Presenting your Professional Skills and Experience
Written communication skills begin with a properly formatted and designed resume and or biography page. A resume cover letter and or biography, will likely be the first communication you send to a prospective employer. It's important to present yourself in the best possible manner.
Cover letter: A friendly, concise, well thought-out cover letter is a great place to begin. A cover letter is a brief statement introducing yourself and expressing interest in a position to which you are applying. A cover letter can be included in the body of an email sent to a prospective employer, and a resume can be included as an attachment. A cover letter can be a paragraph or two - A biography can be a up to a page.
Biography: A biography is a short summary of your life. It can include work experiences as well as some personal background, such as interests, hobbies and family life. Remember to keep it simple and to the point - this is the first opportunity for prospective employers to get to know you. When constructing your biography I have found following format useful:
Introduction - 1 paragraph. The introduction can include where you grew up, your family background and interests and hobbies.
Body - 3-4 paragraphs. The body is where you will cover the bulk of your experience and skills.
Conclusion - 1-2 paragraphs. The conclusion is where you can outline your current experiences and goals. In the conclusion you can also include a brief interpersonal note that ties everything together.
Resume: A resume is a summary of your skills and experience related to the position to which you are applying.
Generally resumes should be limited to one page. Resist the urge to list every training you have attended, or certificate you hold. Keep it simple and to the point, ideally a resume should outline highlights of your skills and experiences. A resume can contain too much information that recruiters will not always take the time to read. A clean, simple resume that is easy to ready will float to the top of the pile.
If you are applying for a security or executive protection position, your resume should highlight areas in which you have relevant or related experience. Research the job and organization to which you are applying, ensure your resume is written in a manner that coincides with the position you're applying for. Remember, soft skills and customer service experience go a long way in the security field. These two components will comprise the majority of your day-to-day activities.
Look up and save the job descriptions for previous positions you have held. For example; if you have worked in a security related job, then use parts of that job description for your resume. It's not necessary to copy and paste the entire job description, rather pick specific highlights and note them in your own words.
List experiences and skills with one to two sentence bullet-points. Try to refine and capture your various skills and experiences into bullet-points that best describe the overall skill or experience as it relates to the position to which you are applying for.
Formatting or design are components that can be personalized. There are various pre-formatted resume documents and styles that you can utilize to build your resume. It's important to keep it as simple as possible - it is also good idea to add a slight touch of you own unique style.
The key things to remember about the format and building of your resume:
It presents the intended information in a manner that it easy to read and understand. An example is to list the dates - then skill or experience in bullet-points
Uniform in appearance throughout (This includes font types, character spacing and margins)
Contains all of the pertinent information (Skills - Experience - Contact information) Be sure to include your contact information - email address and phone. A physical address is not necessary.
Save as a portable document format (PDF). Avoid sending a Word document format. There are various versions of Word, documents can change format and the design/outline of your document can be altered when it is opened.
Label the document - Some form of your name and initials works best: Name_Resume
Email & Text Guidelines: Written communication also includes emails and text messages. More and more communication these days is in the form of text messages. I regularly communicate with colleagues, recruiters and even clients (principals) via text message. It is critically important that each text message that is sent is grammatically correct and relays the intended message clearly. One way to practice this is with every message that you send, even if it's just a simple text between friends, keep it clear, professional and always grammatically correct. The same holds true for email communication - it will be standard practice for executive protection agents to communicate via email. The same guidelines apply to text messages and email alike.
Be sure the personal email address you use is as plain a possible and can't be misinterpreted. Some form of your name works best.
Use manners - be polite and genuine ("please" and "thank you" go a long way)
Always Include a subject line - This makes it easier to search and save
Always use proper grammar and punctuation. This includes proper use of capitalization. Avoid the use of acronyms, jargon or slang terms - This includes military terms and abbreviations.
Always use a proper greeting and signature line - Remove the "sent from iPhone/android" signature line
Double check to ensure you have the correct recipients in the "To: line".
Be sure your attachments are included - I usually attach resumes or biographies before crafting the email just to ensure I don't forget.
Take your time and always proof read before you hit the send button - Read though your email or text several times, it helps me to read out loud - if it sounds good aloud, it likely reads well.
Social Media: Now days social media has become a primary means of communication worldwide. Your profile can tell people everything about your life, the lives of your loved ones and friends. Executive protection is a very discrete profession - simply put, if your social media profile isn't discrete it could eliminate you from consideration for potential positions.
Conclusion: The best way to improve your writing skills is to practice, reading can also help. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively in writing is a skill that if mastered will set you apart as a protection professional.
Most executive protection professionals won't find themselves writing more than a page or two, but it is critical that their writing ability is articulate and concise.
- Co-Founder | Instructor, Protective Applications Group
