Communications In Action helps you to get the results you want more easily and more often.
We often get asked about interview techniques, application forms and CVs. Often, people talk about 'right' and 'wrong' ways to write CVs, and the simple answer is - there's no right answer!
The right CV is the one that works for you.
There are so many variables that you could never be right or wrong, however our experience suggests that there are three simple things to bear in mind when you write your CV.
Have a clear objective in mind when you write your CV or application form
Why do you need a CV? What will it achieve for you? If you're going to spend time writing it, make sure it serves a clear and useful purpose. The CV alone will not get you the job, so don't aim for that goal. Writing your CV with the objective of getting you onto the interview shortlist is more realistic and more achievable. What common elements or threads must your CV display? When someone reads it, what do you want them to pick up on? It's not a test! Make it easy for them! Spell out your strengths. Weaknesses are highly subjective, and remember that the other candidates have more than enough weaknesses to go round! Does that sound bullish? Well, do you want the job or not?
Minimise the effort the reader has to make
This may mean 'keep it short' or it may mean use big writing! It could mean that you use different colours, pick a clear font or even have lots of pictures, company logos etc. Just make sure that your CV is easy to read. Otherwise the interviewer will do exactly what you do when you flick through a newspaper - scan the headline and maybe the first sentence before moving on.
When interviewers read through your CV, they're looking for common threads that tell them how you have progressed and what sets you aside as an individual. Make life easy for them. Have a paragraph at the top of the CV that spells out what you are good at and what key points they should pick up from your CV. If your CV has lots of technical information for each job, you may want to have a paragraph for each company that spells out the value that you added to that company during your time there. Remember the CV is not a business directory. It is your biography, so make yourself the star.
Make it memorable
How does the interviewer remember you above the other candidates? How does your CV stand out from the pile? Print it on coloured paper, have a big photo of yourself on the front page, you can try anything to make it stand out from the crowd. Above all, demonstrating your credibility and using a conversational tone that connects with the reader will make your CV more memorable than the other bland efforts. Anything that you want to add over and above this should be tailored to the needs or preferences of your audience. If you don't know your audience, play safe. Give the CV a professional, organised appearance and use summaries to make it easy for the reader to pick out what they are looking for.
| Take steps! When you write a CV or job application form, what is your objective? You will increase your chances of success greatly if you aim only one step ahead of your current position. Think of all the steps involved in getting a new job, starting when you sit down to write your application. Not all of these decisions are directly under your control, therefore to aim too far at each step is to focus your effort outside of your area of influence.
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| In this picture , the blue boxes are those steps you have direct control over. The green boxes are those steps that are up to someone else. The best you can aim for is to be in the best position possible for that decision. This is the most effective way to focus all your energy on reaching that red box! | |
Focus all of your effort, time, experience and resources on what you can directly control – this will give you the best chance of success.
For example, what is your objective at the interview? If it is to get the job then you are wasting effort. Instead, set yourself an objective “to get yourself into the best possible position for selection” – this is much easier for you to control.
Is it better to go for as many interviews as you can, or is it better to 'save yourself' for the right job?
Our advice is to go for as many as you can for a number of reasons.
Firstly, practise is always useful if you're prepared to learn something each time.
Secondly, it exposes you to lots of new situations so there's less chance of you being caught by surprise in the one interview that really matters to you.
Lastly, it gives you a wonderful opportunity to try something different each time - that gives you choice over what works for you and choice is always the best thing to have.
Communications In Action can help you with interview coaching - contact us for more details.
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