5 things that will ACTUALLY get your CV noticed
“Your CV is just a commodity. Package yourself.”― Bernard Kelvin Clive
Vague CV advice like ‘make sure it fits on one page’ and ‘be confident’ is just sooo unhelpful and inadequate. Here, we share some clear, unique action points that you can implement immediately. Also, these ideas are actually double-useful because not only will it definitely get you to the interview stage, but it’ll also set you apart when you have that face-to-face time.
A section labelled ‘self-taught’
Self-teaching is one of the most valued traits in a new employee, but no one ever talks about it. It instantly tells an employer that when you start, that you can learn on the job and improve without necessarily costing your manager too much of their time. Most people below the age of 25 have self-taught themselves at least one thing throughout their life, because technology has brought them so many free opportunities and they’ve been unafraid to experiment. Basic photoshop skills, video-editing skills, presenter-skills… for example, if you have a youtube channel you’ll have a million different self-taught skills that you probably take for granted but an employer will drop their jaw at. Or if you have taught yourself photography, link to your instagram. If you’ve ever learnt skills off the internet that would normally have to pay for a course to learn, list it in the ‘self-taught’ category on your CV.
Intuition
You must mention that you are an instinctively intuitive person. If you don’t know what intuition is, it’s the instinct to work things out for yourself, BEFORE you ask questions to someone else. e.g. if your manager asks you to find out how to make a podcast, before going to them and asking what equipment they want, you google what a basic podcaster needs to be able to start a podcast. Then you assess budget options (find out what the minimum and maximum costs would be) and then go to your manager and give them these options. You’ve cost them no time, and shown them how capable you are of understanding what they need. Not everyone does that instinctively. Lots of people would immediately go to their manager and ask them to provide every answer. Intuition is an incredible skill and demonstrates independence, reliability and ambition.
A reference to a recent news article about the company
This will only take you 3 minutes but will make it seem like you’ve got alllll the latest significant knowledge about the company you’re applying for. In the email you send with your CV attached to it, make sure to mention something of importance that has happened to them recently in the news. No one else will be doing this, I can guarantee you. It will set you apart instantly from your competitors. Anything significant that’s happened to the company in the last year qualifies.
Here’s how to do this (with pictures):
Google the name of the company in inverted commas — for example, “Warner Music”.
Click on the news search section.
Click on the ‘tools’ drop down menu and select the timeframe you’d like the news to be within — a month is a good amount of time I reckon.
So this is giving you the biggest recent story — which is that Tencent recently bought a stake in Warner Music Group. So this is something you can mention in your accompany email / cover letter to show off your knowledge. Link the news story with the opportunity for you and your skills — for example, Google has just told me that Tencent (fyi, I’ve never heard of them) are a music streaming service for the Chinese market. So maybe your link could be something like “I imagine due to the recent investment from Tencent might mean your global marketing team are expanding, so if there’s an opportunity for new talent there I’d love to be considered.”
Stylise in an appropriate way for the industry
So let’s say you are applying for a job at Warner Music. You want to make sure the aesthetic of your application stands out and those that see it instantly can tell that you a) know a lot about the industry and b) are a stand-out candidate. So there are a couple of avenues you can go down here — here are some examples of how you can go the extra mile.
Going all out. Make them an actual vinyl on which you’ve recorded an audio version of your CV, complete with a protective sleeve that has it written down anyway in case there is no vinyl player to hand. A la Jolie O’Dell. Disclaimer: this is expensive, time consuming and may come across as slightly stalker-ey but will yield responses and results.
Showing you’re keen on the industry. A good option for the emotionally-invested but cash-poor. Photoshop skills or a relatively good design eye is useful here. Make it look like your whole life is about the industry you’re applying for. Compose an accompanying page to your CV that shows your predictions for the future of the industry. Get your personality to come across — if you are applying to the music industry, think about how to translate your favourite artists into the page. If you’re applying to the fashion industry, make a collage of your favourite looks this season. Take a screenshot of the companies’ team page and photoshop yourself in alongside everyone else. Be humorous and cheeky about it. It’ll get their attention.
If the above doesn’t feel right, think about sending an audio or video application along with your written CV. Again, be creative with this. Communicate your passion and interest in the industry, whether it be written, recorded or filmed.
Recreational projects you’ve worked on
You should have a ‘projects’ section to your CV. Probably under or alongside the ‘self-taught’ section. This is anything unofficial you’ve done that shows that you’ve been part of a team or created something new. So, if you contributed to a friends’ youtube videos, if you’ve ever started a business-instagram account that never came to fruition, if you’ve worked on something with a friend that helped the community you live in… it all counts. As minor as it is, activity is important, especially if no one is forcing you to do it and it’s done out of free-will / in your free time. Demonstrating problem-solving skills, innovation and creativity… these are all invaluable traits to a potential employer.
This article has actually been turned into a workshop by the author Sam and her business partner Mae. Watch or listen to them chat through the reasons for creating the article and how they’ve actioned these points in their own lives here.
This workshop is the first in a series titled ‘The Career & Self-Development Series by ERIC’. Click here to see the rest of the workshops — all are action-focused and designed to not only help you know what you want from a career but also find companies that are hiring, get in touch with them, interview with them and find people who can help you get the future you want.
Mae & Sam run ERIC together, a community that empowers Gen Z creatives through career & self-development content.
ERIC are launching a career and self-development app. Sign up to be an app tester at meet-eric.co/app.
