Sitting down to write your CV can be challenging, especially for tech people such as Salesforce Developers. After all data is your forte, not words. How do you get across your expertise without sounding like a robot? Here are some tips on how to make your USP stick and make your CV stand out from the pile of other Salesforce Developers on a recruiter’s desk.
Getting the basics right
Starting out, create a framework of headings ensure that you include all the important information such as skills, experience and accolades. Once completed, a CV should be on average 2 pages, maximum 3. Starting out it may be useful to write down a few bullet points under each heading. This can then be the core content that you use to develop your CV.
Anyone can create a frame work with basic facts, but that’s not what will sell you to a recruiters. To do this you need to start thinking like a marketer, what will make them choose you above everyone else? And the answer to this is fairly simple – what’s in it for them?
It’s not about you
Yes you heard right, your CV isn’t actually about you, the experienced Salesforce Developer, it’s about your potential employer. Yes it may feature all your skills and accolades, but unless you can 
present all of that in a way that demonstrates a benefit to them, your CV holds no real value.
Let’s start by understanding the difference between a feature and a benefit. A feature is a skill, a form of experience, or a personality trait. For example: You have 8 years of experience working as a Salesforce Developer. That’s just a feature, there are lots of people that have many years’ worth of experience, that doesn’t mean they can do the job effectively. You need to translate what those 8 years of experience mean for the company, what you achieved for the business in that time and how will your experience benefit them?
To write this in a way that demonstrates a future benefit to the potential employer, consider the following questions: How will your 8 years’ worth of experience save them money? How will it save them time? Will your systems knowledge increase sales or turnover or reduce overheads? Will your methodologies improve productivity? Will your management style improve team engagement and ensure that deadlines are met saving them money and building an industry reputation?
Ultimately you can have the most impressive list of accolades of any Salesforce Developer out there, but unless you make it clear how your particular skills and experience will benefit the company they won’t give your CV a second glance.
How to write benefits not features
Example of a feature sentence: Managed a 100+ person team dealing with integration points to third party products.
When you read that sentence what do you think? Does it make you sit up and say: “This is someone I want in my team?” or do you think: “That’s nice…..” The sentence is written as a feature, it tells what the person has done, it doesn’t translate into anything tangible that benefited the business and doesn’t tell the recruiter what the person can do for them if they were to be hired.
Now consider this same sentence written as a benefit: Managed a large (100+) team that created a number of product opportunities and business partnerships by integrating with third party applications and platforms.
See how different this is? When you read this sentence what do you pick up on? “This person created business partnerships – that could help me grow my business, that’s a benefit. They created a number of product opportunities too – that’s something my business needs. Plus they did this while managing a large team, so they must have good management skills and be a good team leader – that would be a definite benefit to my business.”
A CV with vision
Reading this sentence has the person thinking in terms of the future of their business and this is what you want to achieve with your CV as a Salesforce Developer. You want to communicate that you are the person that can take their business to the next level, help them gain market share or a competitive edge. You are the one that can help solve a problem they have been facing or help them to overcome industry challenges. This is what will make them sit up and take notice of your CV and invite you in for an interview.
When creating your CV, think a little tech and a lot of sales and make everything about them. Every sentence must translate into: “This is what I can do and this is how it can benefit you!”
Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company. We assist the world’s leading organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill roles that span across digital marketing, marketing automation, Human Capital Management, CRM system management and, Salesforce developer, Salesforce consultant and Salesforce admin jobs.
The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 professionals each year. To find out how we can support you call us on +44 20 8123 7769 or rod@resourceondemand.com.