The Jerusalem Post
Jpost search icon google-icon iphone
  Set as Homepage
Mon, May 20, 2013   11 Sivan, 5773
newspapers magazines
 
    • Breaking News
    • Diplomacy & Politics
    • Defense
    • National
    • Mideast
    • Syria
    • Iran
    • World
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Health & Science
    • Environment
  • Video
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
  • Jewish World
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts & Culture
    • Food & Wine
    • Travel
  • Features
    • Insights & Features
    • Week in review
    • On the Web
    • Shalva Superheroes
    • Obama in Israel
  • Blogs
    • In the news
    • Judaism
    • From the Middle East
    • Lifestyle
    • Aliya
    • Science and Technology
  • JPost Apps
    • iPhone app
    • iPad app
    • Android app
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS feeds
    • JPost Toolbar
    • JPost Newsletter
    • JPost Alert
  • Premium Zone
    • The Jerusalem Report
    • The Experts
    • 20 Questions
    • e-paper
    • Ivrit
    • Christian Edition
    • Dash
    • Magazine
    • Metro
    • In Jerusalem
  • French
    • Politique & Social
    • Affaires Palestiniennes
    • Diplomatie & Monde
    • Art & Culture
    • Israel
  • Green Israel
JPost Learn Hebrew  
Advertise with us  
Nefesh Guided Aliyah  
Eldan  
AFMDA  
Africa Israel Group  
Isram Group  
Kupat Ha  
JPost Twitter  
JPost Facebook  
Classifieds  
         
 
 
    
Breaking News
 
 
  • JPost.com
  • Lifestyle
 

Work In Progress: When a CV tells a story

By DANIELLE BERKOWITZ
11/13/2012 14:57
Tweet

A good CV, like a good story, shows that the main character has grown over time.

Desk
Desk Photo: Wikicommons
Relocation Jobs provides global relocation and employment services and comprehensive solutions for international companies with Global HR needs.

Storytelling is one of the oldest art forms. Stories create connections between people across time and space. Perhaps what makes Israel such an important place are the stories about it that have come down to us through time. Storytelling is also a powerful tool during the job search. Job seekers must tell themselves a coherent story about where they have been, what they have done and where they are going. The most important tool a job seeker has to tell recruiters that story is the CV.

Although a CV is not written like a conventional story, it must have many of the same components. A CV should have a beginning, middle and an end. It should have a unified theme and  show development over time. Making a CV carefully crafted to speak to the target audience is important. In Israel, recruiters expect to see a targeted career in a narrow field making the unified theme even more important.

Beginning, middle, end


CVs should be written in reverse chronological order. It may be helpful to start at the end and work backwards. An objective statement that speaks to the recruiter, the company and the specific job title should be thought of as the conclusion even though it appears as a single concise sentence at the top of the CV. Each part of the CV should then support this conclusion. At the beginning, under education, include courses, clubs or societies that show interest and involvement in the field or skills relevant to the job description. In the middle, focus on responsibilities and projects that demonstrate experience that correlate between the past job and the target. This is most important for the last job, especially if its titles do not match the title for the job being applied for. 

Unified theme


Allowing the objective statement and the target job to guide the information included in the CV forms a clear and unified theme. That theme should be obvious throughout each piece of the story, education, previous jobs, volunteer work, courses and projects.

For example, a sales position requires not only proven experience selling, but also the ability to create and deliver presentations, the ability to maintain relationships with clients and respond to a client’s needs. A customer relations position clearly demonstrates the ability to respond to client needs and does not need explanation. On the other hand,an account management position may include sales presentations but it is not clear from the job title, therefore it should be explicitly stated as a function of the position. By using the target job to serve as a unifying theme for each part of the story and keeping in mind that a recruiter cannot guess at particular job functions, a CV will make a cohesive statement to its audience. It can also help to make a divergent career path more directed, which is expected by Israeli recruiters.

Development over time

Stories have an arc that tells of change and character development. One indication of character development in a CV is change in job titles. As one progresses in thier career or through a company, job titles often indicate seniority. However, this is not always the case. Another way to show development in a CV is through the number and gravity of responsibilities.

Taking on more tasks or projects, managing group projects or managing a larger team can all indicate maturity. A good CV, like a good story, shows that the main character has grown over time.

By using all of the elements of a good story to write a CV, the job seeker tells a story to the recruiter. This gives the recruiter the opportunity to connect with the job seeker, because people connect through stories. A well told story shows the recruiter that the job seeker is focused, organized, thoughtful and dedicated. Doesn’t that sound like it has a happy ending?

Relocation Jobs offers international recruitment, employment services and support for the entire relocation process.
  • Send
  • Large
  • Small
  • Print
  • Share
This article is by :
Danielle Berkowitz
Recent stories:
  • Work in Progress: Laying down the law
  • Work in Progress: Do ask, do tell
  • Work In Progress: ‘After the holidays’ i...
  • Work In Progress: Goals are promises
Most Viewed in
1
Alternatively Speaking: Delving into dairy
2
Healthy Eating: Taste the rainbow
3
Out and About: Top 10 things to do
4
Ezra cracks down on Jewish terrorists
JPost Community
Tweet
CV Resume Job Relocation Jobs Work in Progress Employment
Share this article
Tweet
Share
Send
Your comment must be approved by a moderator before being published on JPost.com. Disqus users can post comments automatically.

Comments must adhere to our Talkback policy. If you believe that a comment has breached the Talkback policy, please press the flag icon to bring it to the attention of our moderation team.
JPost Services
conferenceConference
newsletterNewsletter
iphoneMobile Apps
kotelcamKotel Cam
kolboJPost Alert
premiumPremium
JPost TV News  
Mobile Apps  
Bank Hapoalim  
Meir Panim  
Yad Ezra  
Rambam Hospital  
TourLuxe  
Zev Goldstein PLLC  
Penrose Gallery  
JPost Premium Zone  
JPost kotel Camera  
         
 
Israel Focus
JPost TV News
Coming soon to a screen near you!  
Nefesh B'Nefesh Guided Aliyah
Already living in Israel? Enjoy the Benefits of Aliyah!  
Give "Freedom" this Passover
to needy Israeli families. Donate now  
Intelligence Squared
The international debate forum, announces it is coming to Israel  
Bank Hapoalim
Israeli's number one bank  
Jerusalem Post Lite
Lite Edition of the Jerusalem Post for English improvement  
Learn Hebrew with us
Get 10 minutes free personal coaching in Hebrew through phone or Skype  
JPost newspapers
Sign up for the JPost newspapers and receive one month free subscription  
Kosher English Magazine
English language weekly magazine - especially for religious people  
JReport Kindle Edition
Now you can get the Jerusalem Report directly to your Kindle  
JPost Premium Edition
The very best articles are available only in our Premium edition  
Lifestyle Magazine
 
 
Real Estate
Don't Look For a House!
In Israel, our website will do it for you!  
 
Travel
Eldan Rent a Car
20% off all Car Rental Reservations in Israel  
Hertz Car Rental
Special Online Discounts!  
The King David Jerusalem Hotel
One of the world's truly iconic hotels, and a Jerusalem landmark  
 
 
 

Sites Of Interest:

Jerusalem Hotels
KKL-JNF
Poalim Online
BreitBart.com
Our Friends
Jerusalem Attractions
Jerusalem Tours
itraveljerusalem.com

JPost sites:

Learn Hebrew
The Jerusalem Report
Our Magazines
JPost Edition Francaise
Green Israel
Christian World
Jerusalem Post Lite

Services:

JPost Mobile Apps
JPost Premium
JPost Newsletter
JPost Toolbar
JPost News Ticker
JPost RSS feeds
JPost Archives
JPost Alert
JPost Kotel Cam

JPost Conferences:

NYC Conference
Diplomatic Conference

Information:

About Us
Feedback
Staff E-mails
Copyright
Sitemap
News Partners
Advertise with Us
Price List
Statistics
Ad Specs
Terms Of Service
Jpost.com, the online edition of the Jerusalem Post Newspaper - the most read and best-selling English-language newspaper in Israel. For analysis and opinion from Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East. Jpost.com offers expert and in-depth reporting from Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including diplomacy and defense, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Arab Spring, the Mideast peace process, politics in Israel, life in Jerusalem, Israel's international affairs, Iran and its nuclear program, Syria and the Syrian civil war, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's world of business and finance, and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
 
About Us | Advertise with Us | Subscribe | Premium | Newsletter | RSS | Contact Us
 
All rights reserved © The Jerusalem Post 1995 - 2012