We all know how recruitment works in the traditional sense: You apply for a job, send in your CV, if you grab the recruiters’ attention you are called in for an interview and in this interview you’re asked specific questions about your experience and prospective career, and then the ball’s in the court of the recruitment team. In this scenario your CV plays a pivotal role, provides your interviewers with your first impression and not only sets the scene for your interview, but determines what light you will be seen under.
Choosing the words, highlighting your important experiences and abilities, promoting yourself just the right way to attract attention… Writing an impressive CV has been a struggle for candidates for decades. It’s not just about the candidates either, the recruiters have similar problems. Sometimes the better-suited candidate has the worse-looking CV, and vice versa, which result in poorly made recruitment decisions.
But the world is changing. Everything related to our lives are becoming increasingly more digital. It’s a world of online presence now, we get to learn new skills and showcase them to make ourselves more attractive, more prestigious in the eyes of our digital following. In addition to that, with our rapidly changing world, while experience and education retain their crucial importance to a certain degree, there is a need for new skills every day. Professionals need to be able to adapt to the ever-changing requirements of professional life, so recruiters are now looking for a certain ability to reinvent oneself in candidates. Being a multi-layered person of diverse skills and adaptability is now key to achieving goals.
When we add these factors together, what we get is the realization that CV’s in the traditional sense are becoming somewhat obsolete.
So, what skills could you have that may overshadow your CV, or possibly even make one unnecessary? First, as we have said, adaptability. The days of making a living off a limited skillset are beyond us now. Another one is problem-solving, the skill of our century. Communication skills are as essential as ever, whether written or spoken, communication is the defining reality of our times. A passion for learning, which is the first step to adaptability, makes all the difference. Being able to fit in with other cultures in a world of globalization will also take you a step further than others. Social skills and soft skills help you form a network that can carry you places that no CV ever can. Personal projects, volunteering and practical internship experiences can also mean a lot to your potential employers. And to tie these all together, you need a portfolio to showcase your skills and your work, as well as a well-crafted online presence.
We are in the age of digital visibility and adaptability. Improve your skills and showcase them, but take care not to become pretentious, and you will have a world of opportunity at your feet.