5 Questions To Ask When Reviewing A CV

5 Questions To Ask When Reviewing A CV Whether youre new to the recruitment  industry or an old pro, reviewing CVs can be extremely time-consuming, boring and confusing particularly if none of the candidates look right on first glance. Now, while the task of reviewing CVs might  be easy for anyone thats been in the recruitment industry for years and knows exactly what they should be on the look-out for in terms of Dos and Donts, for everyone else, particularly anyone from a start-up thats never dealt with recruitment before,  it can be a stressful affair, particularly if theres pressure to recruit a new candidate With that in mind, I thought Id highlight the five key questions you need to ask yourself when youre reviewing candidate CVs for any role, not just in the digital sector. 1. How Relevant Is Their Work History To Your Role/Business? The first and most obvious question you need to ask is how relevant their wok history is to your particular vacancy and your business overall. Consider if theyve worked in a similar role before, if theyve worked in a more junior role but have the skills and experience needed to step up or if theyve worked in a different role eg. copywriting but now have the skills they need to cross over into a different niche eg. social media. On this point, Id say its worth keeping an open mind and not discounting a candidate if they havent actually worked in the role youre advertising before remember, everyone needs the opportunity to progress and theres a possibility that they might end up being a better candidate than someone who has experience in that role because theyre keen to progress and may have more of an open mind. When were talking about relevancy, its also important to consider  the key skills that are listed on the candidates CV and how these might be able to benefit your business, not just at the moment but in the future too. 2. Has It Been Tailored For Your Vacancy? When reviewing a CV, its worth keeping an eye out for any signs that the candidate has tailored their CV for your particular vacancy and business this shows commitment to the role and shows they havent just sent you the same CV theyve sent everyone else. Keep an eye out for mentions of your brand, references to wanting to work for a company like yours in their personal profile and any key skills that youve mentioned in your job advert that they have on their CV. 3. Is There A Clear Route Of Progression/Does Their CV Tell A Story? A great CV should show a clear route of progression and should tell a story of where the candidate started from (eg. their degree/education/first job) to where they are now. Look out for a solid career path which has no unexplained employment gap and which shows how the candidate has progressed and grown throughout their career. If there are gaps in their work history and theres no explanation on their CV or in their cover letter, I wouldnt necessarily advise you to dismiss the candidate but I would suggest you bear it in mind and quiz the candidate about it if you choose to interview them. If their CV doesnt show a clear career path, it might be worth taking a closer look at their CV or cover letter to see if they  can explain why theyve switched careers or why their career path isnt so clear cut. Remember, everyones entitled to change careers but alarm bells should ring if every job theyve had has been in a different industry because it suggests the candidate could be quite indecisive and non-committal. 4. Are There Any Typos/Mistakes? This ones a biggie you need to look out for any spelling mistakes, typos and just general errors that may be a present on the candidates CV. Why? Because in todays age of spellcheckers, theres no really no excuse for mistakes like this and it suggests the candidate is a bit careless and doesnt have a great attention for detail not ideal if youre recruiting for a copywriter, social media manager or graphic designer! 5. Is The Information Presented Effectively?   Last but not least, when reviewing CVs you need to consider how effectively the candidate has presented the information on their CV. Consider whether the CV is a maximum of two pages, whether its presented in a logical order and how professional the CV actually looks. Yes, a professional-looking CV is impressive but you need to make sure its not just style over substance! Similarly, a candidate should be able to fit their CV easily onto two sides of A4 so if theyve overrun, it could suggest theyre not great at following instructions and arent great at condensing information not ideal if youd need them to put together client reports and analysis. Obviously when it comes to reviewing CVs, there is a lot more you need to consider, such as whether the candidate would be a good fit in terms of personality and whether theyd be happy with the salary on offer but Im hoping these five questions should act as a good starting point. Think Ive missed anything out or have something to add? Leave me a comment below.