Club Inc – Can you influence the right people?4 min read

The first of a series of monthly articles by Club Inc, golf’s leading recruitment experts and Confederation of Professional Golf’s Career Services Partners who provide invaluable career advice and services to member PGAs and their collective individual membership of more than 21,000 PGA Professionals.

Can you influence the right people?

Building a CV is like building a golf swing it needs to start with the basics for it to work. When teaching a swing you start with the grip, posture and stance before refining the more technical parts. With a CV you need to start by looking at the length, the important points you want to get across and how it fits the position you are applying for.

Club Inc is fortunate to have a top FTSE 100 HR Executive as one of our associates who has had more than 20 years reviewing CV’s for top business roles. Looking at some of the CV’s we have received she feels that the golf industry is still a cottage industry when it comes to the way individuals present their brand.

All of you reading this article will have a CV but does it work! Having received hundreds of CV’s from golf professionals over many years most are presented in a way that would not pass the 10 second rule. When conducting a search we have a very clear brief and normally a large amount of CV’s to review. If I have to wade through a full page picture of you with a cheesy grin and a brochure of the clubs you have worked at and then finally another 12 pages of old job descriptions I won’t get to the important part of what you have actually achieved and why you fit the role we are looking for.

The most important thing to remember when constructing your CV is that employers want to find out how you best fit the candidate profile and that comes down to understanding what relevant achievements you have performed in your past job roles. Most CV’s read like a series of job descriptions. I.e. this is what I was meant to do. I want to see how well you performed the duties you were asked to perform, a subtle but very important difference.

In today’s world, average will not be good enough, employers want to see why you stand out, if you can offer something different and you have made yourself unique, you will jump out in a selection process. I have seen some golf professionals CV’s who I know are great teachers or great retailers who really haven’t got their point across as they have been to busy with the glossy picture instead of concentrating on their important achievements. Due to them not following this process they have lost out in getting an interview for some of the top jobs because the employers can’t see how they fit their business.

Your CV must be clear, well organised and hold the reader’s attention.  As a rule, your CV should be no longer than two or three pages. Rather than being a generalised account of your career, your CV should be targeted specifically to the organisation and position you are applying for, matching your best talents and qualifications with the job requirements. All jobs are different and so are all employers. It’s important that your CV speaks directly to the job, addresses the position criteria and is relevant to the post you’re applying for.

For example if you are applying for a coaching position, highlight the achievements and beliefs you have with regards to teaching and where you specialties lie. What can you bring your future employer in the form of financial gain or notoriety? This would be different if you were applying for a management position, as employers would need to see what leadership skills you have and the size of the team you have been responsible for. In addition most companies want to see the difference you have made to the profit and loss account. A company today can’t employ just warm bodies they need people who can perform. Again average is just not acceptable.

Finally make sure you take ownership of your CV you need to know all the details as you could be asked anything about your career at an interview and if you haven’t written your CV or have elaborated on the truth you could be found out.

In the next articles we will look at how to:

• Perform in an interview
• Design your own personal SWOT
• Design your career PR and brand awareness.
• We look forward to meeting you in PGA workshops during the year.

For more career advice and the opportunity to:

• Change your career direction
• Increase your earning potential
• Address your work/life balance
• Find a new challenging position
• Get help following redundancy
• Visit our website www.clubincorporated.com or call us on 0207 903 5105

Remember it might feel like you have little control over where your career is heading. By calling Club Inc. you will find it really doesn’t have to be that way.

For a limited time only, PGA Members who become a friend of Club Inc will receive free Club Inc membership and one free Career Coaching session. Simply send your name and email address to info@clubincorporated.com and they will be in touch.