs specify a one page CV is required, however, I discovered whilst helping a student with their online application, that this detail is in the small print and you have to click on something quite hidden to find it. Yes you guessed it, they are already testing your attention to detail in the application process. 

So what if your CV is one and a half pages long? Well, it is in danger of appearing like you don't have enough achievements to fill two pages, so in this case it may be wise to be a bit more efficient with space, and cut it down to one page. Alternatively, perhaps you can expand on an area, or include some more examples. Quality over quantity is a useful thing to remember here, though. 

Going back to the article I read here about the most overused words on a CV, what if you do feel you are 'motivated', or 'passionate' or have a great 'track record'? Because it's worth pointing out that none of these are bad. However, to credit this writer's opinion, these words do start to sound empty and a bit meaningless when you keep reading them, and one person's CV could be any of the twenty you've already looked at. So, back up your attributes with some examples and evidence of these skills and strengths. Context and a story around a skill will be memorable to a recruiter, and they will hear your voice from your CV as a real person, as opposed to a candidate on a piece of paper. Ultimately, someone that hires you has got to be able to imagine working with you, so if something from your personality can jump off the page, they have more chance of getting a real impression of you. That's another reason for why it's crucial to put your interests on your CV and your LinkedIn profile. Ideally your interests and hobbies will demonstrate a skill or a passion for something that involves you learning and developing. If you think outside the box, most hobbies show a skill. Into skiing? This involves quite a degree of risk taking. I know plenty of people too afraid to try. Love travelling to different countries? Then you'll probably be open to working with different cultures and know how to conduct yourself in scenarios where you don't all speak the same language.  

Don't forget that you're allowed to interpret skills and strengths to fit around your achievements. So, Leadership doesn't have to necessarily involve leading a team of 20 people. If you're not yet out of University and are preparing your CV, chances are you probably haven't done this yet, but this doesn't meant that you haven't demonstrated leadership qualities.  You may have helped to lead an intern project on Placement, or perhaps you've lead your own work, that involved managing your time. Or perhaps you had to manage upwards, in order to get the most out of working with your manager effectively. 

Being 'passionate' and 'enthusiastic' about your work is a great thing, and employers certainly wouldn't regard it as a negative thing. It means that you'll probably want to go the extra mile, you'll find yourself in your 'flow' regularly and time will fly by and without realising it you'll have worked more hours than you needed, in order to get the project completed to meet the deadline, or to go above and beyond for your client. Or perhaps you'll invest your own time in broadening your knowledge and expertise to enhance your performance at work - you might read books around your subject, do a MOOC, attend Meetups related to your field. But, reading these words 'passionate' and 'enthusiastic' on your CV can be a bit cliched for a recruiter. So, to get around this one, show your passion, make your CV ooze with your enthusiasm, without having to say it. If you do any of the above, or anything else that shows your passion, weave these into your CV. Join groups on LinkedIn, and get active in them, so that when recruiters view your online profile, they will see this. Nothing reassures a recruiter more, than a candidate that actually does what they say they do. Even if you attend Meetups or blog about cookery or a sport, because you love it, it doesn't matter that it might be unrelated to the job you're applying for: if a recruiter can see that you are passionate in your personal life, and you act on it, they can recognise that this is often a reflection of your personality type, and this may well reflect your attitude in your professional life. 

The ultimate question: what if I've got too much to squeeze into two pages? Yes, I hear this a lot - which is great, but remember that 8.8 seconds is never enough to scan more than 2 pages and pick out any detail, however impressive your achievements are. So here is the ideal opportunity to mention how valuable your LinkedIn profile is. You can fill this with as much detail as you like (bear in mind though that the easier it is to read, such as using bullet points for experience, the more likely it will be read) and it's still easy for a recruiter to see your key points on first glance of your profile. It's worth remembering that you can also upload photos of something you've achieved, a presentation that you're proud of, a photo of a certificate of recognition or an award that you might have received, or anything that evidences your skills and strengths. To summarise, don't just write the words of the skills and strengths that you believe you have, show the recruiter evidence of how you have demonstrated these skills. Show them why they should be sending your CV on to interview stage, don't take the risk that they won't figure it out for themselves.