The importance of being earnest with the opening statement on your CV
In this blog I will discuss how to create a great opening statement or summary on your CV. This is possibly one of the most important aspects of your CV and the saying “first impressions do count” really applies here.
Consider your audience
Consider who the reader of your CV or Resume might be. This may either be the person who is going to manage you ultimately, it may be a HR professional, or perhaps even a junior assistant who has been given the onerous task of providing a first sift short list for their boss.
Let them read you like a book
Let us think about the latter scenario, you have applied in for a senior mechanical engineering job with a wind energy specialist, you have specific skills which match the job specification of Rotating equipment and turbine knowledge, you are familiar with CMMS and have previously worked on design projects too as well as being involved in the commissioning and maintenance at project management level. Miraculously the job advert and person specification which drew you to the job, mentioned all of these skills and experience requirements which prompted you to realise the time was right for a change and you applied straight away for your next job in Renewable energy with this global offshore wind energy producer.
Now think back to the possible scenario of a junior resource having a list of skills mentioned on the person specification, and who without a comprehensive or even fleeting understanding of the job is now going to make a decision as to whether your CV will be sifted at this point. You can use this information in two ways, you can either be indignant that your finely crafted CV may be rejected by someone who knows nothing about your work. Or alternatively, you can make it very easy for this person to identify quickly and without doubt that your CV will put a smile on the face of their boss, having matched all the desired criteria.
Reading between the lines is not an option
I would suggest that in order to give yourself the best chance of getting through the selection procedure you should always submit a tailored CV for each application, paying careful consideration to the skills, qualification and experience requirements for the job. Most importantly you should always ensure that your opening statement or summary at the top of your Resume contains all of these essential job requirements. If the brief of your junior reader is nothing more than being tasked with finding Rotating Equipment engineers with a Mechanical Engineering degree and experience of Wind turbines, then this needs to be right up there in the first few lines.
A short story
Make your opening statement or career summary succinct, no more than half a page is necessary any more than this will inevitably contain extraneous information, which will detract from the main points and lose the interest of your reader. Keep it simple, think basics and make it easy for your CV to play right into the hands of your next employer.
14 February 2011
Careers Advice, Job News, Whats New?
CV Advice, First Impressions of a CV, Resume help
4 Comments
February 15th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
This is very good advice from someone who obviously has great experience to share. I am guilty of hoping people will read between lines rather than shaping my applications to the roles I am applying for. Having worked in recruitment I should know better. Good advice should be followed.
March 7th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Dave,
Thanks for taking the time to reply to my posting.
You are absolutely spot on when you identify that you really cannot and should not rely on the person looking at your CV,reading between the lines. 99% of the time that just will not happen, and you will miss the boat.
Quite often first sifts are done by junior staff, or very busy recruiters looking for a close match according to skills, qualfications and experience to those specified by their client. Anyone who does not immediately fit the bill reasonably closely is in danger of being missed at this point.
You can do yourself a great favour as a job seeker by making it really easy for the recruiter to immediately identify you as a possible match for the job.
Rowena
March 29th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Rowena,
On the advice of experts, I have been doing tailored cover letters and (slightly) tailored CV’s. But are the cover letters read? Maybe I should copy all the cover letter tailoring into the CV so it is in both places, just so all the bases are covered. What do you think?
March 31st, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Hi Barry,
There appears to be mixed opinion on this. In my own experience as a recruiter, time constraints meant that unfortunately covering letters were often passed quickly over in favour of scanning the CV for key details.
I stand to be criticised for this but it’s best that you know what is likely to happen. In the main the person first reading your CV will quickly turn to your CV to search for the key essential requirements for the role they are looking to fill. In an engineering or technical job these are likely to be particular software, qualifications, processes and systems, manufacturers, sectors, codes and disciplines.
If you are in any doubt, read the essential requirements for the job and get these in if you have them.
You may well have listed these in your covering letter, but you should never ever miss these points from your CV. So by all means cover all bases and include a covering letter, but my advice is to carefully write a succinct and to the point highly tailored opening statement on your CV, which will leave the reader highly interested in you.
A slightly tailored CV relying on someone reading your covering letter could leave you out of the short list, whereas an individually tailored CV will ensure that if you do have what it takes, the vital information won’t be missed.
Rowena