Hays’ Harry Gooding outlines what digital transformation professionals need to add to their CVs with the help of some fellow recruitment experts.
Digital transformation means that more and more organizations are using customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to manage their products, as well as internal and external relationships.
I asked Hays recruitment experts Jenna Faust, Kate Wingrove and Megan Meads for their top tips on writing a CV for a new role using Salesforce, ServiceNow or Workday.
CV layout
Use your personal statement to outline what you have achieved and what you want to achieve. Include the number of years of experience you have in software and highlight any skills or previous work that best matches the job description.
The personal statement is also an opportunity to tell the reader where you want to move in your career – just make sure it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Work history
Give an in-depth description of the projects you’ve worked on, the tools you’ve used and what you’ve achieved. This may include end-to-end implementations that you have been a part of. Note any challenges you faced and how you overcame them – you can explain this in an interview.
Provide as much detail as possible regarding the modules you used, or even configured depending on the software.
Write down any geographies you’ve been responsible for and what that means, such as challenges you’ve faced.
For each relevant role, describe the team you worked with. How big is it? In-house or external consultancy? Local, overseas or hybrid? If it’s important, include who you report to. Where relevant, describe the implementation partner and any dealings you have with them.
Show that you are a good candidate by listing other experiences that support your application. For example, if you specialize in using Workday, what HR background do you have?
Of course, for more experienced candidates in particular, it can be easy to end up writing a lot. This time, read the job description again and focus on the projects.
Additional skills/experience
Add a ‘certifications’ section.
List any technical skills you have developed in a ‘skills’ section.
If you haven’t been able to match them with your ‘work history’, list any relevant products or software you’ve used (for example, with Salesforce, this could include FSL, CPQ or Tableau etc).
Have you been a part of any software related communities or user groups? Let the hiring manager know.
What to do if you have no experience
In your personal statement, explain which experience you want to gain in your next role and make sure it matches the job description.
If you are in the process of obtaining a new certification, note that it is ‘current’ and provide the planned completion date.
What to avoid when writing your CV for a job involving CRM or ERP software
Don’t add information for the sake of it that isn’t related to the role or hiring company. Link everything back to what you would do if you got the job.
It’s OK to discuss soft skills but don’t just include them without any context. It’s best to substantiate these in your work history or personal statement, using examples of your accomplishments, rather than making generic statements like creative or team player.
Through Harry Gooding
Harry Gooding is director of Hays National Technology for the UK and Ireland. A version of this article originally appeared on the Hays blog.
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