“You’re a stranger. I really don’t know much about you, and I might make a hiring mistake that could cost me dearly. So, tell me, why I should interview and maybe hire you? What can you really do for me?”

“I understand your concerns and why you may be reluctant to interview and hire me for this job. Knowing what I do about your company and the job, I feel I’m a perfect fit for this position because I share your vision - this is my objective, I have the experience and qualifications you desire - these are my accomplishments, I have a track record of adding value to employers’ operations, I love to do what you need to be done, I’m an enthusiastic player who focuses on the bottom line.”

If only CV’s could talk, they might engage in interesting and insightful conversation with employers. But they can’t talk, and can only communicate clues to future performance that get talked about in job interviews.

But CV’s do have a language of their own. They say things to strangers that make the difference between being called or passed over for a job interview.

Does your CV have wings? Is it both you and employer-centered? Does it clearly present an appealing pattern of accomplishments? Does it soar high above the competition by communicating key messages about your past, present and future performance loudly and clearly to potential employers?

We indeed live in interesting, unprecedented and highly unpredictable times. Seeking new opportunities, facing increased competition and focusing on the bottom line, companies are either expanding or downsizing, rationalizing and economizing their operations through the application of technology, out-sourcing, and mergers. In such an environment, people both find and lose jobs each day as companies restructure their workforces to position themselves better in the volatile new economy.

One thing is certain, we have entered an era where jobs, careers, skill-sets, and employer-employee relations are increasingly unpredictable. The employment game has moved from seeking greater security and minimizing risks to seeking greater opportunities and taking on more risks.

The job you have today may disappear tomorrow. Between now and when you retire, you may have more than ten different jobs and work in two or three different careers. And the skills you use today may become obsolete in another few years.

As a result, individuals must increasingly take responsibility for their own career management - from acquiring new skills and marketing themselves to alternative employers to taking greater on-the-job initiative. They must view themselves as self-directed economic entities who offer unique skill-sets that make significant contributions to employers’ bottom lines. They must view employment situations as sets of client professional relationships, or rather than traditional employer-employee relationships. They must present themselves as professionals who enthusiastically take charge and produce results.

So, can you write a CV that responds to the needs of employers in today’s economy that is highly competitive and talent-driven? Certainly the best positions - those that pay well and have a bright future - go to those who are intelligent, well educated, skilled in the technologies of today and tomorrow, and behave like entrepreneurs.

In the talent-driven economy, technology defines and drives workplace skills. Individuals must constantly train and retrain in order to survive and prosper in today’s fast-paced and demanding workplace. Since the talent-driven economy is very competitive, it’s driven by highly entrepreneurial professionals who constantly focus on contributing to employers’ bottom lines. Being employer and job centered, these individuals understand what skills are required to do their job and they acquire and use them accordingly.

The savvy professional prepares a sound record of accomplishments which they can articulate to prospective employers, and best of all they are capable of writing terrific CV’s that are rich in the language of skills, experience, and accomplishments.

So, does your CV have wings?

(Based in Dubai, David Thatcher, ([email protected]) is managing director of career management firm Bernard Haldane Associates in the Middle East.)