Rambling thoughts on CVs

Everyone has views on CVs. It is a 'big hand small map subject' - like dress - in which the differing views merely confuse the luckless job-seeker, who should remember that:
• no two people will ever agree on the perfect CV
• anyone who claims to know how to write the perfect CV is either a fraud or intends to charge a fee (maybe both).

Prejudice
Job applicants will meet CV recipient prejudice. A director of a large UK company uses the 'swivel chair test'. While collecting a CV from his in-tray and turning his chair, if the headers 'Responsibilities' and 'Achievements' are not easy to see, it goes in the out-tray.

Another said: 'I receive 60 unsolicited CVs every day - I throw away all with a Profile', which dismayed 90 per cent of his audience of career advisers.

The employer/recruiter has opinions and calls the shots. So, accept that the CV and covering letter are a sales and marketing exercise, and that some research is prudent.

My prejudices
In most cases the CV is part of a package, and the whole product should ooze quality. The impact of a well-constructed CV can be fatally injured where the covering letter is a loose piece of paper torn from a reporter's notebook. Folded CVs often do not lie flat on the desk and, almost inevitably, the fold damages a key sentence. Further, I suggest that total strangers who write 'Dear Mike … Regards Smudge' are unlikely to win me over.

We live in a 'six-second society' - a good reason for not wearing white socks at interview. Important information, like a qualification, must be readily available within the first third of the first page. Winning the attention battle is important.

CVs are more appealing when they are factual/objective rather than opinionated/subjective. The suspicion is that those who avoid facts are lacking in qualifications, verifiable skills and achievements. Statements like 'energetic proven communicator used to working to tight deadlines in high-stress environments' are about as credible as lonely hearts claims of 'beautiful', 'handsome' or 'gsoh'.

Of course there are occasions when it is necessary to stress personal qualities; for example, being a 'team player' and being able to use 'one's initiative' when applying to be a project manager.

However, many CVs are scanned electronically, based on a key word search, so it is important to ensure that they contain the key words in the advertised job description. A logical analysis under the headings 'Responsibilities' and 'Achievements' is better than an essay.

Those who do not write their own CV should remember that they will have to answer for its contents at an interview. Professionally written CVs seem to be readily identifiable, and the vast majority of recipients dislike professionally written ones.

Avoid posh words: 'perusing' is actually 'reading', and 'appraising' should be 'apprising' but the best word is 'telling'.

Translation into 'civvy-speak' can be difficult because we do not have Chief Executives etc in the Forces. And we often tie ourselves in knots trying to translate our experience, which results in a document that nobody understands. So, rather than 'briefing the Managing Director on a daily basis', try functions like 'project management, event management, public speaking, VIP hosting, liaison with international organisations etc'. Show your CV to civilian friends and ask them to identify the incomprehensible words/phrases. Then, either replace these or explain them.

Establish what the potential employer or recruiter wants. Use the phone or get information from someone inside the organisation. In a perfect world each CV would be tailor-made for the job in hand, but job-seekers often have to select jobs that merit the time and effort required for a tailor-made package. For others that appeal but for which you are not a front-runner, one trick to create the illusion of being tailor-made is merely to make the opening phrase of the Profile relevant to the job.

Failure to get interviews may be a result of:
• CV
• covering letter
• poor market research
• targeting the wrong level in a company
• inappropriate qualifications.
Do not always blame the CV - it is only part, albeit an important one, of the job search.

Poor spelling (like 'license' for the noun 'licence') and using the wrong word ('complimentary' for 'complementary') detracts from the content. Over-use of 'I' not only suggests an egotistical control freak but also fails to excite the reader. A more impressive letter might include 'You' or 'Your'.

Conclusion
These meanderings have not offered a solution; rather they are intended to provoke some thought on the difficult CV question. Ultimately, job-seekers should use a CV with which they are comfortable. It is not for this author, or anyone else, to impose ideas on the person who will ultimately have to answer for them.