Experience vs Personality: What Makes Your CV Stand Out?

What makes your CV stand out from the pile? Is it your skills or personality? This is a concern many job seekers and employers grapple with.

As a job seeker, what should you prioritize when drafting your CV? Is it your experience or skills?

As the employer, what are you looking for when reading through a CV? Is it their personality or ability to do the job?

A majority of employers will attest to the fact that they have hired someone with an excellent CV, that had all the right skills and experience that the interviewing team really liked and once that person came on board the person fell flat on their face within a period of fewer than 6 months. How could this happen if skills and experience are so relevant?

Truth is, while the concept of organizational fit has gotten more attention in recent years, many employers would rather take a chance on a skilled candidate who may need time to adjust on a personal level than an unskilled candidate who seems to be a great match for the staff culture.

How then can you balance the concerns of personality, fit, skills and experience on your CV and get your dream job?

Remember that personality matters

While there are a lot of things to be said of your technical competence, personality plays a vital role of success in the industry. Some successful establishments look beyond the skill set of the candidate, they are looking for a multi-dimensional experience with their workers.  A person with the right personality excels more than a person who just has the skills for the job. Better relationships and teamwork in the office co-excels only if your personality fits right in.

Skills Can Be Learned

Skills and knowledge for the certain field you are applying for are always considered more relevant than the personality that you possess. Yet, the fact of the matter is skills can be learned, but people can’t change their personalities. Skills are just skills, if you are eager to learn, you will be able to master and hone what the employer aims to do. On the other hand, personality is something that is integrated with who you are, you can’t suddenly just change who you are.

Why Employers May Consider Personality Over Skills

Willingness to Learn

A thirst for knowledge is something that will show the employer that you have the ability to adapt to certain conditions. It shows that you can go outside your safe zones and have the potential to expand your horizons.

Enthusiasm

If you are enthusiastic and optimistic about what you do, you can be a valuable player for the company. You are able to create solutions with some twists. The happy-go-lucky personality you possess will influence the atmosphere and increase positivity in the workplace.

Self-Direction

When you know what you want to do and have a clear figure in mind on what you want to happen, it shows that you can be a leader.

Ambition

A desire to succeed in the industry you are applying for can be very appealing to employers. It will show that you love what you do, and you have every reason to be hired.

Remember,

Every individual has different personality traits that make up the type of person that they are. They can help employers determine if the candidate will be a good addition to their team and if they are well suited for the job. Are you unsure of how your CV brings your personality or experience out? Get a FREE CV Review from professional CV writers.