For thousands of Kiwis dusting off their CVs to find a new job after being made redundant, a recruitment expert has two unconventional pieces of advice for helping you stand out: use videos and artificial intelligence.
That might make the average jobseeker cringe but Shay Peters, CEO of recruitment company Robert Walters, told AM they're the key to standing out in a pile of resumes.
"What people have got to understand is the fact the CV is really about trying to impress, to get an interview," Peters said.
Tip #1: Record a video introduction
A successful CV is one that can capture a recruiter's attention in 30 seconds, and Peters said Robert Walters has begun advising people to create a short video telling their story.
"I don't think it's expected," he said. "And so that still gives you the chance to really stand out from the crowd."
Peters said there is plenty of technology available to help create attention-grabbing short videos that help communicate your "unique selling points".
He said people who cringe at the thought of being in front of the camera just need to practice.
"I know New Zealanders are really soft and... typically quite self-deprecating in nature. But we've got to get over that. We've got to be able to tell our story."
Tip #2: Harness the power of AI
Peters also recommended using artificial intelligence to help draft an effective CV.
"It helps you bring out the keywords that potential employers might be looking for," he said.
He cautioned that people still needed to edit what AI produced to ensure their personality was coming through.
How many pages should a CV be?
Addressing the age-old question of how many pages a CV should be, Peters said "no more than four pages".
He acknowledged the trend has been to keep them to one page, but said that was too tight for someone with a long career.
"I always advise people to really get their key selling points across [on the first page] and then give a little bit more information in the following pages.
"So I think anywhere between two and four pages is probably about right."
