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Hi everyone, welcome back. Today we're talking about something crucial if you're looking to work in the UK as a foreigner. Making a CV that stands out and appeals specifically to UK recruiters. I'll walk you through the format, the key points to include and some insider tips on what UK employers look for. If you're new I'm Ashika and I talk about moving across the world for that job or to study and with that let's dive in. Now if you're applying to jobs in the UK from abroad you should know that a UK style CV has some unique requirements. It's usually a little bit different So here's what UK recruiters expect. Let's start off with the basics. This is a two-column CV and this is a one-column CV. Now 10 years ago two-column CVs became very popular because they looked different and it was a great way to stand out but that was before ATS came into the picture. Today two-column CVs are not the best way to go because most ATS systems cannot read them. ATS is Applicant Tracking System which is basically a program that filters out CVs for Now this system cannot read most two-column CVs so if you are applying to most roles where you think in HR we'll use an ATS, use a one-column CV. Next, keep your CV concise. UK employers prefer CVs that are no longer than two pages. You may have a lot to say about yourself but not all of it will be relevant. So you first have to identify what information is relevant to the role that you're applying for and then trim out everything else. Aim to include only relevant information that showcases your skills and your experience for the specific job that you're applying for. A good tip here is that if you're applying from abroad, focus on transferable skills. Skills like project management, teamwork and adaptability are valued across roles and can help UK recruiters see how you'll fit into their workplace culture. Another tip, in the UK it's not standard practice to include a photograph or personal information like age or marital status or nationality. Keeping these things out can help avoid any unconscious bias and make sure your CV is assessed purely on your skills and experience. Another tip is to tailor your CV to each job. Now it might seem like a lot of work, yes it is, but tailoring your CV to the job description shows that you're genuinely interested in the role and understand its requirements. It also shows that you're willing to go the extra mile. Highlight experiences and skills that align with the job that you're applying for and use keywords from the job description itself. And probably one of the most important things for you to keep in mind, yes you are proud of everything you've worked on in the past and yes it has taken a considerable amount of time over the past maybe five years, but does mentioning it in your CV help you? You need to mention experience that you can show the recruiter will be able to help you excel at this next role. Now take for example you're applying for the role of the head of digital media but at your previous role you spent a considerable amount of time organizing trade shows on ground. It's not relevant. In fact it might actually get the recruiter thinking you might not be the best fit because it's not related to the role that you're applying for. Your resume is not a summary of what you've done over the past few years. Get that out of your head. Your resume is a summary of what you believe the recruiter wants to hear based on the role that you're recruiting for and keep this in mind. The recruiter is like you, they have a job to do, they have a role to fill. You know the recruiter is actually like you, they have quotas and how many roles they need to fill every quarter and they need to hire for that role or their bosses will think they're not doing their jobs. So a recruiter actually wants to hire someone. You need to make it easy for them to hire you. How do you make it easy? Well by providing them with all the information they're already looking for. They have a job description and they have a candidate description. They're looking for somebody who can come as close to these as possible. So how do you come as close as possible? Open the job description and then look for the skills that they're looking for. Look for the tasks you'll do once you get that role. Now go back to your resume and see how many of those keywords you can add back to your resume. The closer it is, the higher the chance you'll get that call back. And remember ATS we spoke about? ATS will comb through your CV looking for those keywords and shortlist your CV only when it finds those keywords. If they're missing or there aren't enough keywords, very sadly your CV will end up in the rejection pile. Finally, proofread. UK recruiters appreciate attention to detail and even one typo can make you look less professional. Run a spelling check and a grammar check. After that, read it again to see if you can reduce any irrelevant points to make your CV more lean so it's only got the information that's relevant to the role and the business. And if you decide to do any more tripping, once again spell check. And here's the thing, while this video will help you make your CV, if you need help reviewing your CV by a professional recruiter, my team can help. You can sign up here for a review service by a recruitment consultant. Next, let's break down the step-by-step process of what to actually include in your CV. You'll want to start off with a personal statement or a professional summary at the top of your CV. It's a brief two to three sentences summary on who you are professionally, your key skills, and what you bring to the role. Make it impactful as this is often the first thing the recruiter reads. And if you're looking for an example, a results-driven data analyst with five years experience specializing in financial analysis and predictive modeling, skilled in SQL and Python, with a proven track record of improving data-driven decision making. The next thing you'll want to do is list out your work experience. Now when listing out your work experience, start off with your most recent job first. And in the UK, recruiters expect details of your responsibilities and achievements extremely important. If possible, use metrics to show impact. Instead of saying responsible for sales, try something like increase sales by 25% over 12 months through targeted strategies. It's specific, measurable, and it highlights the value you can bring. And this is typically where you will use Google's XYZ formula, which is basically accomplished x as measured by y by doing z. Google states this formula is the best to use in your resume as it gives the recruiter the best idea of what you've actually achieved. For example, you could use the XYZ formula to describe an achievement like increase sales by 25% by launching a new line of business in Q1. And after you've added all of your work experience, you'll need to add your education. For education, include your degree and your university. The practice earlier was to add your year of education, but instead nowadays recruiters suggest that you don't because sometimes a bias can creep in because of that, and you might actually end up getting paid less because of that. Also, if your qualifications are from a non-UK institution, mention the UK equivalent if possible. For example, you may say Bachelor in Computer Science. This makes it easier for the recruiters to gauge your educational background. And after your education, adding a skill section can really help UK recruiters understand your technical capabilities. List the skills that are specific to the job like software knowledge or certifications relevant to your field, and this is especially important if you are applying for technical roles. Now, what about extracurricular? UK recruiters appreciate candidates who go the extra mile, so if you've volunteered or if you've been involved in extracurricular activities that developed your skills, consider adding this. Volunteering in particular in the UK can show qualities like leadership and community involvement, which are great. But if you've not got anything relevant, please avoid adding it. And here's the golden tip. If you do not know how to start, that is exactly what ChatGPT is for. You can get it to write your professional statements, detail out your work experience, and a lot more. Now, you're in luck because I've created a CV template for you, and all you need to do is update your details here. You can download it from my website. I hope this video was helpful. Drop a comment below if you have any questions, and thanks for watching.