In this post, we are going to be looking at how to write a CV (also known as a resume, pronounced résumé) with some exercises you can employ to help you. I will also be offering some advice on templates and examples.

What is a CV or resume?

A resume is a document that summarises your professional experience including your work history and qualifications. ‘CV’ stands for the Latin ‘Curriculum Vitae’ meaning ‘the course of my life’, and a resume is effectively a concise version of your work life.

Therefore, whether you are actively looking for a new job or not, you should keep your CV up to date as life develops. This is for several reasons:

• You never know when an opportunity might arise and someone will ask for a copy
• Your CV is the basis of your ‘brand’. It should be a reference document for all your online profile pages.
• Updating your CV is a useful exercise in assessing where you have come from and where you are. It helps you to take stock of your situation so you can assess your progress and plan your next moves.

“To Determine Your Future, First Understand Your Past“

Tschäppeler and Krogerus

Steps to creating a CV or resume

Follow these steps to create your own curriculum vitae:

1. Content. Write out a long version of your resume. This should include all the elements listed below.
2. Tailor. Now consider who the CV is for and edit accordingly. For example:
   • re-write your objective or personal statement specifically for the position you want to apply for
   • Look at the experience, competencies or qualifications in the job advert and make sure you include the necessary elements
3. Edit. Keep editing the wording until you have a resume of less than two sides (A4/US letter)
4. Format. Now work on the formatting so the CV is both nice to look at and easy to read
5. Review. Check your content, spelling and grammar and then get at least one other person to do the same and give their opinion

Content: What should be in a resume or CV?

A good CV or resume will generally include the following:

• References (3-5 people)
• Personal details
• Personal profile or objective
• Professional experience and career history
• Education and qualifications
• Other skills and competencies
• Interests and hobbies

Start by listing elements of content but don’t stop there. Most CVs are dull lists of un-associated information. A list may give some facts but they do not necessarily sell you. You need to tell a story and demonstrate how you will bring value to the organisation you are applying to.

One excellent piece of advice I was given, when writing my résumé, was to think of four or five success stories from work or your greatest life achievements. For each of these stories, write a paragraph on what the situation was, what was the role you were playing, how you solved the problem, and then outline the results of achieving your goal. Illustrate the story with hard statistics (such as the amount of profit, percentage growth etc), to back it up.

Now create your bullet points as if they are headlines from the story. I do not mean that each point should be overly sensational or be some silly tabloid play on words, but each sentence should have an impact and point to a larger story.

Tailor: Answer the question

It is vital that your CV answers the questions that the recruiter is asking. Think of it as an essay; you need to ask the question that has been set.

When a company announces an opening for a position it is because they have a gap; it is a problem that needs to be solved. They set out the problem in the advertisement and you want to be the solution.

If there is a job description for the post then scrutinise it. Does your CV tick the box for each qualification, level of experience and competency that the recruiter is advertising for? If you do not satisfy each requirement then what evidence are you offering that you can still do the job? If you are actually in the process of applying for a role then consider the content of the covering letter as this can help to reinforce how you are the answer to the question.

Edit: Make is short, clear and concise

I am a firm believer in keeping CVs short and to the point. I have sifted hundreds of CVs and a large HR department may have to look at thousands (one of the reasons many firms are turning towards online applications). You may be very proud of everything you have achieved, and rightly so, but your CV is your elevator pitch, your foot in the door, not your life history. You need your CV to get you that interview; then you can elaborate on how amazing you are.

Write out your long version, to begin with, include everything and then keep that as a reference copy but then refine the CV for each application. There is plenty of debate on how long a CV should be but it is generally accepted that it should not be longer than two sides long.

If you need two pages, make sure the most important information is on the first page, and the critical points are at the top. Someone may only look at your CV for a few seconds; make sure they count. It is worth refining a one-page version, even if you eventually choose a longer one, just to help with editing and focussing on the most important information.

Format: make a positive impact

First impressions count. Looking smart, smiling and giving a firm handshake is important in making a good first impression in an interview. The same principles apply to the résumé; a CV needs to grab (and keep) the attention of the reader. Therefore it is vital that it looks good and that there are no mistakes in formatting or spelling.

If you make a bad first impression it is very unlikely you will get any further. I can speak from experience. When I have seen CVs that are badly formatted, difficult to scan or have spelling mistakes then I draw negative conclusions about the person that wrote the document. Remember: if your document looks professional people will think you are professional.

Review: check and then get a second opinion

Even though I would suggest you write your own CV I would also recommend that you get at least one person to check it over. Get a friend, a colleague or a coach to read it through, proof-read it and comment on the content and style. It is a good idea if you can provide a few examples for people to choose from and comment upon.

Choose people who will give you honest feedback. If you can get advice from someone in your network who is an HR professional or recruiter then so much the better.

Keep adapting: chameleon communication

Some people do not like changing their CVs when applying for different roles. They often mistakenly think that adapting their résumé for a new position is either:

• Too much time and work to bother
• That it is somehow lacking in integrity to change what they have written

But they are missing a very important point. You certainly do not want to lie about your skills and experience (this will soon get found out) but in any sort of communication, you should consider your target audience.

For example, when I was leaving the military and moving into project management I had to translate my experience for my new audience. How was someone in an HR department supposed to know that my experience as an ‘Operations Officer’ was equivalent to being a ‘Programme Manager’? If I had not adopted new terminology then my CV would have been completely misread. Make sure you write your CV in the language of the industry you hope to work in.

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You are your own marketing department

Equally, you should think of changing your layout and style depending upon whom you are applying to. Your CV is a marketing tool, you are selling yourself, and you need to research the market you are trying to sell into. In other words, if you are applying to a law firm they may appreciate a more traditional and conservative CV whereas a media start-up will probably prefer something more original and creative.

Templates and examples

There are loads of templates and examples of CVs available to help you get started. Newer versions of word processors such as Microsoft Word and Mac Pages all have templates that you can use. I have adapted and used such templates with great success in the past.

There are lots of templates available on the internet, many for free, and I would not recommend buying a CV unless you are sure you are going to get a return on that investment. Equally, I would not get someone to write your CV for you either for the same reasons, and you don’t want to be splashing out every time you need to adapt your CV for some new application.

To get you started I have created a simple CV and resume template that you can download for free – just click here. It also includes some further guidelines on how to craft the content of your resume. The headings and outline will provide you with a guideline to what to include.

Whatever template you go for I recommend that you personalise it in some way. You want to make it your own and stand out from the rest. You do not want to turn up at the party wearing the same outfit as someone else.

Your CV is a living document

Once it is written do not think of it as being written in stone; your CV should always be a work in progress. Review, update and adapt it on a regular basis. This is a useful tool in developing your self-awareness, personal brand and as a starting point for planning your own career.

There is lots of advice on writing and examples of writing processes available, but they are not always easy to remember. POWER UP is a helpful acronym to remember the advice and steps of the writing process.

This is the process I use which has helped me write regularly for publications such as Better Humans, Start it up, Mind Café, The Ascent and more besides. It has led to 80% of my writing getting accepted for publications and wider distribution over the past two months.

POWER UP stands for:

• Plan
• Organise
• Write
• Edit
• Review
• Up-load
• Publish

Therefore the ‘POWER’ part of the mnemonic is important to any sort of writing and the ‘UP’ is relevant to writing for online publications such as Medium.

How to POWER UP your writing

Here are the stages in turn with the questions you need to be asking yourself within each step:

Plan

The first step is deciding why you want to write. Before you go any further be sure of your motivation. That could be to share knowledge, make money or just get better at writing but be honest with yourself at the beginning as it will shape the whole of the creative process, the product you create and how you view it afterwards.

Once you have answered this question you can start planning when you will write. Time is the most critical aspect (as time is the only truly finite resource) so the most important question to ask yourself at this stage is:

“How long do I have (or want to spend) on writing this piece?”

Once I have worked out how long I am going to give myself, I then plan when I am going to write. I always book the time into my diary to keep myself accountable for my goals and to stop conflicting activities. The morning is my favourite and most productive time to write so I generally plan my time in then.

Organise

After you have planned in your time you can organise your thoughts, notes and research. This will help you to decide exactly what you will write about. Keep in mind the question:

“What is the central idea I want to communicate?”

I tend to keep a long list of article ideas on my phone and then, in this phase, I choose which idea I think is the best post to develop at that given time. Then I decide on a working title for the article and set about adding to my notes and researching the topic in more depth.

Write

With your thoughts, research and notes organised you can now smash out your first draft. As you are doing this you need to keep the following question in mind:

“Who am I writing for and what do they need to know?”

You may just be writing for yourself. If the writing process is primarily just a cathartic process, then that is fine. A lot of blogs follow this approach. But if you are writing for another audience or want to share your wisdom with a specific group of people then they need to be front and centre in your mind as you write. This will help you develop a good first draft and minimise the work in the next two steps.

Edit

The next stage is to make your article good copy. You need to ask yourself:

“What do I need to change?”

I am not great at spotting typos and grammatical errors and therefore even within this phase I use a three-step approach. I write in Microsoft Word first, then paste into my WordPress platform, and then use Grammarly. At each step the inbuilt spelling and grammar software help to tighten my wording.

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Review

The review phase is effectively the 3rd iteration of your draft. At this stage you need to ask:

“What do I need to cut?”

You need to hone the writing to ensure clarity and impact as well as legibility. The key here is to remember back to the previous questions: what is the key message you are trying to convey and who are you writing for?

I try to leave a day between the edit and the review. This helps me to engage with the piece afresh. If I try to review an article too close to the drafting and editing stage my brain sees what it wants to see rather than what is actually written. I often read the article out loud too to see how it flows. I will get a second opinion of my draft when possible at this stage too.

Giving some time after writing the initial draft (and another opinion) allows the distance you need to be ruthless.

“In writing you need to kill all your darlings.”

William Faulkner

There may be some beautifully crafted sentences or well researched paragraphs but if they don’t add to the clarity and impact of the post then you have to put them to the sword. It is painful but necessary.

Upload

The next step, of uploading your article is easy in theory, but rushing this stage can affect the success of your writing. You need to ask:

“How will people find my writing?”

You may have written your ‘bestest ever’ piece, but you also need to craft the right SEO summary, select the write tags, and adding the ‘Alt text’ on your photos. These little things are like sending presents to the algorithms. The algorithms will learn to love you for it.

Now you can see which publications are the most suitable for your work (once again, do your research) and submit your article.

Publish

Once you or the publication has published your work the next stage is to help the process of people finding it. So, the question here is:

“How can I now best share my writing?”

Propagate the channels where people can find your work. Share on social media and create a conversation about your topic. Make sure you respond to comments.

I use my accounts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to share my posts and I will also write related posts on my website (therightquestions.co). As I gain traction on any of these platforms, I seek to build a conversation with the people who are engaging with the writing.

This last part is often overlooked but is important for two reasons. Firstly, it really helps to expand your potential readership. Second, it is really rewarding. I have found that the feedback I get from people engaging with what I write really inspires me to write more.

Some people do this part really well and I have learned a lot for writers such as Jordan Gross, who is excellent at building conversations about his work and supporting the writing of others. I have also benefitted from other people’s encouragement. The kind words I have received from other writers such as Max Klein, Darren Matthews, Terrie Schweitzer, Tim Rees, Paul Ryburn and others (thank you all!) has inspired me to keep writing on Medium and start drafting a book.

The key element of the POWER UP process

In my experience, it is the triple iteration of the writing process (the initial draft, edit and review), that is the most powerful part of this approach. This refining process really helps to craft the article. Therefore, if you really want to improve the quality as well as the productivity of your writing, I highly recommend you embrace an iterative approach to developing your articles.

More POWER to you all!

As a leader, I often have to speak, at short notice, to various groups of people. This might be in the context of a meeting, while facilitating training, or even at a social function where I might be asked to “say a few words”. When this happens, I have a simple hack that helps me prepare, even if I have just a few seconds. That hack is the rule of 3.

Using the rule of three I quickly come up with three main points that become the structure of any impromptu public speaking. Equally, when I write an essay or article, I start by identifying three core arguments or facts. And again, when decision-making, I generate three courses of action before making my choice.

So, the rule of 3 can be used in many different contexts, but why three? What makes us use trios of information?

What is the rule of three and where does it come from?

The rule of 3 is very simple. Any time you use a triad of information in your communication you are using the rule of 3. A lot of the time we do it unconsciously but there is a long history of using the rule of three to structure stories, speeches, and teachings.

Caesar exclaimed “Veni, Vidi, Vici!” (I came, I saw, and I conquered) but even before that,  Aristotle recommended the following three-part structure for successful rhetoric:

1. Ethos –first establish credibility and character
2. Logos – then bring in the rational argument and facts
3. Pathos –then engage the emotions and connect with an audience

Why are threes so powerful and memorable?

So, history demonstrates that there is something about triads that connects with us on a psychological level and supports effective communication. The rule of 3 certainly encourages clarity, brevity, and memorability.

More recently, neuroscience research has shown that we can generally only remember 3-5 pieces of information. The more complex the information the harder it is to recall all the elements, so it is no surprise that psychologically we fixate on threes. We also forget huge amounts of information, and the attrition of data happens almost immediately (as shown by Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve). Therefore, using a clear structure as with the rule of 3 encourages better recall.

How do you use the rule of three?

The rule of 3 is most associated with writing and is one of the easiest modes to practice using the method. Authors use it at the micro and macro scales and you can too. At the small level, a sentence might include a trio of associated words, clauses, or points (as I have just done here).

In stories, it is common to have triads of characters such as the three bears in Goldilocks. Equally, you can also have three significant events such as the houses of straw, wood, and brick in the three little pigs (which is also has a trio of characters).

In more formal writing, the structure also often falls into threes. The most obvious is the idea of having a beginning, middle and end. This can be further broken down into threes. For example, in an essay, you might have the introduction, the main body and then a conclusion (a three-part structure). Then, the main body could involve three main arguments, each of which might have three supportive points. Of course, it does not always end up this way, but it can be a great way to start a writing project or to create an essay plan.

On a larger scale, many books come in groups of three or start as trilogies. Here The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) and His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman) are obvious examples.

Three Acts in Plays and Trilogies in Movies

The rule of 3 extends into other writing such as scripts and screenplays. Modern plays and movies often have three acts that internally follow this structure:

1. The Protasis (exposition) where we meet the main protagonists
2. The Epitasis (complication) where things take a turn and don’t go to plan
3. The Catastrophe (resolution) where the story finds closure – happily or not

Furthermore (similarly to novels), movies are often released in threes. For example, the Star Wars saga, which was originally a trilogy, became a trilogy of trilogies (under George Lucas’ production). And this is often the case. Literature and films are often envisioned as trilogies but then stretch beyond that due to popularity (e.g. Indiana Jones, The Matrix or the Bourne Trilogy).

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The Rule of Three for Public Speaking, Publicity and Persuasion

We have already seen that the rule of 3 extends back to the public speaking advice of Aristotle and the ancient philosophers. More recent and well-known advice for public speaking is:

“Tell them, tell them again, then tell them what you said.” 

Anon

When you consider how little people remember then this is very good advice indeed for any communication.

Simon Sinek, when talking about effective communication, recommends using the ‘Golden Circle’ structure of:

1. Why – to explain the motivation behind something and engage the emotions (through the limbic system and older part of the brain)
2. How – to explain how this will help people
3. What – to cover the benefit in logical terms (engaging the neocortex or rational brain)

This premise is explained in his bestselling book Start With Why and reflects his background in advertising. Sinek knows what makes something catchy or sticky (in marketing terms). You will also notice that there are similarities to Aristotle’s advice, even if there is a difference in order.

The Rule of Three: Absolute Rule or Just a Guideline?

The rule of 3 is not really a rule. As with any conceptual model, it is an aid to thinking, not a set of firm laws we must adhere to. In the words of Captain Barbossa (from The Pirates of the Caribbean), “The (rule of 3) is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”

Even within this article, I have demonstrated just that. When drafting this post, I did initially utilise a three-part structure. That structure has evolved and becomes less obvious as I have edited the writing. There are still various examples of triads in the sentences that you can pick up on.

So, do use the rule of 3 as a tool to help you. Play with it and experiment, but don’t feel constrained by it. Next time you have to write an email, construct a meeting agenda or have a telephone conversation, jot down three things to start. It will really help!

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If you would like help developing your communication skills, or those of your team, do drop me a line via the Contact Page.

How to make a cover letter to get you that job interview

What makes a good cover letter?

This is a question I have been pondering recently because, as an employer, I receive and review many cover letters. As with many business leaders, I am constantly on the search for good people for my team. This requires a constant cycle of advertising, appraising applications, and interviewing potential candidates for roles. It is time-consuming, particularly the interview stage, and therefore the initial sift of candidates at the application stage is all important. Generally, this requires filtering tens (and potentially hundreds) of applications down to single figures. When it comes to interviewing, I rarely see more than three people for a given role.

It is also a costly process. The direct cost to a company is an average of $4000 (according to Glassdoor) when you consider the cost of marketing, time clocked by recruiting staff, systems cost etc. But the real cost is much greater, up to double the salary of the new employee in their first year according to some estimates. Therefore, as the head of an organisation, I want value for money and a return on my investment. To ensure this, I want the best chance of making the right decision, and that decision-making process starts with applications and cover letters.

What is an employer looking for in an employee?

So, as an employer, what am I looking for?

That is an obvious question, but the answer may not be exactly what you think. And that is because it is not just about someone’s qualifications. In fact, that is not my most important criterion.

When I am hiring someone, I am thinking about the 3 Cs of character, competency, and chemistry. The 3Cs is a model I learned early on in my career, and I have found it profoundly helpful in selecting team members. The 3Cs come in a priority order as follows:

1. Character. Character is the most important factor as it is the hardest thing to change. In. In other words, it is easier to teach people new skills than to develop better character. Unfortunately, I learned this from the painful experience of having to fire highly capable people because their character undermined the overall performance of the team.

• Competency. Competency comes second and is about the ability to do the job. This is partly qualifications and experience, but it is also about an ability to learn, as no role or job description is static. People need a growth mindset if a business is to grow. I also want to employ people who can develop to take on new challenges and responsibilities.

• Chemistry. Chemistry, the feeling that someone is a good ‘fit’ is important but comes third in this list. We are all wired to like people who are similar to us, and this can help build community in a team. However, this instinct can lead to a lack of cognitive diversity in a team and lead to unhelpful biases such as groupthink. As a leader, I want people who have different perspectives to me. I know I will not be everyone’s best buddy, but an environment respectful challenge is healthy. And, as this sort of environment builds trust, it is likely that in time (if you have chosen someone of good character) the chemistry will come.

The importance of a good cover letter

If you think of the 3Cs listed above, you can see where they are best demonstrated in the recruitment process. You get a feel for chemistry when you meet someone at an interview. You get an idea of competency from a person’s résumé. That means that the first real insight into a person’s character comes from their cover letter. That is why it is so important. It helps to answer an employer’s most important question and it also helps job candidates to rise above other applicants.

Making an impact is important if you are going to make the first cut and make it to the interview stage. So, what makes people notable? Well, a well-written application, (usually in the form of a CV (curriculum vitae or résumé), is very important. But the cover letter is the best opportunity to get ahead of other applications.

The first reason for this is that not everyone writes one. Many people just send out CVs speculatively, sometimes in their hundreds. This carpet-bombing approach to job hunting means the person is likely to eventually hit a target but they might miss out on some opportunities that come about from a more targeted approach.

Taking the time to write a cover letter is an indication of a more targeted strategy. Even just seeing that a person has included a cover letter, and all that implies, means that I am more likely to look favourably at someone who has written one.

How to write a good cover letter

Whether you are writing to land a new paid job, a voluntary role, or a place at college, the principles are much the same. Remember, the primary aim is to get beyond the initial sift and get an interview. Having seen countless job submissions, here are the 3 Ss that help applicants get to my shortlist.

The 3 Ss of writing a good cover letter

Stand out (in a good way)

Think about the initial impact of your letter. The quality of the envelope and paper (the stationary) is the first thing someone sees so invest in something good. White is the standard, but you could consider another colour. If you do, then it is worth getting a second opinion, especially before going too bold on colour choices.

Consider writing by hand with a quality fountain pen. It is a rare treat to receive handwritten letters these days, so it is worth considering, but only if you have legible handwriting! Even a handwritten address or signature block adds an element of class to an otherwise printed document so experiment.

And don’t stand out in a bad way! For example, poor formatting, typos, and spelling mistakes stand out when someone scans your letter and will probably put them off from reading more. It undermines the hard work you have put in so use a spell checker and a proofreader.

(Be) Succinct

The letter should be short; one page at most and made up of 3 to 5 paragraphs. When you are structuring your letter you can use The Rule of 3 or a similar model to help you compose the content. A manager is likely to only glance at your letter, so remember, it needs to communicate a lot in a few seconds or get them interested enough to read more.

Therefore, the opening sentence and paragraph are the most important – they are your hook – so take the most time on these. Be positive and enthusiastic but be careful of using humour as it often doesn’t land with the reader. Getting the right tone is difficult so it is worth getting some feedback on your initial draft.

When crafting your letter, yes, look at examples to get ideas but no, don’t just copy and paste into someone else’s template. Make it your own. And no, no, no, don’t get an AI app to write it for you!

Start with Why

Think of the cover letter like an essay problem and remember, ATFQ! In this case, the critical question is: Why should the employer invite you to interview? To answer this question, you need to have done your research. You need to understand what the company wants, where it is going and who they like to employ. The employer has a problem they want to solve so be future-focused and lay out how you can help solve that challenge.

Simply put, why you? The CV covers your competencies, so here (as mentioned earlier) is a chance to introduce the deeper you; your character, personality, and what makes you tick. Give it a personal touch; remember you trying to build rapport with another person so give opportunities for empathy.

When answering why questions I often think about values. What are your personal values and how would those compliment the organisation’s values? Why are you passionate about the role? What do you find attractive about the company’s mission? These are things, as an employer, that I want to hear about.

It is worth spending time thinking about the ‘why’ question because, if you can’t answer the question, then the job is probably not right for you. You will be doing yourself (and probably the company) a favour if you stop your application there if you cannot think of a good reason why you want the job and why someone should hire you.

Some last words of advice from an employer

When applying for a role, if you want the best chance of getting past the initial sift of applications then a good cover letter will definitely help you.

Remember, as an employer I am looking for character, competence, and chemistry in that order. Your cover letter is a chance for me to get a glimpse at your character, so make it count. It is as important as your CV, often more so.

As you draft your letter make sure you stand out in a good way, that you keep it succinct and you start with why, helping the recruiter quickly see how you can help them solve their problem.

And good luck! I wish you all the best in landing your next role.