C.V. Hints and Tips

 

C.V. Hints and Tips

 

Resumes Online:
Getting Your Resume Ready
Your resume is one of the most important job search tools you have. Getting your resume ready used to be relatively simple - write it, design it, format it, print it on good quality bond paper and send it off to prospective employers. The tremendous growth of internet recruiting has changed the process. Now job seekers need to be prepared to design a resume, send it via email or as an attachment to an email, post it to an employer web site or a resume database and create a hypertext resume for the web. Byte-able Resumes: Resumes that sink their computer teeth into steps you through the process of successful creating a resume you can upload, which will scan, and that will be found by employers searching by keyword.

The first step is to start with a plain, simple resume you can edit into the various formats you'll need. Give up the fancy fonts and formatting and the expensive paper. Use a simple font like Courier or Times New Roman. Avoid columns and tabs and other spacing adjustments. Also avoid bold, italics, script, graphics, borders and underlining. Use asterisks rather than bullets, they will scan better.

 

The C.V. is a selling document, advertising you to prospective employers.

It is a personal history, showing the skills and experience you have gained in your life.

The main purpose of a C.V. is to get you an interview, by telling the employer:

• who you are
• where you can be contacted
• what skills and achievements you have to offer
• at what level of responsibility you have been using your skills
• what benefits these skills and achievements have brought your employers

It needs to:

• Attract attention
• Arouse curiosity
• Make the reader want to meet you

Employers have a great many C.V.’s to choose from and little time to spend on each - maybe as little as 30 seconds.

If nothing attracts their attention in the short term = rejection.

 

Section 1 – Profile

Have a strong opening line to attract this attention, a banner of 2 to 3 lines that summarises your main selling points. It should make the reader want to find out more. You must write your own profile - using words and phrases that you are comfortable with.

 

Section 2 - Name and Address

The employer needs to know where you are and how you can be contacted.

Section 3 - Personal Details

• You may or may not want to include your marital status and details of children in your CV. Some employers like to know this information, if you would need to move home or travel with the role.
• Depending on the job it may be worth noting that you are a driver/own a car/have a clean licence or that you are a non-smoker.

Section 4 - Education and Training

• Formal education includes school from the age of 11 and any college courses such as apprenticeships or day release.
• Other training includes any other courses taken since leaving school either at work or outside. These may or may not have led to a qualification.
• Include details of where and when you studied (the year will do, don’t worry about exact dates).
• This information tells the employer about your level of skills, knowledge, ability and motivation. For example have you studied recently?

Don’t worry if you don’t have any qualifications, they are not always relevant.

 

Section 5 - Employment History

• Starting with your most recent job.
• Dates - years and possibly months only, no need to include days.
• Make sure that there are no major gaps in your history. If you were unemployed, or spent time working at home as a housewife/husband, include details. The employer will be suspicious of any gaps, even if you have perfectly good reasons for them.
• For these periods highlight any skills gained or were using, eg household budgeting, involvement in community or school activities.
• Duties and responsibilities are what you have done. Write down all you can think of at this stage and decide later how relevant it is.
• Achievements show how well you have carried out your duties and what benefit they were to the employer. you are trying to make the employer think if they can do that for one company, they can do the same for me.
• Quantify achievements where you can eg "devised a system which reduced down-time from around 3 hours to 1 hours, saving the company on average £10,000 per month."
• The employer is interested about your most recent experience, not that earlier in your working career.

Section 6 - Hobbies and Interests

• Reading books and television probably won’t add much to the impression that the employer has of you.
• Most employers like to see a balance between physical, mental, and individual activity. But don’t put so much down there that they may wonder that you have time to work.
• Be honest about your hobbies - as you may be asked at interview to expand (the interviewer may be an expert in that particular area you have chosen to impress).
• Avoid putting down hobbies that may be viewed as controversial eg blood sports. Employers may have their own prejudices/views and rightly or wrongly react against this.

Section 7 - Other Information

This is the information that you want to include, but which doesn’t appear anywhere else (eg any languages you are fluent in, a round the world trip, some special achievement outside of work).

 

Section 8 - References

It used to be common to put references on a CV but nowadays it is more common to mention them in a covering letter - "References available upon request". It is usual for employers to ask for 2 references, one from your current employer and one from your last. Make sure you ask the referees if they mind being contacted.

Section 9 – Layout

There are no rules about what should go where, but here are some suggestions:

• The CV must be easy to read and understandable - leave plenty of space and make the different sections easy to pick out.
• Your name, address and phone number should be at the top.
• If you are including a Profile this will be next.
• Employment record can be shown in different ways.
• Your jobs should appear with the most recent at the top, then working back to your first job after leaving school.
• Your actual experience and skills gained can then either be entered under the appropriate job title, or in a separate section. In this case, the list of jobs will only be a short summary.
• You can use the layout to draw attention to key information and play down those points which are not so important for the job in question. For instance:
• You can make your selling points stand out by putting a box round them or using a more noticeable typeface.
• If there are parts which are less impressive, e.g. if you have very few qualifications, you might want to make that section less obvious by putting it later on in the CV, perhaps on the second page.
• If you are worried about your age (young or old) or marital status you might find it more helpful to leave these towards the end.

Section 10 – Hints and Tips

• Keep it brief - 1 or 2 pages is best, 3 is just about OK, 4 is too long
• Use plain English - short words and sentences
• Tell the truth
• Use positive language
• Make sure there are no major gaps in your history
• Avoid jargon - use titles and descriptions which can be understood outside your industry
• Check, check and check again - spelling, dates, spacing, grammar etc
• It is vital that your CV is neat and accurate
• It always pays to have someone else look it over for you
• If you find any errors, start again. Corrections will create a bad impression
• Have it typed or printed
• Use good quality paper - A4, plain white, one side only
• A4 sized envelopes, so you don’t have to fold it. A piece of card will stop it being bent in the post.
• Always send a covering letter with your CV

Section 11 - Covering Letter

Remember when you are sending a CV, an employer may only have a very short period of time to look over it. It is important therfore that you use the covering letter to highlight the importanrt selling points. This will be achieved by focusing on the essential and desirable characteristics that the employer is looking for.

• Keep it short, concise and interesting.
• Type it unless specified in the job advert.
• Use plain white, unlined paper to match you CV, ideally good quality paper.
• Address it to a named person when possible.
• Start by saying where you saw the advert and why you want the job.
• Match three or four of your key assets with the qualities asked for in the advert.
• Show some knowledge of the company.
• Get a second pair of eyes to read and check the letter.
• Copy it before posting.
• Post it in a n A4 sized envelope (a piece of card to stop it being bent in the post is ideal).

...and remember:

• It’s a selling document - so sell yourself!

Make sure the CV shows you up in your best light.

Ask yourself - if you only had 30 seconds to read it, what impression would your CV give? Am I doing myself justice? Will it sell me to the employer? Be proud of your skills and achievements.

Advice on Application Forms

Most people find application forms a nuisance. They take hours to complete and they ask for the same information that is in your CV. The reasons that companies ask for them is because they provide information in a standard format that can be easily compared, and they can ask for information not usually found in a CV. Also as they take time to complete, they can discourage those that are not really interested.

 

Completing the Application Form

Most of the questions are easy to answer and your CV can help you to complete it.

The most difficult part of the application form is completing the sections which ask you to provide evidence, or give an opinion in relation to a statement eg what skills will you bring to this role? The want to know why you are applying and the skills you have to offer.

This is your opportunity to stand out from the others, use the following to help:

• Read all the information about the job and company.
• Analyse the advert to see what the Company’s requirements are.
• Think about the skills and experience you have which match up to the employer’s requirements, then include those answers.

Health Questions - always reassure the employer by stating how this does not affect your ability to do the job (only if that is true of course)

Driving Questions - if you cannot drive or have a test booked, or willing to learn let them know this. If you are asked about a clean licence, be honest a few points may be irrelevant (and often it is an important question for insurance purposes).

Reason for Leaving Question - give positive reasons. Instead of saying I was bored with the work, say that you are looking for new challenges.

Tips for a successful application form:

• Before you do anything, photocopy the original. Use this to do a draft, hence keeping the original neat and tidy.
• Read the whole form carefully before starting. Makes sure you follow any instructions, eg use black ink, block capitals etc.
• Answer every question. If the question does not apply, mark it N/A
• If you need more space, use a separate sheet, attach it securely.
• Check spellings, dates etc.
• Only complete the original when you are certain every detail is correct.
• Always use black ink unless instructed otherwise.
• Write neatly and clearly, block capitals are best.
• Include a covering letter which draws attention to one or two key relevant selling points.
• Only give your CV if you think it gives additional information.
• Keep a copy of the whole application for yourself.
• Put the form and the letter unfolded in to an A4 enveloped. A piece of card will stop it getting creased in the post.

Don’t forget to sign it and post it!

Advice on Interviews

Getting an interview is an achievement. It is the reward for your job searching activity. But you may have mixed feelings and be dreading the interview itself.

 

1. Before the Interview

• Confirm to the company that you will attend
• Research the job
. Work out what the employer will be looking for. They may use a Job Description (list of duties and responsibilities of the job) and employee specification (list of what skills, abilities and characteristics the job holder should have) to decide on the qualities of the ideal candidate. It helps if you get a copy of these - though not all companies have them. If the job was advertised, try to work out from the advert what their requirements are likely to be.
• Research the company - re-read any information you have gathered from your contacts, company literature, company directories, trade journals, newspaper articles etc
• Research the interview - find out what the procedure would be, eg how many interviewers? Will you have to take a test?
• Re-read your CV/Application Form before the interview
• Think about what questions you are likely to be asked and practise your answers. Remember that the interviewer is trying to find out:

Can you do the job? Will you fit in?

• Make a list of the questions you want to ask.
• Choose smart and appropriate clothing.
• Make sure you know exactly where the interview will be held.
• Check your route and if necessary do a test run for the journey at a similar time of day.

2. The Interview Process Itself

First Impressions

• Arrive on time - that is, 15 minutes early.
• While you are waiting, make sure you are polite and friendly to the receptionist, they are often asked for their impressions of the candidates.
• Use the time to read any literature on the company which is lying around have a last look at the information you have on the job, or chat to the receptionist and see if they have any useful information about the company. Also take the opportunity to find out the name of your interviewer if don’t know it.
• Relax - breathe deeply.
• When you go in, smile and say good morning/good afternoon.
• Shake hands with the interviewer, make it firm.
• Use the interviewer’s name if you can.
• Look the interviewer in the eye - without staring!
• Don’t smoke, even if you are invited to.
• It’s safer not to accept a tea or coffee during the interview Drinks tend to interfere with answering the questions and make it more noticeable if your hands shake.

Conversation

A good interview is a two-way process; a conversation and not an interrogation. But interviewers are human too and can sometimes suffer from interview nerves. They can dry up if things go badly. If there is a silence, don’t feel that you have to fill it, if you have said all you want to say.

You should be as close as possible to your normal self. Be friendly and let your sense of humour come out, as long as you don’t overdo it.

Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Smile to show interest and enthusiasm.

3. Using the Interview

The key to the interview is to:

Think positively about what you have to offer

Use every opportunity to show the employer you have what they are looking for

You will already have spent time working out what you think the employer is looking for. Once you are in the interview you can make sure - by asking them!

For instance,

"What sort of person are you looking for?"

"What type of experience is expected?"

They may not be willing or able to answer, but if they do you can spend the rest of the interview showing how you meet their requirements.

4. Key Points to Remember when Answering Questions

• Avoid straight yes/no answers where you can. Unfortunately you cannot rely on your interviewer to give you helpful openings, but most questions can be turned to your advantage.

The interviewer has only your past career history and way you put it across to go on. If you do not say much, they probably will not offer you the job. For instance, if you are asked something like " So you left Thompson’s to work for Jackson’s. Instead of simply saying "yes", you can explain why you moved and what new responsibilities and experience the move gave you.

• Listen carefully to the question.
• Speak clearly and stick to the point.
Leave out things which are not relevant to the question or which don’t help to sell you. Avoid rambling and being vague.
• Show the interviewer you have prepared
by bringing in your knowledge of the job and the company
• Check if you have given the interviewer enough information,
e.g. "would you like to know a bit more about that?"
• Ask for clarification
if you don’t understand a question
• Give examples to back up your claims
where you can, e.g. "I have always been successful in meeting targets, for instance in the last 6 months"
• Take time to think before answering
. You can allow yourself time by repeating questions.
• The interviewer may appear to be asking information you have already given on your CV or Application Form. You should still answer, rather than saying, "that is on my CV". They may be double-checking or may not have had time to read in detail.

Be positive about your skills and achievements. There’s no room for false modesty during an interview.

5. Asking Questions

You will probably be asked towards the end of the interview if you have any questions. Asking intelligent and considered questions during the interview is one of the best ways of making a good impression. It is another chance to show off your knowledge of the company and the job (reading the company literature may help).

Some example questions:

• What sort of induction training would I receive if I got the job?
• Would the opportunity arise for me to develop for me to develop skills in other areas?
• Do the latest developments in this area mean you will be buying new equipment?
• I hear you have introduced a new system of quality control - what effect has it had on the results of the department?
• I understand you are opening a new branch in stoke. Will it be selling the same products as this branch?
• Are you planning any now products now the 93 model is so well established?
• I read in the paper about the opening of ABC Ltd near here, how is this likely to effect you?

Write your questions down - there is nothing wrong with bringing out a list during the interview and admitting that you noted a few questions down.

Am I the person you are looking for?

There is one very important question you should ask in every interview you attend - the one which tells you if the employer thinks you have what they are looking for. You can ask it in various ways:

"Have I got the sort of experience you are looking for?"

"Am I the sort of person you have in mind for this job?"

If you don’t ask this question, you cannot find out if they have any doubts about you (or have the opportunity to deal with these doubts).

6. Ending the Interview

• Make you sure you know what happens next. That is; will they phone or write? How long before they contact you?

Smile, thank the interviewer for their time and shake hands.

7. After the Interview

Then reflect on the interview and your performance:

What did you do well?

What you could have done better?

Now you have to wait for the result. If they promised to let you know by a certain date and don’t, it doesn’t hurt to ring and ask.

If you weren’t successful this time, try to work out why. You could even ask the interviewer.

Try not to take a rejection to heart. We all know how much competition there is in today’s job market. There may simply have been another candidate who was better qualified or more experienced.

Think of an unsuccessful interview as practice for the next one.

Note: it is always worth writing to thank the interviewer for their time and asking to be considered for any future vacancies.

8. Other Methods of Selection

The most common form of selection is one to one interviews, but it isn’t the only form. Here is a summary of some other selection procedures:

Multiple Interviews

E.g. first with the Personnel Officer, the Line Manager, the Head of Department. Whichever is first is probably a screening interview. Treat it in the same way as any other interview.

Panel Interviews - with two or more interviewers

• Don’t be intimidated by this, all the same rules apply to panel interviews.
• One of the panel will be in charge of the interview, but they are not necessarily the one with the final say on who gets the job.
• Make a mental note of all their names and who does what.
• Address your answers to the person asking the question, but acknowledge the other by looking at them.
• Don’t be put off if the panel takes notes, they will have done the same for everyone else.
• When it comes to questions, try to ask them to the most appropriate person.
• At the end of the interview, look at each of the panel in turn, thank them and shake hands.

9. Selection Tests

Some companies will ask you to take one or more tests as part of the selection process, as well as attending an interview.

The most common types are:

Ability tests - to check skills and knowledge eg by asking a mechanic to demonstrate a particular task or asking a secretary to type a letter

Aptitude tests - eg tests of mental ability or IQ, show your general intelligence and ability to learn. They involve tasks such as spotting patterns or odd ones out in groups of shapes or numbers

Personality tests - where the company is looking for what they see as the right characteristics for the job

It can be useful to practice tests, especially if you are unsure what to expect. There are books of example tests available - ask in a library or bookshop.

The main things to remember are:

• Read the instructions carefully. If you don’t understand, ask.
• Some tests have no right or wrong answers, just answer them honestly
• If you can’t answer a question, leave it out and come back to it later if you have time
• Don’t worry if you don’t finish, some tests are designed that way
• If you have time at the end, go back and check your answers

10. Final Note on Interviews

The importance of preparation for interviews cannot be stressed too much.

If you do not plan and practice what you will say and how you will say it, you almost certainly will not get the job.

You must:

• Take time to research the company, the job and the interview process
• Think about likely questions and plan your answers
• Be clear in your mind what you have to offer and how you will put that across to the interviewer

And remember, if you do all this you will eventually be successful !!!