When it comes to writing your Curriculum Vitae, otherwise known as a CV, there are some variables to consider.
For example, if you’re applying for a job in the construction industry, you won’t require a whole section on creative skills.
And the same principle applies to the type of work you’re on the hunt for.
So if you’ve read our previous blog and decided temporary work is right for you, it’s important that you make the necessary changes to your CV.
To help you get you started, I’ve put together a simple list, containing some handy tips as well.
Get organised
One of the main differences between a CV for temporary work and a CV a permanent role is the amount of detail that’s included.
Think of it this way, if a recruiter or hiring manager is looking to find a candidate quickly to fill a short-term contract, they probably won’t be interested in your hobbies and interests.
Sure, include them if there’s room.
However, you shouldn’t exceed two pages.
In an ideal world, you’ll concisely fit it onto one page, covering a brief summary of your experience, education/qualifications, key skills, personal details and references.
Your CV should only consist of relevant information too – highlighting skills and abilities that are specific to the temporary role you’re applying for.
Temps4Care top tip
You’ll find that a lot of recruiters and savvy hiring managers will do a keyword search on your CV. This means that they’ll use a shortcut to check if your CV contains certain words which are relevant to the job.
So as a candidate, have a think about what kind of buzzwords are used in your chosen industry.
Once you’ve written down a few, go over your CV to check if you’ve used them.
Tailor your CV content
It may seem like a lot of work at first, but once you start applying for similar roles, it will definitely help you.
Recruiters and hiring managers love personalisation as it demonstrates attention to detail.
On the other hand, if you’ve been temping for a while, it’s not necessary to go into vast detail about every position, or you’ll end up exceeding two pages.
Whoever is in charge of hiring will more than likely have to plough through hundreds of CVs every day, so make it clear, concise and specific to the job in hand.
As well as using certain industry buzzwords, think about what’s going to make you stand out from the crowd.
Formatting your CV by using bullet points is essential as it’ll make your tailored content easily identifiable.
If you’re applying for a role that’s being advertised directly via a company or organisation, why don’t you take an extra few minutes to personalise it specifically to their company?
By just including the company name and highlighting key skills in which they said they’re looking for, they’ll recognise that you really want the advertised position.
Don’t forget about the cover letter
Just because you’re looking for temporary work, it doesn’t mean you can ditch the cover letter.
The best way to approach a cover letter is to think of it as an extra opportunity to sell yourself to an employer or recruiter – especially if you’re trying to keep your CV length to one or two pages.
Once again, tailor this content to briefly describe why you’re perfect for the particular role you’re applying for.
It’s almost like an insurance policy to ensure that you give the decision maker an extra chance to see all of the amazing experience and qualities you can bring to the table.
Give them a reason why you want to work for them and what attracted you to the role in the first place.
There’s a high probability that if the recruiter or hiring manager is drafting in new employees quickly, meaning they’ll want to speed up the screening process.
So the more information you provide, the easier you’ll make their job.
Avoid using negative language and contracting all of your words, as this will set the wrong tone.
However, you should include snippets of personality and individualism into the content, otherwise, it’ll look like you’ve used a template or have no personality.
Final thoughts
Whatever you do, just remember that preparing a CV for temporary work is just as important as creating one for a permanent position.
In fact, hiring managers and recruiters are often required to move faster, meaning your CV can easily get discarded in a matter of seconds if it doesn’t meet their criteria.
So make sure you keep it concise, as well as writing relevant and personalised content to make your CV stand out from the crowd.
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