The CV Coach: Teach Yourself

Pat Scudamore, Hilton Catt

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781471801532
• eBook ISBN: 9781473623415
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

By the end of this book you will have an outstanding CV
- Identify your strengths
- Understand what recruiters are looking for
- Write a powerful CV
- Tailor your CV for a specific role
- Get the job you want
Other books help you talk the talk. The Teach Yourself Coach books helps you walk the walk.Who are you?
* Anyone looking for a jobWhere this book take you?
* You will be fully prepared to give an outstanding interviewHow does it work?
* A combination of practical tried-and-tested advice, and unique interactive exercisesWhen can you do it?
* In your own time, at your own paceWhat else do you get?
* Access to free online videos and printable resourcesWhy Teach Yourself®?
* Teach Yourself books are trusted around the world and have helped sixty million people achieve their goals

1	WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR CV TO DO?

	OUTCOMES FROM THIS CHAPTER
• Understand why it is important to define the task you want your CV to perform.
• Consider the part your CV plays in making a good first impression.
• Know what readers of your CV want to see.
• Understand why being concise matters.
• Recognize what it takes to be ‘employer-friendly’.

DEFINING THE TASK YOU WANT YOUR CV TO PERFORM

Ask a cross-section of people what a CV is for and it’s a safe bet that most of them will answer, ‘To get you interviews.’ But think again. To help stimulate your thoughts, here is a coaching session for you to try.

COACHING SESSION 2

What’s a CV for?

Consider these four people who all need a CV but for different reasons:

Brooke is looking to make a big step forward in her career and needs a CV to apply for top-drawer jobs she sees advertised on websites and in leading national newspapers.

Caspar is a sales high-flier looking for more money. He wants a CV to send out to six of his firm’s leading competitors to see whether any of them would be prepared to meet his aspirations.

Tim has a job that is at risk following the merger of his firm with one of its biggest rivals. Tim needs a CV to register with three agencies that specialize in people like him.

Steffi works for herself and has been asked to provide a CV by a prospective client.

In each of these four cases, what is the task that the CV has to perform?

Brooke:

Caspar:

Tim:

Steffi:

A ‘one size fits all’ approach to designing a CV doesn’t work. What you need to do before you give any thought to ‘putting pen to paper’ is to decide what you want your CV to do for you. Brooke, for example, needs a CV that will be capable of taking on and overcoming the high-powered competition she will undoubtedly come up against as she strives to climb the management ladder. Caspar, on the other hand, has no worries about competition. What his CV has to do is connect him with jobs that pay more money.

The four cases in Coaching session 2 are not an exhaustive list. Take, for example, someone who needs a CV to help them make a change of career. Among the needs here will be to convince readers that:

• they’ve thought it through properly

• they’re serious.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS

You won’t often be in situations where the recipient of your CV will be someone who knows you or who knows you through a third party. In most cases, your CV and the cover letter that goes with it will be an important first impression.

First impressions are important because:

• good or bad, they tend to stick

• once they’re formed, they’re very hard to shift.

First impressions have an important part to play in job applications and how far an application will go. A CV that makes a good first impression should pave the way to an interview. On the other hand, one that makes a bad first impression is almost certainly destined to find its way to the reject pile.

COACHING SESSION 3

Put yourself in an employer’s shoes…

Imagine that you’ve been given the job of going though a batch of CVs that have arrived in response to an ad you have placed. In terms of presentation, what would make a good first impression with you and, conversely, what would act as a turn-off?

In candidate selection, the halo effect describes the tendency to see some good points in a candidate at the beginning of the process and, thereafter, to ignore any flaws that come to light. The halo effect can also work in reverse. Bad points at the beginning can overshadow good points that come out later on.

HOW A GOOD CV CAN GO ON WORKING FOR YOU

The job of your CV isn’t done when you get the letter, email or phone call inviting you to come in for an interview. It can and does go on working for ...

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Title
• Contents 
• Meet the coaches
• How to use this book
• 1. What do you want your CV to do?
• 2. Putting your CV to work
• 3. Getting the structure in place
• 4. Attacking the competition
• 5. CVs for mailshots
• 6. CVs for agencies
• 7. CVs for business
• 8. How CVs go on working for you
• 9. CV management
• 10. Cover letters
• 11. Moving into the future
• Help desk
• Action plan
• Appendix: Putting together a CV to facilitate a change of career
• Copyright