An Entrepreneur’s Guide to the perfect CV

As an entrepreneur, it?s likely your CV is sat under a rubble of papers collecting dust, or so far from your mind ? after all you?ve got no employer to impress. We?ve been finding out if there really is a need for a business owner to highlight their skills and experieces in this way and according to CV expert, Mildred Talabi, there is.

She?s also an award-winning businesswoman and author of ?7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results?. Here she tells us why it?s time to dig out your CV and get it updated.

Why is it important for an entrepreneur to have a CV?

A CV in its loosest definition is a document that allows you to showcase your career achievements with a view to gaining employment ? or if you?re self-employed, gaining a contract or a client.

If you?re at the start-up stage of business, a good CV can help you obtain a part-time job that will give you steady income.

For more established entrepreneurs, having an up to date CV not only allows you to keep a record of your career progression; it comes in very useful when creating an online presence on professional networking forums.

Some of the common reasons entrepreneurs cite for not having a CV is because they?ve been their own boss for a long time and haven?t needed one, or their job description is so broad, or they don?t have time to do one; what would you suggest to such people?

Most people do not have time to do their CV? if that?s you, I would wholly recommend outsourcing this task to an expert.

Part of running a successful business is knowing where your strengths lie and with that knowledge, outsourcing your weaknesses so you can spend more of your time on finding ways to grow your business.

For the second dilemma, in my book 7 Keys to a Winning CV, I make this very important statement ? ?multiple interests equals multiple CVs?.

When you wear so many hats, so to speak, the trick is to create one CV for each function or area of work and tailor that CV very specifically.

For example, for an entrepreneur who offers copywriting and web design services, they would have two CVs ? one tailored to copywriting which would have details of all the copywriting work they have ever carried out, clients they have worked for and the skills they possess in this area; and a separate CV which would have exactly the same information, except this time tailored to web design.

This way you avoid confusing the potential client ? and yourself ? with mixed messages.

Additionally, as your skills increase in the course of your business, it is good to have a place where you can record what you are learning and the results that are stemming from that so you can keep track of your own growth and progression; a CV is a great place to do this.

Where does an entrepreneur start when putting together a CV?

For an entrepreneur, the most important parts of the CV are the skills, key achievements and experience.

One of the best ways to do this is to have a two to three sentence personal profile that summarises who you are and what you do, at the very beginning of your CV.

The rest of the CV should then list your experience in this area, clients you have worked with, your education and qualifications, and anything else that might be particularly relevant to your field such as trade memberships or awards you may have won.

What can the perfect CV do for an entrepreneur?s business?

The perfect CV for an entrepreneur can help you secure new clients, keep track of your own career progress and achievements, and of course provide security for if ever the rainy day comes on your business.

You can get a copy of Mildred Talabi?s ?7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results? from Amazon and all good bookshops. Find out more about Mildred?s services, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Edited by Rochelle Sampy.