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What is More Important: Creating a CV or Writing a Letter of Application?

Resumes & Cover Letters

Recruiting is a serious business. On average, US companies spend $4 thousand dollars to fill an open position and find the best candidate for their organization, which means they analyze each candidate thoroughly.

However, most reports claim that HR managers spend less than 6 seconds reading a resume, leaving job candidates confused and wondering: Does my CV matter at all? Is it better to focus on my cover letter? This is a big issue and the way you approach it can make or break your employment hopes.

We decided to give you a hand here and explain what is more important – creating a kickass resume or writing a sensational letter of application. Let’s see the benefits of each document!

The Benefits of Writing a Great CV

A resume is the basic application file that you need to write regardless of the position. A well-designed CV is supposed to explain your work experience. A vast majority of HR reps will immediately jump to the ‘employment history’ section to check out your work experience.

According to the report, more than 80% of hiring managers say they view the candidate experience as very or extremely important.

This is by far the most significant unit in your curriculum, so you have to be very clear and straightforward about it. First of all, you should present all jobs in the descending order. Begin with the last or current position and then move on to the earlier roles.

Secondly, you must be highly precise. Don’t lie about the years of experience and always add months to eliminate possible misunderstandings. Doing so, you will make it much easier for a recruiter to examine your work history.

Mention Accomplishments

Resume writers have traditionally focused on previous experience, stating only simple facts such as years or position. However, the latest trend in this field is to describe your accomplishments in order to prove professional capabilities.

It sounds very reasonable if you think about it because titles and functions don’t reveal anything about you as an employee. No one can be sure of your skills if you don’t mention concrete results. But if you do it, you will make a big impression on recruiters.

For instance, let’s say you were a chief of the customer service department in your previous company. The best thing to do in this case would be to write something like: “During my engagement in the company, customer complaints reduced by 13% because…”

Education

Education is another important aspect of the recruiting process because it proves that you are not only capable of practical work, but also of learning new things and strategic thinking. This section follows the same logic as the employment history.

You should begin with the latest diploma obtained and then go back to present each degree separately. Write down the name of the academic institution along with the years spent there. Besides that, you should state the exact title of your diploma.

Most HR managers won’t spend too much time analyzing your academic background, but it’s still better to cover it thoroughly than to talk about your professional experience exclusively.

Add Courses or Certificates

Some candidates neglect this unit, but it’s good to add a list of courses or certificates to your resume. Namely, recruiters won’t spend too much time reading a CV in the first round of recruiting, but they will certainly go back to it again if you make it to the next round.

For this reason, you should focus on professional training and conferences that can contribute to the overall credibility of your CV. But keep in mind to avoid courses and certificates that don’t have anything to do with a given vacancy announcement - nobody cares about your C++ programming skills if you are applying to the position of the Senior Finance Manager.

The Benefits of Writing a Great Letter of Application

Now you know that CV represents a crucial job application tool, but that doesn’t mean we have a winner already. On the contrary, we have to take a look at the benefits of writing a solid letter of application before we make the decision:

Reveal Personality

Recruiters hate generic messages, and there is nothing more generic than a resume. While CV is indeed the easiest way to state the facts, a cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell more about yourself. Use it to reveal your personality and show your good character.

Of course, it doesn’t mean you can use informal language as it would be a mistake to neglect the norms of business communication. Prove your passion by explaining what makes you an ideal fit for this role. Tell what inspired you to apply and perhaps even state a quote that precisely describes you as a professional.

Prove Work Ethic

Most candidates are struggling to demonstrate their work ethic in a letter of application. Why is that so? Well, it’s mostly because they lack inspiration and creativity. If you say you are a workaholic who makes dozens of overtime hours each month, perhaps you just reveal a productivity issue?

Your goal is to find something that sets you apart from all other applicants. Avoid clichés such as ‘quick learner’ or ‘thought leader.’ The best tactic is to use the vacancy announcement language and prove your work ethic by responding precisely to each statement from the employer’s post.

Target a Specific Employer

The worst thing a job applicant could do is to send a cover letter that uses only broad phrases. Do the homework and explore a company’s website. Check media reports, industry analysis, and all other stuff that can reveal more details about your future employer. Do everything you can to learn more.

Let the recruiter see you’ve conducted some serious research before writing a letter of application. Tell things like ‘I loved your decision to turn from cryptocurrencies to blockchain development.’ Doing things like this, you express a professional attitude and also confirm that you already know the way this company is developing.

Pay Attention To Details

Cover letters have one more purpose, and that is to reveal your attention to details. You must design it so as to form a scannable structure, avoiding confusion and bundle text. At the same time, it is critical to eliminate grammar and spelling mistakes.

You have to proofread a cover letter single-handedly, but we also recommend you hire professionals like cheap essay writing service to get the job done for you. Even if you write the most appealing letter of application, it won’t help if you make grammar errors, so make sure to proofread everything twice before sending.

Now that you’ve seen the benefits of both documents, it’s much easier to draw the final conclusion: resumes and cover letters are equally important for a candidate’s employment hopes. So what to do next?

Your job is to design flawless files that can quickly present your experience and achievements, and also reveal your personality and work ethic. That way, you don’t have to worry about recruiters and their personal preferences, so do your best to create a perfect CV and a letter of application. Good luck!

If you have comments or feedback about any article, please email your thoughts to info@acp-advisornet.org.

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