Why a CV rewrite is not usually the answer:
First, for those who don’t know me;- don’t take my word for it but consider the following independent research on the subject.
Let us start with the top 10 most over used CV phrases likely to put them off potential employees: 1) Can work independently (47%)*. 2) Hard worker (42%)*. 3) Works well under pressure (39%)*. 4) Good communicator (36%)*. 5) Enthusiastic (35%)* 6) Team player (32%)*. 7) Good listener (28%)*. 8) Excellent written communication skills (24%)*. 9) Proactive (22%)*. 10) Problem solver (19%)*………………………. Moreover,(12%)* have applied for jobs with typos on their CV and one in ten (8%)* have fabricated the truth about the length of employment at previous companies. (5%)* have also lied about previous positions and (5%)* about their references. The research also shows that almost twice as many women (11%)* lie about their hobbies compared to men (6%)*.
(* : refers to the percentage of CV’s from a selection falling foul)
……………..I’m yawning already at reading this and guess what – this is the typical content of a CV whether written by you or a CV writing guru!
A CV is only part of the requirement and a CV has ONE primary purpose which is to highlight the value you offer and relevance to a particular audience, relative to other choices available, to secure an interview against a RELEVANT opportunity (You therefore need to ensure you gain sight of the right opportunities).
The rest is then about YOU, the FIT and mutual alignment.
How many of you get calls for Jobs that are irrelevant yet the intro to the call they give you is …………… I have viewed your CV (but, clearly not understood it or you!) …the point therefore is the CV has not achieved its primary objective. Worse still, how many of you never get the call for a role you believe you are perfect for?
Why is this? Usually, you have had your CV written for you by someone who has never done your job, does not understand you or the role you perform nor have they performed the role of the assessor for roles of the type for which you are qualified. Moreover, a lot of these people use pro-forma and pre-set standard copy text and so the CV bears little resemblance to you nor does it stand up as a document able to achieve its primary objective.
This is the primary reason why services like outplacement, career coaching & career management often fail to deliver to the recipients expectation because achieving a successful transition requires more than just a CV, sitting on Job Boards and Linkedin.
Equally, the current road map for CV screening means the vast majority of potentially relevant applicants are screened out by people who have within the recruiter or employer never done the role being selected for. It is a bit like getting a bee keeper to pass assessment and judgement on the relevance and capability of a chiropractor!! Strange that we would readily dismiss such action yet, when it comes to our livelihood and welfare we readily outsource our future security in such an incoherent and illogical way.
Other primary issues with a CV is we operate in a global marketplace and candidly competition per role is higher and the world wide web makes each vacancy available to many more applicants meaning your CV has to work so much harder to stand out from the crowd. That has created a new industry to support employers and recruiters to sift using key words moving us even further away from the personal judgement of ‘who’s best?’ to ‘which CV aligns best!’
For many, the current strategy and behaviour is nothing more than a game of chance with outside odds at best.
But, before that is an even bigger pitfall with a CV………………………………………
Most people write a CV to reflect where they have been without a thought for where you are trying to go and assuming people do not have the ability to mind read and the fact that ultimately people buy from like minded people surely your objective should be to have the CV go with or after you and not before you.
…………. Ouch, I can hear the sceptics shriek disapproval…… How can a CV go after you when applying for a role?
Easily is the simple truth.
An analogy: For anyone in business would you write a proposal before or after you understand the definition of what needs to be achieved? And that’s your answer. This does not mean a CV for every role as authenticity is a key component of professional success;- the way of recruitment / getting a job is counter intuitive which is why so much of that industry revolving around CV first (recruiters, Job Boards and even social media profiles such as Linkedin) relies so much on a numbers game. An approach few would adopt professionally in the context of delivering real business value. Can you imagine delivering your professional role with such a scatter gun approach?
Getting the role you want IS NOT an assessment of your ability to DO the Job (you haven’t secured the role yet) so it is therefore an assessment of your abilityTO GET to do the role.
For a different approach to getting sight of the right opportunities and in being able to compete effectively whilst building an onward relevant, future facing network of decision makers, Morphosis Partners should become your ally of choice.
Morphosis Partners is recruitment and executive transition reinvented for the discerning professional who gets common sense, wants discretion and sees value in protecting their future welfare, brand and reputation through the acquisition of professional competitive advantage.
Morphosis Partners Limited are purveyors of Common Sense and proprietary, innovative thinking; enabling individuals and businesses to succeed both nationally and internationally.