Why You Still Need A CV

I have to admit that it’s been a while since I’ve needed to brush off my CV to apply for a job. But a recent experience with a member of my family highlighted to me how much the job search and application process has changed. Despite online profiles through LinkedIn being valuable, it’s important to still have a CV according to some experts.

Nick Deligiannis is the Managing Director of recruitment agency Hays in Australia & New Zealand. He says your CV and LinkedIn profile are separate but complementary entities which serve different purposes.

“If you register with a recruiter or apply for a job, your CV will be viewed first. This document gives the recruiter a factual and chronological snapshot of your skills and experience and explains why you are both interested in and suitable for this job specifically”.

Recruiters use that information as a first level filter. They can then look at your LinkedIn profile as a more colourful and nuanced look at your career. Deligiannis says having strong examples, videos where appropriate and work examples such as documents or reports you’ve produced (anonymised where that’s appropriate).

But it can also work the other way. Having a strong LinkedIn profile is important as recruiters look though LinkedIn to find suitable candidates for roles as well.

There’s plenty of criticism levelled at LinkedIn – with good reason. Unless you tweak the settings you can get a lot of email sent from the platform. But it is a valuable tool that complements a solid CV that is customised to match each job you apply for.