How to Write a CV that Changes Your Life
By: Luke Clark
Tags: Storytelling For Business, Cv Writing, Careers, Job Search, Personal Branding

Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

Having switched jobs a few times during my career, and having spent almost three years writing about the world of work, it is fair to say that I’ve done a lot of thinking about careers.

At any stage in your life, stepping into a new role can be truly transformative. You are exposed again to the full weight of change — at the beginning you’re in catch-up mode, with new tasks, routines and processes to learn. Amidst the bustle, learning the ropes for this new brand is a fun process, and one that can leave you feeling refreshed and fired up. Oftentimes, you find yourself wondering, why did I wait so long?

For those thinking about their own career shift, be it a natural evolution or a shift in direction, the first thought that you inherently turn to is updating your CV. You ask yourself, so just how should I tell my story? What should I put in or leave out — and how can I make my CV stand out in a sea of paper screaming for the same attention?

1. Write to the Job Description

I’ll admit it now: my recruitment agent had a worrying grin on her face when I asked her about the initial presentation of my CV. “Ah, your CV,” she sighed. Sighing and smiling are seldom great combinations.

Fortunately, we were chatting immediately after toasting my new job placement. And luckily, I’d had some professional assistance along the way.

As she mentioned later, my initial CV had been far too basic a summary of a detailed career, apparently not an uncommon trait among content people. More importantly, it didn’t necessarily speak to the job description, or JD.

We remedied this however through an extensive initial discussion, and additional detail within a customised cover letter. But still, the lesson to me was clear: take your CV more seriously.

To me, the best idea is to think of an interesting job description as a set of must-haves that you need tick off with your CV. As such, try and break your previous roles into key projects and tasks, summarising the most relevant and positive ones.

2. Plan it Well

A common perception is that your CV says a lot about you. And hopefully what it says is “hire me” rather than “run for cover”. Remember that your employer is looking for someone to jump into a role without too much hand-holding: so a key part of your success will come down to how you’ve organise and present your ideas. Spending extra time on telling this career story will definitely pay off in the long run.

A common perception is that your CV says a lot about you. And hopefully what it says is “hire me” rather than “run for cover”.

One problem many encounter is what to leave in and what to leave out. Prioritise past projects that shout the loudest to your abilities to execute this role. And where there is a repetition of tasks, summarise the important parts and edit thoroughly. Avoid at all costs a ‘career brain-dump’: in this case, a longer CV does not equate to a better one.

3. It’s Not Just About Tasks

A major aspect to career success comes down to personality. What is it about you as a person that people appreciate in a working context? Think about successful group projects you’ve been involved in, either during studies or within a job. And what did you bring to this project that contributed to its success? Ultimately, the answer will speak to your value as an employee.

It’s not all about leadership or closing the deal: effective teams need many different personality types. You might be an excellent time-keeper or coach. Finding data insights could be your thing. You may be super-effective at editing and condensing arguments. Or maybe you’re that invaluable person who takes on the least glamourous task — only to deliver it with plenty of time to help others. By describing your wins without necessarily overselling your part in them, you’ll ultimately demonstrate your self-awareness, as well as a passion for team-driven results.

4. The X-Factor

Let’s say for a moment that I’m working in a travel-related industry, reviewing two candidates who on paper have similar strengths. Who will I hire? This is where the social and recreational aspects of your CV come into play in demonstrating who you are as a person.

If I’m hiring in travel, the fact that you travelled to the Amazon with a friend and bought pens and paper to an orphanage might say as much to me as career promotion. Or as a foodie, the fact that you worked for weeks to perfect your own sourdough recipe — then wrote a blog on how to master it — might show that you’re willing to work to get results, and then to share that success. Don’t forget that like everyone, employers crave the seeds of a good story. Here we are now: entertain us.

5. Amplify Strengths and Plan for Weaknesses

Remember that job searching is a volume game: you need to expect a few rejections. Sometimes a role is advertised simply as an obligation, even where the true replacement has already been chosen. At other times your CV may seem like too much of a stretch compared to the person who came ready-made for the task at hand — or came straight from a rival company.

When you finally do get that interview, think about ways to improve on other presentation aspects other than your CV. The first place I’d go after learning about you is to your LinkedIn profile: it should provide further insights into who you are and who aspire to be — through both your profile and the Pulse pieces you authored in the past.

6. Questions Provide Answers

Assuming you’ve landed an interview: now what? Carefully read through your CV and the job description again, and consider what jumps out the most. When you present it in person, you can amplify the CV’s plus-points, and speak to any relative weaknesses you anticipate. Prepare for any major ones in advance: where a specific skill might be missing, consider showing evidence of how you’ve picked up new skills in the past. Or if it’s an area you don’t fully understand, read up on the subject now.

When you present it in person, you can amplify the CV’s plus-points, and speak to any relative weaknesses you anticipate. Prepare for any major issues in advance: where might a specific skill be missing?

Now that I’m in a position to conduct interviews myself, one thing that says a lot to me about candidates are the questions they ask me. Think about what you might like to know on the back of the interview: not only to try to get the job, but also to work out whether you really want it. Find out why the role is open.

And ask questions which talk to the motivations of your boss. Assuming the skills match is there, one of the most important factors will be whether the two of you have a good working chemistry — given that, the other gaps are fixable.

Lastly, when you’re doing your final review of all your materials — rechecking spelling and grammar, and making sure you have plenty of evidence of points you raised (links showing finished work can be invaluable) — also try to take a long-term view. A CV won’t necessarily change your life on its own, but it can certainly open up life-changing opportunities.

While you’re embarking on this moment of change, think about where you’d like that change to take you. Knowing what you want in life, and the actions that will get you there, can be the secret to making it happen.

Story originally published here. For more advice on telling your story, talk to us at CP5.co.