Should You Write Your Own CV?

“Maggie’s a typical 17-year-old.  She’s got no idea what career path to take, so just write what you think”.

As is depressingly usual for first CVs, it wasn’t Maggie* herself I was speaking to (you may have guessed this already, because if it was then she’d be referring to herself in the third person, which is weird), but her Dad.

I find it strange that so many teenagers willingly impart the huge responsibility of writing their very first CV to a combination of their parents and someone they’ve never met. Especially when the best their parents can say about them is that they’re “typical”.

At 17 I wrote my first CV myself, because I didn’t trust anybody else to do it.  Least of all my Dad, who aside from not knowing me nearly well enough, was completely clueless about the modern world, and how best to succeed in it.

(Sorry for being a teenager, Dad).

Consistency is key

My self-written CV wasn’t amazing by any means.  But when I got my first job, at a local radio station, my interviewer told me how impressed she’d been that I’d made “the same positive impression in person as (you) did on paper”.

I’m repeating that extremely old compliment not to brag, but to underline an important fact: whether you’re writing your first CV or your fiftieth, it needs to reflect you as you honestly are.

Not whatever your parents or friends think about you, or whatever skills and traits a paid CV writer can cobble together on your behalf.

And I’m saying all that as a paid CV writer.

Reconnect with your career dreams

Mulling over what to include on your CV doesn’t just get you thinking about what skills you’ve got and how best to talk about them, it will put you back in touch with your career hopes and dreams.

Sometimes, you don’t really understand these until you’re forced to think deeply about them, such as when you read an ad for a job you assume you want.  But later, as you start faithfully tailoring your CV to its requirements, your heart starts to sink.

I’m not saying someone else can’t write your CV for you (well I wouldn’t, would I?)  Just that if they do, you should be prepared to put some of your own thoughts and personality into the process, so that potential employers can get to know you before you’ve even met.

All of this is why, if you ever asked me to write your CV, I’d start by asking you to block out some time for a chat first.  I’ll want to know as much about your career as you’re willing to tell me.

Not just about what you’ve done in the past, or what you’re reliably good at, but what you love doing more than anything else, and where you most want to take things next.

Find the career you’re really looking for

So I wish I’d been able to speak to Maggie, rather than her Dad.

She might have no idea which career path to take, but I bet she knows whether she prefers being in noisy environments with lots of people, or on her own in a quiet room.  If she’d rather do something that’s more creative or analytical.  If there was something she’d always wanted to be when she grew up.

If I knew those things about Maggie as well, I’d be able to create a CV that might help her find them.

But for now, “typical” will have to do.

*For obvious reasons, Maggie isn’t this typical 17-year-old’s real name.  She may not be a “she”, or even 17.  This is a hazy version of what we writers call poetic licence.

I’ve written a book and a template to help school and college-leavers write their first CV.  It’s free, and you don’t have to give me your email address in return for it (unless you insist).