Help With Your CV?

Until your interview, you are only as good as your paperwork and perhaps telephone manner. This makes your CV and covering letter crucial. They are essential tools in most job searches. Like any marketing document, a CV should help you sell yourself.

What should your CV include?

Preparation:

Think about your skills, competencies, qualifications and experience. What are your unique selling points and strengths? Think in terms of what you have achieved.

If you are replying to a specific job advertisement, review what key words and tasks were used in the advertisement. Which of these words applies to you? Use these words in your CV.

Helpful Hints:

• Remember that you want your CV to be read and responded to. Include enough information to stimulate interest, but not so much that you bore the reader. If you provide small, digestible pieces of information you stand a better chance of having your CV read. Three pages maximum is preferred, but keeping it to one page is even better! Every word must contribute to the overall message – so keep it brief and ensure that the content is relevant to the job you are applying for.
• Ensure that your CV is well structured and well laid out; this gives the impression that you think logically and makes it easier to review. Remember – a CV that is hard to read is often put aside and forgotten. When writing the CV, remember that self- opinion is best avoided. Aim to include factual information or objective evidence and remember to focus on the benefits of your achievements.
  
• Pay close attention to reply instructions in advertisements (e.g. spelling of a contacts name). Always have someone else on hand to check your spelling and grammar. Nothing can ruin your chances of getting a job faster than easily preventable mistakes. Avoid coloured paper or fancy fonts, if you plan to fax or email your CV, you will get a much better result with clean fonts and a simple layout.
  
  

The First Page:

This should contain your personal details, your home address and contact details located right at the top, followed by a brief summary of educational credentials and qualifications. An overview statement should be included covering your strengths in the relevant area, skills and experience, and the type of position sought.

Pages Two/Three:

Here you highlight your employment history. Present this in reverse chronological order (i.e. last job first). If you have only worked for one company, break it down with an entry for each position or project dealt with. For each position held, briefly describe responsibilities and work undertaken.

Do include achievements, not just regular tasks, if possible, quantify them in sales, financial or production terms.

Each professional position that you’ve had must include at least one statement of accomplishment. For your current and recent positions, you may want to have several bulleted items under the job that list your most significant experiences.

List your hobbies and interests in no more than three lines. A voluntary or charity work or external posts you hold are worth including. Always include any languages, courses or training you may have done, or any professional memberships.

It is recommended that two referees be given – including the referees’ official titles, addresses and telephone numbers.

The “Covering” Letter:

CVs are seldom used alone; they should always be introduced by a letter or a telephone call. The letter can really let your personality come through. Remember, recruitment consultants and employers read hundreds of CVs, an interesting introductory letter can make your stand out.

Your letter can be used to pick up points which modesty or space prevented you from including in your CV. An introduction letter can save you from having to rewrite the CV each time you want to target your application to a specific advertisement or sector.
Finally, keep your CV up to date. Using an out of date CV looks sloppy at best and may exclude you from consideration.

Help With Interviews?

You rarely get a second chance to make a good impression on a prospective employer, so at your interview it is important that you get it right first time. This section contains some advice on how to prepare and tips on how to succeed in that all-important first meeting.

Preparation for a Job Interview

Top Tips

• Practice a strong positive handshake and plan your greeting.
• Remember to smile and be polite to all the staff you meet, including those at the consultancy. They are an important link in the recruitment process and may influence a decision in your favour.
• Unless you feel particularly comfortable, do not accept tea or coffee at the interview as it can get in the way.
• If you are taking papers to the interview, carry them in a suitable case or folder.
  
  

Prepare Yourself

Interviews are two-way meetings. Not only are they an opportunity for the interviewer to find out about you and if you are a suitable candidate for the position but they are also an opportunity for you to find out about the organisation and if the position will provide you with the challenge and job satisfaction you are looking for.

Think about your skills, qualifications and experience and ensure that you can talk confidently about what is written on your CV. Particularly ensure that you can talk about those skills that are relevant and valuable to the position you are going for.

Prepare some questions to ask at the interview. At the first interview it would be wise to restrict your questions to the details of the job and the organisation. Salary and benefit discussions are best left until a second interview or a job offer is made.

Do Your Homework

Find out as much as possible about the company prior to the interview. A good starting point is to look up their website and find out about the products and services they offer, the location of the office/s, and the number of employees. Ask the consultancy if they have any extra information on them.

Dress Code and Appearance

Ask the consultancy what the client’s dress code is. For office work, smart business dress is a must.

Ensure you are well groomed with tidy hair, clean shoes and clothing. Do not wear too much perfume or aftershave and keep make-up, jewellery and nail polish simple.

Travel and Timing

Plan your journey beforehand to ensure you arrive a few minutes early. Allow for possible travel delays. Just in case of a major hold up, make sure you have your contact’s telephone number so that you can call if you suspect you will be late.

The Interview

What To Expect

Interviews come in many forms – panel, one to one, group interviews etc. Ask the consultancy what form of interview it will be beforehand.

You may be asked to take a test before the interview, depending on the type of organisation. These might consist of psychometric or aptitude tests.

There are many different interview techniques and each interviewer will have their own personal style. Some will fire questions at you while others will start off with an open question such as “tell me about yourself” leaving you to do most of the talking. However, the majority of interviews will be somewhere between the two.

Two-way Communication

• Make sure the employer knows the benefits of employing you. It is important to sell yourself by telling the employer details of your relevant skills and experience that you have to contribute to the organisation.
• Try not to monopolise the meeting – let your interviewer talk.
• Find out what the key parts of the candidate specification are so you can show how to meet them.
• Ask how the job contributes to the success, efficiency and profitability of the organisation.
• Show that you have done some research.
• Don’t give negative information or bad news if you are not asked for it and don’t criticise previous employers or jobs. The key is to turn negative information into positive information.
  
  

The Next Steps

Agree exactly what the next steps will be, such as who will contact you to let you know if you have been successful and by when. You should also find out whether there will be second interviews and who will conduct them. If you are really interested in the position make sure you tell the interviewer.