Richard Maun

Category: Uncategorized

  • How To Write A Winning CV

    Great CVs use white space to make sections more readable, but don't over do it!
    Great CVs use white space to make sections more readable, but don't over do it!

    I have read that CVs are a thing of the past, old fashioned and out of touch with the zap zap speed of the modern social media world and I have to say that I disagree with this for two reasons:

     
    1. More Thinking

    By preparing a CV we are encouraged to think for ourselves about ourselves. What have we done well? What skills do we have? What makes people want to hire us? Without this kind of reflective conversation it can be amazing what we might forget. For example, I’ve worked with clients who have forgotten that they saved a business from closure, or that they spoke six languages, or that they saved £1m in repair costs. A CV is an excellent tool for dragging up useful nuggets from the depths of our cerebral filing system into the front of our mind, where they can held in stock, waiting to dazzle people.

    2. Gains Interest

    The other great thing about a CV is that once we have one we can give it to other people. Sounds a bit obvious perhaps, but a CV does the same job as a menu pasted up outside a restaurant. It gives us information, whets our appetite and engages our interest.

    So, having established a clear need for a CV we can take a look at some essential Top Ten Tips for success. Here are my favourite tips, culled from my experience of reading hundreds of CVs and of working closely with people to get theirs polished up to a usefully shiny state.

    Top Ten Tips

    1. Two pages maximum length. People often fail to read past the second page and if you can’t be informative and concise, what does that say about you?
    2. Tell the truth. An outright lie could cause summary dismissal if you get a job, because you have misrepresented yourself. If in doubt; leave it out.
    3. Leave out interview-specific information. This includes current salary details, health issues and reasons for leaving your last employer. You can answer all of these questions when at interview, without the risk being misunderstood.
    4. Clear summary of yourself at the top of the first page.Write an interesting four line summary that begins ‘A successful Operations Manager with experience of….and who has saved £s during a recent XYZ project.’ Include juicy details to hook people’s interest, such as countries you’ve worked in, or brands/companies you’ve been involved with.
    5. Avoid cliches.This means cutting out such boring old things as ‘blue sky thinking’, or ‘pushing the envelope’, or ‘great at thinking out of the box’. Once you’ve read them 20 times in different CVs they cease to add any value.
    6. Include achievements. After your summary profile include a ‘Key Achievements’ section with at least six bullet points that show your greatest job related achievements. Include numbers in them to make them memorable and to show how much value you have added to your previous organisations.
    7. If you’re a manager/supervisor/team leader talk about people. It’s amazing how often I’ve heard the cliche ‘I’m a people person’ without there being a shred of evidence in someone’s CV to back it up. If you make claims to being a people person then make at least two of your achievements people related. Think about how you developed the team, coached staff, supported people’s development or resolved a dispute.
    8. Tear your first page in half. This is about as much as most people read, so make sure it has a relevant and interesting profile in it and contains at least your first two achievements. If your address takes up the whole space then it’s time to think again!
    9. Stick your CV to your fridge door.This is a great way to see if the layout is neat and clear. Take a step back and look to see whether titles and bullet points are in line and whether there is enough white space between sections, to make them easy to find and read. If your CV is full of tiny type and needless clutter then you will need to give it a thorough haircut to allow your greatest points to shine out.
    10. Less is more. Six well worded achievements can be more useful than 25 lengthy rambling ones. Seven lines of responsibilities/activities per job are easier to remember than 17. A classic mistake is to pack your CV with everything and a bit more to make sure you’ve covered all options, but it can look confusing to the reader and end up as a sprawling mess. Be ruthless and go for the essential details that will sell your skills and talents. Leave out the waffle and the dead wood; you’re better than that.

    Remember

    It’s your CV with your name on the top, so you have to be happy with it. My viewpoint is UK/Euro-centric and if you have local preferences then of course it makes sense to follow those, whilst using the above as a general checklist. There are more tips and fully worked examples of great CVs in the book Job Hunting 3.0, which is due out on 15th June. Reserve your copy on Amazon now.

    Our Task For This Week

    This week we can dig out our CVs and compare them to the list of Top Ten Tips above. If we’re looking for work, it might help us to get an interview and if we’re in work, then refreshing our CV now can save us frustration and heartache in the future.

    Next Monday – where to look for work

    We will continue the job hunting top tips by looking at 20 places where you can look for work. Most people I’ve coached use about three different sources for jobs and miss the rest. How many places can you think of looking?

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    Missed Last Week’s Post?

    Last week was Part 2 of the behavioural strokes series. Strokes build relationships and change behaviour. They’re also a hidden part of Twitter. Click here to read about them.

    Thank you for reading all the way to the end! Good luck with your CV writing.

  • The World of Behavioural Strokes (Part 2)

    Remember! Rabbits need strokes, not washing.
    Remember! Rabbits need stroking, not washing.

    Last week in Part 1 we met five types of stroke (units of recognition) that we can give out to people and can get back from them. Strokes, as a term from Transactional Analysis, are the nourishment we need to live by and prosper. They fuel our days and propel us towards greatness. And they can stop us in our tracks, or leave us feeling unloved and ignored. What’s really interesting for me though is how we learn to limit how we use them. They’re free, you can carry an infinite amount in your pocket and they are the bedrock of happy fulfilling relationships at home and at work. So why is it that we often keep hold of strokes, or only give them grudgingly?

    The Stroke Economy

    Claude Steiner, one of the early developers of Transactional Analysis, suggested we learn to limit strokes and that our early years environment shapes the ‘rules’ we carry around in our heads. He called this ‘The Stroke Economy.’ What this means in practice is that we tend to uphold one or more of the following five injunctions (beliefs that limit our freedom to act):

    1. Don’t Give Strokes to Others. If you tell people what they have done well they will want to be told more often, or they might think that you’re after something. You should only give out strokes sparingly! The truth is that you can give strokes to other people! The reality is that it’s ok to praise people, or to tell them what they’ve done well and that these people won’t take advantage of you. Think about who is important to you and ask yourself who you could stroke more often?

    2. Don’t Give Stokes to Yourself. Self praise is no praise. Modesty is a virtue. Don’t stand out. Don’t blow your own trumpet. These kind of beliefs are well meaning and can get in the way. The truth is that you can stroke yourself. It’s ok to give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, or treat yourself, or simply enjoy your talents and skills.

    3. Don’t Ask for Strokes. If you ask for a compliment or perhaps for a hug, people may be suspicious of you and think that you’re ‘needy’. Clearly, if you ask for a kiss and get it, that counts less than if your partner reads your mind and gives you one by surprise. Right? Wrong! The truth is that you can ask for what you need. If you ask someone to pay you a compliment, or give you some positive feedback, and they do and are sincere, then the strokes are real and as powerful as if you received them by surprise. It’s ok to ask and to receive. Next time you want a hug, don’t sit there and pout…ask for one!

    4. Don’t Accept Strokes. If someone says “Well done” the temptation is to brush it off and be modest. “Oh it was nothing,” you might reply, or emphasize that the team did some good work whilst you sat in the background. You might even ask for a compliment and when you get it you toss it aside with a disbelieving sniff. Of course the truth is that you can accept strokes. “Thank you” often suffices and personally I quite enjoy getting them and stuffing them into my ‘stroke bank’. (Think of this as a piggy bank, where you can store strokes and replay them later for added smiles). Have fun accepting strokes…you pump fuel into your car, so what’s wrong with taking on board some nourishment for yourself?

    5. Don’t Reject Strokes. Some people feel that they always have to accept all the feedback that is given to them and perhaps even become recognised for one particular trait or talent. For example, if someone is good at presentations and is only praised for that, it can become a bit wearisome. We all have lots of skills and talents and so we can make a choice. The truth is that we can say ‘no thanks’ although in practice I have found a polite way to reject a stroke is to say “Thanks for your comment and what else do I do well?” This encourages the other person to think a bit more deeply and I get another stroke!

    Our Task For This Week

    We can ask ourself which one(s) of the above Dont’s we carry around and give ourself permission to change. We can give strokes to others and ourself, ask for them, accept them and reject them. This week choose to give out more strokes and ask for ones and see how life and work feels a bit better. If you’re leading a team make a point of giving them some positive feedback and remember that a stroke doesn’t have to be verbal. A smile, a hug, a box of cream cakes, an extra long tea break… these are all strokes that people value and enjoy. What can you say, or do, this week to someone to make them smile and feel appreciated? Who do you tend to overlook who could do with a stroke?

    Next Week

    Job Hunting 3.0 is published on 15th June so to tie in with this I will preview the book over the next few weeks, starting next Monday with some juicy CV writing tips. Beat the competition by following this blog each Monday.

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    Did You Know?

    I work with clients through my business, Primary People, that specialises in organisational and personal development with a TA twist. We’re looking for two new coaching clients at the moment, so contact me if you, or a colleague, are facing leadership challenges, or are stuck with a dilemma.