If you want the very best chance of getting to the interview stage you have to write a great CV – it’s as simple and as clear cut as that! But how do you do that?
Tailoring your CV to the role is one of the best ways you can grab the attention of the employer. It shows them you care enough to write a CV for them and them alone. Not only that, but you will also make it much easier for the hiring manager to recognise you are the right person for the job.
But on top of writing a tailored CV you should also consider how you’re going to demonstrate your previous performances. It isn’t enough nowadays to simply write a CV that has all the relevant skills, qualifications and experience. You also need to include examples of your performance through achievements, awards and accolades.
To prove you have what it takes here are 6 ways to show performance on your CV.
Problem solving
A good problem solver can get the company out of a pickle and help provide an excellent customer experience. So if you’re applying for a role that requires great problem solving skills, then look to provide examples of this from your previous roles.
Don’t be afraid to go into detail with your example and provide numbers if required. Here’s is what you could write on your CV:
Customers were calling our support team and raising issues but they were not always being logged and resolved by the team. I contacted our IT department to implement a notes tab on our system so each team member could accurately log any messages from the customer. After this implementation our customer review score increased from 3.5 stars to 4.5 the following month and consistently remained above 4 stars thereafter.
Useful resource – Showing Off Your Problem Solving Skills On Your CV
Time saving ideas
An employee who can come up with ideas that save time is an asset. Try to search for examples from your past that could relate to saving time for the company through a process change, or even saving time for the customer which provides a better service.
An example could be:
Car valet tickets were being sent to the Sales Manager for approval before going to the car wash. This often delayed the collection date for the customer by one or two days if the Manager was busy or out of office. My idea was to grant approval to a senior member of the sales team who could also approve valet tickets, and speed up the process. The customers were now able to collect their car much sooner.
Cutting costs
A cost cutting idea could save the company a lot of money. This would certainly look good on your CV if you had an example or two to share – but don’t forget to provide the actual figures otherwise it will be difficult to believe.
Here is a great example:
When I first started working for AGT Solutions we were using only two suppliers for our materials. I contacted several other suppliers that I had dealt with from my previous employment and was able to negotiate a better deal. The overall cost price of our stock reduced by around 12%, which saved the company approximately £88,000 a year.
Generated revenue or sales
Generating revenue for a company through advertising or being a great salesperson could be a great example for your CV. You should always look to provide performance examples that are relevant to the new company you’re applying too. So if you are in advertising, marketing or sales, then this would be essential.
Providing numbers and stats is a must for your CV, and without them it would be hard to believe. Here are two examples of the right and wrong way to provide an example for your CV – starting with the wrong way:
I implemented a new marketing campaign which resulted in a huge increase in sales.
I implemented a new marketing campaign through Facebook that specifically targeted students. That demographic was previously underestimated as a source of contacts and revenue, and as a result we gained over 300 more email addresses for the first quarter of 2019. We were able to convert around 35% of those new student contacts resulting in an increase in turnover of approximately £15,400.
You can see from the two examples that the second one is clearly more believable. It provides a brief but detailed guide of what was implemented and the resulting success. These types of examples always impress hiring managers and push them closer to offering you an interview.
Team working and projects
If you are applying for a role that requires you to work as part of a team to achieve your goals, then it’s essential you provide examples of how great your team working skills are. The employer is clearly not looking for a solo hero and someone that only works for their own personal gains.
So check back over your work history and pick out successful team projects and explain your part in that success. But be careful not to make it all about you, as this could come across as arrogant. You are not the hero in this particular example. Instead, the employer wants to see how your contribution helped the team to achieve its goals, and not how your contributions alone were the result of the success.
Here is an example of how you can demonstrate your team working abilities:
Our customer service department answered the most calls (over 50,000) and achieved the highest feedback rating (4.2 out of 5) from our customers for 2017. This success was down to our team’s efforts and the chemistry we had that enabled us to work closely together and help each other. We treated all of your customers with respect and stopped at nothing to ensure a problem was solved and the customer was happy.
Useful resource – How To Talk About Teamwork Skills On Your CV
Awards, accolades, achievements
A simple way of demonstrating your abilities is through what you’ve achieved. This could be anything from employee of the month to regional sales winner. So consider creating a section on your CV which is completely dedicated to your outstanding achievements.
This will help the employer recognise that you are not just someone who is happy to do the minimum that’s required. You are clearly someone who strives for more and wants to be the best at what they do. High achievements also show a commitment to the company and an ability to see the bigger picture. Your success is also the company’s success.