posted 28th April 2023
In my early days in sales, I was taught that in any sales conversation, if I could get the potential client talking about themselves that meant they would really enjoy the conversation. If I could get them talking about things that we have a mutual interest in, it was also very powerful. But if I just talked about myself aimlessly then that was not good. The client would lose interest and they would be very unlikely to buy.
This 'I, We, You' principle works in most communication including writing and sending your CV. Firstly, who will be receiving your CV? For example, a note saying that you are specifically looking to work for a remote working, IT recruitment consultancy with offices in Twickenham would always grab my interest. Every time you send a CV, taking the time to personalise it for the company and role can be time really well spent. You are then talking to them about them and why you might be a good candidate to consider.
The first thing to remember is the purpose of a CV. It is not to persuade somebody to offer you a job on the basis of the CV. It is to persuade somebody to move to the next stage and arrange to discuss, in more detail with you, if employing you would be a good idea. It is to get an appointment not make a sale. Your CV should be prepared with that in mind. It is to get you to that next stage so somebody can meet the real you and not judge a written description. You need to offer enough of the right information, in a clear and easy to understand manner, for that to happen.
As for the CV itself, research shows that most managers visually scan CVs first. Then if the candidate seems potentially of interest, they will look more deeply.
What does this tell us?
You need to make your CV clear and easy to read and make it easy to find the core information.
This will normally mean a focus in particular on the last 5 years work experience and last 2 jobs you have worked. Make sure you explain what the company does, such as 'working for TSR Select, a specialist agency focused on sales and technical roles within Cloud, Cyber, and the MSP space as a Senior Consultant placing candidates in the £40,000 to £80,000 salary bracket'. Be clear what you do.
What is your key experience and skill set? Provide factual information such as accreditations, specific technologies worked with, projects completed for technical staff, targets hit, new clients won, and commission earnings for sales people. Factual information that shows valuable knowledge or skills is very important.
It is important to remember the person reading your CV will know nothing about you. Look at your CV and ask yourself would you be able to understand the following quickly and easily.
1. Who are you? Where can you work, who do you work for, and what do they do? What level of experience do you have and an idea of salary and earnings?
2. What do you actually do in that job and how do you do it? How does the job work and what are your day to day tasks?
3. Why are you personally good in that role? What factual information do you have that shows you have been a success?
The core information in recruitment includes:
1. Location, where is the role based. Will a company consider you for their role you based on where you live?
2. What is the actual type of work you have done? From looking at your CV does it look like you have the required skill set?
3. Have you any proof of long-term stability and success in a suitable role?
4. Are you a match salary wise for the budget available?
It is better to make this information clear.
1. Location: Where do you live? What areas will you work? Would you relocate? Will you work in the nearest big city such as London?
2. What did you do in the role? For example, 'I was a Senior 2nd Line Help Desk Engineer or a New Business Account Manager.'
3. Provide dates in a role and specific successes in it.
4. Supplying your present basic salary and total earnings will enable companies to judge if you are a match financially.
We all love to talk about ourselves, but a CV is not always the best place. A brief description of hobbies and interests is good. Education in full and representative honours in sport or other areas is also worth noting or anything you have done that shows real achievement.
Remember most managers want to find it easy to understand who you are and what you have done. If that is not easy to do, they are highly likely to quickly move onto the next CV.
If you are an IT professional looking for a new technical or sales role in Cloud, Cyber, or Managed Services, we can help you.
Please get in touch with us by emailing contact@tsrltd.co.uk or calling 020 3837 9180. We look forward to working with you!