Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, I would like to show a great performance…

Here is a resume of Mr. applicant!!

The job application has something in common with other performances ranging from academic ones such as grant writing or presentation to artistic ones such as show performance or music concert. Those who present themselves well enough to attract audiences (recruiter, readers, listener, etc.) will win in the end.

Since the field of development is relatively unstable given that there exist many short term contracts, it is important to analyze the field (and its recruitment) and prepare yourself for the career making.

There are many articles, books, and career service fair which give tips on career making process. Among those, I like “Devex” since it focuses specifically on development and it has many articles that have good and concise advises.

First of all, there are too much information around to figure out which advice to take. A Devex’s article called “IGNORE THESE 5 PIECES OF CAREER ADVICE” points out some myths that we do not necessarily need to follow those following 5 things:

1. The one-page resume rule
2.  The more jobs you apply to, the better your chances of landing one
3.  You have to get your first job in the field in order to break in
4.  You need to get a degree in international development
5.  If you want to work in humanitarian aid, you will live as a pauper

I guess this article is trying to suggest that if we focus on how to present ourselves and do not let other myth to prevent us from putting important information on CV, gaining relevant knowledge and entering job that attract you, then you will be ok.

Also, the other article of Devex “How to be a CV showoff without overwhelming a recruiter” highlights 7 points on how you can make your CV represent yourself concisely and efficiently:

1.  Create a long version of your CV
2.  Create a shorter, “highlights reel” version of your CV
3.  Utilize your employment history section
4.  Don’t forget to include your work as an independent consultant
5.  Give details
6.  Let recruiters know you also have a long version of your CV
7.  Put a “summary of experience” or “key qualifications” section at the top of your resume

Especially, I found #1 really efficient and I will work on making a long version of CV so that I just need to pick up some relevant information out of it for the post I am applying to. And as #6 addresses, if a recruiter wants further information, you are ready to submit.

In my current job, I had an opportunity to evaluate about 300 projects. As I read thorough them, I figured out that the more concise and relevant information they put in the projects, the more it stood out, which is a good indicator because those projects “make us want to know more”.

Also, it can be true of other performances such as PowerPoint presentations or stage performances.
Most of us know that the PowerPoint with too many sentences (bullets) will overwhelm the audiences, or In a stage performance, If you show too many things (too long or too many components), the audiences will be tired of watching even though each content might be sophisticated.    

I guess the conclusion of this post is that:
CV making and show performance are pretty much the same. Don’t limit yourself and try to find the best choice. Gain as much skill and experience as possible but present only concise and relevant contents (don’t show everything). Then the audiences (recruiter, readers, counterparts, etc.) will be attached to your performance.