9: - If you're trying to update your CV

11: and your cover letter, here are a few simple tips.

14: When you're writing a CV, you have to put

16: your professional profile, or professional summary,

19: or an executive summary at the very top

20: of your profile, and relate that to the job

22: that you're going for.

23: Relate it to the requirements of the job.

25: Imagine if you, yourself, were reading

27: 50 or a hundred CVs, and for each CV, you had to look

30: at the requirements of your role,

32: and you have to go down through the CV

33: and find those key words, to see if they match

36: what you're looking for

37: before you could progress with the application.

39: You might find that a bit frustrating.

41: So, let's make sure that we place all of those

43: at the very top, so the HR manager or the hiring manager

45: can find those straightaway.

47: So, that's the first thing.

48: Second thing is, describe your experience really clearly.

51: So, write nice, long, detailed sentences,

55: but no more than two lines, and use a verb

58: to start each one of them.

59: If you're currently working in the role,

61: you can use the present continuous

62: like managing, leading, developing.

66: If the role was in the past you could say things

69: like managed, developed, led.

72: And then when you're writing up the sentences,

73: a very simple structure to use is what, how, and/or why.

79: So, what did you do, how did you do it,

82: and why did you do it?

83: Or, sometimes you can leave out the how,

85: and just say what you did, and how you did it.

87: For example, lead a team of 10 staff to ensure

92: that they met their KPIs every month.

96: What did you do, how did you do it,

97: and why did you do it.

99: Now, after that, you can place in your education

101: and you can place in your other skills

106: and some references, at the bottom.

107: That's a very simple structure.

108: But, one of the most important things to do

111: is when you're writing about your experience,

113: that you write clear sentences

115: that anyone can read, that anyone can understand,

118: you elaborate on the acronyms so that people understand

122: what they mean, because acronyms, or phrases,

124: or certain terminology that you use in your role

126: or your business aren't necessarily familiar

129: to other people outside that business.

131: So, make it really clear and simple to read.

134: Also, be specific.

136: If you find yourself saying things or tasks

138: or stakeholders or projects,

142: what do those specific things mean?

145: So, elaborate on them.

147: For example, if you said projects,

149: you could say project improvement initiatives,

152: or you could say events, or you could say on-boarding.

155: So, go into a little bit more detail

156: about what they actually mean,

158: and that will make it very clear and will allow you

160: to sell your skills and your experience a lot better.

164: Thanks for watching, I hope this helped.