CVs have changed throughout the centuries, but their goal is the same: To persuade. In 1482, Leonardo Da Vinci applied for a position on the ruler of Milan\u2019s court. He marketed himself as a military engineer who can occasionally work as a painter, an architect, or a sculptor. Interestingly, his great contributions to the art world were left out and, in their place, he wrote about what the ruler needed. In one example, he said, \u2018I can fling small stones almost resembling a storm; and with the smoke of these cause great terror to the enemy.\u2019 With this persuasive argument, he was offered the job.<\/p>\n
Be purposeful; not general\u2026<\/strong>Gone are the days where you\u2019d print off your CV and hand it out to anyone who\u2019d accept it. The digital age has seen to that. We\u2019re now expected to have someone already in mind when writing it. Leonardo's premeditated approach paid off (literally!) so it could for you too.<\/p>\n Be authentic but selective\u2026<\/strong>He wasn\u2019t lying when he neglected his other achievements. Like, when you\u2019re writing an essay, you\u2019re not lying when you miss out your nickname from the author section. It just isn\u2019t important. Still, if you\u2019re proud of something, there is no harm in showing it off as long as it leaves room for the relevant stuff.<\/p>\n You are more than your CV\u2026<\/strong>Like Leonardo\u2019s CV isn\u2019t him; your CV isn\u2019t you either. It can be a \u201cstoried self\u201d or a \u201cnarrative identity\u201d that reflects only a facet of you. You could view it as a professional persona that changes and develops over time and context. That way, you\u2019re not getting your personal identity entangled in your career. When we define ourselves by our jobs, it can be a slippery slope into defining our self-worth. This BBC article<\/a> encapsulates this human experience really well. I hope it takes away some of the pressure that often comes with writing a CV.<\/p>\n