Is the traditional CV enough?

“Is the traditional CV enough?”. This is a question that is being asked a lot lately among job seekers and more importantly, this question gets asked too: “How can I stand out and get noticed?”.

The CV as we know it is no longer the powerful weapon it once was. Previously, your CV did all the talking for you, but now that unemployment is so high you need to find a way to stand out of the crowd, and your traditional word document cannot do that for you effectively. By all means if you send it in an application and it’s good, you could get noticed, but what happens to those that don’t write so well or don’t know how to sell themselves using words. I believe it’s a good thing and now you have more channels to use to your benefit in finding that dream job. So how do you do this?

Let’s start with the traditional CV.

Have your traditional CV but make sure it is always updated and improve it regularly. Remember that employers receive 100’s of CVs daily so one small mistake could land your CV into the bin. You may be asking “What’s one small mistake?” Well if I have 100 CVs and I have to narrow it down quickly, the best way to do that is to see who has taken the time to make sure their CV is updated and perfect and who has not. Someone will always be better than you if you don’t try and be your best first.

Moving on to the social platforms and how you can make them work for you.

Twitter: Create a Twitter campaign for yourself and use hashtags, for example #whyyoushouldhireme or #Iamtheoneforthejob or #youneedme, try to be creative with your hashtag, but also original. Nothing says boring like a copycat. Because Twitter is real time, you could easily get lost among all the noise so you really need to think outside of the box on this one on how to get noticed. Is anything trending that you could get involved in? Are any of the companies that you are interested in active on Twitter? How can you use that to your advantage? Ask yourself these questions.

Facebook: If you are passionate about something work related (for example, you want to work with animals, your Facebook profile would surely showcase a lot of animals and how to help them, would it not?). You would surely be a part of animal rights groups or even like pages about animals? I put question marks behind these statements because not everyone is the same and not everyone who is passionate about something is so active on a public platform, but I highlight these facts because that is the perception the employer might get when he/she views your profile. You need to cater to those perceptions.

Linkedin:  On Linkedin, you should showcase your passions differently and more professionally, join relevant groups and forums and participate actively in discussions. Try to connect with influencers in your industry and follow trends.

Google+: On Google+ you can join hangouts and participate actively there. The groups might not be South African but everything you do will eventually have a result on how easily you will get found on Google.

For the creative people: Have your own blog and mini website. This not only showcases you in a more creative light, but also showcases your ability, skill and knowledge in real time. The proof is in the pudding and this displays the pudding very nicely.

I recently had the opportunity to chat on a few radio stations to offer advice and my perception of where the job hunting trends are lying. This will be a 3 part series, each part focusing on a different trend.

Interview with Tamara Le Pine-Williams on Classic FM: Does the term “head hunting” still mean anything if someone is getting themselves noticed online? Does job hopping hurt your chances of finding a job? Listen to the full interview below:

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Interview with Ashraf Garda on SA FM: Does this mean that the old way of just sending your traditional CV is dead? How important is your online reputation? Listen to the full interview below:

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Interview with Martelize Brink on RSG: How can you find a job online? Tips to help job seekers find a job using the internet. Listen to the full interview below:

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Some great tips to help you achieve success. If you have not registered your CV with us yet, register now. Alternatively, you can update your CV (if you are already registered with us). This is part of the  #JobMailTipoftheday campaign and you can view more videos on our YouTube Channel for some great advice on certain industries.