Do you watch news about politics? Do you react to #Trumptweets? Do you find yourself frustrated with the current political events? If you want to make a difference for America to be great again, why don’t you join politics? But, it’s more than just kissing babies’ heads. Sometimes, before you run for a position, you must work in political campaigns for a candidate and advocacy you support. To do that, you should first draft your political CV or curriculum vitae.
Political CV: Your First Fight in the Political Arena
The first fight in the political arena happens in the hiring process. Aside from having thick skin and quick wit, check out whether you have skills that will make hirers notice you. To get your foot in the door, your CV or resume for political campaign must stand out.
Skills Needed in a Politician CV
Any election candidate and his staff must have a set of skills needed to make the campaign a success. Do you have the following skills?
1. Audience Understanding
In politics, you always have a group of people to cater. Understanding your audience is the key to win an election. Hence, it’s always a challenge for campaign staff to read the moods of their voters. That’s why it’s your advantage if you could read your audience. Do you know what causes they support or what methods they prefer? Which communication channel they engage? In short, if you want to win a post for public office, you must know how to reach and understand your audience.
2. Fact-finding
If you want to engage your audience, research on facts that could support your cause. Ask questions but reserve judgments. Make sure to search factual details only and not merely beliefs. Note that your political candidate CV must show that you are credible enough to get involved in the campaign.
3. Critical Analysis
Members could act as a political adviser. You could suggest opinions or speak direct and honest ideas on what you encounter during the campaign.
4. Writing
This skill comes handy during the campaign period. Once you define your campaign strategy, you need to write the message that highlights what your organization stands for.
You must prepare to write in different styles for a variety of written communication, such as press releases, speeches, and social media posts. Likewise, you should also need to translate your ideas into words that inspire the people to vote for your candidate.
5. Public Speaking and Presentation
Now, it’s time to let the words be heard by everyone. It’s show time for the political campaign team. Expect that at some point, you’ll represent the election candidate at various parties and events. Keep a calm manner, knowledgeable and poised. When you do public speaking, you need to have full grasp of your message, even becoming an expert in the subject matter. This way, when you talk, you increase your confidence as you improve how you present. You can also dodge questions that may blindside you.
6. Social Media Management
Majority of voters today engage in social media. Did you know that it could make or break your campaign? Part of your communication campaign is to reach them through this channel. One good way is to make your messages relatively informal, yet still professional.
7. Crisis Management and Problem Solving
A vital skill a person could put in a political CV is crisis management. While others may see this as negative, it’s a strong skill that most campaigns need. You’ll be in charge of analyzing the problem and how it appears to citizens. You must also know how to resolve the situation in a manner that it’ll appear genuine.
8. Cultural Adaptability
Voters in America come from various cultures. Despite the cultural prejudice today, you should make it a point to adapt to the culture of your target audience.
9. Persistence
Contrary to previous beliefs, a political campaign isn’t only happening during election campaign period. You need to check and double-check facts, always keep in touch with your constituents and be consistent with your message. Hence, you need to persevere in order to see your desired results.
Besides knowing which skills to highlight on a resume or CV, it pays that you know how to do it. Master how to highlight skills on a resume and you’ll surely get the attention of the party members and the general public.
Secrets Revealed in Your Political CV
Now that you know which skills you should have to enter the political arena, you must know how to translate these skills to make the best political resume or CV.
Practice Brevity
Did you know that if you’re a newbie in the field, you should limit your piece to a single page? Consider brevity the soul of wit. If you could translate your cause in few yet powerful words, then you allow voters to capture your message right away. Likewise, hirers may only spare a few seconds for each application. It is, hence, vital that your political resume words are brief, as well.
Sound Human
The people prefer to identify the candidate as a person. Hence, the campaign must paint his image as an approachable being. Likewise, your political CV should sound human. Avoid complex words and create a friendly yet professional tone as you write.
Display Your Skills Throughout the Political Resume
Instead of allotting a skills section, show your skill set as you write the entire document. You could put them on your Profile section or as you present your experiences.
Now, are you ready to look for a political candidate resume sample to help you draft your piece? Perhaps you’re having a hard time finding the right political CV sample. Know that there may be different job posts in politics. You’ll find political campaign resume in general and you’ll see specific ones such as campaign director resume or campaign manager resume and political candidate CV. One of the best ways to find the useful sample outputs is by using the right keywords when searching online. And skills can be good keywords. Ask yourself, what skills does a politician need to become an effective public servant? This way, you’ll know how political skills list can help you advance with your quest.
Your road to making a difference in America may be a long journey. But don’t get discouraged. Remember, anything you’ve done in politics is relevant. Record all your experiences and achievements, so when the time comes when you write your own politician resume, you’ll know the skills you need to be the winner.
If you still can’t write your own piece despite the many resources online, seek professional help. Let Resume Professional Writers craft your curriculum vitae.
Sources: wellstone.org | campaignsandelections.com | thebalancecareers.com | theguardian.com | democraticgain.org | careersingovernment.com | monster.com | internsdc.com
 Photos by rawpixel.com, Brett Sayles, Element5 from Pexels
