CV/Resume advice
here are some tips from my good friend Tom O’Neil at www.cv.co.nz
Developing Your “Brochure”
Imagine if the world’s best golfer wrote their CV stating:
Occupation: Golfer
Responsibilities: Hit ball – Hit ball again – Tap ball lightly – Tap ball into hole
This would not sell them to potential employers! It does not demonstrate their immense value and achievements that stem from this seemingly mundane activity!
In another example, if you have a valuable Ferrari to sell, you don’t put an advertisement in the ‘Cars For Sale’ section of your local newspaper with the text:
‘Car, 4 wheels, engine. Goes. $100,000′
It is important that you ’sell’ the features and benefits of the car to maximize interest in it (and justify the price). Therefore the advertisement would potentially read something like:
‘Ferrari 360. Late model 2006, low miles. 560 horse power, top speed of 240 mph. Racing red. Only $100,000. Live the dream!’
You are a product that must be sold effectively! The fact that the business unit dealing with staff is known as the ‘Human Resources Department’ states it all:
YOU ARE A RESOURCE!
Think of yourself as a product. What makes this product stand out over competitors? What are it’s unique selling points? What makes it better than the rest?
Your CV is your brochure to the employing world
Companies spend millions of dollars to create professional brochures that market their products to their target markets.
Your CV is your brochure – It must sell you to employers as a travel brochure would sell you to travel to Sydney!
It must highlight the key points that meet the employer’s requirements!
Become the solution to the employer’s problem!
Know what you can offer
It is pointless marketing yourself to an employer, if you are not meeting the requirements of what they are seeking in an employee.
I.e. If they are seeking a scuba diver, do not talk about your excellent flower arranging skills!
Make your approach relevant to the employer!
You want to ensure that the key aspects and keywords in the advertisement or position description are ‘mirrored’ within your CV and your covering letter. For example if the advertisement states that they are seeking an “honest and focused individual”, you could place in the summary section of the CV that you are a “person with integrity, who focuses on setting and achieving business goals”.
The CV must be brief, but have enough information to sell you (I.e. 2-4 pages)
Get a professional to help you – I have a vested interest here, but preparing professional CVs is the only thing I do.
Tom O’Neil www.cv.co.nz
2 Comments for CV/Resume advice
Shafiqul | April 18, 2010 at 1:37 am
Denis Odlin | August 17, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Tom is right with most of this, except that the target of the CV must be the hiring manager.
HR types are concerned with the hiring process (putting it nicely – and why you wouldn’t want an HR person to write your CV). HR people have veto power but they don’t make decisions to hire – only to exclude. Make sure your CV meets the job spec and doesn’t have any info that might mark you as high risk (such as big unexplained gaps in your career history).
Make sure your CV features results and achievements that will be understood by the hiring manager.
Hiring a professional CV writer is a worthwhile investment. You have probably invested a lot of time and money in education and training, so the cost of a professional CV is trivial in comparison, yet may have a much greater impact on your career success and remuneration.
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