CV 4 Jobs

When I review CV’s for jobseekers the big mistakes are obvious such as lack of focus, poor format, not selling the owner and poor content.

Ok – you can excuse jobseekers for these mistakes as they are not experts. But you cannot excuse jobseekers for the basic bloopers.

Here are some common basic mistakes you should avoid.

Misspellings & poor grammar – Ok you have a Degree but if you spell it “Degre” you will not make the impact that you want.

Chronological order (Reverse) – Employers want to read the newest stuff first.

Contact details – It will help the employer of they can contact you. I am amazed the number of CV’s I read with wrong phone numbers or email addresses.

Email address – Let’s be sensible about this. Blondandsexy@hotmail.com may not make the impression that you want.

Need a CV reviewed and designed then contact us now.

Offering expert CV advice in Ireland – Leinster (including Meath, Dublin, Louth, Kildare, Wicklow), Munster (including Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford), Connaught (including Galway, Sligo, Mayo)

Many jobseekers are reactive when it comes to job hunting. When I say this I mean is that they rely on recruitment agencies or job board and sit back and wait for the interviews to roll in. Great if it is working (there are some great job boards in Ireland) but what if you are not experiencing positive results. You have a number of options;

1. Keep doing the same thing – BUT you will keep getting the same results!!
2. Try a different approach when dealing with agencies or search the job boards.
3. Try a proactive approach.

What is proactive job hunting?

There are a number of possible strategies available including speculative CV’s. Here are some tips if you are following this strategy.

Take a focused approach –target an industry sector or a geography region. Approaching this strategy in an ad hoc manner can prove fruitless.

Bypass HR – Sending a speculative CV to Human Resources can prove a waste of time. Although recruitment is managed by the department they may not be completely aware of what is happening in departments. For example the Finance Manager may know that an accountant has just handed in notice or that it has been agreed with the Directors to increase headcount and this information has not reached HR.

Focused cover letter – A generic cover letter will lose impact. Find out the name of the department manager and address it to him/her directly.

Follow Up – Follow up with the person you have sent the CV to. Prepare short sales pitch for the call.

This article was provide by Paul Mullan a CV expert in Ireland.

Here is the scenario – you are searching for a job BUT you are struggling to get interviews. You have been applying for many jobs directly through the newspapers but you don’t seem to have the relevant qualifications or experience stated. This means straight to the PFO pile or more politely – the thanks but no thanks pile.

What do you do?

If you keep doing what you are doing then you will keep getting the same results. In your case – NO interviews and therefore NO job.

a) Try a different strategy.

There are many strategies to can source new employment such as networking, recruitment agencies or online job boards. Explore these avenues as they many produce different results.

b) Play a game of hide the CV.

When many organisations recruit staff they use the following process. Design a job spec, post an advert and screen CV’s according to the job spec, interviews for successful and rejection for unsuccessful. Most employers realise that there are applicants who apply that are capable of doing the job but they are being rejected because they don’t fit the job specification. If you send your CV it will go straight into the “NO” pile.

Here is the challenge or game. Try to get an interview without sending a CV. This will involve calling the hiring manager, using the short time you have to make a pitch and secure an interview without him/her actually seeing your CV. It is difficult but it can be achieved.

I was very impressed by this CV and I would certainly call this jobseeker for Interview.

Enjoy

They Lack focus – Jobseekers write CV’s without considering the employer or hiring manager. If you have one CV that you send to every job you are say to the employer this is what I have got and I don’t care what you want. You must think about the employer, identify what it is they want and the put together your CV.

They lack evidence – Jobseekers do not outline achievements on CV’s. OK they tell what they have done BUT not how they did it. You must provide successes and achievements to support you CV. This will help bring your CV to life.

Want an impact CV? Check out this site.

I often get asked if Hobbies & Interests have a place on a CV. Does the reader actually care what you do in your spare time? There are a couple of points to consider.

Traditional Interviews

There are still quite a few interviewers who rely on traditional interviews although this is changing. Traditional interviews are CV based and can consist of discussions around many topics including your hobbies and interests. Managers will gravitate towards Hobbies & Interests as it is easy to talk about and helps break the ice. This can prove an opportunity to build rapport with the interviewer and you may even have common pastimes.

Helping your CV to interview ratio.

Many jobseekers I meet have Hobbies and Interests which can enhance their CV and application. Would your membership of toastmasters enhance a sales CV? Would your participation and coaching of Gaelic Games help enhance an application for the GAA? Would your charity work enhance your CV for an application to join the care sector?

With these points in mind I normally recommend that Hobbies and Interests are included on all CV’s. If they have no direct relevance to the position you are applying then place them in a section at the end of your CV. If however you have Hobbies & Interests relevant to your application don’t leave it to chance that the employer will read your full CV. Ensure you get this information in the 1st page of your CV perhaps in a value statement.

To view CV and Interviews from the employer’s point of view see hrandrecruitment.

CV’s have arrived in many size shapes and formats over the years. There are the detailed CV’s and then the one page summary, the plain white to the coloured paper, with picture and without. I have loved some CV’s, liked others and detested the rest. The question keeps arising – what is the best template or design to use.

CV Doctor.

My philosophy is similar to the “house doctor”. The House Doctor is a show on TV where a property expert gives advice to house owners who are trying to sell their property. Every week the formula is the same – de-clutter, neutral colours and simple is best. I (lets call me the CV Doctor) have a similar approach – the Magnolia sells houses approach to CV’s. White paper, black text, clear headers and matching font and format throughout. You might say this is boring and you are probably right BUT at the end of the day a hiring manager is normally only interested in the content and not your graphic skills. As long as the information is there and it is easily accessible this is what counts.

The Wizard CV.

The only time I ever recommend something flash is if your CV is not getting you results. We will talk about how to get more creative in a later post.