Writing an Expert CV

If you have expertise in a specific area of business, you may want to consider organising your résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) to reflect your acumen and knowledge.

This type of "expert" CV can be used in a variety of ways. Obviously, it's extremely handy as a job seeking document; however, it's also beneficial as a way to obtain new clients or as a biographical addition to your business or personal website.

Here, we'll explore some of the visual elements and additions that will make your expert CV as focused as possible.

Stick to One Theme

You'll need to have one overriding theme to ensure that your CV highlights your experience in a strong way. That topic spotlight should correspond with the area in which you have the most expertise, such as accounting, customer service, procurement, personnel management, or other very specific career arena.

Consequently, every element of your expert CV needs to correspond with that particular area; if it doesn't, leave it out. (The one exception is your educational background; even if your degree doesn't correspond with your CV focus, it's important to display your schooling and credentials.)

Start with a Statement of Purpose

As a way of narrowly focusing your CV from the start, consider incorporating a statement of purpose right after your contact information. For instance, a sample statement might look like this:

Procurement specialist with over 15 years negotiating, purchasing, and supervising on behalf of Fortune 500 companies throughout Europe seeks a managerial position where she can use her experience to boost profits and visibility.Consequently, a prospective employer or client will immediately have an awareness of the CV writer's area of skills, intentions, and expectations.

Add a List of Your Qualifications

As an expert, you no doubt have built up a number of impressive accomplishments. After your statement of purpose, you can add impact to your CV by including a bulleted summary of those qualifications.

These items should be limited (choose your 5-7 most relevant achievements) and measurable. Wherever possible, add numbers, statistics, or other facts. Thus, the reader of your CV can quickly scan through these items and immediately have a feel for what you're capable of doing based on your track record.

Include Your Memberships

If you've focused on a particular professional path for a number of years, it's likely that you joined an association or two relevant to your chosen field. Make sure you include those memberships (even if you're no longer a member) as well any positions you held while a part of the nonprofit (such as treasurer, chair of annual fund drive, or board member.)

Don't Forget Your Honors and Awards

Throughout your career, you may have been given an honor or award as a result of your acumen and feats. Make sure you add them to your expert CV, as they will attract attention and impress upon prospective employers and clientele that you are a go-getter who stays on track.

List Any Publications, Lectures, or Academic Appointments

If you ever taught a class or wrote an article, you can list those items on your expert CV. Additionally, if you have been interviewed as an expert in your field, you should include that fact, too. Remember - all these achievements, even if you thought they were insignificant at the time, add up to a huge impact and will set you apart from all the other applicants or competitors.