CV 4 Jobs

My dear – Been so busy for the last 6-8 weeks that I have had limited time to research the market and my competition. If you are a jobseeker you have sooooooooooooo much choice for career advice, interview coaching and of course CV services and judging from my latest findings this choice has increased.

I noted a few individual providers that have set up in the last few months and the backgrounds range from management consultants to public sector. Of greater note – Irish Jobs has set up a new website myhorizon to support the jobseeker market in Ireland. They are offering CV support because the online advertised jobs market has collapsed. I had a quick look at the site and it certainly looks good and the prices are a real steal. Get on to them straight away –OR MAYBE HOLD UP A MINUTE.

Here are a few questions I would want answered if I was seeking a CV Service

Who is writing my CV?

This is critical as there are too many people working from text books. Unfortunately this won’t deliver in this market place. I don’t doubt the experience of the CV writers with myhorizon BUT I would still like to see a face and a profile.

What am I getting for my money?

A good CV takes 2-4 hours to prepare depending on the current state and the level of experience by the owner. When I see very low prices advertised I question what would I get for this price.

Is there human contact?

How anyone writes or reviews a CV without human contact beats me. How anyone reviews a CV without knowing where you are going beats me.

CV service Ireland

Below are some quick CV tips to help your CV satnd out in the crowd. Some experts suggest that there are about 120 applicants for every job advertised. Is your CV standing out in that pile of paper?

Don’t let the spelling and grammar gremlins ruin your chances. I am not going to write too much about this basic stuff. Spelling, Grammar and Clean & Simple format.

First page of your CV is the important page. If it doesn’t make 1st page it is not important info. Don’t assume that an employer will take the time to read beyond this. Help the reader save time and energy by locating relevant data as early in the CV as possible.

Less is more – focus your content to relevant data. Try not to clutter your CV with irrelevant information. Help the reader find what they want – emphasis on relevant and less emphasis on irrelevant data.

Achievements and successes bring a CV to live and help you stand out in the crowd. This could be that little edge that makes your CV stand out over the competition.

Remember there is a CV workshop in Dublin on 25th April run by Paul Mullan & Jane Downes – for more info email info@measurability.ie

Excellent workshop in Dublin on Saturday 25th April. The chance to work with two of Ireland leading Career Experts – Paul Mullan & Jane Downes. The workshop will focus on Job Search Strategies, Impact CV’s and Interview Skills. This is a MUST ATTEND for anyon out of work or changing careers. As we are all aware the job market is highly competitive in Ireland – fewer jobs and more cometition for them. You must stand out at every stage – finding the jobs, targeting the jobs and performing at interview.

The workshop will help jobseekers in three key areas –

Finding Jobs – effective job hunting

Targeting Jobs – Make your CV stand out

Landing job offers – Performance at interview.

If you would like more information or to book a place please email paul@measurability.ie (please quote the site you found the workshop details on). Full workshop details below

This powerful workshop is led by two of Irelands leading “on the ground” Career Experts – Jane Downes of Clearview Coaching Group & Paul Mullan of Measurability. It will enable the opportunity to access expert opinion and advice in three key areas;

• Job Search Strategies – How to access the hidden job market.
• CV’s & Cover Letters – How to market yourself & get more interviews
• Essential Interviewing Skills – How to sell yourself & get more job offers

Workshop & Booking Details

Date: Sat 25th April 2009
Venue: Bewleys Hotel Dublin Airport
Address Baskin Lane Cloghran, Dublin
Workshops: 2 separate workshops – morning and afternoon
Time: 10.00 – 1.00pm & 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Cost: €120

Each workshop is limited to 15 places so book now to avoid disappointment – email paul@measurability.ie or via booking for contact us

Jobseekers are facing a tough job market in Ireland and need to ensure they are in tip top shape to ensure they maximise full opportunities. The basic foundations need to be set in that you need to know what you are looking for. Key tools like CV’s and cover letters need to be sharp and ready for action. Then interview techniques need to be fine tuned. Jobseekers can no longer enter the job market without thorough preparation. Once upon a time any old CV would get you interviews and below par interviews landed job offers. Well you can no longer expect this as the job-jobseeker ration has swung full circle.

CV Tips

The CV is certainly a key ingredient for any successful attack on the job market. There is much advice available but stick to the basics outlined in these 3 articles and you will have a solid foundation.

CV Tip 1 – Make sure your CV is visually attractive

CV Tip 2 – Help the reader find the information they need

CV Tip 3 – Focus on the content of your CV

Take these CV Tips on board and you will find an improvement in your application to interview ratio. Improve this ratio and you will increase your chances of landing a job.

It amazes me how many jobseekers have only one CV which they send to every position the see without any content or format changes. In reality what you are saying to the client that this is what I do and I don’t care what you are looking for. Jobseekers that follow this approach will have a lower CV-Interview ratio. Ultimately they will miss out on opportunities and possible job offers.

Jobseekers must realise that each employer is different and each job requirement is different no matter how small. Most employers have job vacancies to help them solve a problem and when reading your CV they don’t see this in a short space of time it will be filed in the bin. In reality it is the employer and their job specification that will dictate your CV content and format.

Yes it does take more effort to have an employer focused CV for each position. This may mean complete CV overhaul in some cases but it can also mean just tweaking the CV with minimal changes. As the saying goes “the harder I work the luckier I get” and you will find an increase in responses and CV success by this additional effort.

The employer decides if you will be called for interview. They have the power and your CV must make an immediate impact. You must realise that your CV should be designed with the employer’s need in mind. Best of luck in your job hunting.

Read a view on CV Templates & CV Examples many jobseekers use online.

You invest time into writing your CV and now feel you have a document that will make an impact and get you interviews. A strong CV will help but it is only part of the process for securing interviews. You have to distribute your CV. Easy you might say but you would be surprised how many individuals I meet who can’t seem to find jobs and manage their job search ineffectively. Below are some of the key channels to explore.

Recruitment Agencies

This is a popular resource for jobseekers as it takes the hard work out of finding a job. Send your CV off to an agency and sit back and wait for the interviews. There are some important points to remember when dealing with agencies. You need to find the right agencies for your skills so you must research the market. A tip to find suitable agencies is to see what agencies are advertising for your skills on the job boards and or you can ask for recommendations from friends or work colleagues. You must also try to meet the recruiter and build a relationship. A final point is to take the initiative and keep in touch with your recruiter(s). They may not have a job for you immediately and you cannot assume that they will call when they get a suitable job. Agencies house thousands of CV’s and recruiters vary in ability.

Job boards

CV databases are an increasingly popular tool offered by job boards in Ireland. You submit your CV to the job board database and the job board will offer this database to employers as part of their service. This is still in its infancy in Ireland and I question how many recruiters or employers actually put the effort in to searching the databases. If you want a good database try this job board.

Sending out speculative CV’s

It has been many moons since I heard of a jobseeker walking the local industrial estates and distributing CV’s. With the market tightening in Ireland this practice may return. If you cannot find suitable jobs online, with agencies or in the papers then go and look for them. This is a time consuming approach BUT an option all the same.

If you need help with CV distribution or you want professional advice on job search strategies in Ireland why not seek help from an expert. Help jobseekers nationwide – Dublin, Meath, Louth, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Sligo and all other counties.

Why do CV’s get rejected?

There are many reasons why a CV can be rejected by the employer and this post will examine some of those reasons.

CV has poor visual layout

Employers need to be able to find information quickly. You may use the correct wording, grammar and language but if it is difficult to find the information the employer will move onto the next CV. You should have plenty of “white space” on your CV, you should have clear headers and ideally use bullet points. Use white paper and uniform font and font size.

CV that is too long

I normally suggest that individuals try to keep a CV to two pages, unless a client requests that you provide a longer CV. If you find it difficult keeping your CV to two pages you are obviously writing the CV for you and you have not understood what the client is looking for. Remember employers only want to read information that is relevant for them and their recruitment needs.

CV that gives a poor first impression

Like most things in life first impressions count – this is also true for CV’s. You have a 20-30 second window to make an impact. Fail to deliver and fail to get an interview. An employer may have a pile of CV’s to review. Place the information that matters on the first page. Do not leave it to chance that an employer will read to the end of your CV

If you need help with preparing an impact CV why not seek the help of a professional.

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.