what does your CV say about you?

So what does your CV say about you?

Your CV is one of the most important documents that you will ever have to create in your life.  And yet, many people spend no more than an hour creating their CV!

Perhaps their CVs are accurate then?  Maybe their entire work history can be hastily written in an hour - all their skills, knowledge, qualifications, interests and experience!  Or are they just underselling themselves?

Take a step back from your CV

Think about it for a minute.  You are giving these few sheets of paper to a complete stranger and hope they will help you change your life!  Sure, you know what you meant in that summary you wrote....but do they?

Often, people miss out certain important aspects of their capabilities because they assume that the person reading the CV will know what they meant.  But is this the case?  Not always.

Try to step back from your CV and think about what you have wrote.  Pretend a complete stranger handed it to you and have a think about what your CV really says about you.  Consider even passing it to a friend or relative and ask them to read over it.

This is particularly effective with people who don't know much about your profession - chances are the recruiter will know just as little!  Well, that usually isn't true, but if you assume it is, then you cover yourself!

Split it up

Take each section of your CV and write in on a separate document and have a look at it on its own.  Remember - recruiters will be focusing on individual parts of your CV more than the CV as a whole (it's all new to them - they are reading it and learning about you for the first time).

Another benefit of doing this is that it lets you refine areas of your CV one by one - I don't know about you, but my tendency used to be to jump from section to section, doing little bits here and there.  This can lead to your CV having an inconsistent feel.

Do you like what you read?

Having read your CV as if it weren't your own, can you honestly say you liked what you read?  Is the person you describe on your CV the kind of person you would hire for the job you are applying for?

What have you missed?  What does the person lack that you have?

Summary

Don't just churn out a CV and send it out to apply for jobs.  It's a very important part of your job search and if you don't get it right, you will get more practice because you will be applying for lots of jobs!

by Shaun Thomas
WoW Careers Services
© 2007

Need more help and advice? WoW Careers Services offers a range of CV and Careers Coaching service, click here for more info.

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