In Black Pearl’s Online Event “The Science Behind Recruitment”, we talked with HR specialists, George Roos and Nitin Kalra, and got some wonderful insights on how they screen a CV for open positions. Here are some things we covered during the live discussion:
1. Keywords
One of the many things that George and Nitin mentioned when it came to CV screening is the use of keywords, more importantly, action words. Goerge Roos made it clear that HR managers and recruiters look for descriptions of your achievements rather than your responsibilities. Your job title already says a lot about what you do, by digging more into what you have achieved while working in that position, you not only let your CV stand out in the pile of CVs they have already seen, but also highlight your skills and expertise in those areas.
For example, the sentence “Grew social media following by 30% within the duration of 6 months” sounds much better than just saying “Managed social media on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.”. Of course, your responsibilities are also important, Nitin Kalra, advised that when applying for an open position, look through the job description and try to customize your CV to the keywords written. When recruiters look through your CV, you have a better chance of getting shortlisted because you fit the position they are currently hiring for.
2. Unnecessary Information
HR managers and recruiters like short CVs. 1 – 2 pages long, to keep this standard, avoid putting unnecessary information such as Hobbies. Nitin says that these are the type of things they would like to know once you are being interviewed and not in the early stages such as CV screening. George also raises a point that you should keep outdated jobs description to a bare minimum and focus more on the 3 most recent work experiences you have.
George also mentioned that depending on which position you work for, some information such as gender, birth date, and nationality are information that he as a Healthcare HR Manager looks for as some positions, especially in this region, have some requirements that are needed to fill the position. Nitin also points out, depending on the position, that these information should not be put as it puts you in a position of bias.
3. Layout
George and Nitin briefly discussed the similarities and differences of their process when it comes to recruitment. Both mentioned that they screen a CV from top to bottom, so the layout of your CV makes a big difference in the early stage. Prioritize points you want to highlight at the top and work your way to the bottom. One of the points you should prioritize is work experience which is followed by education, skills, and languages.
In some cases, especially for fresh graduates with little to no experience, it is advised that education is prioritized over work experience. Our speakers advise you to not hesitate when it comes to inputting volunteer work and early year experiences as it shows HR specialists like them, what you do and also reflects on your characteristics as an applicant.
We invited George Roos, a Senior Talent Acquisition Manager based in the UAE, and Nitin Kalra, the head of HR at Orient Irrigation Systems to speak at our Online Event "The Science Behind Recruitment" to give us their insight on many processes such as CV screening, communication, selection process, and many more!
These are only a few of the tips George Roos and Nitin Kalra covered during our online webinar “The Science Behind Recruitment”. If you want to know more, we are releasing a recorded session of the event on the 20th of October 2022 on our YouTube. To keep up to date with upcoming events, follow us on our social media accounts - LinkedIn / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram