I admit it. It's not the best headline in the world, but have some sympathy for me. Do you think "How to make the best CV to showcase your talents" is really going to stand out? Keeping with the Guns N'Roses theme, "Paradise CV" sounded awful, although I am sure that for some of you "Welcome to the Jungle" may be more appropriate. Certainly "Patience" would be apt for me.
However, don't be dismayed. Like a machete in the hands of a bushman, we're going to cut a swathe through the jungle which can be CV writing and land you in the paradise city of a new position, where hopefully, the grass is greener.
I think that's enough GNR for one blog.
Let's get back to the seriousness of your CV.
You should, by now, have gone some serious thought to the question we posed last week; "what is the purpose of my CV?"
Write down your answers towards the left-hand side of a piece of A4. Space the answers out, so that they fill the whole page. Space is key; if you condense everything, then you run the risk of disorganisation and a rambling document.
Organisation is critical and remember that sometimes, less can be more.
I am sure that the irony of that statement has caused a few smirks given the length of some of my blogs...
On the other side of the column, write how your career to date can answers these questions. How does your experience as a senior associate in a corporate team provide the solution to the employer's problem of an underperforming department? Do you have the clients? Are you a disrupter who can channel positive energy to reinvigorate a flagging team? Use examples of this.
I am not going to tell you what to write, or how you should phrase something.
I appreciate that this may sound like a cop out, especially as I have advertised that this is a blog designed to help you write a CV. There is a reason for this. Your CV has to be your voice, it has to be reflective of you, not me; it has to be about you have experienced, what you can bring, not about I can do.
That is why we at RSP never write a CV for a candidate. Instead, we ask probing questions to draw these out answers, which the candidate then formats into a CV.
CV writers are an interesting discussion.
Yes, they have a purpose in that you can delegate a job that very few of us enjoys especially if you are busy. Plus, they can lend a style of formatting and organisation to a CV which at least makes the document read well.
My main criticism with CV writers is that they tend to create a generic CV, which is unsurprising given that that is often their instructions. Unfortunately, with modern software and AI, CVs now need to be written specifically for each job application.
Many firms rely upon the software within their ATS to conduct the first screening of applications, which is reliant upon the specific search criteria of the recruiting firm. To beat the AI, your CV will need to contain certain keywords and phrases set by the recruiting firm.
As the CV writer's focus is solely on the CV and not the application, you can have the best written CV in the world, but you may not get an interview from it.
How do you work out what key words to include? Study the original job description/advert, that is where you will find clues as to what the recruiter is looking for. This is why it is so important to use a consultant; you would be able to rely upon their years of experience to help.
So what must your CV contain?
Firstly, you need to put in your personal details, but this must come with a warning. Only include your mobile phone number, a personal email address and a hyperlink to your LinkedIn account. For obvious reasons, don't use your professional email address, and do not include your home address or landline number.
We all know that companies can sell personal data, and by putting sensitive information on a document you may subsequently have limited control over, you are putting yourself at risk of your data being sold across the globe.
A CV must contain a professional summary. Use this section to draw out the parts of your CV which make you who you are; what you have learnt, what you have improved upon, your skills, your experience, what you will offer the client. Describe career highlights, achievements and how you were directly responsible for a successful outcome to a transaction, project or litigation.
Crucially, the professional summary can be easily synced to your LinkedIn profile.
For your professional history, don't just rely on a series of work undertaken. Explain the value of the deal, what do you did, why your participation was key to success, what it achieved and why you achieved it. Try to limit it to 6 per job, otherwise your CV will be become longwinded.
Ask yourself, if an employer reading your CV is bored, do you think you'll get an interview?
Your professional history should include action words, which will also help beat the AI we have already discussed in this blog. Include phrases like "I approved," "I succeeded," "I attained" and "I approached."
Use phrases to support these action words. Describe how you did this things.
Remember to include goals you set yourself and achieved; the extra clients you generated, the combined value of transactions you wanted to complete and the project you wanted to work on. This helps the firms who do not rely upon AI at the sifting stage to place your CV on the interview pile.
Include professional qualifications, degree, SRA number and (hopefully you'll have one), your clean record.
Plus, it's a safe assumption that someone with your professional qualifications would also have some A Levels...
And please think of some interesting hobbies which actually indicate that someone would want to share an office with you. As much as I enjoy reading, gardening and dog walking, these are hardly hobbies which are going to set the world alight. Champion baker? Brilliant, you'll be in charge of coffee mornings. Run marathons? You'll look great on the firm's social media.
Give people a reason to want to spend time with you.
I have 2 bits of homework for you this week. Firstly, try to come up with a better headline and let me know your suggestions. Secondly, and much more importantly, start work on your CVs following the principles we have discussing for the last couple of weeks.
Let me know how you're getting on and please feel free to send excerpts of them through if you're struggling. We love hearing from you.
Next week, we'll being explaining the does and don'ts of CVs, warning you against some of the things we come across every week. We look forward to seeing you then.