Written by Samantha Pearce, Managing Director, Words Worth Reading 

Do you know someone who can tell a great story? Who can captivate their audience with the plot line, the characters, the ‘what happened next’ element, and the ending? The ability to tell a good story or small anecdote is an important communication skill to have, because story telling is a means of communication, it’s a way of getting your message across and leaving a lasting impression.

“What does all this have to do with CV writing?” I hear you ask! Well the use of storytelling is the basis of most interviews, being asked to provide examples of when you have demonstrated a particular skill in the workplace is really just a request to tell a story. And so it makes sense to include stories on your CV too. Stories or evidence of your skills and achievements can be included in your personal profile, ensuring that the reader is captivated as soon as they start to read your CV.

The skills and achievements highlighted in your stories can then be reiterated throughout the CV – reinforcing your abilities. And just think, by preparing strong, demonstrable stories for your CV you’ll be preparing a lot of highly memorable material to use in your interview too! 

So what type of story will highlight your skills and achievements? What level of detail is appropriate for your CV? To answer these two important questions, let’s compare extracts from two different CVs.

Candidate 1 - Marketing Executive

“I have a solid knowledge of marketing and have recently undertaken training courses in marketing and advertising, with the desire to keep my knowledge up in this important area. In my current company there is a strong focus on branding, advertising and marketing.”

Candidate 2 - Marketing Executive

“I have a solid knowledge of marketing. I work closely with the advertising and branding teams to ensure an understanding of the concepts they are currently working on, and the audiences their work is pitched at. For instance, the branding and advertising teams were recently working on a cartoon image that would be used throughout all of the SP Coffee Shop Franchises. This cartoon character would appear as an illustration on all of our in-house colouring packs for children, our in-house comics and on the children’s drinks and snacks menu. It was my role to launch this new cartoon character via an integrated marketing campaign. The scope of the marketing campaign included direct marketing, signage in stores and press releases sent to the local media and National children’s media. However, I used my initiative to also launch a marketing campaign in schools and within the playground, by providing free copies of our in-house comics (which displayed the cartoon character) to schools, and by handing out marketing literature to parents. The overall marketing campaign was very successful. This is a good illustration of my ability to work well in a marketing role.”

Which candidate convinced you that they were good at marketing and provided evidence in support of their claim? The answer is Candidate 2, and despite the fact that both candidates state that they possess the same skill, Candidate 2 is much more likely to get shortlisted for interview than Candidate 1. Why? Because Candidate 2 presented their claim clearly and logically, and they used a story to practically demonstrate how they possess strong marketing abilities. The story will be remembered, the ramblings of Candidate 1 won’t.

There are four important parts to the stories you should tell in your CV. Taking Candidate 2’s story as an illustrative example, these parts are;

POINT  I have a solid knowledge of marketing.
REASON I work closely with advertising and branding...
EVIDENCE For instance, the branding and advertising teams were recently...
POINT  This is a good illustration of my ability to work well in a marketing role

Reinforcing the point you are trying to make at the end of your story as well as at the beginning helps focus the readers mind. Candidate 2 could then go on and include ‘strong marketing and communication skills’ in their responsibilities and achievements further down their CV, therefore constantly reminding the reader that they have evidenced their attainment in this specific skill.

CV’s are ultimately a summary of your skills and achievements in the workplace. They need to remain short (2-3 pages for most candidates is normal), but the content needs to be correct. Don’t include too many stories in the personal profile element of your CV; this will use up valuable space. But do look at the key skill set required for the job you are applying for, and then choose one or two stories that demonstrate your ability to fulfil this skill set, using the PREP formula above.

Who is the author?

Samantha Pearce is the owner of Words Worth Reading – an editorial service for Job Seekers, Students, Writers and Businesses. Words Worth Reading offer individually-tailored, comprehensive CV and application form writing and editing services at fantastic prices, with quick turnaround times. 10% of all submission fees are donated to Oxfam.

For more information visit http://www.wordsworthreading.co.uk/, or contact the team direct on enquiries@wordsworthreading.co.uk / 01277 824640.