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By Trevor Rawlings - Senior Consultant, Financial Markets Division
Writing a CV if you are a change management candidate is a potentially challenging process. Unless you are so specific that you have only worked in one or two different areas, or with one or two different systems such as ACBS and Loan IQ then the chances are you will have covered multiple products and many different systems - the more senior you are, the more you will have covered.
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So, is it important that you spend time on your CV or can you rely on explaining your specialisms at interview? Certainly, it is the responsibility of your recruiter, who should have the relationship with the client and the understanding of your market, to be able to talk through your details, explaining your suitability for the role. However, this is not always possible and, in some instances, your CV will have to be relied upon to get you that interview. Clients’ expectations are currently very high, so there is even more emphasis on your CV. You are competing with candidates who are upping their game and writing more professional CVs; you need to do the same and spend the time to get your CV right.
When taking a client remit for a change role, it doesn’t matter if it is for a Programme Manager, Project Manager or Business Analyst, there is always one thing that the client wants to see - examples of successful delivery. I see lots of CVs that list specifically the details of the projects and products that the candidate has worked on but nothing about if the projects were delivered on time and to budget; this is vital when grabbing the attention of the line manager. A good way of getting these examples on to your CV, would be to list them in a summary on the front page. To stand out even more from your competitors, why not send to your recruiter references from previous employers to prove your record of delivery. Your recruiter should have a good enough relationship with the client to use these to your advantage and discuss with the client.
As senior change management professionals may well have worked on many different projects, there is a danger that if you get all of the information down, then the CV could become too dense. The length of your CV is going to be dependent on your experience but should be kept to no more than four pages. So, it is vitally important for it to be punchy and to the point, only say what you need to say with the aim of grabbing the reader’s attention. Your CV is one of the most important weapons you have when it comes to looking for your next role and you may only have a very short period of time for the employer to make a snap decision, so make sure it says everything it needs to say but to the point.
It is definitely worth spending the time to tailor your CV to a specific role. If you have a wide range of products and system experience, then there is no harm in changing your CV to make sure that your experience in this particular area is shown, in fact, it is imperative. Choose a good recruiter and they can help you with this. Never enhance the truth but highlighting your suitability for a specific role gives you an advantage.
Along with the previous points, it is worth bearing in mind the obvious when writing a CV. Firstly, always make sure your spelling and grammar is correct, even at senior level I still see basic errors which could go against you before the employer has even come to your delivery record. Make sure it’s neat and tidy and easy on the eye, there is no set format for writing a CV but it must be easily read and in reverse chronological order. If you follow all of these basic rules and focus on delivery, then I believe the first chance you have of selling yourself i.e. your CV, will give you a great chance of getting that interview.
For more advice speak to Trevor Rawlings on
Email:
trevor.rawlings@austinbenn.co.uk Phone: +44 (0) 20 7344 1403
