5 things recruiters love to see on your CV

Recruiters read hundreds, if not thousands, of CVs a day and while engineers are in demand for jobs across the UK, your CV will still be in competition with many others. When you consider that 19% of the whole UK workforce is in the engineering sector, it is essential that your CV makes you stand out from the crowd.

So, how can you make sure that your CV makes its way to the interview pile? The answer lies in making your CV look as attractive and engaging as possible. Here are five things that you can put in place that recruiters will love to see on your CV.

1. A simple layout

A recruiter spends just six seconds looking at a CV. With this in mind, having a clear and simple layout is essential so that recruiters can find the information that they are looking for. If your CV is messy or cluttered, it is likely that recruiters won’t even bother trying to find the necessary information.

Following a structured layout will not only help recruiters to read the CV but will also help you when it comes to amending your CV to suit different job applications.

2. Technical skills

For engineering roles, a large part of a recruiter’s focus will be on the technical skills you possess. It is important to be honest about the technical skills you possess, and not to exaggerate. Secondly, consider removing the skills that are outdated, your technical skills should be relevant to the job you are applying for. Thirdly, make sure the primary technical skills you want to highlight are at the top of the list so that the recruiter is more likely to see them.

One of the ways you can demonstrate technical skills is through a list format where you also include the skill level (such as intermediate/expert) and the number of years of experience you have with that particular skill.

3. Business acumen

One key aspect that engineers need to consider to advance their careers is their level of business acumen. This business acumen goes beyond the technical aspect of the engineering role and understanding and developing a service that better suits customers, stakeholders and the financial position of the business.

There are many ways that engineers can demonstrate business acumen in their CV, such as explaining a process that you have implemented which has saved time or money. Another example is to demonstrate your ability to find improvements and opportunities within the business that offers a greater good.

4. Facts and figures

While your work history can help recruiters to build up a picture about you, it can be difficult for recruiters to fully assess a candidate, especially if they are not aware of the size and scale of projects you worked on for previous firms.

For example, you were the lead engineer on a project worth £3.5 million, or you were the supervisor of a team of twenty, you need to communicate these figues. Even explaining how big the organisation is can help recruiters to understand your role and fit in organisations.

5. The impact you have made

The best way to show why you’re a must-hire candidate is to demonstrate your abilities with proven results. Recruiters will want to see a time when you have used your initiative, skills and knowledge to make improvements to your work, a particular project or the business in general.

As mentioned above, one of the easiest ways to demonstrate the impact you have made is by using facts and figures.  If a process you implemented has saved the business money, evidence this in your CV. Similarly, if you have reduced process time for an activity then make sure to include a figure or percentage to show the difference you have made.

About the author: Andrew Fennel is the founder of StandOut CV; a leading resource centre for CV and job search advice, including engineering CV writing guides.