Two Questions To Magically Transform Your CV
When was the last time you scrutinised your CV? And I mean really scrutinised it, as if you were a recruiter looking for your next hire.
Would it impress them? Or would it fade into obscurity among all the other CVs peddling the same poorly worded schtick?
When I was in the world of employment (as opposed to self-employment, as I am now) I thought my CV was pretty darned good. It set out the companies I’d worked for and when I’d been there. It listed the tasks I did in the various jobs. It even included the buzz-words people in my industry used. I was happy I was presenting myself in the best light.
Enter the expert
Then I met Janet Moran, founder of The CV House, whose full-time occupation is knocking her clients’ work histories into shape. As she spoke about her process for taking someone’s entire career and paring it down to two sides of A4, I had the dawning realisation my CV had been sub-standard.
The lightbulb moment was when she revealed there are two questions she uses to evaluate each piece of information that might end up on a CV – and if a good answer can’t be found, it doesn’t make the cut. Those questions are:
Q1. So what?
Q2: Says who?
What these simple questions do is make sure you really knuckle down to describing what you’re bringing to the table (very important for your personal brand), instead of using vague generalisations that make people wonder if you even know where the table is in the first place.
Question 1 ensures you write about what you’ve delivered, not just what you did. And Question 2 ensures you validate that rather than simply express your own opinion.
A case in point
To show how well the questions work, I’ve created a mock-up of the sort of personal statement I’ve seen people start their CV with:
“I am a highly accomplished senior executive with an extensive track record of delivering major transformational change in a range of public sector organisations. My innovative approach to leadership has enabled me to lead the way in combining a commercial approach with motivating my team.”
Maybe you think that sounds pretty good – and I would have agreed before I knew about the two questions. However, once you apply them to each part of the statement, things appear a little less impactful:
“I am a highly accomplished [Says who?] senior executive with an extensive track record [Says who?] of delivering major transformational change [Says who?] in a range of public sector organisations [So what?]. My innovative approach to leadership [Says who?] has enabled me to lead the way [Says who?] in combining a commercial approach with motivating my team [Says who? And so what?].”
How would your CV compare?
Now, I fully appreciate that it can be hard to write a statement that can withstand both those questions throughout. But with even a few facts, figures, testimonials, results, etc peppered in, you can create a statement that feels more robust:
“I am a highly accomplished senior executive with 20 years’ experience delivering major transformational change in a range of public sector organisations – including the Department For Transport and National Highways. My innovative approach to leadership included instigating a reverse-mentoring scheme, which contributed to an increase in staff satisfaction scores of 37%, while also enabling me to share my commercial knowledge in a way that developed my team and kept them motivated.”
Now we’re talking, eh?
I appreciate that may look a little OTT, in order for me to make the point. However, the bottom line is the statement you’ve just read will really transform the person’s CV – compared to the same old/same old of the previous one.
And the great news is, it’s not just your CV that can benefit; you can apply those questions to your LinkedIn profile too in order to avoid it sounding like every other person’s on there.
What tips can you share to bolster a CV or LinkedIn profile. Do you have a nugget of wisdom you’ve had passed on to you that you could pass on to other readers? The comment box is ready and waiting if you do!
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