What can you do with 9 seconds? What can you sell in 9 seconds? Could you get a job in 9 Seconds?

9 seconds is the average amount of time that you have to capture the interest of a prospective employer with your CV. Speaking from personnel experience this idea is no more prominent than when an employer can't see any relative work experience on your CV.

When I say "relative" I don't mean transferable skills, I mean a job title/key skills that are virtually identical to the role that you have applied for.

I've read hundreds of CV's over the years and I know that I have "judged", maybe impatiently/wrongly, many CV's within the first few seconds. For example; If I'm looking to recruit a sales person in a certain industry, as a recruiter I will only look for key words in the CV that relate to the job I have advertised. If I don't see those key words I move on.

Now the person, who's CV I'm reading may be more than capable of doing the job that's advertised. However 99% of the time a recruitment agency is paid to find people with experience. It's very rare that employers will pay agency fees for candidates will no direct industry experience (I will right another blog on how to target employers when you haven't got experience in the near future, when I do the link will be HERE).

At this point I'd like to say how much I dislike CV's. I dislike the concept of recruiting based on the written word. I think we should get to a point where video CV's are more prominent. But for now we have to live with what we've got. Well there's another idea for a future blog : )

How to make sure you get past the 9 seconds.

Think of your CV as a web page. Think of the employer as Google. Google (employer) will look for key words on your page (CV) to identify who you are and what you do and how your skills relate to their requirements. Always read the job description of the role that you're applying for thoroughly. Make sure that the words used in the "essential criteria" for the role are prominent in your CV. Use the essential skills required section of the JD to form the basis of your CV profile*. If you do this, than you should have the employers attention for more than 9 seconds.

*CV Profile should always be the first paragraph at the top of your CV, under your contact details that explains who you are, and why you're suitable for the job you've applied for.

#disclaimer Getting more than 9 seconds doesn't guarantee you'll get the job. But the more attention the employer pays to you, and your CV, the better chance you'll have.

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