Your CV is your gateway to landing your dream job! It can also kickstart the career of your choice. 

As a human, you are unique, your CV should reflect this. Get it spot on, and you’ll be able to secure your chosen companies interview in no time. However if you get it wrong, and you may face rejection.

The CV has been around for hundreds of years, and over time it has changed and evolved with the world of work.

As ServiceNow recruiters, we have seen the evolution of the CV, and today we are sharing some invaluable top tips to ensure you get on the radar of the best ServiceNow employers.

This may seem daunting, but do not worry – Linking Humans are here to help! We have created a simple guide on how to write a great CV that will not attract attention for all the right reasons. Let’s get started!

The Purpose of a CV for Employers

Let’s start by thinking about what function your CV serves for employers.

For a start, we should point out that many ServiceNow employers are pushed for time, and they are looking for shortcuts in their recruitment process – they want it spelt out to them that you are the candidate they are looking for.

So to fit this requirement, your CV should be highly tailored to the employer or hiring manager that is looking after the recruitment process.

Aim to find out where possible exactly who to address your CV and cover letter to – this makes it stand out more than letters simply addressed ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ and tailor your CV and cover letter specifically to the company and the role you are applying for.

All too often, ServiceNow candidates send generic CVs or cover letters – these are usually the candidates who don’t get past the first round of the recruitment process.

In today’s competition-led job market, your CV needs to do the following:

• Immediately capture the attention of the recruiter or employer
• Illustrate how your skills and abilities clearly relate to the job description
• Show how much of a culture fit you are to the organisation
• Increase your chance of getting a first interview

Your CV should be a succinct summary of why you are the ideal candidate for this role.

So let’s look at what makes the ideal ServiceNow CV.

Make Sure it’s Relevant

Many people include skills, knowledge and experience on their CV that, although they might be proud of, it is not relevant to this company or role.

Remember the following tips when thinking about what to include in your CV:

• Make sure your CV includes everything the job advert specifies.
• Use similar terminology to that found in the job advert to strike a connection with the employer or hiring manager.
• If there are any areas that you don’t have the required skills, address this by demonstrating your desire to learn, which you can back up with previous examples of learning a new skill for a previous role.

Keep your CV short, and to the point. The ideal length is two pages, but it can be longer if you have lots of relevant experience.

The following are what to include in your CV to make sure it ticks all the right boxes.

Contact Details

Firstly, we have contact details. It’s important to include all your contact information at the top of your CV. You want to make it as easy as possible for an employer or hiring manager to contact you about the job you’re applying for.

Make sure to add your full name, email address, telephone number and your address. 

Personal Statement

A personal statement is next. It is a great way to let the employer know about yourself in a small nutshell.

This should be a small paragraph which sits at the top of your CV under contact details. It should highlight your key strengths and achievements. Think of it as a sales pitch on why the employer should hire you. 

One question that will be going through the employer’s mind when they read your CV is what value can you add to their business? By giving examples of your key achievements in this section, it can really make you stand out.

Sounds like quite a mouthful, but personal statements are no problem to write, we promise. They’re actually really similar to cover letters. Except, you’ll be selling your best points to a potential employer in about four sentences, rather than an A4 page.

Employment History

This section comes next. It is important to be accurate with your dates, list your employment history in order of the most recent first and work backwards. In this section, you want to list bullet points on what you did in the roles. For example, produced digital marketing content across 5 social media channels. Our tip is to keep your bullet points brief. You should include all of your relevant work experience, which demonstrates your ability to thrive in a similar role. Include the name of the organisation, the time you held the position for and your job title.

For those looking for work in ServiceNow, make sure you list all the technologies that you have worked with in your employment history. This is so the reader of your CV can understand exactly how much commercial technical experience you have with each technology and which company you used it in.

Education History

After completing your employment history, it is now time for the education sector. It is important to be accurate with dates, list your Education in order of the most recent first working your way backwards.

If you are educated to University graduate level, you should always focus on your degree/Masters / PhD. You could include relevant modules you studied.

Also include college and school level information, however use less detail to minimise your CV getting to long. You want to outline the qualifications you achieved. For example, 10 GCSEs, A*-B.

Qualifications

Being qualified gives you more chances of securing the position that you are applying for. It demonstrates to potential employers you are eager to learn and grow. You can put these under your employment history or under your education history. If you have more relevant qualification, feel free to do a small section for it. A CV should not contain details about everything you have ever done. However, think about what is relevant for the job you are applying for and tailor your CV to their needs.

Hobbies and Interests

This is a great way to show your personality on your CV.  Your hobbies and interests can make you stand out from a crowd. However, remember to always maintain professionalism.  Great examples of hobbies include Sports, Music, Travelling etc.

References

Don’t forget to add at least 2 references on the bottom of your CV.  This gives the employer the confidence that if they are to offer you the job, they have people that will vouch for you.  Don’t worry as references are usually called upon once you have been offered the role.  If you are uncomfortable giving references on your CV, you can simply write “references upon request”.

ServiceNow CV Top Tips

Even with the right relevant information, your CV will still need to perform in other ways to catch the attention of the hiring manager.

The following are our top tips to get your CV noticed:

• Check and double-check that your contact details are up to date – have you changed your mobile number since you created your CV?
• Use a professional email address without nicknames or slang in it – if you haven’t got one, create one
• Include a link to your LinkedIn profile – the hiring manager will probably look you up online anyway, you might as well direct them to where they can find your LinkedIn profile
• Don’t include a picture on your CV – it’s an outdated concept and adds no relevance to the recruitment process
• Run your CV through spell check before you print or send it. Also, have someone – a friend or a recruiter – to check for spelling and grammar mistakes
• Choose a font that looks good, but that is clear and easy to read. Make sure the font isn’t too large or too small. Don’t use lots of different sizes or styles of font – simple is best

Avoid clichés such as ‘go-getter’, ‘think outside the box’ and ‘multi-tasker’ when describing yourself. If you are struggling writing your CV, we are able to help. Get into contact with us now.

Finally

Your CV is your chance to introduce yourself to a ServiceNow recruitment company or hiring manager in a meaningful way.

If you can show the person looking at your CV that you match the job description as closely as possible, then you’ll get the interview.

For more information on how we can help you craft your ServiceNow CV, as well as find new roles for you to apply to – get in touch with us today.

You can call us on 02381 542 542 or send us an email on farrah.wells@linkinghumans.com to discuss your CV and your next career move.