Why a CV is a good idea for your team or business

We almost always think of CVs as being individual, but earlier this year I explored the concept of a team or business CV in a masterclass I ran for my Surrey BeCollaboration group. I was surprised at how well received it was and how valuable people found it.

Why is it useful?

• Because it reminded them of the benefits they bring to customers (internally or externally)
• For business owners or those facing external customers, it gave them some really powerful language to clearly articulate to prospects or customers, the benefits of working with them. Which results in more customers and/or better reputation
• It helped members of the team understand each other better, further improving relationships, morale and motivation

What would a team CV include?

A mission statement / profile: what is the purpose of your team? Who do you help and what do they get from working with you? This relates to the profile on your CV. It needs to be punchy and highlight not just the key things you do and benefits you bring, but also the character of your team. Like the profile on your personal CV it will probably be around 5 lines long.

Relating to the achievements of your team, you’ll create statements in a similar way to those on your personal CV, each getting across what you did and the results/benefits or doing it. You might use adjectives to get across some of the “how” you do things.

By arranging them in functional groups, you’ll highlight the key areas of work / skills groups that your team or business helps people with. It’s similar to the functional CV in the CV templates you can download from my website for free here: https://www.davecordle.co.uk/cv-templates

How do I create a team or business CV?

• You could facilitate this yourself by getting your team together, brainstorming the ideas and then producing the final document. Have some fun with it. Why not order in lunch and make it into a team bonding exercise, or take it off-site to encourage creative thinking and so that you have distractions from work.
• Alternatively, if you don’t want to do it yourself, I’m happy to come and facilitate the session. Just message me if you want to discuss.

In summary

Having a team or business CV helps you to understand and appreciate each other’s input, and helps you to articulate the benefits your team brings to customers and to the organisation as a whole.

You may also like to refer back to my earlier blog on blowing your own trumpet which is relevant to your team CV and your personal one. You can check back on it here:

Preparing to Blow your Own Trumpet

If you want to consult a careers expert on this or any other aspect of your Career for you, your team or your business, find a properly Qualified and Accredited Career Coach on the Official UK Register of Career Development Professionals