Should you drop your career back story?

Should you drop your career back story?

by | Oct 11, 2015 | Career Advice, CV tips, News

Everyone has a back story, right? But, does the recruiter or hiring manager need to read about it on your CV?

It depends.

When you are starting out, your CV will be made up of any experience you can lay your hands on. This initial experience is the foundation you build your career on. Every grain of practice and know-how is mustered on your CV, forming the bedrock for your future career. “Look, here’s where I come from”, your CV might say. “This is why you should hire me.”

Whether you present an internship, work experience, graduate scheme, or part-time role held whilst completing your education on your CV, it helps to build a picture of dedication and progression. These experiences might be your step one of the ladder, showing how you are ready for step two or three.

Throughout my GCSEs, A Levels, and degree, I took on a plethora of part-time roles, from bartender to mushroom picker to cleaner at a psychiatric hospital, and more – too many to list. I’m proud of my early work history, and each role was valuable in its own way. They are my back story and the backbone of my early CVs. But should they be on my CV now? Hell, no.

The problem I have is that sometimes, years down the line, professionals are still allocating too much attention to their step one, when they have climbed five, 10, or 15 more steps since. In this scenario, their step one can take up valuable CV space and actually distract from the relevant skills and experience they are showcasing to attain their next big role.

Nowadays, it’s common practice to detail the last 10 to 15 years of work history on your CV. After all, what you’ve done in the last decade, or decade and a half, will probably define you better than what you did at the very start of your career. The exception would be if you are seeking to change career or industry, and need to draw on your oldest experience to make your case.

Here are some signs you need to edit your back story on your CV:

You now have a string of meaty roles to add, all of which support your career target. Make sure you don’t compromise roles that are actually likely to pique interest and secure you an interview, just in the interest of keeping a part-time role you worked whilst studying.

Your back story no longer adds anything to your case. Putting yourself in the reader’s shoes, ask yourself ‘So what?’ about your back story. If it doesn’t support your case for employment, cut it out.

Your back story is a distraction. If your back story distracts from your current professional persona and message, or compromises your credibility, then ditch it. Consider if your next employer needs to know about it to hire you. If not, it no longer deserves a space on your CV.

You keep getting calls about more junior roles. If this is the case, your back story is shouting louder than your current career story, and needs to go.

You have run out of space. Keeping to two pages is challenging at the best of times, more so when your career history spans 15 years or more.

It’s also worth remembering that paring down your back story once may not be enough. Your career stories need to be edited, constantly, to make sure you are presenting the most powerful and compelling evidence to support your next step. Showing steps one, two, and three of your ladder in detail is no use if five, six, and seven are sketchily outlined, and you’re hoping to move to step eight. For example, to select me as your CV writer, you don’t really need to know about my first proper job in the mail order department of Frank Smythson Ltd. I bet you’d much rather read about what I can do for you or view testimonials from others who have used my service.

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Regularly revisit the story you tell and make sure you are starting it off at the right place to effectively showcase your career crescendo, the pinnacle of your career, which shows your suitability, qualification, and readiness for your target role. Think about what the recruiter or hiring manager needs to see to take positive action, then present that on your CV.

Saying this, I do realise that some people are unwilling to shut down their back story, as they feel it gives meaningful context to their career and achievements. If you feel that your back story helps to frame who you are, then why not allude to it in your CV’s profile, or in the generous 2,000-character Summary section on LinkedIn. This Summary is the perfect place to give more context, and gives you the space you need to present your who, why, what, when, and how.

What would your CV look like in a parallel universe?

What would your CV look like in a parallel universe?

by | May 4, 2015 | Career Advice, Career change tips, News

This week’s blog is inspired by an eclectic combination of Sliding Doors, the late-90s romcom starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, and the eminent Professor Stephen Hawking.

Sliding Doors. It’s a great concept. The film plays out the two very different paths that Helen Quilley could have taken, decided by the moment she either misses or catches her tube train, having been fired from her PR role. The 99-minute production alternates between each parallel universe, narrating the extreme contrast between two versions of a life, determined by a split-second decision.

I have been mulling over this concept for a while, but the thoughts were reawakened by Sky News’ report of Hawking’s recent livestream lecture at the Sydney Opera House. Someone who evidently admires both professor and One Direction (diversity in action) asked, “What do you think is the cosmological effect of Zayn leaving One Direction and consequently breaking the hearts of millions of teenage girls across the world?”

Quick-witted as ever, the professor replied, “Finally, a question about something important,” and encouraged 1D fans to seek solace in theoretical physics “…because one day there may well be proof of multiple universes. It would not be beyond the realms of possibility that somewhere outside of our own universe lies another different universe. And in that universe, Zayn is still in One Direction.”

I enjoyed reading about this holographic Q&A session, and began to ponder once again the concept of another dimension, where our personal and professional lives may be played out in an entirely different way.

There are so many split-second decisions that lead us to become the individuals we are today, living the professional and personal lives we do today. Every single action we take, large or small, show-stopping or mundane, contributes to our present day reality. It’s impractical and unnecessary to evaluate each and every minute action to assess its potential impact on our lives, but it’s worth being aware that, over time, these actions accumulate into a new reality.

We may never uncover the true ‘sliding doors’ moments in our lives, and mistakenly assign credit to a moment that was an effect rather than a cause. Helen Quilley remained blissfully unaware of the unremarkable action that defined her future. Zayn Malik will undoubtedly view his decision to part ways with the 1D boys as career-defining, but perhaps his path was decided at an earlier and less dramatic juncture.

If you think back on your career, there are likely to be a few conscious defining moments that have shaped your destiny; where you have taken the decision to select one path over another. Here are some of mine:

My decision to ignore the practical opportunities offered by my degree course, finishing my three-year Ancient History and Archaeology degree without stepping foot in a field.

My failure to secure a graduate role with one of the large advertising agencies, having applied to the likes of Grey and Saatchi & Saatchi. That was a blow, I can tell you, having decided it was my dream.

My decision not to pursue my cabin crew application with Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL). Looking back on this is like looking at someone else’s history, not mine.

My early realisation that I had made a huge mistake in accepting what turned out to be the world’s most boring role in an exciting company. With no work to do, I focused on lunch and put on more than a stone within my brief employment.

My decision to start my business, the best professional decision I ever made.

Case in point. I take this decision to work for myself as the defining moment, but there were many defining moments that contributed to this decision, all of which are woven through the periods I described above. If I had taken another junction at an earlier stage, I may not have arrived at my current destination.

Have you ever mulled over your career decisions and considered the impact on your present day reality? Can you identify a definite crossroads that forced a decision and led you down the road you tread today?

Have you wondered what your CV would say in the other dimension, which would have been created by a different decision at that crossroads? Mine might say I was an advertising director, esteemed archaeologist (ha!), or cabin crew. I’ll never know.

I’d love to hear about your ‘sliding doors’ moments, parallel universe CV, and the other possible versions of you.