Having worked in recruitment since the ‘paper age’, I have always been one for formalities. My consultant and company details would be listed in the Grapevine rather than on the 100s of internet networking channels available today; jobs would be advertised in traditional media solely; research conducted through nurturing of contacts and applications would be received through the post.
Quaint eh? Those were the days… well not really, the internet has made marketing much easier, job advertising more targeted, professionals more transparent and communication (applications) instant. However all of these benefits have led to bad habits creeping in and traditions lost and you need to adapt to these changing working practices.
Senior executives brought up with these traditions can be forgiven for assuming that it is just the medium that has changed. For example it would be nice to think that taking the time to tailor a well drafted opening email (letter) would highlight your key experience for the job and give you the edge… alas I believe that the detail in covering letters will be missed 95% of the time, with the more traditional recruiters making up the 5% of those who will read it (with some demanding it).
The emphasis on your CV is now more important than ever. I hesitate to say that recruiters have become CV administrators, however CVs are the commodity and they drop into recruiters inboxes all too easily. Unless the recruiter is retained for a particular mandate, the huge amount of competition can drive a quantity rather than quality approach, pushing CVs around the ether at a rate of knots. There is no time to read an opening letter or email, they will go straight for the money shot.
It is now more important than ever that your CV communicates key tangibles more effectively. Your message still needs to be communicated the shift in emphasis now means it’s just a matter of where rather than whether you should include it.
The first page is the most important part of your CV, it’s your shop window display, and an opening profile with key skills and quantifiable achievements is often the best place to showcase the skills relevant to the mandate. The aim of the game is the same, it’s just the tactical positioning that has changed.
You need to cover your bases so make sure you use this tailored summary in your opening email and will also increase the chances of the message being communicated.
I hope you have a productive week…
Tags: CV review, CV writing, director jobs, executive careers, executive cv, executive jobs, executive search consultants, executive-i.com, Search Executive Jobs
[...] Cover letter – not many recruiters read the cover letter so make sure your overview is also covered at the beginning of your CV and tailored to the job. [...]