Does your CV tell your story?

Does your CV tell your story?

For Catering Jobs, when looking for your next role it is important to make sure your CV tells the story you want it to tell.

If you can clearly define your narrative, the future employer is going to understand what you have been doing faster so that they don't need to take more time to read and re-read your CV until they figure out what you are all about. The majority of recruiters spend less than 30 seconds reviewing a resume.

Confidence comes from understanding your story to justify your progression to the position you are applying for.

Can you sum up your expertise and skills in a few short lines and weave that story throughout your resume with examples?

For a killer career summary it is important to understand exactly the role you want to be doing next.

First, create a profile statement, or what can be called career summary, at the top of your CV. These first few lines should describe briefly the skills you have in terms of where you want to go. Your bullets under each job in your resume are the supporting evidence for these claims.

To help you with this, answer these three questions to help you craft it.

1. What do I do in my current or most recent role that I like? What skills do I use?
2. In my previous roles, what did I find most rewarding and what skills did I employ?
3. What skills do I want to use in my next role or in future roles?

The third question is key, because that will tell you how to shape your story from the top and throughout your bullets.

Personality

That’s what’s missing from your resume – your personality.

No employer wants to hire a robot to join their team, especially in the hospitality and customer service roles. They want to know what you can do, when/where you have done it in the past and who you are as a person.

Who you are and what it is like to have you work with them is so much more than where you’ve worked, so take another look at your CV and ask yourself; “Does this show the employer who I am?”.

The best way to stand out when applying for jobs is to have a CV that’s uniquely formatted and with an interesting, creative use of language. That means no stock phrases!

Just remember that your CV is what gets you to the interview, where an employer will evaluate if your personality will fit in with their team. A CV that fully shows this will give you an advantage over everyone else.

Good luck!