When you were a child did you want to be an astronaut or a CV writer?

Pilot, footballer, engineer, ballet dancer, train driver, singer, racing driver, scientist, school teacher. Who tells their friends at school that when they grow up they want to be a CV writer?

Following a successful career as a sales and marketing manager in film and TV post-production (I didn't say that was my career ambition either!), I was a busy mum, PTA volunteer, taxi driver, time manager, conflict resolver, creative thinker, finder of lost things and general dog's body who frequently met women trying to step back into their careers after a few years of raising a family. I saw the frustration as they received rejection after rejection from recruiters and hiring managers, and genuinely felt for them as frustration became despondency and a creeping lack of confidence.

Enter Jo, fellow school gate mum. Jo told me I was “good with words” and asked me to write her a CV.  So, whilst munching on my Thesaurus, I did some research into the world of 21st century CVs, which got me thinking there was probably a communication problem. The CV was duly written and Jo successfully secured interviews and a job. People heard about this, things got busy and eventually I realised I had a new business.

The joy of being a CV writer revealed itself from day one. When someone gets an interview, I am thrilled. When they secure that dream job, I am right there with them celebrating!  It is what gets me up in the morning after over 10 years of being a CV writer.

The journey from enquiry to finished CV is an exercise in collaborative fact finding, teasing out the forgotten big and little career wins and forging a trusting relationship so that the history and ambitions can be explored in a safe space.

It is unlikely that anyone has ever said, “When I grow up I want to be a CV writer”, but perhaps they should! If the criteria for job satisfaction includes variety, using your brain, building relationships and helping people to feel better about themselves, then this job ticks all the boxes.

Oh, and I can still be all those things at the beginning, but I like to change the description from “finder of lost things” to “rediscoverer of confidence and unearther of talents”.