To this end Da Vinci did something that remains peoples first course of action when pursuing employment today: he made a CV! I love about Da Vinci’s handwritten CV, addressed to Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, in 1482, is that Da Vinci instinctively realised that what this article needed to do was to inform the Duke about what he could do for him.
Therefore he does not waste time listing every detail of his life but rather focuses on the skills he has that are most relevant to the position. In this case the production of battle weapons and armoury. And let’s face it what Renaissance Duke would not be a little enticed by the promise of:
mortars; most convenient and easy to carry; and with these I can fling small stones almost resembling a storm; and with the smoke of these cause great terror to the enemy, to his great detriment and confusion.
Now while CV formats have changed and the rest of us mere mortals will never have a skillset like Da Vinci’s to recommend ourselves to prospective employers we can learn a fundamental lesson from this great man. Da Vinci immediately puts himself in the position of the employer and thinks what does he/she need that I can provide? And writes from that perspective.
Every CV tells a story and you have to think how can I merge my talents, strengths, characteristics and achievements into a narrative that will leap of the page the same way Da Vinci´s mortars must have to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan in 1482?
CV Format/CV Template
Before a CV can leap off a page it must learn how to walk.
The basis for a visually appealing CV is a well ordered CV which makes the information coherent and easily digestible. Of course some industries and employers allow for greater risks to be taken, it is unlikely the CVs sent for an accounting position will be the same as those sent for a graphic design post, however this ultimately comes down to a personal decision about you and how you want to represent yourself. To get us started here is a link to some standard templates.
Spelling and Grammar
You must remember this a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh, the fundamental things apply, as time goes by. (As Time Goes By).
Somethings just do not change and incorrect grammar and bad spelling on a CV immediately disqualifying you for a job is one of them. It does not mean that you must have perfect grammar or spelling to do every job rather what it says is that you have not taken the necessary time and care to ensure they were correct. And carelessness in an application hints at even more carelessness in your job.
If spelling and grammar are not your strongpoints or if you have any conditions which will affect your ability to produce a linguistically perfect CV then call in your team mates. Get help! Call in your spelling bee champion friend but make sure when you hit send you have dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s.
Watch those tenses
This comes under the dotting the i’s category. If your CV is in the past write it in the past however if you are talking about a current role use the present. Seems simple I know but it is a common mistake.
Choose your CV file name wisely
Again it might sound an obvious thing to remind you about however when you are in the thick of the job search and simultaneously filling out multiple applications with CVs honed specifically for each one it is not beyond the bounds of possibility to have saved one as ¨Back up Job CV 2¨. Nobody wants to be someone else’s back up so be careful when hitting that button.
Figures and dates make CVs great
The devil is in the details as the saying goes. So give them the details if you have them especially for jobs that are result orientated. For example rather than saying
When I worked as a DJ for a XFM the listenership during my allotted time spot increased.
Say
During my time, Feb. 2015-March 2017, as the principal DJ on XFM´s show Sunday Roast on the 2.30-4.30 Sunday afternoon time slot listening figures increased by 15% and maintained that increased level during my time there.
Of course it goes without saying that you should only use the figures when they are suitably impressive or when they help you make your case. CV writing should never be fiction but it should always tell the best stories.
Unique selling proposition
A product’s unique selling proposition is a marketing theory based on the potential for a customer to be persuaded to choose one brand over another because of one strong clearly communicated difference between the two brands. For example the shampoo Head and Shoulders was “Clinically proven to reduce dandruff” and Apple used the slogan “Beauty outside, Beast Inside” to encourage consumers to see computers not only as effective but as objects of aesthetic beauty.
Most people do not want to think of themselves as products but the moment we send out a CV we are marketing ourselves and differentiation is the basis of all marketing.
Therefore ask yourself what it is about you that makes you different from the rest of the applicants. What do you do better than everyone else? What is your USP?
It can be a very empowering question to ask yourself and might just give you the flash of inspiration to present yourself in a way that communicates your uniqueness to future employer.
The new CV
Leonardo Da Vinci was ahead of his time but surely there has been some innovation since the renaissance? The answer right now is a definite yes.
Indeed if social media has revolutionised how we find new friends, clothes and partners then surely it should have changed how we find jobs?
And, of course, it has. Today we have access to a wealth of information about job opportunities that simply wasn´t there before. Yet this does beg the question: how are we, the job applicants, innovating our methods to change with the times?
Well some people are meeting change head on. Such as Chelsea Miller whose original whiteboard video resume went viral on Linkedin and saw her receive hundreds of connections and career opportunities. Or if you feel like facing the camera yourself you might take a look at Mark LeRuste’s excellent video resume for inspiration.
This is not to say the traditional CV is going anywhere and videos like these do lend themselves more to progressive, creative job environments than traditional, conservative ones so it does come down to a personal choice but eventually video will kill the radio star so why not dare to embrace the future?
Get a second opinion
It is not what you see; It’s the way you perceive it. When you have been looking at the same document for several hours the lines can begin to blur and it is amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can see. So, as before with your spelling bee friend, get someone else whose judgement you trust to take a look. All the more so if it is someone with a degree of expertise. Use your team mates and return the favour when they need your help.
The fundamental things apply
Finally whether your CV is of a traditional mode or an adventurous new style remember: the fundamental things still apply:
I will end with, a very Italian, story about Giovanni Agnelli the founder of the Fiat car company. When asked what was the first thing he looked at when a candidate entered the room for an interview he always said the shoes and that if the candidate hadn’t polished his shoes perfectly he didn’t really want the job. Times have changed and these days there are some offices where we work in trainers but if your CV is not pristine, cared for and polished up it will appear the same as a pair of unpolished shoes did to Signore Agnelli back in the day.
Written for CareerJunction by Mark Dempsey.
