A good photo can visually carry the entire CV – as you can base the color scheme on it or use it to solidify your personal branding.

Important: with today’s quality of smartphone cameras you can easily take a good photo with your phone. Here are 7 tips on how to do that:
1. Have someone else take your photo. Selfies are not an option!
2. Use a neutral background. Ideally a plain, bright wall. Nothing too distracting. Pay special attention to any objects in the background.
3. Use even lighting. Avoid direct sunlight and shadows. Never outdoors.
4. Dress properly. Choose an outfit you would wear for an important interview. Important: your clothes should ideally contrast with the background
5. Make sure the photographer holds the phone steady. The image should be of a good quality and sharp.
6. Choose a proper frame. Leave some space above your head and both (!) shoulders.
7. Look straight at the camera & choose a natural pose. No arms crossing. Your hands should not be a part of the photo in any way.

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Automated recruitment processes, pre-recorded interview, ATS, Artificial Intelligence, bots… expressions we hear more and more often. How does the constant development of technology affect the recruitment processes – in particular: how do ATS work and how can you adapt your CV to them? [Spoiler: 75% of CVs uploaded to an ATS are never seen by a human recruiter!]

But first things first: what is an ATS?
ATS stands for Applicant (= candidates) Tracking System (= master database).

In other words, it’s a system that allows to track candidates, to filter and categorize them. Some ATS (especially those operating in English) have an additional function: they match a candidate’s CV against the job ad they applied to. In other words: it searches / scans the CV for key words used in the job ad or additionally added in the background.

Why do companies use it?
According to TopResume.com:

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“Eye-catching” design, unusual layout, more and more templates available to the public that are tempting candidates to create a 2-column CV. Here’s why they don’t work:

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For obvious reasons – time and money savings – more and more companies switch to automated CV processing and candidate ranking – the so-called ATS – Applicant Tracking Systems where everything is one place. But not only that, according to Vervoe.com [in the US] “some AI tools have reported a 20-100% increase in gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of hires.” That also applies to recruitment processes for experienced managers and executives!

Currently, the most commonly used ATS within the Fortune 500 companies are: Taleo, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, IBM Kenexa BrassRing, ICIMS, ADP (Source: JobScan.co)

How do you know which ATS is being used? Look at the link of the database of the job ad you are uploading your CV to; it could read “https://3m.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Search/….”

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At Career Angels we keep writing about how important it is to keep up with the VUCA market. It concerns us, consultants, but also you, experienced managers and executives who are (more or less) active on the job market. The Career ABC is a way to stay atop of what we know about the current job market. It includes updated definitions, myth busters, KPIs.

The remaining letters of the Career ABC series:

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At Career Angels we keep writing about how important it is to keep up with the VUCA market. It concerns us, consultants, but also you, experienced managers and executives who are (more or less) active on the job market. The Career ABC is a way to stay atop of what we know about the current job market. It includes updated definitions, myth busters, KPIs.

The remaining letters of the Career ABC series:

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At Career Angels we keep writing about how important it is to keep up with the VUCA market. It concerns us, consultants, but also you, experienced managers and executives who are (more or less) active on the job market. The Career ABC is a way to stay atop of what we know about the current job market. It includes updated definitions, myth busters, KPIs.

The remaining letters of the Career ABC series:

Read more →

At Career Angels we keep writing about how important it is to keep up with the VUCA market. It concerns us, consultants, but also you, experienced managers and executives who are (more or less) active on the job market. The Career ABC is a way to stay atop of what we know about the current job market. It includes updated definitions, myth busters, KPIs.

The remaining letters of the Career ABC series:
Read more →

At Career Angels we keep writing about how important it is to keep up with the VUCA market. It concerns us, consultants, but also you, experienced managers and executives who are (more or less) active on the job market. The Career ABC is a way to stay atop of what we know about the current job market. It includes updated definitions, myth busters, KPIs.

The remaining letters of the Career ABC series:

Read more →

At Career Angels we keep writing about how important it is to keep up with the VUCA market. It concerns us, consultants, but also you, experienced managers and executives who are (more or less) active on the job market. The Career ABC is a way to stay atop of what we know about the current job market. It includes updated definitions, myth busters, KPIs.

The remaining letters of the Career ABC series:

Read more →