If you’re looking for a job involving CRM or ERP software, Hays’ Harry Gooding outlines what to add to your CV.
Digital transformation means that more and more organisations 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 get across what you’ve already achieved and what you want to achieve. Include the number of years’ experience you have with the software and highlight any skills or past work that best match the job specification.
The personal statement is also an opportunity to tell the reader where you want to transition to in your career – just make sure it aligns with the job you’re applying for.
Job history
Provide in-depth descriptions of projects you’ve worked on, the tools you’ve used and what you achieved. This can include end-to-end implementations you’ve been a part of. Note any challenges you faced and how you overcame them – you can elaborate on this in an interview.
Give as much detail as possible in relation to the modules you’ve used, or even configured depending on the software.
Write any geographies you were responsible for and what this meant, such as challenges you faced.
For each relevant role, describe the team you worked with. How big was it? In-house or external consultancy? Local, overseas or hybrid? If it’s significant, include who you reported to. Where relevant, describe the implementation partner and any dealings you had with them.
Show that you’re a well-rounded candidate by listing other experiences that support your application. For example, if you specialise in using Workday, what HR background do you have?
Of course, for the more experienced candidates in particular, it can be easy to end up writing a lot. In this instance, read the job specification again and focus on the projects.
Additional skills/experience
Add a ‘certifications’ section.
List any technical skills you’ve developed in a ‘skills’ section.
If you haven’t been able to fit them into your ‘job history’, list any relevant products or software you’ve worked with. For example, with Salesforce this could include FSL, CPQ or Tableau etc.
Have you been part of any communities or user groups in relation to the software? Let the hiring manager know.
What to do if you have less experience
In your personal statement, explain which experience you’d like to gain in your next role and make sure it matches the job specification.
If you’re in the process of gaining a new certification, note that this is ‘in progress’ 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 relevant to the role or hiring company. Link everything back to what you’d be doing 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 evidence these in your job history or personal statement, using examples of your achievements, rather than make generic statements such as ‘creative’ or ‘team player’.
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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