How (not) to kill your CV?

Every now and then we see articles pop up about "rediscovering" the way recruiters read a CV. They come up with a map of the eye movement pattern of the person reading the document, and the result is an amazing conclusion that the eyes stay for the longest in the... upper left corner. Additional "analysis" is made up: where else the reader's eyes have stayed for a long time and a theory is ready: they are looking at the CV in a Z, or an F, and maybe an SZ (I'm listing on the basis of my memory and sarcasm). I honestly don't know what else people can come up with to distinguish themselves. I have intentionally used the word analysis with double quotes; there is just no way around it.

The reasons for building the aforementioned Z, F, and other theories are simple: they result from the “love” of other people. If we know the way the recruiter's eyes are moving, then... we can help. We can teach others how to write a CV, taking into consideration how these eyeballs move; which is, of course, a secret knowledge, so the price can be higher. That's how business is made. Nevertheless, it is enough to have some common sense to arrive at the basic conclusions and bring the world back to normal, stop confusing result with reason. We live in a specific cultural circle. It somehow came about that in Europe we write and read from left to right, starting at (surprise surprise!) the upper left corner of the page. And no research is needed to assume that's where the eyes of a reader will start with almost 100% certainty... Phew! What a discovery!

So, what's next? Well, it depends on the appeal of the contents and its purpose. If it's a novel and an interesting one, then our eyes, glancing through the page, will go line by line. Then the whole theory of Z, F, etc. is gone. And what if the text is dull, written with no specific information, doesn't bring anything new to the reader and is simply badly edited? For example, you take a piece of text and at first glance, all you see is chaos, the variety of fonts, all of them being too small, with too little spacing between the lines, etc.; then, deep in your stomach, you can feel the thought "How can I get through this? Help!”. That's when the reader begins to skip lines. He is looking for something interesting in a multitude of chaotically given horoscope clichés. And he finds what he finds. The most important information (from our point of view) can come and go unnoticed. What's even worse, based on what they actually read or skipped, they build their own theory about us. We can be very surprised how far from our reality – or our own imagination - it may be; how far from what we have written in such a “clear” way. The effect is very simple. In the worst case, we are forgettable. We are a vague memory for the reader. So in today's landmass of information, we are simply disappearing. In a slightly better case (or is it?), we get offers that are significantly different from our professional goals. Of course, the reason can also be sloppiness or lack of knowledge of the reader. That we can never eliminate, but... we have no influence on it. So, let's focus on what we can influence, which is the construction of the CV according to well-known (?) and universal principles of communication. Sounds quite logical, right?

The above reasoning results in two basic conclusions. They enable us to do independent and meaningful editing of the CV, instead of chaotic experimenting on the basis of our gut feeling and Internet forums. The first one will be brought down to the very basis herewith, while the second one will become the subject of one of the posts to follow. Here are the conclusions:

- The beginning of a CV is quintessential. Not the upper left corner, but simply the beginning: the first part of the text that provides information about our professional path. It must contain the most important information in a nutshell, so the reader can easily understand and remember. Information that is easy to come back to and worth coming back to

- Edit your CV in small packages of information. Those that encourage to be read and draw the reader's attention at first glance, counteracting the phenomenon of "Enough of this literature, it's too much reading, I'll start skipping through it".

Of course, at the very beginning, there are a name, surname and contact details. Tips for these technicalities are simpler, so let’s skip them now. Now let's move on to the first substantive part of the document. Since we already know that approximately the top 1/3 of the first page is the most important, because the reader will surely look there, the conclusion is simple. We must write something very important there. It makes no sense to waste the most precious space for obvious or irrelevant things. Therefore, I strongly advise you not to start your CV, e.g. from the "Education" section. The reader will check our education anyway, so you can easily move it to the end. It is also a mistake to start immediately from the description of your current workplace. This is nothing more than presenting the pieces of the puzzle for the reader to arrange the picture himself. Right now you're probably starting to guess where I'm going with all this. Yes, the first part of the CV is the best to be made into Summary or Profile. Such a summary can be completed in two ways. The first one was described in an article referring to horoscopes and The Barnum Effect (link). If we start to fantasize and get intoxicated with our greatness, we follow the example of an "experienced manager with many successful projects closed, a charismatic leader, able to make difficult decisions in a changing environment, creative and flexible". The effect is obvious. The reader has already seen hundreds of such empty phrases and is completely immune to them. He begins reading, sees such a text, and immediately his eyes begin to search elsewhere for something catchy, specific. Well, we've wasted the best part of the CV. We have blown our chance to make a good first impression (!). What's worse, we've allowed the reader to skip through the CV by himself. That was a pointless loss.

Instead, let me offer my own approach to the Summary. One that gives us a great chance to be remembered by the reader, moreover, remembered in a very clear way, practically preventing incorrect interpretations. Coming back to the metaphor I often use, we provide the reader with a complete and simple (!) picture. This approach has another advantage – it's been tried and tested. It simply works.

In my model, the Summary consists of four short bullet points. Yes, it's important, bullet points; not a single paragraph. The points simply make it easier for the reader. They encourage them to read. And we are there to make their lives easy and pleasant. What's more, let each bullet point have two lines. Well, let it be two and a half. The reason is the same - it must encourage reading, and not scare the recipient off at the first glance. Let's move on to these bullet points.

Point 1 – WHO YOU ARE

Here, in one sentence, you present the essence of all your professional experience. Remember - this is not about the current position! I assure you, this can be done. You will not prepare it in a few minutes; you have to think about it a bit longer. You can simply start with the words "I am..." How to create such an essence? That the sentence should be simple, containing 3-5 pieces of information, separated by commas. No language ornaments, no fancy linking words, no babble. What kind of pieces of information? Start from the level you have reached in your development, using three degrees: a specialist, a manager, a director (intentionally with a small letter, it's about the level, not the name of the position). Then add business sector, type of companies (e.g. the size and/or ownership structure), geographical area + another parameter, which you consider to be important from the point of view of point 4.

Examples:

- I am a sales director in the FMCG sector in international corporations, with responsibility for the whole country

- I am a quality manager in the automotive industry, in the international and local Tier 1 companies, with an exposure to 3 factories in 2 countries.

Yes, yes, I know. During several or more years of your career, you could have worked in various places. First of all, look into... point 4, and things will become clear.

Why have we squeezed our entire career into one sentence? Well, this is the first sentence of your CV, so it will almost certainly be read. If you've built it briefly and wisely, the reader will immediately get the idea as to where to place you in vertical (company structure) and horizontal (sector, nature of companies, geographical responsibility) spot. Even if he stops reading at this point, he already knows the most important thing. You have already infected his mind (in a good way). Even if he later forgets something, it is enough for him to take a quick look at the very beginning (how natural) and there opens a compartment about you.

There's an extra bonus - when preparing such a compressed sentence... you will also learn something about yourself. You will see where the centre of gravity of your entire career is, regardless of its complexity, diversity and its exceptional uniqueness...

Point 2 – KEY NUMBERS

It's a much simpler part, although it still requires discipline (keep it short!). To illustrate the scale of your experiences collect key numbers in one place. Do not list everything in full diversity, in individual companies. Provide the scale or even just the higher end.

"I have managed teams of up to 120 people and turnover up to 12 million EUR, I have been responsible for 4 countries, I have conducted 4 campaigns for new products launches, I've given over 150 pieces of training in 3 countries, I have managed 25 projects lasting up to 1.5 years with budgets up to 1.5 million EUR" etc. I have given quite a few examples. Add more. You can manoeuvre them in a wise way. For example, if the maximum size of the team (let's say 1,300 people) can be discouraging for smaller employers, and they are interesting to you, write "I managed teams of 50 to 1,300 people". You have your brain, after all. To fit into two lines, you need to select a few key parameters in a thoughtful way. What is the main principle of your choice? It is very easy. Point no. 4.

Point 3 – KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

You certainly have professional successes. You don't necessarily have to be Bruce Willis saving the world from Armageddon. Achievements corresponding to roles you held. Everyone has them, although sometimes we don't even know it. Choose two of these and very briefly, basing on facts and measurable effects (!), present them to the reader. Measurable, for example, is "for three consecutive years, I generated sales increases of 12-22% (the market grew by 7%)". The same information, presented in a wrong way, "For a few years my sales were increasing significantly". What are your guidelines for choosing these two achievements? It is very easy. See point no. 4.

Point 4 – PROFESSIONAL GOAL

Attention, you need to focus now - this is the most important paragraph of your CV. I will even repeat it - this is the most important paragraph of your CV. Everything that precedes and follows serves one purpose – to prove that you have the right to ask the world to talk about your goal. The right that comes from experience, not an accountant's dreams of becoming a lion-tamer overnight. This results in several important and somewhat surprising conclusions. First of all, the content of the first three bullet points is subordinated to the fourth. You subordinate your choice of parameters and numbers describing the scale of your operation to your professional goal. The same applies to the selection of achievements to the third bullet point. You don't necessarily have to indicate those that are formally most effective. You choose those that illustrate your career goal. If you have several different experiences of similar strength (that is years spent in such conditions), in the first point you highlight those that match your goal. Simple and logical, isn’t it?

Likewise, the rest of your resume that is the description of all the experiences in all places also has to prove your rights to the career goal. As a result, you do not have to include everything in there. Ha! With full awareness, you can exclude some information, or give them in a very brief way, so that they don't cloud the reader's picture. Obviously, you monitor the chronology of events, but if any occupation was far from your current goal, don't waste too much space to describe it. Thanks to this approach you create your own image - clear and memorable. You give the reader a ready picture right away. And that's what it is all about! You know what you want, you say it clearly to the world and you support it with evidence. The probability that the world will be talking to you about this is immense. Now, if someone sends you an offer which is very different from your desires, then you will know: it's his fault, not yours. Only then you will have the right to complain about recruiters. Even in public.

At this point, I'm often asked which purpose this professional goal applies to. Is it the long-term one, on a scale of about 10 years (mountains on the horizon) or short-term, so just the next step? The answer is very simple. If someone is reading your CV now, it is in the context of their current recruitment needs. For him, your long-term goal is not important. Thus, in the CV, we inform what interests us now. Let's leave to ourselves the information about the stage we're at along the way.

How to write this point? Let's start with how not to write it. Does the phrase "I want to develop myself using my extensive experience in managing and optimizing production [sales, logistics, etc.] and work for the best" actually mean anything? Or this one: "I am looking for an interesting and challenging job in a dynamic environment"? That’s Barnum in his pure form. It fits everything, so our effort is worthless. The reader shrugs and he'll think for himself what we do for him.

This most important point must be short and straightforward. The more precisely we call the function that we find interesting and its place (company character, business sector, location), the greater the probability of success. We think the same way here as in point 1.

SIDE NOTE: I have only suggested the titles of the bullet points for the clarity of the article. In your CV, you simply place a Summary (or Profile) header and the four points without any names. Remember simplicity! Or in other words: KISS... *

* KISS – keep it simple, stupid