Tag Archives: CV Advice

12 days of Christmas, No, Project Management Achievements, Seasons Greetings

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

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On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

…6 Geese A-laying! Good for a hearty breakfast I am sure, but today we bring you: On the 6th day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me 6 Key achievements, 5 Golden Rules, 4 Calling Cards, 3 Networks, 2 Referees and a killer CV!

 

The all important key achievements in your CV, the clue is in the naming here – KEY, meaning only highlighted ones. Not everything you have ever done and ACHIEVEMENTS meaning noteworthy pieces of work, not necessarily delivering projects on time and to budget as this is expected when you are a project manager. However it is OK to talk about projects which have faced significant challenges and if you are not a delivery person so have stepped up to the plate and delivered above and beyond the call of duty then talk about it.

I have written an article which addresses stating key achievements on your CV here.

Would you like an example achievement?? Of course you would – here:

  • Identifying the need for a programme management framework within a large blue chip company – on agreement, tasked with defining the associated processes and controls, recruiting a team in cross functionally to embrace and embed new method, ensuring full training administered. Resulting in a 20% improvement in project delivery across the organisation.

Only you can sing your praises, so please stop being so British about things and actually tell the hiring manager just how good you are!

On the 1st day of Christmas The CV Righter gave to me a Killer CV

On the 2nd day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me Two Referees

On the 3rd day of Christmas The CV Righter gave to me Three Networks

On the 4th day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me 4 calling cards 

On the 5th day of Christmas The CV Righter gave to me 5 golden rules

On the 6th day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me 6 Key achievements

12 days of Christmas, CV Tips, No, Project management CV, Seasons Greetings

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

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On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

 ….Two Turtle Doves! Following on our 12 days of Christmas theme with a twist, we decided to go for:

On the second day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me two referees and a killer CV!

Not all employers ask for references when offering a new role but a good deal do; therefore it is important to make sure you have the contact details of 2 referees to hand. Don’t put these details in your CV for a number of reasons:

  1. You do not want your referees being contacted until you are ready, if one or more of your referees in a current employer – then you really do not want them being contacted until you have decided to take a role (and have handed in your notice).
  2. As you send your CV into a number of agencies and direct employers you will unfortunately come across some recruiters who will use the contact details to make contact (often using your name) and try to gain a lead for recruitment. Not what you want put yourself in your referee’s shoes – being hounded by sales people using your name is not going to go down well.
  3. Save precious space on your CV – use the space on your CV more effectively, there is enough room for another bullet point in a remit or an achievement instead of someone’s contact details.
  4. Data protection – yes, that is right – we need to be more conscious of giving out other peoples details!

I have previously covered  references in CVs here.

12 days of Christmas, CV Tips, No, Project management CV, project management resume, Seasons Greetings

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

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On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

A Partridge in a Pear Tree – or so tradition would have it but this year we are going with a twist to the 12 days of Christmas and looking back at some of the articles covered over the past year. So, on the first day of Christmas The CV Righter gave to me… a killer CV.

We have talked through the various elements of what makes a fantastic CV and would like to revisit some of those blog pieces here:

  • Profile – what it should say about you!
  • Achievements – how many to include and what they should say.
  • CV Length – just how long should your CV be?
  • Hobbies – why should you state hobbies in your CV (or not).

Working hard to ensure you have a CV that not only makes you proud but tips the interest of the hiring managers is essential. Can you honestly say you have a CV which meets the high expectations of HR to make a shortlist?

Careers Advice, CV Writing, Friday Snippet, Job Applications, Project management CV, project management resume

Making your CV as good as food

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Just making my lunch I stood away to admire what I was about to eat and it made me think about CVs – before you ask, I don’t eat, sleep and live CVs but I am always thinking about new ways to bring a professional document to the forefront of a recruiter/employers mind.

So, my comparison comes down to how you draw-in a potential employer. Often hiring managers have little time to review CVs and lunchtime proves to be a good time to run through a short-list, it will have to be good to gain uninterrupted attention!

Your CV is next to be reviewed, have you thought about what your USP (unique selling point) is? Have you made a sandwich of all your skills and experience which would spur a hunger to want to try it? Your CV can work just like this, looking attractive from a distance and containing all the ingredients to satisfy the palette requirement that day. The sandwich looks so good, anyone being shown it would want to take a closer look.

Life is about choice and some jobs require more or different meat, some require a great deal of salad with the right amount of mayo whereas mustard is key for other roles (or rolls). This is why it is important to make sure that you have a truthful CV which showcases your actual skills and abilities in an attractive and easy to identify way. By producing a well written piece which clearly contextualises your skills rather than a dull list which tells the reader nothing, you are starting to make the document interesting.

Put yourself in the hiring managers’ shoes – busy and needs to create a shortlist for interviews. Is he/she going to pick a CV which out of hundreds looks the same and doesn’t tell him how you work or what your true skills are or will he/she pick a CV which shines above the rest because it intrigues him/her by ticking the boxes of requirements AND says so much more? Do not be fooled that a lengthy CV will do this either – no one wants to be over-faced by a large meal right! Keep it to a size which will say all the right things in a clear and concise way.