Curriculum Vitae (CVs) development is a task most bid teams tend to leave till last, or provide to a junior for completion, but they can form a critical component of the tendering process. You could be forgiven if you thought CVs aren’t the most important aspect of your tender bid, but they could be the deciding factor that tips the odds to your favour.
There are important components to consider when developing CVs.
- CVs can be completed prior to bid dropping – allowing more time for solution development during bid process. It’s easy to underestimate the time it takes to structure and complete a polished CV and allocating time and effort to ensure nominees have their CVs in order will save you headaches in the long run. Before the bid drops get your house in order and make sure all CVs are up to date. Early completion of this task will pay dividends during the bid process, as it frees up bid resources and allows your team to spend more time on solution development and bid enhancements.
- Experience should be aligned to specific contract and client requirements. If your tendering for a contract to maintain a road then the CVs need to highlight the employee work experience and skill sets relevant to road projects or highlight transferable experience or skills. This is not a simple cut and paste approach. It is about tailoring each CV to the respective role and responsibilities set out in the bid documents and the contract deliverables. To support this outcome, the writers responsible for the CVs need to have a high-level understanding of the contract and client in order to provide tailored CVs that hit the mark and ensures relevant experience and skills are communicated effectively.
- Do not use internal referees Always use external referees. Internal referees can be seen as naturally biased, whereas external, professional referees are objective and neutral. Having an outside source confirming the quality of previous work and individual skills and strengths carries a much greater weighting to the prospective client than having Ted from accounting singing your praises.
- Provide presentable, professional headshots for each nominee
It’s been proven that having pictures accompanying content increases engagement. Having professional headshots for each nominee helps personalise the CV and begins to establish a connection with the reader so that the nominee is not just words on a page. - Everything must be consistent This is a no brainer. When writing a report, we ensure that each heading, font, and templates used are consistent. The same rule applies with developing CVs. Having consistent and conforming CVs shows the client that you are taking every aspect of the bid seriously and showcases that your business is up to the task.
Reach out to us now to find out how ARO Tenders can assist you with your CVs and all of your other bid writing elements.