Hello, and welcome to this 3rd episode in a small series I’ve called: “Professional Development - Job Hunting and CVs”.

In the previous episode in this series (the episode called “Why You Always Want to Have an Updated CV!”) I talked about 5 problems you solve by always having a good, updated CV. You can find that episode at www.barbarakandersen.com/9.

As I also promised in that episode, I’m back today to talk about some important guiding principles for writing a CV you’ll feel proud of – and that you’ll be happy to share with your network and send with your applications.

So, that’s the topic for today. I’ve identified 5 important CV writing principles that nearly always come into play when I discuss CV’s with my clients. I’ll share those with you of course – plus, I’ll share a tip to make CV writing interesting and rewarding!

So, who likes CV writing, anyway?
The thing is – as I know I have said before - I have yet to meet a person who told me that they enjoyed working on their CV!

I have met a few people who treated CV writing as just another task on their to-do list that they would just sit down and work their way through. According to plan.

But then I’ve met a lot of people who really don’t enjoy it. In the same way they really don’t enjoy the annual performance review process.

Maybe you recognize this?

Of course, you want to be recognized for your efforts, but you find the whole CV writing process somewhat tedious. And you feel uncomfortable having to point out your own talents and achievements.

I definitely felt like that myself! I had a love-hate relationship with CV writing for many years.

I wanted, of course, to have a crisp and professional-looking CV clearly outlining my experience and competencies. And which would hopefully give me an edge in the recruitment process.

And I certainly enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment and professionalism when I finally got it done and felt I’d done an OK job of it.

But frankly, I felt very self-conscious about the whole process of deciding what to keep in and what to leave out. Suddenly everything seemed important. But was it?

At the same time, I felt very awkward about having to promote myself. And I felt uncomfortable with the tactics I felt were going on with the CV writing and the whole application process.

The whole thing triggered feelings of frustration and discomfort – and, honestly, a lot of procrastination.

The problem, I found out later, is that this way of thinking about CV writing is very much focused on me, myself, and my feelings. And all those feelings make it difficult to sort the essential from the non-essential in the CV.

A good first tip is to get yourself – or at least your feelings - out of the CV, so to speak. And that’s where it’s often very helpful to get support from someone else.

So, to help you get started, I'm happy to share 5 important CV writing principles.

5 Key Principles for Writing or Rewriting Your CV

Principle #1: Make it short(er)

There are no laws or regulations on CV’s. But there’s good advice. Which is based on common sense really. I may tell you that your 8-page CV is far too long. But then you may tell me that this is the CV you used when you got hired for your current position. So, an 8-page CV does not necessarily mean that you won’t get shortlisted. But it does not really signal competence in filtering the essential from the non-essential. Or strong written communication skills.
Read the full show notes at http://www.barbarakandersen.com/11