Dear Hummingbird #4: How to make a CV worth justifying it?”
“We have, as human beings, a storytelling problem. We're a bit too quick to come up with explanations for things we don't really have an explanation for.” ― Malcolm Gladwell
Question:
Dear Hummingbird,
It is tough to put out your lifetime’s achievement in a limited space and then be judged basis it. How to make a CV worth justifying it?
- Hopeful in Houston
Answer : You gotta do what you gotta do
Dear Hopeful in Houston,
It is indeed unfair to judge a lifetime of accomplishments basis a single sheet of paper.
Every person has a lot more to offer than what they mention in their CVs. However, it is still a quick way to understand a person’s journey so far and at least get a snapshot. As a candidate, you can always think of your CV as an opportunity to express your structured thinking, creativity and presentation skills in a succinct manner.
It is a standard practice during the recruitment process to interview the candidates in certain rounds based on their past experience as they mention in their CVs. Hence always be thoroughly prepared to answer any questions that come your way. Nothing worse than failing to justify what you achieved so diligently! And for the same reasons never lie on your CV!
It is easy to be step into quicksand only to find yourself stuck at a later point.
Here are a few points for a professional CV that you must always keep in mind:
- A quick glance at your CV must communicate that you present well and effectively. Consider strategically breaking down your achievements into buckets, like Academics, Work Experience, Sports, Research & Publications, Elocutions, so on & so forth and use table, bullets if you have to write multiple points within them.
- The bullet points need not necessarily be full statements but they must convey your point. Use more than half of the next line for a single bullet, otherwise re- consider your choice of words and try to use only one line. Avoid writing in paragraphs.
- Use action verbs like ‘expedited’, ‘initiated’, ‘directed’, ‘spearheaded’, etc. to better convey your accomplishments. Avoid overuse of a single word or phrase.
- Don’t merely state what you did but also put across the impact it created (even better if quantifiable) or some skill that you acquired. For example, “Developed a proprietary tool for integrating supply chain process saving dept. 95+ hours weekly”
- Always evaluate the reason behind whatever you are putting on your CV. Your arents’ name, postal address and hobbies are not required. Similarly, writing an “objective” statement which everyone has copied from the first page of Google search links is also irrelevant. Most companies will ask you to separately attach a cover letter justifying your candidature and fit for the role.
- Reconsider if it is worthwhile to put in your CV that you dressed as a tree in the kindergarten annual day function or that you were the class monitor in grade 4. This is not to berate you for your accomplishments, especially when some of these might be very close to your heart and might also be stepping stones to your other accomplishments. But not every achievement needs to be mentioned.
- Please avoid using gaudy or multiple colours. CVs can stand out even in mono-chromatic scheme, i.e. pick one professional colour like navy blue or grey and use two shades for heading and sub-heading. Please ensure that your text remains legible. Use professional fonts and not Comic Sans.
- Find smart ways of expressing yourself. As a thumb rule, CV must not be more than a single page at least till you have a decade worth of professional work experience. For instance, you can shorten your LinkedIn URL by using ‘Edit public profile & URL’ on the right side of your profile.
- Find a trustworthy person to proof-read your CV. It is extremely unprofessional to spot spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and statements that make little sense.
- If you are applying for multiple roles that are very distinct, make profile based CVs depending on what you want to highlight the most. This is a standard practice in most B-schools.
No matter how tedious it sounds, you gotta do what you gotta do!
For instance, while applying for a vacancy in Audit or Tax, you must come across technically very sound. On the other hand, while applying for consultancy, you can highlight strategic projects and initiatives more and tone down on technicalities.
Hope the above points help you when you update your CV, Hopeful in Houston. Also hoping that you live an amazing and fulfilling life that you present as a CV and not make a pre-empted CV and then live a life trying to fulfil it in the rat race. It is tough to not get lost in the conundrum!
Warmly,
Hummingbird
Dear Hummingbird is a syndicated advice column by CA aspirants for CA aspirants.
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