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

Choosing a CV Writing Service

I review some really bad CV’s on a daily basis. A lot of the mistakes are quite basic. Interestingly I often deal with jobseekers who have already forked out good money on bad CV services. Ok – I don’t like people throwing money away but most of the time they are their own worst enemy.

We are getting ripped off in Ireland for groceries BUT we are creating this situation. We pay the prices and we are too lazy to shop around. Similarly many jobseekers run with the 1st CV service they see on the web without shopping around or checking out the provider. Below I will outline key criteria to consider.

CV Service – Considerations.

What qualifies the CV writer? – OK there is no official qualification for writing CV’s in Ireland BUT the background of the writer is important. Any CV provider who does not have a bio on their website – BEWARE!!. Typically a good background for CV writing is a vast experience in recruitment or HR. Basically somebody who has been heavily involved in recruitment, sifting CV’s or interviewing.

Reputation of CV Writer – Are they known in Ireland? Who refers them? I have references on my site (they are legitimate) BUT these can be made up. Does the CV writer have any industry or company references? Do they blog? Do they write for any online sites or newspapers?

Price of CV Writer – As we all know price can no give a true indication of service. A high price does not mean good service and visa versa. Ok we all have a budget BUT remember an IMPACT CV will help you secure that dream job.

And now for the sales pitch – CV Writing Service Ireland.

Most businesses and processes have changed drastically in Ireland in the last decade – Recruitment, Careers and HR is no different and in actual fact may have changed more than most.

I was thinking about when I moved back to Ireland about 12 years ago. I joined one of the bigger recruitment consultancies in Ireland at the time. My how things have changed!! There were two PC’s in the office and one of those was for show – it didn’t actually work. The other was to receive CV’s from the very few high tech individuals who had email which was very few I may add. CV’s were faxed to the employer and the queue for the fax was as bad as the M50 today. Online Jobboards – you must be kidding. 99% of jobs were sourced through the local and national media. Online interviews and job fairs – next you will be telling me that people have landed on the moon.

So you can see how much thing have changed in the job market in a short space of time.

CV – Online CV or Video CV

It looks like the traditional CV could be changing. Online CV’s or Video CV’s get mixed reviews BUT I think when done right they can make an impact. They enable you to give that little bit more information to the employer that a piece of paper cannot. Video CV’s allow you to get your personality across and bring you to life. This is difficult with a paper CV. Have a look at this online CV. I cam across this site through another blog and this CV impressed me.

If you need a CV service or Interview Coaching check out these links. A professional can help you get the edge and make an impact in a competitive job market.

A CV is a key tool for job hunting and it is a key requirement when applying for most jobs. It is essential to have an impact CV and this will improve your performance on the job market. I have worked with all types of jobseekers and all types of CV’s in my time tweaking some and transforming others from frogs into princesses. However a professional can only do so much with your CV without blatant lies.

So what do you do when your CV is not getting you interviews?

Hide the CV!!

Quite often I meet individuals who are totally different than the image their CV gives with positive attitude and personality that cannot be caught on paper. The problem is that they keep relying on their CV’s and struggle in the job market. What do they do? Normally keep sending CV’s and become deflated with the rejection.

If your CV is not working try calling the employer directly. Have your sales pitch ready and use the opportunity to get you point across. Remember you are your CV and not the piece of paper. You will get knock backs from some clients when you call BUT others will entertain you. Good luck.

For more CV advice check out this post.

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.