07 Jun 2023
We still see a great many people thinking that their CV should be a long list of their past jobs, and the duties involved in carrying out those jobs. As far as content goes, an element of your previous job detail is important, but more important is what you achieved in those jobs.
Potential employers will of course be interested in where you have worked before, so your CV should reflect that, and also a summary of the jobs you had, but a job summary is as far as it should go.
It is really more about the skills that you brought to the table, or developed while you were working there, far more than about what the job description said that your job entailed.
What’s more important is what you achieved in those jobs, and the difference you made in your role.
Did you learn how to lead a team of people and successfully complete several projects with them? Did you master the use of a new software application which allowed the stock taking to happen much more easily than in previous years? Were you able to help new colleagues to settle into the team and take them under your wing, in a mentorship role? All of these achievements are far more important and interesting than a list of duties that you were required to carry out.
Next time you look at your CV, reflect not on what you were required to do, e.g. write reports, file papers, answer calls, but on what you did which made you stand out as being a valued employee and colleague. Many of these relate to competencies, which are sometimes referred to as transferable skills, and include leadership, problem solving, decision making and communication.
If you can make a case for how your skills in communication helped to close an important deal for the company, or explain how your problem solving abilities paved the way to a better solution to a manufacturing problem that the company was having, a recruiter will read these and understand the ways in which you can benefit their company.
These practical examples prove your worth in a way that a simple list of duties that you were required to do every day in order to keep your job never could.
Examples of past achievements go a long way to making potential employers think you can add value, bring something new to the table, and show that you will go the extra mile. Being able to demonstrate keenness and competence in various different situations can mark you out as being versatile and therefore valuable to potential employers. Someone with a “can do” attitude, who goes ahead and gets things done is exactly the picture that you should be trying to paint with your words.
You’ll always have a far better chance of success if your CV paints a picture of someone who wanted to make a difference and tried new and innovative ways to do so.
