Tips and guidelines for managing content and style to optimize the impact of your CV (resume) and cover letter.

1. CAREER LEADERSHIP
SEMINAR SERIES
Creating a
Powerful CV
& Cover Letter
Date: Thursday, February 2
Time: 12:30 – 15:00
Place: IUSE Barcelona
Presented by Mitch Berman
BERMAN ADVANTAGE

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Purpose
To present yourself,
your experiences, and
your qualifications in
the best light possible
in order to secure an
interview or meeting.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Principal Elements
 Heading
 Job Objective
 Summary of Qualifications
 Professional Experience
 Education
 Relevant Additional Information
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Create the right heading
 Name, address, contact information, and possibly URL.
 Show off your credentials if they can set you apart in a positive way (e.g., MBA).
 Use a mini-heading for identification on the top of the second page, if you have
one.
 List only phone numbers where you wish to be contacted.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Job Objective (is it really necessary?)
 States what role you are seeking and want to play for your next employer.
 Should be concrete, concise, direct, and relevant.
 Consider using job title in response to a specific posting.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Kick-start with a Summary of Qualifications
 Emphasize top 3 or 4 reasons you’re qualified for the job you’re seeking.
 Highlight any of the following:
* Experience * Credentials * Expertise * Background
* Work Ethic * Personality * Personal Values
 Prioritize by most relevant and impressive.
 Consider using powerful testimonials from colleagues/managers.
 Use punchy phrases rather than full sentences.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Kick-start with a Summary of Qualifications
 Be remarkable and memorable; avoid trite phrases such as
o “Excellent written and oral communication skills”
o “Outstanding organizational abilities”
o “Goal-oriented individual”
 If changing careers/functional focus, highlight the following:
o Experience in the targeted field/position.
o Required skills and motivation.
o Competitive competencies (what sets you apart).
 P.S. Great for 30-second networking pitch
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Structure to maximize strengths and impact
WITH MORE WORK EXPERIENCE, FUNCTIONAL FORMAT IS EFFECTIVE
 Focus on skills, expertise, and achievements
 Minimizes choppy career progression
FOR RECENT GRADUATES, CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT IS BEST
 Starts with most recent experience.
 Emphasizes advancement within the same company.
 Ideal if targeted job is within the same industry as most recent experience.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Show your best past – General philosophies
 Don’t lie; you can be creative as long as you’re honest.
 Clearly and strongly reflect stability, skills, experience, and fit.
 Maximize strengths, minimize weaknesses.
 Don’t emphasize aspects of past experiences that you don’t enjoy doing.
 Highlight achievements, NOT job descriptions.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Show your best past
 Try not to refer to personal illness, unemployment, or rehabilitation in your
work history.
 Address gaps in work history by presenting some type of forthright activity
relevant to your job objective, if possible.
o Independent Study
o Personal Travel
o Volunteer
o Consultant
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Show your best past
 Bundle temporary or short-term assignments.
o List name of employment agency.
o Use professional title of “freelancer,” “contractor,” or “consultant.”
 Highlight advancement within one company by using a heading and bullets;
o General responsibilities with heading.
o Specific accomplishments within each bullet.
 For lesser-known companies/organizations, include a short overview
statement beside or under the company name.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Use effective formatting and style
 Communicate points with bullets, not in paragraph form.
 Use action verbs at the beginning of each point; avoid “Responsible for.”
 Avoid repetition and redundancy with action words (managed, supervised, oversaw).
 Write in first person without “I”.
 Use words with which you are reasonably comfortable.
 Be consistent in presenting date ranges (1998 – 1999 or ’98 – ’01).
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Create a proper Education section
 Typically positioned at end of CV unless
o Your education is highly relevant to your new position.
o You’re a new graduate and want to show off your degree.
o You have no employment in your targeted field but have a relevant degree or training.
 List only classes/workshops that support your job objective.
 Relevant life experience, education, and training can compensate for lack of a
degree, even if this is a stated job requirement.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Create a proper Education section – Degrees
 List only the schools where you obtained your degree or completed a program.
 If you haven’t yet received your degree, consider using one of the following phrases:
o Currently enrolled
o Anticipated completion: Spring 2001
o In progress
o Six months completed
 Be able to explain gaps in study.
 Academic work should be listed only if it is relevant to your job objective.
 Abbreviate degrees where possible (BS, MBA).
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Include relevant additional information
 Volunteer/Community Service – reflects dedication, character, social awareness
 Professional Affiliations – including offices held
 Honors and Awards – indicate if individual or team based
 Computer, Technical, and Language Proficiency
 Other (Publications, Exhibitions, Research, Lectures, Licenses, Certifications)
 Personal Interests – should be included only if they
o Add to your qualifications as a candidate for your job objective.
o Say something about your character that might be valued on the job.
o Avoid potential conflicts of interest with the prospective employer/hiring manager.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
What NOT to put on your CV
 Salary history/requirements
 References (unless specifically requested and space is available)
 Personal/Physical Data (unless expected or relevant)
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
General presentation
 Use a clean, easy-to-read font with tone reflecting that of your targeted industry
(e.g., Times Roman, Arial, Verdana, Corbel).
 Body text: 10 to 12 point
Name: 12 to 18 point
 Create optical division between sections for easier reading
 Apply enough white space and strategic use of lines
 Use variation in type face: Bold, underline, UPPER CASE, Upper and Lower-case
 Right/left margins minimum 2,5 cm
 Top/bottom margins minimum 1,25 cm
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL CV
Alternative CV Formats
Visual CV
(visualcv.com)
Video CV
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL COVER LETTER
Purpose
 To motivate the reader to review
your entire CV and support your
case for securing an interview.
 How? By effectively interpreting
and synthesizing your factual,
data-oriented CV while adding a
personal touch and creating a
strong first impression.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL COVER LETTER
Introduction – Why you are writing
 Refer to any personal leads
 If responding to a job posting:
o Indicate where you learned of the position and title.
o Express enthusiasm and match between credentials and needed qualifications.
 If writing a prospecting letter, inquiring about possible opportunities:
o State specific job objective.
o Capture reader’s attention.
 If writing a networking letter, make your request for information clear.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL COVER LETTER
Body – What you have to offer
 Responding to an advertisement:
o Refer specifically to qualifications listed.
o Illustrate how your particular abilities, experiences, and training relate to position.
 In a prospecting letter:
o Express potential to fulfill employer’s needs, don’t focus on what can be done for you.
o Give evidence that you have thoroughly researched the organization and have valuable,
needed skills.
 In general:
o Emphasize achievements and problem-solving skills rather than responsibilities.
o Show how education and work skills are transferrable and relevant to position.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL COVER LETTER
Conclusion – How you will follow up
 Repeat interest.
 Express thanks for consideration and cooperation.
 Provide contact data and request feedback and/or take initiative to follow-up
personally.
 Make best effort to confirm materials received/application complete.
 Cover Letter Samples:
http://jobsearch.about.com
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CREATING A POWERFUL COVER LETTER
Email guidelines
 Formatting:
o Send your CV as a PDF document to protect formatting.
o If attachments are not accepted, paste your CV into your email message.
o Do not use HTML. Use a simple font and remove the fancy formatting.
 List in the subject line the position for which you are applying.
 Include a signature with your contact information.
 Send a test message to yourself first to check that the formatting works.
 Make sure you double-check spelling and grammar.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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THE SPANISH JOB MARKET
 Unemployment rate above 20%.
 Among lowest average graduate salaries in Europe.
 Spanish language skills critical.
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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WHERE CAN YOU WORK?
 Major Industries: retail/wholesale, manufacturing, construction, real estate,
transport, tourism
 Foreign grads might have more luck in Spain’s consulting, industry, and
computer science sectors.
 Recent growth areas: service sector, hotels/restaurants, IT and Hi-tech
 Industries in decline: construction, real estate, agriculture
 Major companies: Santander, Telefonica, Repsol YPF, BBVA, Endesa, ACS,
Cepsa, Ibedrola, Ferrovial, FCC, Mapfre
 Source: www.prospects.ac.uk/spain_job_market/htm
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012

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CONTACT
BERMAN ADVANTAGE
coaching | training | consulting
Phone: +34 644 482 433
Skype: mitchberman
Email: mitch@bermanadvantage.com
BERMAN ADVANTAGE 2 February 2012