Nothing Is Great Right Out of the Can, Proposal Resumes Included

There are many things that are accepted as truisms in proposals. One truism is there is always a pizza and coffee shop within one mile of where a proposal is being produced. Another is if your resume does not show it, you did not do it. The flip side of truisms is "falsisms." One big "falsism" in proposals is that resume preparation is quick and easy.

The ability to show what your people have done on similar programs is a huge contributing factor to the final outcome. Yet, quite often, younger writers are put on resumes because companies place a lower priority on them than they do on the technical section or executive summaries. However, to guarantee a winning outcome, the same attention to detail needs to go into shaping and presenting resumes as that which goes into other sections.

All resumes are initially incomplete. Never take a canned resume, and lightly pepper it with RFP requirements and jargon. Be creative! Tie the candidate's experience to the requirements while avoiding exaggerations and lies, be original with each resume, and always show the finished version to the author to preserve accuracy. Anything canned needs something fresh to make it exactly what you wanted. These seven steps of proposal resume preparation will help you sequence your activities correctly and get exactly what you need:
Select key personnel from a group including your team, your larger organization and your teammates' key personnel.Collect canned resumes.Develop a matrix for each person against RFP requirements to use when developing questions for the interviews and in the detailed template, if needed. A critical review might be necessary to identify potential compliance issues.Play the match-making game: Match experience to RFP requirements and make sure everything is covered. If it's not, find more people or replace a team member.Fit resumes into your required format, then polish them. Have each resume edited and checked by someone else and if possible, repeat this step as many times as needed.Include photos in the resumes, if you decided to add them.Abide by the broader proposal review schedule - Pink Team, Red Team, and Gold Team.

Remember these three things when writing resumes: focus on the customer, craft a creative and compelling story, and make it easy to evaluate. Doing this will help you create resumes that speak to the customer so they can easily see that your team has the experience to get the job done.

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My CV's Fine - There's Nothing Wrong With It So Why Should I Change It?

If I had a pound for every time I was told "there's nothing wrong with my CV!" I would probably not be writing this article.

Having worked as an Employment Advisor, Job Search Tutor/Trainer and Careers Coach with a vastly differing set of clients ranging from school leavers to executives; one of the hardest things to do is to get a cynic to change or listen.

For some people a CV is a necessary evil that they have never needed or rarely had cause to use. The classic example of this is the tradesman who has previously gained employment either by word of mouth or by demonstrating his skills as part of a work trial. You cannot dispute that this is true. Let's face it if your great CV states you have certain skills; sooner or later you are going to have to demonstrate them. However the reality is that in the current economic climate, the employer holds the cards in more ways than one. Gone are the days when as a tradesman you could leave a job one day and find a new one the next. Employers can now pick from an ever increasing pool of talent and a CV is a useful tool many are now using to shortlist their candidates. A good CV will not guarantee you a job, but a bad CV will almost certainly cost you one.

Sometimes the reluctance to change can be put down to the fact that the CV was recently constructed by a professional or an agency. This can be very demoralising; especially if you have been charged a hefty fee.

Many recruitment agencies will have a set CV template or include information that many professional career coaches or advisors tell you not to include. The reason for this is very simple. An agency usually has clients that they have consulted with and agreed the quality of CV required. A CV is the agency equivalent of an application form.

There is no one way to create a great CV. If someone is offering you advice that will improve the quality of your CV, it is just that. You are free not to take it, but I would suggest you always listen. The bottom line is that it is your CV and you are the one who will have to explain it to prospective employers.

Here are some examples of things that you might consider to make your CV/resume more effective.

Length. I cannot underline how important the length of a CV can be. Whilst you may have a great deal of information to convey to the reader, their time is usually limited. If your CV can interest them in 2 pages, you will more than likely be given the opportunity to either submit a more in-depth /longer version or even better - get invited to an interview.

Too fancy. Unless you are in an artistic field/profession, there is no need to use fancy fonts, borders or images on your CV. Impress the reader with the content, not with tricks that have little relevance to your ability to do the job.

Not enough information If the reader cannot gain the information they require to make a decision about you from your CV then they are less likely to contact you. Make sure your CV sells you and your skills.

Blandness. This is my personal pet hate. I have been helping people into work for over 10 years. I have seen and helped write thousands of CVs. If you start your personal profile with: "I am a hard working, trustworthy individual who is able to work well in a team or on my own.." please do not expect the reader to jump off their chair in excitement. I am sure they might have read that exact statement a few times and might not be as impressed as they were the first time they read it.

There is no such thing as a perfect CV. If you are getting interviews, then your CV is doing its job; if not get another opinion and change it. However regularly updating your CV /resume to make sure it is accurate is strongly recommended.

Harry James has over 10 years experience of designing and delivering Personal Development courses, offering career advice and guidance, team building and helping people into work. Further useful careers advice and personal development articles can be found on http://www.thepersonaldevelopmentcafe.com/. He is also the owner of http://www.nlplifecoachdirectory.com/ - a website that lists NLP Practitioners, life coaches and hypnotherapists.

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