“Throughout the course of your career you will have developed a number of key skills and achievements and it is essential that you know how to present these in your CV and especially your interviews.
If this information isn’t clearly presented, then how can a potential employer understand what you have achieved and the impact it has had on you, the people around you and the organisation you have worked for?
All too often we brush over our skills without really understanding their true value. For example, I see many CV’s where a senior manager has used a phrase such as ‘responsible for a team of 20 people’ – this isn’t proof of their capability as this could have been done poorly or successfully. If this was reshaped into ‘Achieved sales of £500K within first year of managing team of 20 people which resulted in a 20% increase on previous year’ then it would be a clear demonstration of their management skills.
It is important to understand the connection between skills and achievements and how transferrable your skills are. If you are applying for a role where you will be managing or working within a team you need to demonstrate this capability. If there is a skills gap in the job you are applying for you really must consider whether training would bridge that gap or if you should disregard applying.
Many senior managers understand the importance of a SWOT analysis for their business but few have ever carried out this exercise on themselves. It’s important to understand not only what you are good at but what areas you are weaker and also what you enjoy or dislike. A new job might seem from the outset just what you need, but if it incorporates elements of the skills you don’t enjoy this will lead to stress and job dissatisfaction. Often people repeat this cycle going from job to job but never really clearly identifying why they find themselves on this merry go round.
Whether you are looking to apply for a job in your existing marketplace or something completely different, I urge you to evaluate yourself first! Your marketability depends on who you are and how relatable your skills and achievements are – get this right and you’re on the road to job satisfaction!”