CV Help: Use your Strengths
You're ready to take the next step in your career. Perhaps you're looking for promotion, or to expand your experience with a move to another firm. Perhaps you're looking to move to a different kind of job altogether, or to make a comeback after a career break. Whatever your situation, your CV is a vital tool in winning the post that you want.
A CV is a document that highlights your skills, achievements and experience in such a way that the reader is motivated to meet you. The object of a CV is not to get you a job or to win you a contract, but to get you an interview or meeting.
Doing a Personal Stock Take
The following exercise will help you to identify the skills you have which are readily transferable into other contexts. When completing this, please think about your abilities in both work and leisure activities. Many skills such as budgeting and organising may well have been developed 'in the home'. It does not matter whether you are paid for what you do; the important question is, do you believe you possess some skill in this area?
There are six categories to complete in this exercise. This is not exhaustive and you may wish to add further skills or categories.
1 Consider each skill and make a note of the ones you are proficient in.
2 Write down an example which demonstrates your skill in that area.
Evaluating your People Skills
Listening to others
Encouraging others
Resolving conflict
Motivating people
Teaching/training others
Organising people
Any others
Evaluating your Manual/Practical Skills
Making repairs
Building
Taking measurements
Maintaining equipment
Operating machinery
Using a computer
Any others
Evaluating your Communication Skills
Using the telephone
Dealing assertively with people
Story telling
Public speaking/ giving talks
Talking to people in authority with confidence
Writing letters
Completing forms
Any others
Evaluating your Mathematical Skills
Memorising figures
Estimating
Planning
Making rapid calculations
Judging distances
Budgeting
Keeping accounts
Any others
Assessing your Problem Solving Skills
Working out routes
Crosswords
Coming up with new ideas
Analysing alternatives
Diagnosing faults or causes of problems
Interpreting data
Any others
Evaluating your Creative Skills
Creative writing
Designing/decorating a room
Finding alternative uses for things
Craft making
Musical
Drama
Improvising
Cooking
Using colours creatively
Any others
Review the exercise you have done.
- Which categories had most responses?
- Of all the skills you have, which would you include in your top ten? Now list them.
Don't worry if you were not able to list ten skills.
- If you can, ask someone you know to go through the exercise with you. Do they identify skills you had not included?
- What are your reflections on doing this exercise? Any surprises?
