How to Write a Resume

How to Write a Resume Contents Introduction How successful people behave Know yourself STAR stories Let’s get organised Interpret job description / job adverts CV / Resume format Writing Tips How to Write a Great Resume Objective Statement Alternately a Resume Summary The words are the power Don’t forget you cover letter The MAGIC ingredient Conclusion Page 2 Page 4 Page 8 Page 11 Page 13 Page 18 Page 20 Page 24 Page 27 Page 31 Page 33 Page 41 Page 43 Page 44 Page 1 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Introduction This guide will help you write a professional, personality packed CV / Resume. It’s not about revving up your CV / Resume with wonderful power words and phrases that are not a true reflection of the core you. As a recruitment consultant I meet quite a few people who’s CV / Resume is not an accurate reflection of their capabilities, many are considerably “overstated”. And I can assure you this is not the route to take. This may get you an interview, but an astute interviewer will cut through the overstatements like a knife through butter. If lucky you may not get a tough interviewer, and even get the job, but securing a job you are not best suited for is a pathway to stress and unhappiness. My objective in writing this guide is to provide the tools and advice to enable you to write a great CV / resume, but also to suggest you take a little extra time to ensure the document conveys your best worker traits. Yes, we will use proven marketing techniques to ensure we make the most of your expertise and experience. But the objective is to ensure you get interviews for roles you are you are going to love. Let’s get started… Page 2 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l How Successful People Behave As stated earlier this guide is about helping you get interviews for the roles you most want. However getting the interview is only part of your objective. Ultimately you need to progress successfully through the interview process, to be made a great offer. Therefore I want to sow the seeds of some of the behavioural and competency characteristics that you will need to demonstrate in order to succeed through interview. In the next chapter I suggest that you take a free personal motivation test. If you have never taken one of these tests, I think you will find it fascinating, as it will provide you a printable report that will highlight, your personal work related motivational preferences or traits. And though you may think you will know what does and doesn’t motivate you, I can almost guarantee you will be surprised by some of the findings. If you have previously done one of these tests, I suggest digging out the report, or doing it again. These tests give an accurate and insightful overview of what motivates and fatigues you at work. And is a great help in both searching for the right roles, and in articulating your behavioural skills and motivations on your CV / Resume writing. In my experience these reports can also be highly uplifting, as many people have a slightly negative perception of their skills and value. These reports often highlight that your performance is not hampered by any lack of skill, but simply by doing work that contains a high component of tasks that don’t motivate your core drivers. This can be life changing information. Behaviours and Competencies of Successful People Page 3 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Employers are looking for behaviour and personality characteristics that have been proven to work successfully in the past, and these tend to break down into the following: Note: They are thankfully not expecting you to have all of them. But you must demonstrate the ones you do possess. I like Robert Lawrence’s ebook “Killer Interview Secrets”, and his acronym “STAPLES” for putting these into a memorable form. S – Skills and competencies Personal Competencies: Adaptability Risk Taking Flexibility Decisiveness Independence Integrity Tenacity Compliance Stress Tolerance Decision Making Competencies: Numerical Analysis Problem Analysis Judgment Creativity Vision Entrepreneurial T – Team Player Interpersonal Competencies: Sociability Oral Communications Teamwork Written Communication Listening Persuasiveness Interpersonal Sensitivity Page 4 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l A – Attitude Motivation Competencies: Commitment Energy Work Standards 1 Self-Motivation Initiative Service Orientation Resilience Tolerance of Ambiguity P – Professionalism A subjective description for a coming together, of a number of characteristics and competencies that the interviewer will be looking for. You are a reflection of the entire company. Employers want the best to represent the company, and are looking for individuals who are mature, articulate, and have good people skills. Being “professional” means that you know how to “handle yourself” as an employee of the company. You show up on time, do the work to the best of your ability, and respect your co-workers. L – Leadership People & Organisational Competencies: Delegation Task Leadership Management Control Planning & Organising Staff Development Organisational Sensitivity Organisational Process Design E- Ethic 1 Page Page 5 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Having a good attitude, being proactive, and possessing a willingness to do whatever is needed to get the job done. S - Security Employers are looking for people who truly want to be part of the company. They want individuals who desire to be active participants for the long-term. It’s vitally important that you interpret and highlight the specific behaviors and competencies that the role you want demands. (details on how to interpreting job ads and description later). And then align this knowledge with your personal behaviors and competencies. The free personality and motivation reports will highlight these beautifully for you. The next stages are about building all your self-marketing collateral : ● ● ● CV / Resume Cover Letter Brag Book (a powerful interview prop that contains documented testimonials and evidence of key achievements) Business and possibly social networking presence. Though for the purpose of this guide we are only going to concentrate on your CV / Resume and cover letter. ● ● Page 6 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Know Yourself Having briefly listed most of the behaviour and competencies that employers are looking for in the previous chapter. This chapter is about using the great free personal testing services that are available on the Internet to help align your key motivations and competencies with the desired role. I would suggest taking MAPP personal motivation test, and the Peoplemaps personality test. There is another major benefit as well. When interviewing you are very likely to be asked to sit one or more of these type of tests as part of the interview process. It therefore must be a huge advantage to know what they will find, so you can be prepared for the questions that will follow. The MAPP test (Motivational Aptitude and Personal Performance) is 71 questions where you pick the most relevant answers for you. This is done on line, and will take you between 20 to 40 minutes. You can start and save your test, for completion later, if you don't have a clear time period. No study is required, the questions don't have a right or wrong answer, simply pick the answer that resonates strongest with you. Once you have completed the free test you get a 12 page report which you can print out or leave on the site, and return to via your own password whenever you want. The report highlights your motivation in 9 key areas Page 7 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l          Job Content - tasks you want to perform Temperament - how you prefer to perform tasks Aptitude - how you like to express your performance of tasks People - how you relate to people Things - how you relate to things, materials, processes etc Data - how you relate to data and information in your work Reasoning - how you relate to reasoning and decision making Math - how you relate and apply the use of math Language Capacity - How you use language And gives you a summary and breakdown against each of the above 9 areas The screen shot below shows a clip of my report as a brief example. The report further suggests your top career areas, and graphical feedback of you most motivational career content. Page 8 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l The reports also highlight areas that are extremely low in motivational value as my extract below highlights This helped me restructure my working day, to complete this type of important but dull work (unfortunately I cannot avoid some of this work), when I am fresh. This small insight has given me huge benefits in productivity. The free MAPP reports gives you a great deal of insightful, powerful information, well worth the 20 or so minutes required to complete the questions. However if you want to uncover all the information (you can see the above extract obscures some of the information) you can pay $20 to reveal all. For the extra cost this is money well spent. The reports suggest tips for including this information into your Resume. Everybody who I know has taken the test, has created a far stronger CV / Resume:  Focused on motivational tasks  Focused on motivational skills  Motivational Behaviour This knowledge can then be taken to improve your interviewing performance. You now have a better knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses, and can prepare your answers for those tough interview questions you know are coming! Page 9 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l I would also suggest taking the free Peoplemaps personality test, though I doubt it will provide the same level of unexpected feedback, it will highlight your personality traits, in a positive way, that can be used in building your CV / Resume. My recommendation would be to do both the Peoplemaps personality and MAPP tests both are free, and available online. It will take you about 45 minutes in total to complete them, you get password access to them so you can do them a few questions at a time if you wish, save your work and come back to them later. Both companies offer a free report which is great, you only need pay the extra if you want the additional insight. Page 10 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l STAR Stories Your CV / Resume should be used to demonstrate to the reader why you are the best person for the job. It should sow the seeds of future questions in their mind. Questions they will want to ask you at interview. This is now the time to prepare your technique for answering these questions. You will use some of these principals for how you organise your content in your CV / Resume, cover letter or any other marketing collateral you may choose to use. STAR is another acronym. Yes, I like acronyms! S – Situation, background set the scene T – Task or Target, specifics of what's required, when, where, who etc. Use specific quantifiable business language where possible. Values, percentages, budgets etc. A – Action, what you did, skills used, behaviours, characteristics R – Result – Outcome, what happened, again using specific quantifiable business language (% percentages, sales, profits, budgets, exact values etc.). Using this technique in your CV / resume writing ensures your experience is written more around achievements than function and responsibility. Readers want to know what you achieved, not a list of tasks. So use the STAR technique to write concise achievement focused experience, which will become the basis for your answers at interview. I cannot stress how valuable learning this question answering technique will be for you. It works in all situations where you want to compellingly make your point, in a likeable style. Page 11 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l It’s not telling, it’s demonstrating. This is so much stronger than saying “I can do that”. Because it says “I’ve done it before, and I did it like this, and with great results” Wow! People like hearing stories, facts are easier to remember if wrapped in a story, stories tend not to get interrupted; basically stories are an ancient proven method of getting a message across! Listeners will remember more of your answers, and the messages within them, yet your message will be delivered in a friendly likeable style. As far as job interviewing is concerned, your success ratio will go off the scale. How to build a STAR Story A Star story should be about 2 minutes long, and delivered with energy and enthusiasm about a real experience you have had (it does not have to be a work experience, as long as it describes a relevant skill, behaviour, experience). Time for an example: Question: “Have you ever lead a team before”? This is another reason why the STAR method is so powerful. The above question is a terrible closed question. You could answer “yes” or “yes, on three separate occasions” and move quickly onto the next question. But Leadership is an important skill, and you must not miss this chance to shine. A lot of folks would give the easy answer here, you have a great chance to impress, and basically do all the interviewers work for them. Let’s build a STAR story answer (Situation) “Yes; for example at my last company, where I was initially a software developer, in a team of 6 developing a new finance module for our core accounting product.” Page 12 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l (Task) “The project was critical as launch dates had been set with a lot of sales and marketing investment riding on the product being ready. However the project was behind schedule, when our team leader unfortunately became ill, and had to leave." (Action) "I had been sports team captain at school, where I loved the challenge and responsibility of leadership. So I volunteered to stand in, and by using my technical analysis skills, spotted a few small mistakes made in the initial coding, that were causing sporadic errors, and slowing us down. I then negotiated with our product director a small bonus incentive for the team, and budget for two pizza evenings, so we could pull a couple of late night shifts to correct the coding and catch up with the critical project landmarks." (Result) "Though this took us 1.5% over budget the software was delivered on time with 20% a better than target fault tolerance. The project was seen as a great success as the additional project cost was minimal compared to the costs of delaying the launch, and the negative affect on our product branding. The team where delighted with the extra bonus and I have now been officially promoted to team leader as a result." You need to practice your answers out loud, to ensure it's continuity and that you don't go far over 2 minutes. The example above not only answers the leadership question asked, but also conveys that you have other skills and behaviours any interviewer would be interested in. Answering tough interview questions like this will work wonders, but answering poorly worded questions will really set you apart. You will get a lot more of your message across to less experienced interviewers, your competitors won’t. It’s a great technique that should be practiced and perfected, It’ll be well worth your while. Page 13 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Let’s get Organised A few good habits will hold you in great stead for the rest of your career... Preparation is critical; the best builder in the world would not build a house without a blueprint and land survey, not if they wanted to stay in business. Your CV / Resume is a vital career building document that done well will reward your upfront effort to the tune of many, many, hundreds of thousand of pounds or dollars over the course of your career. A few very easy organisational plans will make it simple for you to tailor your resume, quickly, and effectively. You will need to tailor your CV / Resume to specific roles, and this can be an easy cut and paste operation. You may want to skip CV / Resume writing completely and simply hire a pro resume writer to do it for you. But you will still need to provide them the basic information, from which they can weave their creative writing magic. So let's get organised, Once it's done you can continue to add information into your CV / Resume throughout your career, but the basic organisation is done. What you want to do is build a simple folder and file structure on your PC, if you don't have a PC borrow a friend's and keep your resume folder on a disk or flash drive, which you can then use on any PC anywhere. Create a folder and name it My CV or whatever reminds you. Page 14 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Then add a page for each of the headings listed below ● ● ●   Address and preferred contact details (phone and email). Personal Information, gender, nationality, driver license, marriage status Education / Qualification Training and certification details. Career history covering the companies, roles / title, dates and roles and responsibilities, achievements. Any other areas of responsibility, for example voluntary work, or team captain, head boy or girl at university or college. Any thought leadership examples, articles published, public speaking. Any honors or achievements. Hobbies and interests Membership / Associations References Testimonials       Note: You may feel that you will never need a page for Other Responsibilities, or Awards, or Published Articles or Testimonials, but I urge you to keep them. Page 15 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l And try to add content to one or more of these pages as these are the areas that WILL set you apart from your competitors. I would particularly draw your attention to testimonials. It's very easy to get a testimonial form somebody you have done a good job for. Record your experience and achievement in business terms (STAR Story) What I mean here is that whatever role you had was in some way vital to the business, no matter how junior. They would not have employed you otherwise. Therefore record your work experience in the form of STAR stories. Specific – the situation you were working in Task / Target – the objective of the role you where responsible for Action – the actions you took to achieve the target Result – The outcome, what was achieved. It’s good to get into the habit of recording all your experiences in the STAR format, as later when you come to interviewing, you will be easily able to articulate your experience in relation to the objectives of the business situation you were working. Without even trying this will demonstrate to the interviewer that you are a goal or target orientated person, who understands how your individual responsibilities fit within the bigger picture of the department or companies overall objectives. Which company doesn’t want to hire goal orientated people who can see the bigger picture? Use tangible precise values wherever possible. For example in sales it's about number of sales, targets, pipeline, key customers, for customer service it may be around customer satisfaction figures. If you can convey through your CV / Resume that whatever role you undertake you never loose sight of the overall business objective of the company, you will be in a very, very small percentage. Embed these good habits now, and I promise you, you will never look back. Page 16 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Interpret Job Description / Job Adverts Learning to properly interpret job description or a job adverts may sound a basic skill. Well it is a basic skill, but an important one. Before spending anytime on tailoring your CV / Resume you must ensure you are going to emphasise the skills and experiences that most interest your reader. For various reasons job adverts and job descriptions are not always easy to interpret. Changes to legislation have meant that often the real message is hidden or softened to conform to legal requirements. The intention of this chapter is to convince you that for desirable jobs where there will be many applicants. Your CV / Resume is your ticket too interview, and this step will fine tune your targeting. Therefore tailoring your resume to meet both the obvious and less obvious requirements of the job ad or job description will be a very profitable skill to develop. Its not a difficult process, an organisation of your observations and thoughts, with a little research mixed in if the advert of job specification becomes vague. This disciplined approach will serve you well. Process to extract the key requirements from Job Description / Advert All that is required for this is the print out of the job description / Ad, a beverage of your choice, and a notepad and pen (highlighter pen if you have one). A quiet place where you can think and consider without interruption. Page 17 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Step 1 Simply read the job description or Ad 2 or 3 times SLOWLY – not the usual skim reading we all tend to do. The idea is you relax and absorb the information. Step 2 Highlight or underline what you consider to be the critical skills, experiences and behaviour required by the role. Some Ads and descriptions will leave you in little doubt by using words like critical, mandatory, or “must have” to describe key elements, others use vague wording such as “some knowledge of” or “experience of”. Anyway don’t get stuck with this; just highlight or underline everything you feel they are interested in, even the vague stuff. Step 3 Starts getting a little harder. Grab your pad and write a top heading. The job title for example "Project Manager". Then create 3 columns in your page, and head them. Skills / Function Market / Sector Behaviour / Soft Skills List all your highlighted points under each heading (most will be under skills and function) Step 4 Put a value against each point use 1 for critical points, 2 for quite important and 3 for “nice to haves”. You will probably find that most of the items are listed under skills and function, and market sector as these are the easiest to detail in a job advert. Behavioural or soft skills are harder to write about, though most will contain “dynamic” or “self motivated”. However behavioural skills are very important, and though the job ad / spec may not go into detail, when you are interviewed they will be looking for these skills. Interviewing is moving increasingly towards behavioural / competency based questioning, and though the ad or job spec may not specify the detailed behaviour the role demands. This invites you to set yourself apart from the majority of other applicants. For example a project manager advert may concentrate on the type of projects and the Page 18 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l market experience, and offer little in the way of behavioural requirements. But any experienced project manager will tell you that there are a number of critical behaviour that a successful project manager must have. If you knew this, and added them subtly to your CV / Resume, you give yourself a MASSIVE advantage. Its vital to add behavioural context to your CV / Resume. It will levitate it from being a dull page of facts and figures, by adding your desirable personality. For example if you weave into your resume that you are a commercially savvy, good motivator, communicator and are calm under pressure all of which are core competencies / behaviour for a project manager. You will have the advantage. Step 5 Look to identify 5 – 10 desirable behaviour that you can weave into your resume; as long as they honestly apply to you. Add them under your behaviour / soft-skills heading, and rank them if you can. You know have a great foundation of knowledge from which to build or to modify your Resume to specifically appeal to your reader. Your next task is to take this information and ensure your CV / Resume addresses all the points rated as 1 (critical) and 2 (quite important), ideally you can also cover most of the nice to haves as well (3's). I have created a number of free Microsoft word version forms to aid you interpretation process the file also includes forms to help with writing a Resume Objective Statement and / or Summary / Profile statements. Please feel free to download them and use as you wish. We are now moving on to the actual building of your resume. Page 19 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l CV / Resume Format Writing a CV / Resume can be a daunting prospect, especially if your confidence has been dented, or you haven’t written a CV / Resume before, or at least for a long time. However if you have followed the instructions in the previous chapters you are in great shape, and everything else will soon fall into place. The CV / Resume is a document (paper or electronic) that conveys your skills and experience in a way that compels the reader to interview you. Build a CV / Resume by presenting your information in the order that grabs the reader’s attention quickly. You have carefully interpreted the job specification or advert, and listed what you feel they are looking for in order of importance. In the case of a speculative approach to a company, you still need to research about the company to understand their objectives, interpret this into the skills they may be looking for. We are now going to construct your CV / Resume specifically for your reader. Typically a CV / Resume will contain… ● ● Your Name Personal Information – Address, Gender, Nationality, Drivers License, Marriage status, Dependants. Note: It is your choice what personal information you wish to declare. Some regional employment law asks you to leave age and educational dates out. Contact Detail – Telephone numbers and email address – state your preference. Objective Summary – Your statement of what you are looking for. Note: Be very CAREFUL about using an Objective Summary. It is very powerful if your objective and the readers are aligned. But if your statement is misinterpreted or not exactly what the reader is looking for they will use it to rule you out. ● ● Page 20 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l ● Education / Qualifications Training / Certification / Licenses Employment / Career History Voluntary work – Optional - Can be embedded in Career History or added at the end with or in place of Interests / Hobbies. Skills Summary Profile / Professional Summary Achievement Summary / Honors and Awards Thought leadership / Articles / public speaking Hobbies / Interests – Another be careful - If it / they can show some positive relevance to the role great – If not leave it out. References – Include References on request statement only – no detail. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Not all of these Resume Headings / Categories need to be added, just the ones that promote you in the strongest terms for the specific role. Simply build one CV / Resume block on-top of another. Reflecting the order of importance to your reader. The only part of this process that is set in stone, is that the first information block on your CV / Resume contains Your Name and contact details. The order of information in Your CV / Resume, and what you say reflects what your reader needs and disguises any weaknesses you may have. This is NOT suggesting Lying – whatever you do, never lie in your CV / Resume. Its about focusing on your positives. A CV / Resume is an unashamed, proclamation of how right you are for the role. A CV / Resume is not understated, nor subtle. It uses powerful professional language to compel your reader to interview you (use the STAR format discussed previously). Page 21 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Therefore build the information on your CV / Resume around your behaviors, competencies and characteristics as they fit the role (use your free MAPP and Peoplemaps reports to help). For example, if you have poor career continuity with gaps between jobs, use a functional / Skills (more on this here) based Resume Template. This will present your excellent skills, and appropriate experience first, demoting your career history to a minimised summary towards the end of the CV / Resume, after they have read what you want them to. It really does not matter what style of CV Resume template you choose only that you present the reader what they are looking for as quickly as you can. Hopefully now you are confident that you can order your information in a way that meets the reader’s needs, AND maximises your strengths, AND minimises your weaknesses. Many people have a slightly negative view of themselves, and it can be very helpful to ask friends and family about how they perceive your strengths. Combine this with the reports from the free personality tests, and you will have some great honest content to add. This fresh perspective can provide not only great material for your CV / Resume, but also a much needed boost of confidence. Best Format ● ● ● Easy to read– Simple black font on white background – proven to be the easiest for humans to read. No graphics – Proven to mark your CV down – it’s the words that sell! Photograph – Again stats say that attaching a photo has a negative effect in general. Therefore be very careful. The content (personal details, career history, education for example) needs to be grouped cleanly and logically. The reader will decide on discarding or continuing to read your CV / Resume within the first 20 seconds! - Therefore ensure your reader sees what THEY are looking for FIRST. ● ● Page 22 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l ● Your CV / Resume will need to be easily modified – to add experience as well as tailoring for specific roles that you may want to apply for. A CV / Resume is not a one size fits all document. It should always be tailored to the readers needs. A simple professional format not only works for the reader, but will enable you easily convert your document should you need to upload it onto job boards (many want ASCII or plain text) or convert it to PDF or HTML for web posting. ● ● Functional Resume or Chronological Resume or Combination Resume Next – decide on the type of layout that best promotes your strengths for your target role. The links below take you to templates that you can look at and download for free. If you just want to download them in Microsoft Word and start building they are zipped and ready for download here. Chronological Resume Template – Traditional format, the one to use if you have good career continuity with no major gaps, and you are looking to continue your career in a similar field. Functional Resume Template – Enables you to promote your skills above your experience. A good format if you have career breaks or if you are looking to move in a new career direction where you don’t have experience. Combination Resume Template – Enables a best of both type approach, where you tailor specific functional skills and experience for your target role as well as demonstrating your career continuity and progression. If you don’t have a good word processor download Open Office from Sun, it’s a complete suite of great office applications, no advertising or spyware, and completely up to date and free. Download Open Office here. Font style simple like Arial size 10 -12 for body content, headings two sizes bigger and bold. Very basic, very clean; but it works. Page 23 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Writing Tips A Few Brief Rules for Resume Writing Success • • • • A resume or CV is a marketing document, selling YOU. It's written for a specific reader. The reader is faced with a buying decision (to invite you for interview). To be "bought" you have to appeal to your readers emotional and logical needs. When considering how to write a resume or CV I believe it helps to think of it in another way. It's a very similar process to writing an advert, this time the product or service your selling is YOU. What you are doing is copy writing. Copy writing is about grabbing the readers attention, holding their interest, leveraging their emotions to create desire for the product (you), desire that is so strong it motivates the reader to take action. When writing your resume / CV you have to lead the reader down the same path, creating the desire in them to take action (interview you). When considering YOUR specific reader, whether you actually know them or not, you do know a couple of critical pieces of information. • • Whether they be HR, or CEO or Recruiter they need somebody to fulfill work / business tasks. And have a logical list of requirements or skills associated with the successful completion of these tasks. They also want to work with somebody who is trustworthy, reliable, and able to fit in with the team. An emotional need I call likability. Therefore to be "bought" or more accurately invited in for interview, your CV / Resume has to convince your reader that you are both a logical (skills, experience, potential) and emotional (likable) choice. Conveying your logical reasons for getting the interview is easy, it's about demonstrating to the reader you have the skills, experience and / or potential to do what they need doing. Conveying likability in CV / resume writing is another matter, a much harder proposition. Page 24 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l It is about showing how to write what your reader wants... • Demonstrating you have the skills they need • Describing achievements more so than tasks and functions • Using tangible, measurable descriptions • Injecting your unique likable personality Presuming you know what your reader wants and needs Few more rules • • • Your writing must be concise Whole document 1 - 3 pages max Must write in 3rd person (take all 'I's out) Using bullet points is an excellent way of cutting bulk out of your CV / resume, and it introduces white space in your document, which is proven to be very pleasing to the eye. Use "power verbs" one of these words can often replace 3 or 4 in a sentence, making for a fast, punchy delivery. Use the STAR Method to ensure your work descriptions include achievements. STAR standing for Specific, Target, Action, Results. And means that for every major role in your CV / resume you describe it's specific description, objective or target, what actions YOU took, and the results or achievements. Within these STAR descriptions use tangible language (How much, many, budgets, where, when, use percentages or exact figures where possible) for example: "2003/04 Sold £358,000 software licenses against annual target of £400,000" Most people would put something like "target busting salesperson", which has been seen a million times before. The example above even though shows a below target performance, will be well received for it's honesty and detail. Now to add Likability... This is likability in the business environment, meaning, honest, reliable, professional, with appropriate social and communication skills to fit into the workforce. Page 25 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l So in terms of CV / resume writing this translates into using YOUR descriptive behaviour and character traits that are appropriate to the readers needs. So for the example salesperson, tenacity and creativity would be great descriptive words to include, as both are valuable assets to a salesperson. It's not always easy to write about yourself, so if your struggling take the free MAPP test this will give you loads of great honest descriptions to put into your CV / Resume. If you follow these tips you will write a CV / Resume that will not only earn you the interview, but will prepare you for interview success. Page 26 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l How to Write a Great Resume Objective Statement Firstly a CV / resume objective statement should only be used if applying for a very specific role where you know your objective is going to align with that of the reader. In this instance an objective statement is supremely powerful. If your CV / Resume is to be posted on a job board, and you're interested in a range of roles, use a summary statement or profile instead of an objective. Using a general resume objective statement is a waste of prime CV / Resume real estate. Remember the CV / Resume is for the benefit of the reader not you. Your resume objective statement should be concise and no more than 4 lines, Its a short powerful statement that tells the reader that you offer what THEY want! Resume objective statement content headings: The exact job title used on the advert / description – be as specific as possible. Function of the role. Include the business objectives of your target role Relevant experience / achievements in tangible terms (x years, x number of projects etc). Personal behaviour traits appropriate to the role. This adds your unique personality. Go back to your target career form and make sure you know exactly what your target is looking for. Add the possible Relevant content into the form below, delete the red example text first. You can download a free Microsoft Word Resume Objective Statement Form here or Adobe pdf here. List as much relevant content as you wish, the next stage is about editing, reducing and polishing your CV / resume objective statement. Heading Statement Options Job Title Project Manager, SAP financial (or specific module description) Project Manager Page 27 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Function Implement SAP to time and budget, Improve finance management and corporate reporting through the implementation of SAP Module XX to critical time and budget targets, Prince 2 certified, PMP certified, qualified accountant, business analysis, team leadership, commercial savvy, strong mentor, excellent communication skills 5 years as a management accountant, 10 years and over 8 major SAP financial implementations Analytical, dedicated, team leader, motivator, positive, attention to detail, calm under pressure, determined, confident, ambitious, fast learner 10% increase in salary, bigger project International locations SAP xxx financial module implemented across all global operations by a set date and within a set budget. Managing International 3rd party partners, and ensuring business process meet strict compliance regulations. Delivering the business global standardised reporting, and with it faster critical management information and savings of 30% against current processes through improved efficiency. Skills Experience Behaviour What you want What they want The example above in red gives enough content for us to now edit and polish. We are looking for a drop dead gorgeous statement, that you can use as an answer if asked “Why should we consider your for this role?” You have to be able to say this out loud, without getting tongue tied, forgetting parts, or without it being to long. You need to put yourself into your readers shoes for this bit. If you were hiring what would you want. Page 28 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l With all the information above there are many possible variations. When building your CV / resume objective statement you can order the content in any way you feel comfortable, your looking for a concise statement you can deliver verbally with passion and confidence (If it works verbally out loud, it will work on the page). So let's try a few: Calm, dedicated, Prince qualified Project Manager, with 10 years SAP implementation experience, now looking for next challenge across International operations. Not bad, but I don't feel it gives the reader enough of what They are looking for. Qualified Management Accountant turned specialist SAP financial Project Manager. Prince qualified with 10 years and over 8 major SAP financial implementations under my belt, looking for my next challenge across International operations. Getting there, though lacking personality. Qualified Management Accountant turned dedicated SAP financial Project Manager. Prince qualified with 8 successful SAP implementations. A commercially savvy, positive and motivational leader now looking to deliver further SAP enabled efficiencies and savings across International Operations. This is better, though maybe a touch long. Management Accountant turned dedicated SAP financial Project Manager. Prince qualified with 8 successful SAP implementations. A commercially savvy, positive and motivational leader looking to deliver further SAP enabled efficiencies across International Operations. Carry on fine tunning, take your time, maybe even sleep on it, to get it to a point you are delighted with. Its really is that important. An objective statement properly aligned with the readers requirements WILL get you the interview. Management Accountant turned dedicated SAP financial Project Manager. A commercially savvy, positive and motivational leader looking to deliver further SAP enabled efficiencies across International Operations. Page 29 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l As the reader absorbs your objective statement they will be thinking “great this person does what we need and is looking for the role we are offering”, lets bring them in and see how they measure up in person. You've got the interview at this point, the rest of your CV / Resume then becomes about demonstrating what you've said in your resume objective statement. However, you can make it even STRONGER. If you put a verifiable testimonial after your objective from a past boss or client you will instantly elevate you objective to FACT. The testimonial has to be verifiable though. As this will be checked out. So the CV / Resume statement example could look like this Sample Resume Objective Statement Management Accountant turned dedicated SAP financial Project Manager. A commercially savvy, positive and motivational leader looking to deliver further SAP enabled efficiencies across International Operations. “An expert Project Manager Jane delivered a tough SAP implementation on time and budget. A pleasure to work with” Peter Doe Finance Director ABC Company Yes, If I were Jane I feel I could deliver this statement in an interview or as the cornerstone of an "elevator pitch". And combined with the testimonial as in the example you cannot fail. Page 30 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Alternately a Resume Summary A resume summary statement is a great way to start your Resume or CV (after your name, contact details and sometimes education). It offers a lot more flexibility than an Objective Statement, which by definition needs to be a very short concise statement that is accurately targeted into a specific job / career and reader. Without doubt as a recruiter the biggest mistake I see when reviewing CV / Resumes is non specific objective statements. A summary offers a lot more opportunity to include more information, and the structure can be modified to suit your writing objectives. Summary statements can also be referred to a profile statements or executive summary. Like a objective statement the summary should be written with a specific role and ideally person in mind. Demonstrating your skills, experience, and characteristics fit exactly with the readers requirements. If your planning on posting your CV / Resume on line, and you are intending to right to a more general and less targeted audience, the summary is again the best option. However unlike an objective you have far more copy space to play with, and if you want, may choose to embed an objective within the summary. So how do you write a CV / resume summary statement that will win you the interview? Firstly like with an objective you must start out with a clear understanding of what your target reader is looking for. So use the target career form to help zero in on their needs. Then you need to think of all the role / reader relevant information that you may wish to use in your summary statement. Use the Microsoft Summary Statement Form I have provided here to help you. The summary is basically of the best bits of your CV / resume that you want to really emphasize for your reader and therefore may include: Page 31 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l • • • • • • • • • Educational achievement Work achievements Social achievements Subject matter achievements (written or speaking) Relevant Skills Characteristics (this adds personality which is vital - take the Free MAPP test if your struggling for great content) Sports achievements if relevant (show a dedicated personality) Any support or charity work Hobbies (If they show you in a good and relevant light for the role) There is a lot to choose from, so some brutal editing may be necessary to make the statement concise and targeted on the reader, but the summary statement does give you a great chance to get your message across. A lot of effort should go into the resume summary statement as it's your best selling opportunity within the whole document, so don't waste it. Keep to about 2 - 4 concise paragraphs. I have created a Resume Summary Form in pdf which can be downloaded viewed, or copied. It's also available in Microsoft word format and can be downloaded together with our other free resume forms from here. Page 32 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l The Words are The Power Resume Power Words / Resume Action Words / Resume Action Verbs – whatever you want to call these words… Your personality and personal motivation reports will give you words and phrases that you can cut and paste straight into your CV / Resume. But by all means look below to see it there are other words that you like. This is where the magic happens! These Resume Verbs sprinkled liberally throughout your CV / Resume will add… Action Emotion Gravitas Power One of these Power Words will replace 2/3/or 4 other words in a sentence, instantly making you concise and compelling. A basic example – A widget salesman discussing last year’s performance. 2005 – 2006 I sold 1000 widgets against my annual target of 750 widgets, beating my target by over 133%, and so qualified for convention club holiday trip. A reasonable sentence in that it provides clear quantified performance, But no real sparkle or pizazz, and should be written in the 3rd person, no I or my. 2005/6 Over-achieved against target of 750 widgets by 133%, selling 1000 widgets and winning convention club. Much better – faster to the point, with more punch. 05/06 smashed target by 133% sold 750 widgets, won top achievers club. Better again fits on one line, concise and tells the reader you are the top achiever. Page 33 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l You do have be careful though replacing “smashed” in our example with “annihilated” maybe going to far. On this point, the idea behind doing the personality tests, is so that when you are interviewed and asked to describe yourself. You can select core, behaviour, and competency and character descriptions, from the tests. And build these into a positive and compelling personal description that will be “true” to your core values. It’s real easy to deliver an answer with energy and enthusiasm that you fully believe in! Keep on fine tuning – It’s worth it. List of Resume Power Words / Resume Action Verbs The following alphabetical list of Resume Verbs / Resume Action Words is a great resource. Use these words to transform your CV / Resume into a concise, authoritative and truly compelling marketing tool for you. A Abated, abbreviated, abolished, abridged, absolved, absorbed, accelerated, accentuated, accommodated, accomplished, accounted for, accrued, accumulated, achieved, acquired, acted, adapted, adopted, added, addressed, adjusted, administered, advanced, advertised, advised, advocated, affirmed, aided, alerted, aligned, allayed, alleviated, allocated, allotted, altered, amassed, amended, analyzed, answered, anticipated, appeased, applied, appointed, appraised, approached, appropriated, approved, arbitrated, arranged, articulated, ascertained, aspired, assembled, assessed, assigned, assimilated, assisted, assured, attained, attended, audited, augmented, authored, authorized, automated, averted, avoided, awarded B Balanced, began, benchmarked, benefited, bid, billed, blended, blocked, bolstered, boosted, bought, branded, bridged, broadened, brought, budgeted, built C Calculated, calibrated, capitalized, captured, cared for, carried, carved, categorized, Page 34 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l catalogued, caught, cautioned, cemented, certified, chaired, challenged, championed, changed, charged, charted, checked, chose, chronicled, circulated, circumvented, cited, clarified, classified, cleaned, cleared, closed, coached, coded, collaborated, collated, collected, combined, commanded, commended, commenced, commissioned, communicated, compared, compiled, complemented, completed, complied, composed, compounded, computed, conceived, concentrated, conceptualized, condensed, conducted, conferred, configured, confirmed, confronted, connected, conserved, considered, consolidated, constructed, consulted, consummated, contacted, continued, contracted, contributed, controlled, converted, conveyed, convinced, cooperated, coordinated, copied, corrected, corresponded, counseled, created, critiqued, cultivated, customized, cut D Dealt, debated, debugged, decided, decoded, decreased, dedicated, defined, delegated, delineated, delivered, demonstrated, deployed, derived, described, designated, designed, detailed, detected, determined, developed, devised, diagnosed, differentiated, diffused, directed, disbursed, discovered, discussed, dispatched, dispensed, displayed, disposed, disproved, dissected, disseminated, dissolved, distinguished, distributed, diversified, diverted, divested, divided, documented, doubled, drafted, dramatized, drew up, drove E Earned, eased, economized, edited, educated, effected, elaborated, elected, elevated, elicited, eliminated, embraced, emphasized, empowered, enabled, encouraged, ended, enforced, engaged, engineered, enhanced, enlisted, enriched, enrolled, ensured, entered, entertained, enticed, equipped, established, estimated, evaluated, examined, exceeded, executed, exercised, exhibited, expanded, expedited, experienced, experimented, explained, explored, expressed, extended, extracted F Fabricated, facilitated, factored, familiarized, fashioned, fielded, filed, filled, finalized, financed, fine tuned, finished, fixed, focused, followed, forecasted, forged, formalized, formed, formulated, fortified, forwarded, fostered, fought, found, founded, framed, fulfilled, functioned as, funded, furnished, furthered G Gained, garnered, gathered, gauged, gave, generated, governed, graduated, grasped, greeted, grew, grouped, guaranteed, guided H Halted, halved, handled, headed, heightened, held, helped, hired, honed, hosted, hypnotized, hypothesized I Identified, ignited, illustrated, implemented, imported, improved, improvised, incited, included, incorporated, increased, indicated, individualized, indoctrinated, induced, influenced, informed, infused, initiated, innovated, inspected, inspired, installed, instilled, Page 35 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l instituted, instructed, insured, integrated, intensified, interacted, interceded, interpreted, intervened, interviewed, invented, inventoried, invested, investigated, invigorated, invited, involved, isolated, issued, itemized J Joined, judged, justified L Launched, learned, lectured, led, lessened, leveraged, licensed, lifted, limited, linked, liquidated, listened, litigated, loaded, located, logged M Made, maintained, managed, mandated, maneuvered, manipulated, manufactured, mapped, marked, marketed, mastered, maximized, measured, mediated, memorized, mentored, merged, merited, met, minimized, mobilized, modeled, moderated, modified, molded, monitored, monopolized, motivated, mounted, moved, multiplied N Named, narrated, navigated, negotiated, netted, neutralized, nominated, normalized, notified, nurtured O Observed, obtained, offered, officiated, offset, opened, operated, optimized, orchestrated, ordered, organized, oriented, originated, outdistanced, outlined, outperformed, overcame, overhauled, oversaw, owned P Paced, packaged, packed, pared, participated, partnered, passed, perceived, perfected, performed, persuaded, photographed, piloted, pinpointed, pioneered, placed, planned, played, praised, predicted, prepared, prescribed, presented, preserved, presided, prevailed, prevented, printed, prioritized, processed, procured, produced, profiled, programmed, progressed, projected, promoted, proofread, proposed, protected, proved, provided, pruned, publicized, purchased, pursued Q Quadrupled, qualified, quantified, queried, questioned, quoted R Raised, ranked, rated, reached, read, realigned, realized, rearranged, reasoned, rebuilt, received, recognized, recommended, reconciled, reconstructed, recorded, recovered, recruited, rectified, redesigned, redirected, reduced, re-engineered, referred, refocused, registered, regulated, rehabilitated, reinforced, reiterated, related, released, relied, relieved, remained, remodeled, rendered, renegotiated, renewed, reorganized, repaired, replaced, replied, replicated, reported, represented, reproduced, requested, researched, reserved, resolved, responded, restored, restructured, retained, retooled, retrieved, Page 36 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l returned, revamped, reversed, reviewed, revised, revitalized, revolutionized, rewarded, risked, rotated, routed S Safeguarded, salvaged, saved, scanned, scheduled, screened, sculptured, searched, secured, seized, selected, sent, separated, sequenced, served, serviced, set up, settled, shaped, shared, sharpened, shipped, shortened, showed, signed, simplified, simulated, sketched, slashed, smoothed, solicited, sold, solidified, solved, sorted, sourced, sparked, spearheaded, specialized, specified, speculated, spent, spoke, sponsored, spurred, staffed, standardized, started, steered, stimulated, streamlined, strengthened, stretched, structured, studied, submitted, succeeded, suggested, summarized, supervised, supplied, supported, surpassed, surveyed, swayed, swept, symbolized, synthesized, systemized T Tabulated, tackled, talked, tallied, targeted, tasted, taught, teamed, tempered, tended, terminated, tested, testified, tied, took, topped, totaled, traced, tracked, trained, transcribed, transformed, transitioned, translated, transmitted, traveled, treated, trimmed, tripled, troubleshot, turned, tutored, typed U Uncovered, underlined, underscored, undertook, underwrote, unearthed, unified, united, updated, upgraded, upheld, urged, used, utilized V Validated, valued, vaulted, verbalized, verified, viewed, visualized, voiced, volunteered W Weathered, weighed, widened, withstood, won, worked, wove, wrote Y Yielded Z What No Z's? CV / Resume Example Phrases Can be added to a Professional Summary or Profile • results-driven, logical and methodical approach to achieving tasks and objectives • determined and decisive; uses initiative to develop effective solutions to problems • reliable and dependable - high personal standards and attention to detail • methodical and rigorous approach to achieving tasks and objectives Page 37 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l • entrepreneurial and pro-active - strong drive and keen business mind • identifies and develops opportunities; innovates and makes things happen • good strategic appreciation and vision; able to build and implement sophisticated plans • determined and decisive; uses initiative to meet and resolve challenges • strives for quality and applies process and discipline towards optimising performance • extremely reliable and dependable - analytical and questioning, strives for quality • methodical approach to planning and organising - good time-manager • excellent interpersonal skills - good communicator, leadership, high integrity • strong planning, organising and monitoring abilities - an efficient time-manager • self-driven and self-reliant - sets aims and targets and leads by example • good interpersonal skills - works well with others, motivates and encourages • high integrity, diligent and conscientious - reliable and dependable • self-aware - always seeking to learn and grow • seeks new responsibilities irrespective of reward and recognition • detailed and precise; fastidious and thorough • decisive and results-driven; creative problem-solver • good starter - enthusiastic in finding openings and opportunities • creative and entrepreneurial networker - effective project coordinator • reliable and dependable in meeting objectives - hard-working • emotionally mature; calming and positive temperament; tolerant and understanding • seeks and finds solutions to challenges - exceptionally positive attitude • great team-worker - adaptable and flexible • well-organised; good planner; good time-manager • seeks new responsibilities and uses initiative; self-sufficient • solid approach to achieving tasks and objectives; determined and decisive • excellent interpersonal skills - good communicator, high integrity • energetic and physically very fit; quick to respond to opportunities and problems • active and dynamic approach to work and getting things done • financially astute - conversant with accounting systems and principles • tactical, strategic and proactive - anticipates and takes initiative • systematic and logical - develops and uses effective processes • good listener - caring and compassionate • critical thinker - strong analytical skills; accurate and probing • good researcher - creative and methodical - probing and resourceful • facilitative project manager; develops and enables group buy-in • persistent and tenacious sales developer; comfortable with demanding targets • resilient and and thorough - detached and unemotional • completer-finisher; checks and follows up - immaculate record-keeper • team-player - loyal and determined • technically competent/qualified [state discipline or area, to whatever standard or level] • task-oriented - commercially experienced and aware • excellent inter-personal and communications skills Page 38 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l • sound planning and organizational capabilities • results oriented - focused on productive and high-yield activities • tolerant and understanding - especially good with young children/elderly people/needy people/disadvantaged people, etc • emotionally mature - calming and positive temperament - compassionate and caring • sensitive and patient interpersonal and communication skills • high integrity and honesty; ethical and socially aware • energetic and positive outlook, which often inspires others • calm, reliable and dependable in meeting objectives - logical and numerate CV / Resume Quantification / context / scale indicators to be added to Resume Phrases • number of staff • geographical territory • number of accounts • annual turnover or revenue • annual cost budgets • plant or asset value • size of location or site • number of departments • number of locations • international coverage • number of distributors or customers • value of business • number of products • number or scale of developments • timings and work or project duration • throughput or output • speed of operation or turn-around • travel or coverage • cycle time or 'churn' or turnover (replacement) rate or percentage • industry sector or segment or niche (eg, 'Automotive, consumer servicing and repairs') • business-to-business (B2B) or consumer (some people recognise this as B2C) • type of organisation - private company, public company, institutional, not-for-profit, etc • other organisational descriptions • organisational culture, structure, management style (be positive - not blaming or critical) • area or region • type department or division • precise work or job function • product or services descriptions • expertise and quality standards and levels • market position and share • competitive position Page 39 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l • trends - increasing, reducing, declining, mature, developing, etc • distribution model • maturity of business or sector • other factors, pressures, growth, etc Non-work experiences that can be added to CV / Resume bolster work experience • voluntary work • fund-raising • grants and funding applications • committee membership of societies and clubs • organising things - at school, college, university, local community • campaigning for a cause • running a part-time business • teaching and helping people • caring for people • creating things - art, writing, photography, sculpture, etc • languages • sports and fitness • organising events and outings • entertaining and performing Page 40 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Don’t Forget your Cover Letter Reports suggest that buy adding a cover letter you increase your chances of interview by 25% to even 50%. Wow! For the time it takes to prepare a cover letter it’s worth it, these are great odds. The same holds true for the cover letter as for the CV / Resume, concise, punchy, dynamic wording, plainly formatted, nothing fancy, the words do the selling. What’s the secret to a compelling cover letter? According to Jimmy Sweeney an ex copywriter who has become an expert in writing highly effective cover and follow up letters there are actually 11 secrets of a highly effective cover letter: 1. 2. 3. 4. One page max. Two-page cover letters are the kiss of job-search death! Start your letter with an attention grabbing headline. Let your cover letter ‘breathe.’ The more white space the better. Three paragraphs max. More than this and it appears to be a ‘tough read.’ 5. Use bullet points and numbered lists when appropriate. This allows for easy scanning. 6. Start the first sentence of each paragraph with bold-faced type. It highlights the start of each paragraph inviting the person to read further. Works beautifully. 7. Paragraphs should contain no more than four to five sentences each, but Jimmy highly recommend just three well-written sentences per paragraph. 8. After you’ve finished your letter, print it out to see that it’s easy on the eyes and ‘invites’ you to read more. Remember: Less is more! 9. No overly big words, friendly and fast paced are what you’re after. Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Page 41 10. ASK for the interview. This is critical you must ask for the interview. 11. Add a postscript (P.S.) after your signature. This is Jimmy’s marketing expertise shinning through. Postscripts are always read, and are proven winners. If you would like to read Jimmy’s book “Worlds Greatest Cover Letters” download it here free of charge. Alternately download Microsoft word CV / Resume Templates and an example Cover letter using Jimmy’s formula that you can modify to suit your own purposes. Page 42 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l The Magic Ingredient I realise I am repeating myself, but this is so powerful its worth it. I have seen tens of thousands of CV / Resumes, but less than 1% that take advantage of the following technique. It’s the use of a powerful testimonial to confirm the validity of a powerfully written objective / profile or summary or statement. Few rules: ● The person providing the testimonial must be more senior than you (the senior the better unless you are at board level and then a peer level testimonial will work). They must be willing to testify as a reference (This will be checked out). You can use a customer, again if they are more senior, and they are willing to confirm the statement. Ideally the testimonial is from your last role or a very recent role. Keep the testimonial to one line, two maximum. Ensure that it confirms your summary or profile statement accurately. ● ● ● ● ● Most CV / Resumes certainly UK and US documents tend to maximise achievements to the limit, to the point of overstatement. Surveys suggest that many people even lie, and therefore there is often an air of scepticism when reading a CV / Resume. But by placing a testimonial underneath your management summary it serves to dispel all concerns of the reader, and will pretty much guarantee your invite for interview. This is powerful stuff, only use if you want the job… Page 43 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Conclusion I very much hope this guide has been useful and informative, and would like to wish you all success in your career searching endeavours. Richard Penfold. Sentient Selection Ltd. Please feel free to distribute this document if you feel it will help others. Our intention is to update and provide new free guide material to help people with career related problems from our website and through published guides such as this one. If you have any great tips or advice that you would like to add, or any career related questions such as:● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● What is the best CV / resume writing tip you have been given? What is the worst CV / resume writing tip? What causes you the biggest career related problems ? What questions do you have? Do you know a good CV / Resume pro writer Review any of the CV / Resume software packages you've used? What other services have you used? any good? What effect is the economic downturn having on you? What is the best advice if you've been adversely effected? Please ask your question or add your advice at our website here Page 44 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l Page 45 Copyright Sentient Selection Ltd all rights reserved. h tt p :/ / w w w. s en t i e nt - r e c ru i t m e n t. c o m / i n de x.h t m l