Whilst there is a recognised best practice approach to writing a CV, there is also sometimes a requirement to tailor your CV slightly to suit the industry that you are looking to get work within. As such, the basic requirements of the CV remain the same in terms of a personal profile, education and qualifications, employment history and references; however these can then be enhanced using a variety of techniques. And depending on the industry, these techniques are actually often expected, and will help to make your CV stand out from the crowd.
One way in which you can tailor your CV to be industry specific is to use industry jargon within your CV. However, you must not overload your CV with jargon, you still have to be realistic in detailing your skills and experience, and littering your CV with technical terms may not actually add anything to the skills you are presenting. So although technical terms or jargon will demonstrate that you know the terminology and have a certain level of understanding of industry specifics, it can also distract from the messages you want to deliver about yourself, so use with caution.
Using the correct industry terminology or some key industry related words in your CV will also help your CV to be seen by the right people. Large recruitment companies and employers often search databases of potential employees, filtering out CVs that incorporate industry specific terms to ensure that they are recruiting the right people for the job. So if you are thinking of submitting your CV to a headhunting firm or employment agency, then industry specific terms are the way forward to ensure that employers from within the industry you’re interested in will find your CV with ease.
Another method used to create an industry specific CV is to add a creative element; this is not recommended for most CVs, however more creative industries such as advertising, media and graphic design may appreciate a design element or a unique feature or layout. Once again you need to be aware that ultimately it is the written content that will be the important factor in determining whether you will be right for the job, and although a creative design will catch your potential employer’s eye you cannot ignore the finer detail in your content.
In summary; there is a definite case for creating an industry specific CV but the key to doing this successfully is to stick to the fundamental rules regarding the structure and content of a CV and then subtly enhance the CV. This can be done with either some industry specific terminology or with a unique design feature for use within the more creative industries.
