Career Change & Executive Coaching

Remember the career change chap I just mentioned who sent off over two thousand applications? I went on to ask him about the eight positive responses he had received during the course of his career change campaign. He said that two of the letters were from HR departments informing him of likely interview schedules, two had admired his applications but said that they had received better qualified applicants, two had been from people selling something and two had been from business men who wanted to meet him in motorway services.

You see unsolicited CVs or resumes are treated as rubbish, scrap paper, wasted effort. You might think I'm exaggerating. Employers never hire CVs. They hire people, so only meetings count. CVs don't get you the interview. You can spend hours on your CV / resume, getting all the great facts down on paper so someone will read it and scramble to the nearest phone to call you. Just, don't hold your breath.

Whatever paper or screen you develop for your career change must be highly market specific and be able to withstand the ‘five-second CV' review test. You need to clearly describe your future. Put the most powerful thing you can do for your employer in Plain English at the top of your CV.