Why doesn't my CV fit?

Why doesn't my CV fit?

You may well see an advertisement online or a job description that you feel is the ‘perfect’ fit for you and your experience, only to find that you get no answer from the company (and assume that you have been unsuccessful) or a rejection stating that other candidates have come forward whose experience and background is more in line with their needs….

What went wrong?

So why didn’t your CV fit? There may be several reasons for this including the fact that you are not suitable. However, there are certain things you can do to help get your CV through the initial application process.

Help the Hiring Manager

You will never know exactly what the Hiring Manager is looking for, but you can second guess quite a lot from the text of the advert and job description.

Generally, they will have around 6-10 must have, key areas, relevant to the experience and background they are looking for.

These ’keywords’ could include for example: someone who currently (or recently) works in their sector; has experience of similar/the same products or services; knows their customer base; has managed a team/operation of the same size and complexity; has established a new operation or facility; has turned a company around…and so on.

Add your keywords

The key is to read the advert/description carefully and pick out these key areas and then ensure they are prominent on your CV and your covering letter/email – providing of course that you have done them!

Be upfront – if it asks for experience of selling appliances to commercial kitchens and you have done this say so – do not assume that they should know that the company you work for is a competitor.

Who will read your CV?

Your CV may be read by the Hiring Manager, Line Manager, Recruitment Consultant, an Assistant, or by an automated system. All will sift through CV’s and pick out those that match their requirements, if they can find that information on your CV.

Customise your CV

So do not rely on just one generic CV, rewrite it for each job you apply for – this is so easy to do, but seldom is. A word of warning though – don’t see what you want to see from the advert/description, rather, be objective and honest about your ‘fit’.

Beware of AI

If you feel that your CV is being ignored you may turn to AI for help. Beware! A recent survey showed that over 70% of hiring managers can tell if a candidate has used AI, with half of these saying it has a negative impact on their perception of the applicant.

There is no doubt that AI (such as ChatGPT) can re-write your CV for a particular job application in seconds, adding keywords and phrases to ensure that you meet the specification, but be careful to personalise it after this has been done, otherwise AI will be checking for the use of AI!

In our experience the majority of clients seek candidates who fit closely their requirements and can fit into the company immediately without extensive training which means they will look for those candidates doing a similar role in their sector.

Some do indeed want ‘fresh eyes’ from outside of their sector; either way you need your keywords to bring your skills, experience and knowledge to the fore.