Diary of a CV rewrite:
One of my recent clients has written a Diary of a CV Rewrite, to inform potential clients of my process. I’m sure this will be extremely helpful to anyone who is considering buying a CV package.
The diary entries below are written by Heather Myburgh.
MY CV REWRITE
I have decided I need a CV rewrite. I will be documenting the process here as a Diary of a CV Rewrite so that you can all familiarise yourselves with the process.
I went to the website and chose the option I needed, paid and voila, received an email from Roz with a questionnaire attached for me to complete.
Now, I have heard a few people questioning this part. Roz does not “copy and paste” your previous CV into the correct format. She actually rewrites the whole thing.
She has no knowledge of you, and what you, specifically, do. By answering the questions, you are prompted to tell her what you do, in your own words. This way, if something is missing in your old CV, she can add it, or reword it. So, basically she does a comparison of the questionnaire and the CV, and merges them into a compact, attention catching way.
I have completed my questionnaire, and sent it to Roz. Now the actual process begins. WATCH THIS SPACE!!
MY CV REWRITE (Part 2)
I have received an email from Roz with a few instructions.
My email address is a Gmail one, but I have seen many people using their company email address for personal stuff too. This is just not practical in the long run. There often is a lot of important information on these emails. The day you resign, you will have to back up all this information on a hard drive for your own use. Most companies have security on their systems which would block you from doing a backup, even though it’s your personal information. Some companies, for security reasons, ask you to leave immediately when you hand in your resignation. Oops… information lost!! It’s also a tedious job changing your email address with the bank, Netflix, insurance etc.
Don’t forget to add Resumes Etc as a safe sender, as all her emails could land up in your spam, or blocked completely.
Instructions have been followed, we now wait for the start of the process. Working closely with Roz, I know how busy she gets, so patience is required, you are not her only client. If you are asked to provide extra information, or clarify something, please reply promptly.
MY CV REWRITE (Part 3)
Yesterday morning I woke up to an email from Roz containing my cover letter. This is a very short way of introducing yourself to a potential employer. This is the place where you can tweak the information according to the job spec you are applying for. Do not be tempted to get wordy.
At the bottom of most job specs there is normally a list of keywords, sometimes with #. Make sure that your cover letter contains some of these words, as this is the criteria that the CV scanning software has been programmed to look for.
Roz also followed up later with a few questions/suggestions, to confirm that she understands what is meant in my job description
MY CV REWRITE (Part 4)
This morning Roz sent an email asking for a break as she has health issues. Roz often works 18 hour days. This is bound to cause some problems, particularly with her wrist. I am sure we all understand that our bodies are not machines and that we all need a break at times. No worries! Hope you feel better Roz!
MY CV REWRITE (Part 5)
This morning I woke up to an email from Roz with Part 1 of my CV, or as she calls it, my résumé.
Roz likes to send you your CV in stages, so that it is easier to focus on. This is where you can comment or ask for something to change. Each section gets your approval before she continues.
Well!! This is the point where clients start to realise how different a ROZ CV actually is. It’s so quick to read and identify your skills and scanning software responds well to the simplicity of it. I hardly recognise myself. There is no way on God’s green earth that I would have been able to write so eloquently, yet concisely, about my skills and experience.
Thank you Roz. I can’t wait for the next part
MY CV REWRITE (Part 6)
My CV is progressing nicely. Over the last couple of days Roz and I have been emailing each other sorting out my work history. This is also done in parts, so that I can focus on each one individually and we can tweak where necessary.
My language skills are above average, but I am by no means a writer. This is where Roz comes in, and, with her extensive CV writing experience, she manages to let everything I do, that I took for granted, sound so professional. This is what you need for a prospective employer. You want to impress them with your abilities, without being dishonest.
In this section you really see the difference between writing your own CV and having a professional writer do it. Particularly if English is your second language. Many people have been emailing for business in English for years and have thought that they are doing well, but no one likes the “language police” so no one corrects you on your grammar mistakes. Grammar mistakes on a CV can cost you your dream job.
MY CV REWRITE (Part 7)
My CV is FINISHED!!! After a good few days of emailing, checking each section. I now have a brand new CV.
Well, to say I am impressed, is an understatement. My situation was rather unusual. I have a mish mash of experience and part time jobs that did not really make up a proper work history for more than 10 years, in my opinion. However, through investigating my background a bit, with Roz’s guidance, we found some legitimate things that I have done that turned into solid jobs on my CV. I have now ended up with a consistent work history.
After reading my new CV, I realised that, even though I had thought I wasn’t worth much on paper, there were so many things that I just did as a matter of course, but never equated it to an actual job and experience. What a self confidence boost!!
Next up is my LinkedIn profile. Watch this space!!
MY CV REWRITE!! ( Part 8)
Today Roz did my LinkedIn profile. I had a profile, but not anywhere near what I now have. My LinkedIn profile and my CV now contain the same information. I will definitely pop up with any search a prospective employer or recruiter does. The # and keywords in my field are all covered.
The importance of a professional, up-to-date, LinkedIn profile cannot be stressed enough. This is the main tool used for prospective employers and recruiters today. It gives a more personal, holistic idea of whom they are dealing with.
When searching for a job LinkedIn is a great tool. You can search for companies that you think you would be interested in working for, make contact with their HR or the hiring manager in your field. A good piece of advice I picked up is that, after applying for a job at a company, make contact with the hiring manager. This lets you stand out in his/her mind, as they have already, basically, viewed your CV, because your profile is based on your CV.
This is the end of the road for Roz and me with regards to my CV.
I would like to thank her for a job extremely well done.
Writing in notebook. Close-up.
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