A) Study the practical steps to take in preparing your personal profile.

A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

Write your personal profile after you have written the rest of your CV. By leaving it until the end you will have had time to reflect on what you have done and achieved over the years and it should then be easier to summarize.

When you have finished writing, read through the profile and be honestly critical, then write it all over again, taking into account the criticism you have levied against your own work. Again, read through it with a critical eye and make any adjustments as required. You may wish to ask a friend or family member to read it and comment upon it in the same fashion and gain their opinion on how accurate it is and how it reflects your abilities and achievements.

It is now time to publish your profile, always with a good photograph of yourself, if possible. Readers like to see whose work they are reading in order to better identify with the author, but again, this is down to personal preference.

The process of taking time to analyze your skills and traits does in fact provide great interview preparation and it is therefore worth spending the time over.

b) Analyze some basic writer's guidelines:

- Condense and crystallize: The most inefficient personal profiles are those in which the author writes every little detail about himself. It also shows that you cannot prioritize or evaluate.

- Consider your adjectives: Consult a thesaurus if you must, so that you can select single words to clearly state what you want to share ('optimistic' versus 'cheerful,' 'pragmatic' versus 'down-to-earth').

- Choose specific terms: 'Avid lacrosse player' tells the reader more about you than 'love sports'; 'repaired ignition and brakes' is more interesting than 'mechanically inclined.'

- Give examples not generalizations: 'Directed the play 'Hamlet' in college' is far more engaging than 'active in theatre.'

- Use power words: typically this refers to action verbs, but be mindful in all word choices to use direct, punchy words not lazy, dull phrases, for example, 'design' versus 'make;' 'collaborative' vs. 'work well with others.

- Say it in a short sentence: Say what you mean. Don't dissemble, beat around the bush, reiterate, digress, dwell or endlessly explain. If questions or comments arise, you can elaborate at that time. This is especially crucial on the resume when you describe your work. Say what you did (i.e. 'process FIA requests' versus 'help people become financially solvent'). Getting to the point is imperative for the online profile in which you take a stand on issues or state beliefs (i.e. 'I campaign for gun-control,' 'pro-life').

- Write in outline format: An outline format is easier to read than a narrative format. Lists give a snapshot view of a person's life.

- Present a 3D image of yourself: Don't just focus on a few areas of your life. We are complex and have many facets.

- Share positive things, but not sugar-coated: Everyone has problems, but no one wants to read a bunch of negative soul-purging. Don't whine, complain, or endlessly describe your health problems, relationship dramas, kid problems, work woes, etc.

- Be honest: Don't lie or exaggerate.

- Take pride in who you are and what you are all about. Speak positively about yourself. Obviously, don't brag, but neither is it helpful to berate or criticize yourself.

Your personal profile is your own little message to the world.

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 753