CV Secrets: Wearing someone else’s shoes

There must be very few times where you’d wear someone else’s work shoes. Perhaps some vegetable farms have a communal selection of wellies for pickers to fight over at the start of a shift? May be scientists working in nuclear power stations share protective white boots? Generally though, sharing shoes in the world of work is not something to be encouraged. However, there is one time when it pays to get down low and smell the inside sole of someone else’s work boot.

Interviewer

“Thank you for your time Mr Hargreaves. Do you have any last questions?”

 Mr Hargreaves slips off his left shoe revealing a dark brown sock with his big toe poking through the end.

Mr Hargreaves

“Well there is one thing actually.”

The interviewer stands back. Mr Hargreaves reaches forward.

Mr Hargreaves

“Here, take off you left shoe and pass it to me”.

The interviewer (confused)

“Excuse me?”

Mr Hargreaves

“It’s just that, well you said I’ve got the right technical skills. I just want to make sure I am the right fit”.

Of course, we’re not talking about examining shoes as some kind of new interview technique. But placing yourself in the shoes of a prospective employer is a cornerstone of creating a targeted and effective CV. You don’t write a CV for yourself. You write it for the reader. You write it so an employer cannot help but find you are a convincing match for the requirements for the role.  You write it so that they will invite you to interview.

Spend as much time planning your CV as writing it

It may seem obvious. But writing CVs can be a very long drawn out process. It’s easy to forget when thinking about all those career highlights that you are not writing it for yourself. That’s why you should spend as much time in the planning stage. Research the types of organisations and jobs you will be applying for. Look at the person specifications of the jobs themselves. See what qualities and skills they are looking for.  This is what you will be assessed against. So make sure your CV is a perfect match for every application.

If you are open about your next career move then that is fine. It just means you need to do a bit more ground work. You will need more than one version of your CV. Each targeted towards different career pathways. The important point is to do all this before you put pen to paper.

So, if you are thinking about writing your CV, then it pays to do your homework first. Put on the employers shoes and write it from their perspective.

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