Why having 2 CVs may be better than having 1

Applying for jobs can be a gruelling process and in many cases, applicants won’t find a position that’s a perfect match for what they already do - at least in terms of the job description. This means that job seekers often find themselves having to package up their existing skills and experience in a number of different ways in order to appeal to different roles.

While many are prepared to do this at the interview stage, not all applicants consider tweaking their CVs to fit the position that they are applying for.

Things to consider when creating a second CV

Every CV that you produce has to do roughly the same job. The company or recruiter you send it to is likely to only give it a few seconds of their attention as the average CV is initially scan read in around 60 seconds!  This is why you have to make sure you quickly meet whatever criteria they are assessing you against.

Make sure all of your key achievements are listed on the first page, preferably as high up the page as possible. This means that creating a second CV for a particular type of job is often a matter of reordering the information that is already present in the document, rather than creating something completely new.

Finding the perfect job

If there is a position that you are particularly keen to apply for, consider creating a CV that is totally customised for that role. Again, this may only be a matter of reordering the skills and experience that are already listed in your CV so may not be a particularly difficult task. Make sure that you have read the job description carefully and match the language in your CV to that used in the job description.

This will help the recruiter quickly identify you as a good match for the position that they are trying to fill.  You don’t need a 6- 8 page CV, you may not be able to fit everything on but if you want the long version you can always send it afterwards.

Overall, taking time to make sure that the CV you are putting together is well suited to the role that you are applying for is a great way to make sure that you stand out from the crowd when applying.