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Should I include a professional profile in my GP CV?

Published on: 8 Apr 2016

Neville Rose, director of CV Writers, offers advice to help you write an engaging professional profile

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Everything new needs an introduction. Books, movies and websites, as well as meeting new people. And your CV is no different. A professional profile acts as an introduction to the reader. If it is written well it gives the reader confidence in fully engaging with the CV. Written badly and it may do more harm than good. So here are some tips on how to write an engaging professional profile.

Talk about who you are

The first thing a professional profile should do is talk about who you are. As a GP this part is fairly straightforward but make sure you state that you are a GP in the first line of the profile.

Whilst this may seem obvious, too many CVs begin without stating clearly who you are or what you do. The result is a confusing and fuzzy introduction that leaves the reader looking elsewhere in the document to ascertain the relevance of your CV. You’ve lost them at the first hurdle.

Create a point of difference

The second purpose of the professional profile is to create a point of difference. To say something about your unique personal qualities that enable you to shine above other potential candidates. This is where many professional profiles also fall down. Mentioning phrases like ‘good communication skills’ or ‘works equally well as part of a team or on your own’ are likely to cause eyelids to droop and brains to switch off.

To really engage the reader, it is important to say something different. Something original. Sometimes this is just about using different words to avoid the classic recruitment clichés. However, a really good professional profile will get to the heart of the personal qualities that form the basis of your skill set and allow you to excel at what you do. Asking a trusted colleague is sometimes a good way of understanding how others view you and can help provide the words needed to build a compelling professional profile.

Approach it from the reader’s perspective

So yes, you should include a professional profile. However, it is important to approach it from the reader’s perspective and ensure that it carries out the above two objectives clearly. It is also important to keep the profile short, so try to make it no more than four lines in length.

If you would like help with your GP CV, cover letter or LinkedIn profile, CV Writers can help through a variety of CV services.