YARE (Yet Another Reflective Essay): Build An Impactful CV Episode
YARE (Yet Another Reflective Essay): Build An Impactful CV Episode
Hello everyone! In this reflective essay, I’d like to share my experience attending the “Build An Impactful CV” class given by Kak David Paulus. This was the second class in soft skills and career readiness, and I hope you enjoy reading about my key takeaways.
Right Mindset to Build an Impactful CV
First and foremost, we need to change our mindset about CVs and personal branding in general. We should treat our CV as our professional brand. We should put ourselves in the shoes of recruiters and remember that hiring is about selling ourselves. This is the first thing we need to do before jumping into creating a CV.
Brand Statement
While it may be difficult to decide on your brand statement, you can use the following as a guide to help you get started:
- What is the “one thing” that everyone says you are amazing at?
- What gets you excited?
- What have you accomplished?
- It can also be volunteering, freelancing, or internship experience that highlights YOU and makes you STAND OUT. You can also ask people or colleagues that you know to help describe you, and then you can use it as a reference to create your brand statement.
Achievement
Achievements don’t necessarily have to be something big. They can be something small, but it’s something that you have successfully accomplished through effort, courage, or skill. They display your skills, character, and leadership abilities. You can display achievements with the AQS (Action verb, Quantifiable evidence, & what Specific task) framework.
A Bit of Writing
Improving writing is also improving your CV, since it’s a document that you need to write. So, here are some tips to improve your writing: use an action verb, use adverbs to describe your action more.
Other Tips
for school leavers, students, and graduates with minimal work experience, it suggests having a section for professional work experience and volunteering experience on the CV. It also recommends finding transferable skills from previous experiences that align with the role being applied for.
Conclusion
Your CV is a marketing document that should include your personal details, LinkedIn link, education, work experience, and interests. It highlights your key achievements and shows your value, and should always be tailored to the role you are applying for.