Have you ever wondered what impression you make on potential clients when they first see anything about you, the editor?
First impressions
In Gauteng, a few of us were keen to find out a little more about making a good impression. We joined forces to brave the scrutiny of our professional presence. The ground rules were clear: be kind!
This post shares with you our insights after having all perused, evaluated, scored and given feedback to one another about our profiles – CVs, websites, LinkedIn, PEG listings, email signatures and any other online presence. The group process was positive, interactive and informative, and we want to share the lessons we learnt, so that others may be able to improve the first impressions they make.
What we learnt
The basics
Keep it short. Make it attractive. It is not just about what you say but how you say it. The visuals of your profile can play a large part in your appeal as a service provider. That said, monochrome and simple is not bad, nor is it old fashioned: black-and-white colour schemes are truly timeless.
Your profile should have a modern look. Remember that what you see in your profile is not necessarily what others see. It should identify with the correct audience and should convey your professionalism.
Your profile needn’t be lengthy, but you do want to highlight relevant information. An effective CV can be a page or two and still convey information clearly and accurately.
The most important aspects of your profile
Consistency is key (of course we editors realised this immediately). Your logos, colours, look and feel should carry through to all aspects of your presence. This makes you easily identifiable.
Keep information brief and relevant. Think carefully about how to arrange the text. The content relating to the work you are doing should be placed up front, in a way that is easy to read at a glance.
Catch people’s attention by making it easy to find what they are looking for.
The things you might not have considered
People want to know what your extra-curricular activities are! Yes, if relevant, these can make your profile more personal and convey something about who you are (not only what you do).
You do not need to add personal details or references – just say these will be provided on request.
With the right visual presentation, it is possible to present the relevant information in a professional, clear and interesting way.
What you thought was important but isn’t
Readers don’t want to know everything about you – just what is relevant to them, including your character and your knowledge.
Aspects of your personal life present a picture of you as a whole person but, if too lengthy, this can look like a space filler. Similarly, detailed educational background, lengthy descriptions and old or irrelevant details are not always necessary, even though you would really like people to know more about all the experience you have!
The value of using your network to improve your presence
We all wonder about our business personas. If you ask your colleagues, they can give feedback from an objective but sympathetic and like-minded perspective. When you apply the advice you found relevant, put in the time to work on making improvements, and interact with those who gave feedback to better understand what they said and why, the result is a profile that communicates what is important and is visually pleasing.
You can update your profile and learn about templates and tools that make it easier and that give you a contemporary and professional look.
You might be surprised at how much you enjoy the back and forth with people. The discussion about improving an aspect of your profile can be really stimulating and enjoyable.
Unexpected insights
It’s amazing how blind you can become to the content and appearance of your own documents. We are their authors, and every author needs an editor (or a few). You might need a different profile for the different kinds of work that you do. Instead of telling it all, fine-tune the information so that it is specific to the job you are applying or quoting for. Feedback from editors is helpful and, regardless of how many years some of us have been editing, we all benefitted from this shared experience.
Some of us realised how much we had achieved during our lives. It could be valuable to keep a record of every project ever worked on, with details of what was done and who the clients were. Also, asking clients for feedback can be a useful source for references or recommendations.
How did we do it?
We started with a short checklist and scorecard. We also had a set of guidelines about what a CV should contain. We used this starting point to apply the feedback received to all aspects of our other profiles. Some of us are still working on and updating our online presence, but now we have a clear idea of how to achieve what we want to convey. It was the combination of a checklist, a committed group and a feedback loop that made this process invaluable.
Thank you to those members of the group who contributed to this post – another collaborative exercise:
Anne Denniston; Robyn Veary; Luke Perkins; Mary-Anne van Biljon; Kathy Gibbs; Lauren Klevansky (profile under construction) and Alexis Grewan.
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