In the first part of this article, I stated four questions a good CV must answer. Your CV is the first thing a prospective employer sees before seeing you. Oftentimes, many employers have formed their impression about the candidate based on their CV even before the in-person interview. Let’s look at the remaining four questions.
5. What are your achievements?
One achievement clearly written on my CV is when I handled a transaction for a former employer and the ticket was the biggest size in Africa that year. If that career achievement will make you look more competitive and it’s genuine, write it down.
It could be an individual achievement or a team achievement. List your major achievements in each role you have had. If you have awards or commendation letters, include them. I got two commendation letters signed by a former employer and they are listed on my CV. I even laminated the letters.
Any honours conferred on you? Fellowships? Registered patents? List them.
6. What have you written?
The more you rise in your career, the more interviewers begin to look at your soft skills more than the hard skills. At this stage of your career, your competence is no longer in doubt. People now interrogate your soft skills more closely.
Consequently, interviewers are willing to discuss such things as books you have authored so as to have a window into your personal worldview. If you’re an author of any papers, texts or books, include them on your CV. If you contribute regularly at panels or seminars, indicate it. Thought leadership takes centre-stage the more you rise.
Your achievements, publications, professional memberships, and references could be the difference between getting shortlisted and getting overlooked. Is your CV showcasing them effectively? Share on X7. Where do you belong?
Write down the professional organisations you belong to. List the social and service clubs you belong to also. If you held offices, clearly indicate them. I have been interviewed once and the mention of my secondary school gave me a leg in the door because the person who was interviewing me that time also went to the same secondary school.
It was a very interesting interview, as both of us sang our school anthem during the interview. Of course, I got the job. If you belong to Rotary Club and you write it on your CV, the prospective employer might just be a Rotarian. Put down anything that can give you an advantage.
8. Who will vouch for you?
This is a bit controversial, as a school of thought says that references can be submitted upon request. I personally think otherwise from experience. I interviewed a young fellow some years ago and I saw the name of my former Head of Department during my undergraduate days as one of the candidate’s referees. Right in his presence, I called him to give me a character recommendation of the candidate.
The recommendation was phenomenal. Sometimes, the references become the decider, especially when you have many good candidates and you can’t take them all.
Other Considerations
Use fonts that are very readable, especially Calibri, Century Gothic, Times Roman or Arial. Use only one type of font throughout. There are no hard and fast rules about the number of pages; however, precision is key.
Many people focus on making their CV look attractive. Smart candidates focus on making it convincing. Learn the key questions that can help your CV stand out for the right reasons. Share on XWhen I started to apply for jobs after graduation, I thought the type of paper used and style of CV would have an impact on the interview process. I later found out that the substance of the CV is what matters and not the style or the type of scented paper used.
The content is more important than the layout. Nevertheless, packaging and presentation make it appealing. Don’t ever submit photocopies of your CV. Recurrent photocopying makes it fade and illegible.
If you would like to have more practical insights and strategies that can help you land your dream job, get a copy of my book, How to Stand Out and Get Hired. It’s available at Roving Heights Bookstore and Amazon.
Good luck!