Does your RESUME/CV pass the 30 seconds Test!

What is Resume? A resume is a tailored and brief summary of your skills and experience over one or two pages, a CV is more detailed and can stretch well beyond two pages that contains the profile, educational and career background of a person.

In some part of the world, CV and a résumé means the same thing but in other climes, they mean different things entirely. Some of us have been submitting CVs like forever and yet we don’t get interview invites. The problem is that your CV is not passing what is known as The 30 seconds Test. The 30 seconds test simply means that an employer or interviewer will decide if he’s going to employ you or not within 30 seconds of perusing your CV.

Do you realize that your CV is the hiring managers first point of contact with you? They don’t see you, probably won’t speak to you but every information they need should be right there in your CV in summary.

Your CV speaks when you can’t and needs to be good enough for you to get a call back for an interview.

I have received over 70 cvs but guess what? Less than 7 were qualified for an interview…..this made me got worried and disappointed with what I received from those who claimed to be ”qualified candidates”

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Here are some of the errors discovered

1. Lack of proper CV arrangements 
2. Lack of experience for the mid-level positions 
3. Adequate mismatch experiences/qualifications 
4. Mail without cv attachment 
5. CV without notes 
6. CV with regulatory cards and international passport
7. CV with a picture on the bed
8. CV with kin names 
9. List of church activities and achievements in a cv
10. and many others

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Tips on how to make your CV pass the 30 seconds test

• Ensure your contact details at the top of the page : Keep it simple with your phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile link
• Use bullet point format: A large block of text will not be read. highlight key elements of very specific point and stay on a single track, check your grammatical structure when analyzing your work experience
• Layout and font must be easy to read: Ensure your CV can be read at a glance and properly arranged
• Included all relevant experience : Your work experience and job role should be summarized as too many details will not be read. If you are applying for a teaching job for example, ensure your CV indicates the Subject position you have taught in the past, don’t just write “Teaching” as experience you had under a particular school name.
• Used effective buzzwords: Analyze what the employer is looking for and mention this in your CV and ensure your work experience corresponds with the position you are applying for if it requires experience hiring.

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