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There is a plethora of articles, books and websites available that espouse the 'best' way to document skills, experience and capabilities in a Resume or Curriculum Vitae. Despite this we still see many CVs and Resumes that could be improved by following a few simple guidelines. While these guidelines are applicable to all CVs they are particularly relevant to the Independent Consultant who is marketing their CV to prospective clients, agencies and brokers, including aCE POLSON.
But first let's consider the value of a good CV. A good CV allows the reader to:
- identify the types of qualifications, accreditations and associations a consultant has- quickly identify the background, skills and experience of a consultant
- understand via a reasonable summary the type of experience gained in past role
- understand the types of industries and employers a consultant has worked with
- get a glimpse behind the CV at the type of person the consultant is.
The key considerations for a good CV can be summarised into layout, content and aesthetics.
Layout
The layout or structure of a CV follows a simple formula, generally in this order;
Contact Details
Qualification Profile
Associations
Industry Experience
Work History Summary
Capability Summary
Other Information of Interest
Content
Content should include (but not necessarily be limited by):
Contact Details;
Address, phone numbers, email, website
Qualification Profile;
Type of qualification, date obtained, institute and should be detailed in date order, with the most recent qualification listed first. Qualifications should include degrees, accreditations, advanced study programs etc.
Associations;
Brief details of relationships with associate bodies as this gives the reader an idea of the consultant's commitment to keep up to date with industry research and best practice.
Industry Experience;
Often not included in a Consultants CV is the summary of industry experience. Like it or not, a client is very interested in the types of industries a consultant has worked within. This demonstrates both the type of exposure to the client industry and overall experience across a range of industries.
Work History Summary;
This should provide brief details of employer, dates employed, job title, summary of role responsibility and summary of key achievements. The key to this section is to keep as brief as possible making use of bullet points to document key points. With key achievements, this is about conveying the impact you as a consultant had on the organisation as a result of doing what you did, so the use of demonstrable measures showing significant increases eg productivity %'s etc, adds weight to your value.
If you are a consultant with a significant amount of experience then keep the detailed work history to say the past 10-15 years, then abbreviate the remainder to headings of job titles, employers and dates. If a client wishes to know more this can be given at a later date.
Also, a consultants experience may not be with a particular employer, but rather gained as an independent consultant. This history should be documented under the consultants business name and briefly outline the client name, nature of project/s, dates, key tasks and achievements.
Capability Summary;
This is often a key component not included in CVs. The point here is to provide a brief overview of a consultant's kitbag of skills and not a washing list of generic capabilities such as communication skills, results focus, leadership skills etc. But rather a summary of core competencies such as Training & Facilitation, Instructional Design, Project Management, Strategic Management, Technical Expertise (eg software packages, systems experience etc) etc. Under each bullet point provide a brief summary of the types of projects and roles that have been undertaken in this competency and the results achieved.
Other Information of Note:
Include this only if it considered beneficial to list something not already included above. For example, details of any articles or books written, conference presentations, guest speaker invitations etc.
Aesthetics
In this technically literate world in which we operate there is no excuse for using the Word default font, Times Roman. This is 'old hat' and changing the font on your CV can instantly provide an updated 'look and feel' to your CV.
In addition, try setting out each key section as a table (this doesn't need to be highlighted with lines when printed). This will ensure that the content of the section is aligned making it easier to read and understand.
Another important aspect of the CV is language. A CV should never be written in the first person using 'I' or 'We', but rather written in the third person. This keeps the document generic and more professional.
Length of a CV; some will tell you a CV should be no longer than 2-3 pages. However it is considered more important to document all relevant information. The more experience the longer your CV.
Also a note about Corporate profiles (i.e. many Consultants prepare Corporate profiles indicating the services and products that they can offer to a client), these are very useful and definitely have a place as part of a Consultants marketing efforts, however at the end of the day a client is often buying 'you' and consequently wants to know about the consultants experience and background. Therefore it considered that the Corporate Profile and CV go hand in hand and should not be treated as an 'either / or'.
It is hoped that the above guidelines have been useful and when it is time to update your CV, which should be done on a regular basis to keep information current and relevant, you will be able to use some of the tips above to ensure you have a document that details your experience and background in a succinct, eye-catching and easy to read manner.
On a final note, should any consultant require assistance with updating their CV please contact aCE via consult@acetalentnet.com.au and we would be happy to assist you for a nominal fee.
Good Luck.