The strength of your proposed team is one of the key decision-making criteria for many clients, so writing a winning CV makes all the difference.

We recently worked on a bid with an organisation that is one of the top three companies in their industry. The other two companies in the top three were also bidding. Between them they had delivered pretty much every project of note in their industry with excellent results. Some of those projects had been delivered by more than one of these three companies working together in an Alliance or JV. In this scenario the track record and claims of success in each submission actually look very similar to those evaluating the tender so there is little chance of gaining competitive edge based on track record. One of the things that will set the winning bid apart in the eyes of the client will be the strength of the team proposed for the new project – making a collection of first class CVs essential for success.

Even recognising this fact, CVs frequently seem to be an issue. The bid writing process tends to dictate that devoting time to things like methodology or track record is a greater priority than CVs so CVs are usually left until the last minute. Then time becomes an issue and we end up making do with the CV that’s on file.

In some cases CVs are given priority and written early. But then the team proposed keeps changing until many if not all, of the CVS prepared so carefully have become irrelevant. Time runs out and we resort to the on-file version. Or the CVs may have been prepared in plenty of time but they fail to adequately demonstrate the calibre of the team. They just don’t sell.

In most tenders, the team is a key element in the bid strategy so they need to be presented as such. To select us as the preferred team the client needs to feel certainty that this team will deliver. Creating an outstanding cut-through CV is a mix of art and science. We must focus on linking each person’s past performance to their future performance and demonstrate the necessary correlation between what each person has done before and what they will do for this project.

Here are our tips for creating great CVs:

1. Decide on a format (this may have been dictated by the client) and ensure all CVs are professionally presented in the same template
2. Review each role description and key responsibilities for each role – also consider how critical the role is in the structure
3. Ensure each person participates in the process – a face-to-face or phone interview will enable the CV writer to gather information
4. Make the CV as personal and interesting as possible – personal aspects like family, pastimes or adventures help turn a mere name into a real person
5. Draw out relevant experience from their past that demonstrates the skills needed to deliver this role on this project – don’t simply talk about past projects but the outcomes of their roles on those previous projects
6. Talk about their motivation and commitment to take on the role – their inspiration for striving for exceptional results
7. Include high resolution photos that really look as if they have been taken for this purpose
8. Consider adding a matrix which shows at a glance their suitability for this project – demonstrates a track record in delivering the same responsibilities needed for this project.

Finally the CV needs to be easy to read and should be prepared or edited by a professional writer. When it comes to interview time, the client will feel they are interviewing someone they already know.

Leann Webb