Title: Dominic Raab’s CV Analysis: Tips for Crafting a Winning Resume
Introduction:
In a recent FT article, it was revealed that headhunters have been reaching out to former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab with job offers in the City of London. Several Conservative MPs, eyeing the next general election, are also exploring career opportunities beyond their political roles. Raab, who resigned amidst bullying allegations, has confirmed preliminary talks about his future plans in the private sector but did not disclose further details. Kea, a recruitment consultancy specialized in the alternative investment space in Europe, has put forward Raab’s name as a potential candidate. In this article, we assess Raab’s CV using expert advice and provide tips for improving it.
1. Providing irrelevant personal information:
It is important to consider the position one is applying for and how personal interests and achievements relate to it. Raab’s CV included details such as skydiving charity fundraising and martial arts accomplishments that may not be relevant to the private equity sector. Verdict: Fail ❌
2. Burying important information:
Relevant information should stand out on a CV. Raab’s CV failed to prominently highlight his extensive political experience, burying it beneath his legal training background. Verdict: Fail ❌
3. Spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors:
Errors in these areas can significantly impact the first impression on potential employers. Raab’s CV contained several typos and grammatical mistakes, reflecting a lack of attention to detail. Verdict: Fail ❌
4. Unexplained gaps in employment:
Unexplained gaps in the employment history can raise concerns for recruiters. Raab’s CV appears solid in this regard, but the extensive focus on his legal training rather than his more recent political career may be a cause for further evaluation. Verdict: Consultation ⚠️
5. Lying or misleading information:
Misleading or false information on a CV can have severe consequences, as employers conduct thorough background checks. In this case, no issues were identified. Verdict: Consultation ⚠️
6. Including references on the CV:
References are typically requested at a later stage in the hiring process and don’t need to be included on the CV itself. Raab adheres to this guideline. Verdict: Pass ✅
7. Having a long and confusing CV:
Focusing on recent and relevant experience and achievements is important. Raab’s CV exhibits a lack of clarity, with excessive details about outdated qualifications and scarce elaboration on his years as a local MP. Verdict: Consultation ⚠️
8. Poorly formatted CV:
CVs should be formatted for easy screen reading. Raab’s choice of a standard serif font and standard formatting elements is acceptable, but inconsistent alignments and the misuse of capitalization affect readability. Verdict: Pass ✅
9. Meaningless presentations:
The opening paragraph and overall content should engage recruiters and make a strong case for an interview. While the provided expert advice suggests avoiding vague statements, it also encourages capturing attention dramatically. Verdict: Specific ⚠️ (for Dom) and generalized ⚠️ (for Nadine)
10. The “So what?” factor:
Even if all the guidelines are followed, a CV must impress and convince recruiters to be successful. The FT article raises an interesting point about the potential difficulties faced by former MPs entering the private sector. Verdict: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In conclusion, Dominic Raab’s CV exhibits several weaknesses, including irrelevant personal information, buried important details, various errors, and a lack of clarity in formatting and content. While Raab’s CV adheres to some guidelines, there is room for improvement. Crafting a winning CV requires careful attention to detail, relevance, and formatting. As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, job seekers must invest time and effort into perfecting their resumes to stand out from the crowd.
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Of mainFT last week:
Headhunters have been offering former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab jobs in the City of London as several Conservative MPs look beyond the horizon to the general election due next year. ..
Raab, who was forced to resign as deputy prime minister over bullying allegations, which he furiously denied, confirmed he had begun what he called “preliminary talks” about what he might do after resigning as an MP, but gave no further details.
Its name has been put forward by a recruitment consultancy called Kea, which describes itself as a “boutique search firm operating exclusively in the alternative investment space in Europe”.
So, private equity.
Blogging is ultimately about giving. So when Alphaville heard this heartwarming story of a mid-career pivot hoping to land a job in the City, we had to do our bit.
In the spirit of public service, we obtained a copy of Dominic’s CV (h/t Robert Smith) to discuss possible areas of change and improvement. we hope that our Advance It will be useful to the former minister and anyone interested in working in the “alternative investment” space who wants advice on how to prepare for the next step!
You can download a metadata-free version of Raab’s CV in PDF format hereor take a look below:
Alphaville looked for some tips on writing a CV. Although it is not about specific finances, the job.ac.uk page “10 things you should NOT do on your CV” by career consultant Nadine Lewis caught our eye for her bold use of capitalization, so we decided to use her suggestions as a framework.
1. Providing irrelevant personal information
Nadine says:
Think about the position you are applying for and how your interests and achievements relate to it.
Dom’s additional information section includes the following data:
— Raised £25,000 for Shooting Star Child Hospices in 2021 by skydiving from 15,000 feet.
— Third Dan karate black belt, former UK Southern Regions Champion and Team GB
We are skeptical about the benefits of unarmed combat skills in the private equity sector, but we are sure that charitable values are not necessary.
Verdict: Fail ❌
2. Bury important information
Nadine says:
Make relevant information stand out on your CV. This could be done through information in bold and persuasive language, i.e. words of action and achievements.
Dom’s CV opens:
An international lawyer, who trained in the City and practiced in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, advising on maritime transport, investment protection and war crimes. He moved into politics, holding six cabinet posts, including Foreign Secretary, and the first Deputy Prime Minister to two Prime Ministers. Deputy Prime Minister during COVID.
Given that he qualified as a lawyer in 2000 and had entered politics in 2006, we think Dom definitely buried his lede here!
Verdict: Fail ❌
3. Spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors
Nadine says:
If you’re struggling to spot mistakes, ask a professional, mentor, or friend to review your resume.
Now, it is possible to be too picky about this sort of thing. However, according to the CFA Institute:
A CV with two typos will be rejected by 97% of hiring managers
Furthermore, Raab cares a lot about this sort of thing, according to reporting in The Times on his conduct as a minister (Raab has strongly denied allegations that he bullied staff):
Raab is also very particular about the format of communications he receives from public officials. In several departments he has insisted that they limit themselves to just two sides of A4 paper. He also requires that a senior public official sign in the margin that he has checked the document for spelling and grammar before sending it to him. “He was obsessed with the format of the letters,” one official said.
Well, get out your red pen: mistakes abound.
First, Dom almost He used hyphens consistently in the date ranges on his CV, except in his most senior job, as MP for Esher & Walton, where he used a spaced hyphen instead:
There is also some carelessness in the education section, which is always particularly vulnerable to irony.
This is what we found:
Other errors, some more important/subjective than others, include:
— the phrase “He entered politics, held six Cabinet positions, including Foreign Secretary, and was the first Deputy Prime Minister to two Prime Ministers” makes no grammatical sense, even in context.
— Prime Minister’s Questions needs an apostrophe.
— “Deputy to the Prime Minister for 5 weeks, when he was hospitalized with COVID” (just a bad phrase).
— “Roadmap between the United Kingdom and India” should be “Roadmap” according to the government’s spelling.
— “British National Overseas” should be “(Overseas)”.
—The “Minister of Human Rights” either needs a department after or lose the comma.
—The anti-George ClintonThe one that sounds like “Shooting Star Child Hospices” should be Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, which is no better.
— “Dan” must be lowercase.
— “Champion” must be lowercase.
Verdict: Fail ❌
4. Unexplained gaps in employment
Nadine says:
Having unexplained gaps in your employment history raises questions. It makes recruiters nervous.
Raab seems solid on this front, although it might be a little worrying that he has written more about his time training to be a lawyer than about the more than 13 years he has been a local MP.
Verdict: Consultation ⚠️
5. Lying or misleading information
Nadine says:
Employers are conducting increasingly rigorous background checks on candidates. This can range from performing a Google search to hiring a specialized candidate verification service.
We can’t imagine any problems this would cause.
Verdict: Consultation ⚠️
6. Add references to your CV
Nadine says:
References are usually requested later in the hiring process, so there really is no benefit to adding them to your CV.
No stupid references here. Nice!
Verdict: Pass ✅
7. A long and confusing CV
Nadine says:
Focus on your recent, most relevant experience and achievements… If you studied a topic eons ago, unless you’ve kept your skills up to date, it’s probably no longer relevant.
Verdict: Consultation ⚠️
8. Poorly formatted CV
Nadine says:
Nowadays, your CV will most likely be read off the screen before being printed. If it ever gets printed. Therefore, format your CV so that it is easy to read on a screen.
We consider ourselves A4 document form connoisseurs. As for typography, Dom’s used Cambria, a standard, inoffensive serif released by Microsoft around the same time as Windows Vista, and avoided any nonsense like columns or colors.
Dom is clearly a fan of CAPS, although leaving them with standard spacing like this is a mistake in our books (and our other printed documents). The page formatting is fine, despite some inconsistent date alignment in the EDUCATION section.
Verdict: Pass ✅
9. Meaningless presentations
Nadine says:
[Your] The CV should attract attention and invite you to an interview. So an opening paragraph that says everything and nothing at the same time is not going to be enough.
Although she also says:
Your CV has to hit the recruiter between the eyes! You have to make them sit down, pour hot coffee out of their mouths while they run around their desks so that the phone calls you and designates you on the spot!
So, huh. ..
Verdict: Specific ⚠️ (for Dom) and generalized ⚠️ (for Nadine)
10. The CV ‘So what?’
Nadine says:
Making sure you don’t do the ‘no no’s’ on your CV [sic] it just takes you to first base. While this is an achievement in itself, if your CV doesn’t impress or convince, then you’ve wasted your time again.
In this last one, we will return to the mainFT reports:
[Harvey] He warned that former parliamentarians who lose office just as another party takes power may find it especially difficult. “If the Conservatives win in the next election, what good is a former Conservative MP as a door opener? The reality is that they are not,” he stated.
Verdict: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Other readings
— In the rhododendrons of Dominic Raab (LBR)
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