With the average job search taking almost 4 months in 2024, it’s never been more important to craft a CV that will help you to get noticed by employers quickly.
So, if you hope to maintain relevance and stay competitive during your job search, you need to stay up to date on these latest trends and key changes.
From formatting and customising your CV to seamlessly integrating soft and technical skills, there’s a lot to consider.
Here are 6 key strategies for adapting your CV and landing job interviews this year.
Prove your digital competence
We’re living in a digital age and as a result, modern CVs need to reflect your digital competence and online presence.
This means making sure that your CV is easily accessible online via a web link, as well as fine-tuning professional profiles like LinkedIn, as this can help to support your professional branding.
Similarly, you should include links or details to other relevant online platforms. This could be your social media profiles, portfolio, blog or your own website. This allows you to showcase your digital savvy and online presence.
Just be sure that these profiles are professional and reinforce your skills and credibility.
Customise and personalise your CV
Tailoring your CV for every application is nothing new, but in 2024 it remains vital. In fact, it’s a good idea to take this one step further, analysing not just the job description, but diving deeper into the company culture and values.
This enables you to reflect these core values and qualities on your CV, highlighting why you’re the perfect candidate for the job.
Plus, tailoring your CV accordingly, emphasising relevant skills, experiences, goals and qualities offers the chance to inject more personality into your application.
This is something that is becoming increasingly important to recruiters.
Personalising every CV in this way helps you to show that you’re not just a great fit for the position but for the company culture and people as well.
Optimise your CV for ATS
With many companies now using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen candidates, it’s more important than ever to ensure your CV is optimised and accessible.
To make your CV ATS-friendly, you need to choose relevant keywords from the job description, as well as using clear headings that outline your skills, experiences and qualifications.
Another way to showcase your digital savvy is to choose a format that is digitally compatible and able to pass through an ATS, yet still visually appealing.
Sure, there are lots of quirky CV designs and templates out there you could choose from, but in 2024, as you continue to battle the bots, it’s better to stick to a clear and concise format, which leads nicely onto the next tip.
Modernise the formatting
You want your CV to be clearly structured and easy to read, but also be pleasing to the eye.
This means using traditional elements like bullet points and bold headings but also adding some new features to freshen up the design, such as a splash of colour to the heading, or a professional headshot
Don’t be afraid to play around with the structure of your CV to better highlight your skills, experience or education, depending on what the recruiter is looking for.
However, it’s important that each section is clearly formatted. This requires you to use a professional font in either size 11-12, leave a margin around the edge of the page and ensure that you don’t cram too much information into a small space.
Showcase technological proficiency alongside soft skills
Getting the balance between hard and soft skills isn’t always easy, but in 2024 when digital competence is essential, you need to get the balance just right.
Start by reading the job description to determine which soft and technical skills are most important to the employer. You can then highlight these in your key skills section, choosing a mix of hard and soft skills.
You can also do this by combining technical achievements or responsibilities with examples of how you’ve used soft skills to add value.
For example, if you were the lead on a project that resulted in a £10,000 increase in revenue, share how using the right industry tools helped you to work closely with the team and collaborate effectively to reach your goals.
In doing so you can prove that you’re not just proficient in using the right technology but that you applied transferable skills to get the best results.
Continue to learn and update your CV
Finally, professional development is the key to success and your CV needs to reflect your continued learning and growth. Every time you learn a new skill, gain a qualification or achieve something great, make sure to update your CV.
Similarly, you should showcase your commitment to professional development by expressing your willingness to keep learning.
You can do this by including any relevant certifications, online courses or workshops you have completed or are currently working on. This demonstrates your willingness to learn and adapt.
In today’s digital landscape, it’s important to showcase your capabilities and online presence, finding the perfect balance between hard and soft skills. You also need to be prepared for ATSs.
By staying up to date on these current CV trends and tailoring every application accordingly, you can increase your chances of impressing employers and standing out in 2024.