Headlining Yourself

How long will a recruiter look at your CV before moving onto the next? With hundreds of people chasing every job, the chances are it won’t be long. You might be lucky to get 15 seconds.

So it’s vitally important to make a quick and favourable impression. If you do, there’s a chance that the recruiter will read on. One way of doing this is to include a headline summary, a profile that distils the essence of what you have to offer the recruiter.

Think of it like an elevator pitch: if you found yourself alone in an elevator with your greatest hero of all time, how would you describe yourself in a way that would make that person remember you. Quick now, you’ve only got thirty seconds before you reach your floor!

It’s harder than you think to be that succinct, but worth spending time on honing your profile to ensure that every word counts.