A big welcome back to the legend that is Kate Alder. Kate has worked in recruitment for 5 years, alongside captaining Wasps FC ladies in the Allianz Premier 15s. She’s experienced huge crossovers in her life as a recruiter, a captain, and a rugby player and is passionate about sharing her experience (and any possible tips!) with others in the business and sporting worlds.
“Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…”
The whole point of a CV, right? Over the years I have seen hundreds, well, THOUSANDS of CVs. Some of them great, with others a little ‘outside the box’. I’ve seen CVs discussing obscure Guinness World Records, beaming with pride about being a godparent, and even eBay businesses selling bongs (including the actual hashtag #getthenationhigh) – but what do all these examples have in common?
They were memorable!
Now I’m not saying that in order to stand out, you have to take a ‘warts and all’ approach to your CV, but what I am saying is that a CV is an opportunity for a recruiter, or future employer, to get to know you. The whole time they are scanning a CV, they are looking for conversation starters – something that is unique to you, that would open up a dialogue.
So often we worry that our CV is strictly an objective timeline of what we have achieved. The jobs we’ve had, the responsibilities in those positions, and corporate or academic achievements along the way. But I promise you – that is only half of the story.
CVs are an opportunity to get your personality across to an employer, before speaking to them. It’s a chance to speak about your hobbies, your volunteering experiences, your family, your quirks and what makes you YOU. Some of the best initial conversations I have had with candidates over the years have been discussing Christmas tree businesses set up with siblings, 16 hour shifts setting up gazebos in the summers, being in awful bands and freelance modelling for burger king (as the grill…!). So many of the activities and experiences that you don’t deem to be “CV worthy” are the exact chapters of your background that have shaped your character and will make you a brilliant asset to any business.
So, where to include this extra information?
My advice would be: the start and the end of your CV. At the start of your CV it’s always good to include a brief overview of you, what you’ve been doing, and ‘who you are’. Then again, at the end of your CV, I’d always advise adding in an “Additional Information” section where you can get a little loose(r) about who you are outside of work. Mother, Captain, boss of a side business – be proud of your achievements and give that employer 101 reasons to pick up that phone to you! #getthenationhired
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