Process of writing a CV
Yesterday I helped my friend's son write his first CV. He is 17 years old, still at school and already earning quite a lot of money every month by creating and marketing online video content for the gaming market in his spare time.
He is thinking about his future, does he go to university or does he go straight into the work environment and learn on the job? At the moment he's thinking he wants to go straight into the workplace and gain valuable experience rather than a degree.(I agree with him on going straight into the workplace)
Whilst I hope he gained a lot from my 2 hours with him, it was a really useful excercise for me, as it forced me to go back to basics and think about his CV in terms of a process.
So in summary here is the process that we undertook and is relevant to anyone at any stage in their career for putting together an effective CV.
1. Write a WOW statement that will hit potential employers in the face as to why they should employ you. This is your profile. If you already have experience, you should always include a financial justification for this statement. eg. "A flexible digital print operator with 5 years experience, operating Xerox, HP and Oce equipment in banking, legal and manufacturing environments. In the last 12 months I have delivered 15% cost saving to our banking customer base through improvement of pre-press processes."
2. List at least 5 fantastic key achievements, ensuring you are as specific as possible and using financial examples wherever possible.
3. List your experience starting with your most recent employer first. Always include company name, dates worked and your key achievements, responsibilities and any awards you received. (if you have a long career history, only list the most recent 3-5 as most employers will not want to know what you did 15-20 years ago).
4. State your Education, Qualifications and any relevant courses you have attended.
5. Make sure you have references prepared. If possible get some testimonials from colleagues, ex-bosses and any community orientated work you have undertaken. You do not need to list names, addresses and contact numbers unless you are much further down the interview process.
6. Review your CV and see if you can use some WOW words to replace mundane everyday words. If you are applying for a specific job, review the advert, review the company website and use their terminology. The reader of your CV will connect much more quickly with you if you are using their own words. We have some WOW words you can use within our Career Advice Section of our Job Board. See them here!
7. Get friends, family and colleagues to read your CV to check if they get your key skills, achievements and goals. Ask them what they think and use their feedback constructively.
Writing your CV is a process, as well as a state of mind.
Think achievements, and how you can back those achievements up.
Think of using the employers own words.
Think positively and put yourself in the employers eyes.
Remember, your CV should never be more than 2 pages, as anymore, and you will lose your reader!
He is thinking about his future, does he go to university or does he go straight into the work environment and learn on the job? At the moment he's thinking he wants to go straight into the workplace and gain valuable experience rather than a degree.(I agree with him on going straight into the workplace)
Whilst I hope he gained a lot from my 2 hours with him, it was a really useful excercise for me, as it forced me to go back to basics and think about his CV in terms of a process.
So in summary here is the process that we undertook and is relevant to anyone at any stage in their career for putting together an effective CV.
1. Write a WOW statement that will hit potential employers in the face as to why they should employ you. This is your profile. If you already have experience, you should always include a financial justification for this statement. eg. "A flexible digital print operator with 5 years experience, operating Xerox, HP and Oce equipment in banking, legal and manufacturing environments. In the last 12 months I have delivered 15% cost saving to our banking customer base through improvement of pre-press processes."
2. List at least 5 fantastic key achievements, ensuring you are as specific as possible and using financial examples wherever possible.
3. List your experience starting with your most recent employer first. Always include company name, dates worked and your key achievements, responsibilities and any awards you received. (if you have a long career history, only list the most recent 3-5 as most employers will not want to know what you did 15-20 years ago).
4. State your Education, Qualifications and any relevant courses you have attended.
5. Make sure you have references prepared. If possible get some testimonials from colleagues, ex-bosses and any community orientated work you have undertaken. You do not need to list names, addresses and contact numbers unless you are much further down the interview process.
6. Review your CV and see if you can use some WOW words to replace mundane everyday words. If you are applying for a specific job, review the advert, review the company website and use their terminology. The reader of your CV will connect much more quickly with you if you are using their own words. We have some WOW words you can use within our Career Advice Section of our Job Board. See them here!
7. Get friends, family and colleagues to read your CV to check if they get your key skills, achievements and goals. Ask them what they think and use their feedback constructively.
Writing your CV is a process, as well as a state of mind.
Think achievements, and how you can back those achievements up.
Think of using the employers own words.
Think positively and put yourself in the employers eyes.
Remember, your CV should never be more than 2 pages, as anymore, and you will lose your reader!
posted by Heidi Whitelock @ 11:42
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