Whether change has been thrust upon you by circumstances outside your control, or if recently you’ve had a chance for some self-reflection and decided it’s time for a change career-wise, you may have added “write CV” to your to-do list.
If this potential move is about taking the next step up in your leadership journey and the opportunities don’t exist within your current company, read on to find out the five top tips for putting yourself out there via your CV, from our panel of talent experts.
As PR, Communications & Marketing Talent Specialist, Lynley Lischner says, “always be open to taking your next step within a new organisation, as that is most likely the way to achieve growth and a fresh opportunity.”
Having led Marketing and Communications teams for some of the largest companies in New Zealand, Lischner speaks from experience within her own leadership journey, and now equips teams and individuals with the right skills and mindset to thrive in the new digital economy as GM for Communicators.
Founding Partner of search and recruitment specialist firm Fella and Jones, Ed Fella agrees that if it’s “time to spread your wings, experiencing a new business, culture and working environment usually gives you scope to get that much-wanted promotion you have been looking for at an external business.”
Fella along with co-founder Donna Jones, bring together 25 years’ experience across the fashion, retail, creative and consumer industries work with prospective leadership talent – from senior level right through to board level - and support them in achieving their career aspirations and business goals.
1: Keep it clear and concise
“Keep your cv concise and easy to read,” advises Fella.
“These days people don’t have the time or inclination to read long form content,” says Lischner. “A lengthy CV is a sure way to turn a busy employer or recruiter off! A CV should be ideally no more than two pages so you need to be very concise in conveying ‘your story’. Every single word is your opportunity to shine – to express your personality and share your skills.”
Another way to think about it, says Parallel London founder Elma O’Reilly, is to see your CV as: “a teaser campaign, whoever reads should think "I want to know more about this and how they did it."
With almost 20 years’ experience in the global HR arena, O’Reilly has a wealth of experience and insight into knowing what makes employees work smart and happy, having previously held senior roles with brands such as Nike, PVH (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and AllSaints.
2: Highlight successes and achievements
“Many candidates get too bogged down with the responsibilities of what they do,” says Fella. “This is important, but it’s what you specifically have achieved and played a part in which most employers will be looking for.”
“Be sure to outline tangible achievements. Keep your CV laid out clearly with an achievements section along with a responsibility one. This way you can easily focus on what content needs to go into each part and the CV will flow more clearly to you and the person who is reading it.”
Building on the previous advice of brevity, Lischner advises: “under each role held, provide a brief description of your overall responsibilities and just two bullet points each under the headings Responsibilities and Achievements.”
“Use language that conveys your strengths by highlighting your successes supported by quantifiable results,” says O’Reilly. “Verbs are good! Be clear so start sentences with "Created...”, “Led...”, “Managed...". They should directly reflect what you have contributed.”
3: Illustrate claims with examples
“It's common for most people to state that they have great leadership experience on their CV, however it’s just as common for people not to outline examples of this,” says Fella.
“Showing key evidence of this is hugely important, examples of this could be “coached my team and to adopt a new business strategy” or “had to quickly adapt to a new way of working or process whilst ensuring the team were led to deliver on the business vision and objectives that were set”.”
“It isn't about numbers, for example, I don't like to see jobs advertising for "someone who has managed at least 10 people". That tells you nothing about their skill,” says O’Reilly. “I'd rather have someone who managed three people really well and has the ability to scale up to a bigger team than someone who managed 10 people really badly.”
If you haven’t had the chance to fully express your leadership potential in your current role, think laterally.
“I also like to see external activities that may show leadership skills, so for example sports or charity work. This shows dedication and the ability to manage outside of work so shows they can balance,” offers O’Reilly.
4: Adapt and be responsive
Updating your core/base CV is a good idea, but ensure you are then able to use it to adapt to opportunities as they arise.
“Create a CV per job,” advises O’Reilly. “Don't just have one standard to fit all. Match it to the job you are applying for, it should feel for the reader that you match it perfectly! It should be clear that you are ready for the next step. A good tip is to use the job description of the new role as an endpoint and work your CV into it, so to the reader this role is clearly the next natural step for you.”
5: Think beyond the CV
Whether you don’t feel you can convey everything in those two pages, or you want to better express yourself, don’t forget to optimise your LinkedIn profile at the same time – at the very least, to ensure consistency of messaging.
“In a digital world where visual media is increasingly the preferred way to communicate, a ‘one-dimensional’ CV is not a candidate’s ideal platform for demonstrating their best self,” says Lischner.
“A well written CV together with a well-constructed LinkedIn profile highlighting a candidates skills and experience (in the headline), that showcases brands worked for and has good recommendations, is just as critical.”
Communicators also offers personal branding development and a digital content marketing course to help candidates learn how to develop the right digital content strategy to leverage your story across all channels and properly nurture your audience.
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If updating your CV feels a step ahead of where you currently are, and you’d first like a chance to reflect on what comes next in your leadership journey or career, I currently have an opening for one additional private coaching client in my six session coaching package.
Drop me a note or book in for an introductory call, I’d love to hear from you.
“At a time when I was unsure of myself and the direction I was going, Tee helped me to re-direct my focus to the things that mattered most. Through self reflection and targeting the things I needed to change, it enabled me to find a job that I really enjoy as well as focus on my personal passions outside of work. I really enjoyed working with Tee and would highly recommend her to anyone contemplating working with a Leadership Coach.”
