When writing your CV you can easily get stuck in the past tense. You write about the things you have done rather than the things you aspire to do. Cover letters can fall into the same trap - they can easily become past- rather than future-oriented.
When employers read your CV they will, of course, be interested in what you have done. But they will also be thinking of future potential and how you might fit into their plans. Past qualifications and experience count for a lot; but they can fail to impress if there is no underlying sense of professional growth. Your CV needs to show not just where you have been but also where you are heading.
That Something....
People who are experienced in recruiting often say that successful candidates are not those with the most impressive career histories. Often it is 'that something' - a single detail that jumps off the page - that determines who gets shortlisted for a job. Often 'that something' is not a past achievement but a sign of potential for the future.
Remember that when people recruit they are not just looking for the most qualified person. They are also looking for a future colleague.
Here are some tips for getting that sense of the future into your CV and cover letter:
1. Include any ongoing professional training or education in your CV, with expected completion dates. Consider including this in your profile statement too, if it is relevant to the target job. This kind of detail shows that your professional outlook is based on learning as well as achievement. It shows you are on an upward learning curve.
2. Include in the accomplishment statements for your current job at least one project or task where you are professionally growing. Use a phrase like 'ongoing project', 'currently engaged in' or 'projected completion July 2012'.
3. If you have a large number of past achievements in one area (eg military awards, certificates of excellence, conference speeches, papers published) don't list them all on your CV. A big list may not be as effective as selected highlights. For publications, list the most important three, or those most likely to interest the target employer. If you list too many items your CV may just be weighed down by detail from the past.
Note: if you are in a specialised field where publications are important (eg academic jobs) you might like to consider listing them all in an appendix to your CV. This can be a third page, in a smaller point size (eg 10 point). This is also useful for people with long mission records or extensive training experience. In your CV proper use a phrase such as 'see Appendix for more details'. For some jobs you may be asked specifically for a long or detailed CV.
4. Use your career profile to establish a career objective. This could be a 'seeking' statement: 'Seeking challenging management position in custodial care'. Or an 'interest' statement: 'Interested in the possibilities of business-to-business communication'. A seeking/interest statement like this may not reflect your past work experience, but indicates a future direction. However, something else in the CV apart from the profile should give evidence that you are actively moving into the new career area.
5. Use your cover letter to outline your future professional aims and explain how they fit the target job. Use the second and third paragraphs of the letter to link your skills to the target job, but also to identify challenge areas. These are aspects of the target job which represent a challenge to you, but for which are prepared.
This is where research on the target organisation can make a difference. Research the organisation's web site and official publications. Try to find out what their mission statement is and their current policies. Try to find out if they have any special personnel needs. These may be reflected in the job advertisement - look out for clue phrases like 'special consideration will be given to...' and '...would be an advantage'.) Look out for key words and phrases which you can use in your covering letter to anticipate the employer's future needs.
6. Create a thread of interest in your CV by encouraging the reader to connect items together. Remember that for the reader who is scanning a text quickly it is words that make the big impression. Edit your CV so that key words are clear. Look for words with similar meaning and distribute them through your job descriptions. Avoid repeating the same phrase for every accomplishment or bunching lots of repeated phrases together.
7. Get the 'value added' elements into your CV. When describing jobs don't get fixated on duties and tasks. Think also about the skills and qualities involved and how your job fits into the bigger picture of an organisation. Introduce some dynamic and future-oriented details.
So an accomplishment like:
Researched, designed and launched a web site for XYZ computer helpdesk
could be more 'valued added' as:
Researched, designed and launched a successful web site for XYZ computer helpdesk, with follow-up feedback from six client groups used to evaluate performance.
This 'value added' detail brings in two skills which are often neglected in CVs but are part of many jobs: working as part of a team and responding to feedback. It fits the accomplishment into a bigger context and makes it sound less like a duty and more like a project. It makes the accomplishment more dynamic and future-oriented, emphasising evaluation as well as design. It is a detail which may attract the eye of an employer more than the web skills alone implied by the first statement.
