Why invest in your CV?

Most people realise that investing in one's CV is important for landing a job. Even with a solid network, you need a CV that can evidence your achievements and suitability for the role, unless perhaps your previous line manager has taken you along to their new organisation! However, acknowledging there are always exceptions, the vast majority will be on a level playing field with other candidates and someone we do not know will be party to the hiring decision.

To realise how important your CV can be, it is worth looking at some sobering statistics:

The Macro Jobs Picture

• Over the six months to June 2009, the number of jobs in finance and business services was down 67,000 (Office of National Statistics, Sept 2009)
• Across all sectors, the average number of applications per job has more than doubled to 35 compared to 2008 (Kaonix)
• The volume of vacancies advertised on UK job boards has fallen by 69% in the past 2 years (Kaonix).

The Finance and Professional Services Jobs Picture

• There were over 2000 applications per organisation in the Banking and Investment Sector (Target Graduate Trends Survey 2006/7: Banking and Investment Sector)
• There were 100 applicants chasing every position in the Investment Banking sector (Graduate Market in 2009)
• There were 15 applicants per vacancy in the Accountancy sector (Graduate Market in 2009)
• There were 130 applications per legal trainee position in 2009, compared to 52 in 2008 (Research firm, Sweet & Maxwell)

When competition is this intense, there is new meaning to the phrase the best jobs go to the best prepared. Being armed with the best CV possible is not a nice-to-have; it is truly a must-have.

If you find writing a CV difficult there is no problem in seeking out a professional CV writing firm to help you, but be sure to find the right one and do not shirk the investment. As with anything, a high price is no guarantee of quality, but be warned that for a low price you often get low quality.

So what is your CV designed to do?

Authored by Platinum Professional CV Services.