Shops sell a lot of things. They have shelves and racks, boxes and storerooms full of things.
What they don’t do is put everything they sell in the window.
Why not? Well, for one, there isn’t space and beyond that practical point, they don’t need to. The job of the shop window is to entice, to get the passer-by interested enough to find out more about what’s inside.
It’s the same with a CV.
A technique I use with clients is to get them to think of their career as a shop, a place filled with all of their skills, experience and potential. They are looking to sell those things to a recruiter. We organise their ‘stock’ and think about what might attract a recruiter. We then create a CV or ‘shop window’ that will attract them.
Equally, a good CV is a selection of the most relevant and interesting achievements about your career that would benefit your new employer.
Like a passer-by or potential shop customer, a recruiter doesn’t need or want to see everything you have. If they like what they see in the window – your CV – then they can ask you to show them more in an interview.
Want some help cutting your CV into a more effective shop window? Then get in touch.
Email jason@jncv.co.uk
LinkedIn Jason Newton
Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash
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