Reading transfers into a visual experience within the mind.

Think of the best novels you have read, how the author immerses you in their world by describing the characters, environments and story. You want to do the same with your CV. To evoke a visual picture of your achievements that leave a lasting memory. You want the reader to clearly see the great things you have done for previous employers and by inference, the great things you can do for a new employer.

Visual references are powerful

Words on their own mean virtually nothing. It is the association we place on words and phrases that give them context and meaning. The more clearly you can articulate your actions at work, the stronger the visual reference becomes and the more engaged the reader will be. This is why it is important to steer clear of hypothetical statements – like generic job descriptions.  It is difficult to visualise a hypothetical statement, it is much more powerful to visualise a real life experience. Your actual lived work experience.

Do not copy and paste job descriptions into your CV

Too many CVs looks like copied and pasted job descriptions. The problem with this is that job descriptions are by their very nature hypothetical and often start with ‘the post holder will…’ A job description is a theoretical summary of responsibilities. They need to work for many different people who might all be doing the same job. This is not true for your CV. Your CV is a personal account of your career history. It should highlight your achievements and not be a list of generic responsibilities.

Be anecdotal

The more specific examples you can cite in your CV the more memorable it will be. This may mean being selective on the number of examples used but your CV will be much more powerful through being grounded in real life experience. Facts and figures will also heighten interest. They can be used to highlight the scale and scope of something in addition to the results or outcome.

Example hypothetical statements v specific examples

Let’s take look a look at a couple of examples to demonstrate how easy it is to turn a dull hypothetical statement into something much more compelling.

A generic responsibility could read:

“Responsible for generating sales revenues and cross-selling services” could read:

“Consistent top 10% performer 2016 – 2017 in team of 50+ advisers achieving all sales targets and won individual award in for most cross sales”

“Organised a major international conference” could become:

“Generated £150k in corporate sponsorship selling over 150 delegate seats for major international conference in Cape Town”

Your CV needs to tell your story

The above examples show how, by grounding information in real life experience, you can make points much more visual and memorable. Using facts and figures also enables the reader to understand the true value in what you have achieved. So be explicit and descriptive. Whilst your CV might not read like a JK Rowling novel it will certainly be much more memorable through painting visual pictures.

This article is written by Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers. Please do connect with me via LinkedIn.

Check out our CV writing service with details of our packages that include LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and more. You can get things started with a Free CV review. I am also a qualified career counsellor and provide Career Counselling services for people looking to change career paths.