Writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview

Maybe I should add a disclaimer here, writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview for an applicant who is responsible, this article might not help even if most things went wrong in your previous jobs, and everyone said you were the one responsible. Okay, okay, don’t leave as yet, have a read, maybe this time you can land the job in the areas where you are better off, it’s a question of better marketing, that is why writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview is the article for you.

Writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview can demonstrate a great bohemian rhapsody especially when the recruiter is wondering how the applicant does under pressure. Okay, let’s get started without any delay, don’t want you to miss that call for an interview.

Writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview for applicants with or without experience and for internships will be covered here.

1. Choose the right resume format

There are so many formats on the internet that can be used when writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview. Once, I created a CV/resume that was three pages long that had red borders. I tell you what, that CV/resume got me tons of calls from agencies and companies which later turned to me receiving calls for the first interview. The CV/resume was in colour but if the company had their printer settings set on auto be it colour or the default black and white it stood out from the pile just because of the border that can be noticed in the pile of CVs especially noticeable when printed in colour.

Apart from just the resume format, this goes to show the effort put into creating the CV/resume and how important it is for the applicant, including first impressions through the format. This detail makes a recruiter want to call the applicant just by the first impression, professionalism and seriousness in their search for finding not only a good company to work for but being an asset to the company that wishes to employ the applicant.

Try different formats in your job search to be able to test and see which one(s) land you the most calls and interviews. This will vary on the level of commitment, that is how extensive you have been on your job search.

It’s important to note that over the recent years I went in this order in my CV/resume. It made it easier to read and scan the necessary points by the recruiter saving them the time as they look through other CVs/resumes. This is reverse-chronological order.

• Profile and personal details – The name of the applicant, their professional title, and contact information (address, email, phone number, and LinkedIn profile) can be placed on the top of the CV/resume or the right-hand side of the A4 document.

Tip 1: Try not to add your full address, add part of your address.

Tip 2: Don’t add your date of birth

Tip 3: Don’t add a photo/headshot (only if you are in some parts of Latin Europe)

• Summary/Career objective – This is a summary that is relevant to the job that the applicant is applying for mentioning in short, their skills and role that are relevant to the application

• Work Experience – The most recent experience at the top and then going backwards, the years before the last work experience.

• Education – The most recent education at the top and then going backwards, the years before that.

• Certificates – The most recent certificates at the top and then going backwards, the years before that.
• Skills, languages and interests – This can be played with in terms of making more space on the CV/resume for more important information such as work experience, education or certificates. This section can be placed on the right-hand side of the A4 document under the personal details.

Here is a link to various CV/resume formats to pick and choose from https://novoresume.com/resume-templates

Tip 1: If you have no experience or are applying for an internship ensure that the format of your CV/resume stands out more than others. Try different formats and see which one(s) land you the most calls and interviews.

Tip 2: If the applicant has no experience start with the strongest attributes and find similarities in those to the job of interest and construct the summary aiming towards that role for the application using the strongest attributes. It’s better to place the CV/resume on a skill base rather than reverse chronological order when it comes to writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview for an applicant with no experience. Remember to add any odd jobs, part-time jobs, or voluntary work, that relates to the role that the applicant is applying for. This article should be able to help even more https://zety.com/blog/resume-with-no-work-experience.

Tip 3: For an internship pay attention to the summary/career objective section and aim that to the internship that is of interest. Also, add the skills that you have attained that help that position. This article should be of help https://zety.com/blog/internship-resume.

Tip 4: Avoid the use of “I”

Tip 5: Choose the relevant keywords from the job description of the role that you are applying for and sprinkle them into your work experience in all the relevant places.

Tip 6: Don’t use repetitive words in your CV/resume.

Tip 7: Don’t write in passive voice.

Tip 8: When writing a resume/CV that lands the call for an interview remove the fluff with words such as “go-to-person,” “team-player” or “results-driven.” This is taking up space on the resume/CV.

Tip 9: Do not add your references on your CV in advance and only provide it until you are asked for it. On the last section of the CV add the title references and then below that, write references on request.

2. Proofread

Writing a resume or cv that lands the call for an interview is influenced by proofreading. This point is highly under-measured by so many people. The details that are overlooked in a CV/resume tell a lot about the applicant.

• Look out for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. This can automatically get the recruiter to push the CV/resume to the side and go to the next candidate. It also can be a sign of laziness to not take the time to look at details especially if they are errors standing out or are obvious.
• Headings or the resume/CV written up for the wrong role and overlooked when applying. Applying, without taking the time to evaluate the role and ensuring that the applicant is a match for it without making changes to the resume/CV could lead to missing multiple job opportunities by not making the CV/resume relevant to the role through the applicant’s skills and work experience.
• Formatting using line spacing, using the correct fonts, and alignment especially if MS. Word has been put down as a skill can make the recruiter believe otherwise by the lack of attention or lack of technical skills in the way the CV/resume has been presented.

Tip 10: Hey, want to impress the interviewer when you go to the interview? I suggest that during your interview you pour a glass of water from the jug just when you’re being offered water before starting, then let it overflow. As an excuse, you can say, “I always give 110%.”

Okay, cross tip 10 out, it’s risky, I don’t want you to come back and say, “take down this article!” That would mean I would need to change professions; I’d have to go to the fabric store to find new material.

Before I add any risky material that could become a frisky frisbee, I’m outta here.

You can also have a look at Writing a resume or CV that lands the call for an interview short video.

Drop us a comment below and follow us or share this article on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook.

In the next article, I will be going into how do I get a literary agent for my books.

Yours sincerely

T. Dench Patel