All of us know why we put effort into writing a CV; it is so that the employer reads it and decides to hire you. Now you also know that a hundred other applicants are handing in their CV. Hence, your instinct is to put in a long list of skills that you think will make you stand out.
However, technical skills might not be as important as you think. Of course, they are important, but not that important that your sole focus is on it.
Along with the list of important skills which are specific to the job you are applying for, you also need to add in information that make you the fit candidate for that company culture.
One of the important things you should realize is that if you are applying for a job that mandatorily requires skill in a certain kind of technical aspect, emphasizing you have that skill does not do much as every other applicant will also have written that. This is where you need to mention your soft skills.
Soft skills are those characters that let the employer know about your people skills. More than anything, you require human-based skills to impress another human who is your potential employer. Your CV should always stand out in the way that you do not solely focus on the skills that were required of you for the job, but the qualities that fit you right in. Elaborate on evidence that shows how you have achieved personal growth from earlier workspaces. This not only shows what you know, but it also shows your willingness to learn new things and adapt to it for your growth.
Identifying your soft skills
Soft skills are characteristics that are not very evident in first look and hence identifying it in oneself might be difficult. Here are a few steps to help identify those skills.
• In your entire work past, what are the couple biggest projects that you have worked on? Biggest in terms of outcome and your role equally. It does not count if you have done menial job in a project which turned out to be huge. You should have had a noticeable contribution.
• Elaborate on the challenges you faced and tried overcoming while you were working on those projects.
• Think of ways in which you overcame those obstacles not because you had to but because you wanted to. Whatever you did to get over that hurdle and move on to the success of that task is the soft skill task you have in you. It might be as simple as communicating with someone, but we promise you it won’t be “Java”.
Put these experiences in the most objective and straightforward way possible and voila, you have a unique CV.
To understand it better, let us take an example. You might have skills in settling disputes and creating an environment where everyone goes along if had just got everyone to put their differences aside and agree on one thing according to the task. You probably have persuasive skills if you took your idea, presented it to the group and despite it having disadvantages or negatives, were still able to get the entire team to agree on it. It is really helpful in pondering over past experiences and finding your strengths.
Giving concrete examples rather than just rant about skills you claim to have is not very convincing. With examples, you will make things sound way relatable. Also, everyone knows that CV is one of the places people tend to boast a lot and lie about talents they do not have. You might not want to do this as that lying might just be why you get hired and no, it is not a good thing. Later when you are expected to practice what you flaunted in the CV, you will find yourself in a pickle. Be honest and focus on what you are good at.