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

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.