CV 4 Jobs

If you are out of work and seeking new employment or you are changing career then get yourself down to Grand Canal Hotel on 30th September. The NRF are holding a FREE Career Workshop for 100 people and you could be one. There will be a range of stuff covered including “writing a world class CV”

Details for the event are outlined below …..

The workshop will run for 90 minutes and will cover:

• Writing a world class CV
• Where to find the next job
• Advice on dealing with recruitment agencies
• Improving interview skills and techniques
• Networking skills
• Negotiating salaries

The goal is to provide insight and support to candidates who are currently in a difficult job market. Free Jobseekers Workshop is targeted at all levels of candidate, from junior through to senior management.

Where & When?
September 30th from 6PM to 7.30PM at the Grand Canal Hotel, Dublin 4 and will be presented by NRF Committee member Peter Cosgrove.

Register
To register a candidate for the NRF Jobseekers Workshop or offer your services for the CV Clinic please contact the NRF office on 01-8161754 or email name and contact details to director@nrf.ie

Some months back I attended a jobs fair offered to the staff of one company who were cutting employees. The fair was made up of education providers, recruiters and job boards. I was a guest of one company who had a stand at the fair. My role was to analyze CV’s for the employees and provide CV advice.

The jobs fair initiative was part of a bigger outplacement offering which included CV support and interview support. Two things struck me about that day.

- I was amazed how many employees had not attended the supports offered and were then spending 30 minutes with me.

- I was also amazed at the quality of some of the CV’s from those who had attended. (Amazed in a bad way). They had production line CV’s that lacked impact. Anyway this point is for another article.

Outplacement Services can potentially be a great springboard to help you bounce back into the job market. If they are offered to you – TAKE UP THE OFFER.

CV is a critical part of any job hunting activity BUT this is especially the case in tough economic climate and jobs market. So what makes a winning CV – A CV that stands out in the crowd and delivers those important interviews?

I am regularly asked this question and my response is as follows. There are 3 critical ingredients to developing a winning CV

Content – They say property is about location, location, location. Well then CVs are about Content, Conent, Content. Your CV needs focused content. If you have one CV that you send to all jobs then you are making a deadly mistake. Your CV will need tweaking or even major overhaul for each application. Tailor the information to the employer and watch your results improve.

Information Positioning – This follows on from the content element and is all about getting the relevant information to the reader as quickly as possible. You can be creative here and don’t limit yourself to the rigid formats you have be told. If it is not on the 1st page of your CV then it might not get read.

Visual Appearance – we all like to read something that is easy to read. I don’t mean frills but instead a nice clean CV with plenty of white space and uniformed formatting.

Deliver the above and you will deliver more interviews

From experience many jobseekers like to cut corners wen job hunting. Well if you want to cut corners why not get your CV developed by and expert CV SERVICE provider.

Measurability have launched two new websites to expand their CV & Interview Service to jobseekers in Ireland.

The first site www.cvsolutions.ie offers a professional CV writing service nationwide. CVSOLUTIONS delivers high quality CV’s to jobseekers across a range of levels, roles and industry sectors. You can also find excellent CV tips and advice on the site (although this is still being developed).

If you need help with a CV visit www.cvsolutions.ie now.

The second site www.interviewsolutions.ie offers professional interview coaching to jobseekers. INTERVIEWSOLUTIONS delivers a high quality interview preparation service tailoring programmes to meet individual needs. Again you will find some free interview tips and advice on the site.

If you need help preparing for interview visit www.interviewsolutions.ie now.

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

Securing a successful salary review and pay rise depends on two key areas – your preparation and your performance at the meeting. Below I have outlined a number of key points to consider during any salary review meeting.

Ensure you DO the following

Outline the reasons for requesting the raise in salary.
Explain about additional responsibilities or projects that you are willing to take on after a positive review.
List how you can contribute in the following year and how you plan to add additional value and earn your higher salary.
Ensure that you make a point of stating how satisfied you are with company, job and colleagues
Believe that a salary increase is possible and remember that salary negotiations are an opportunity to impress your manager with your negotiating and interpersonal skills

Ensure you DON’T do the following

Do not just demand a rise just because you think you are worth it. If you talk the talk ensure you walk the walk and provide evidence to back your request.
Do not back your manager into a corner without any room for negotiation
Do not expect an immediate decision as your boss may not have the power to give you what you want.
Do not threaten to leave as this is unprofessional and you might actually get your wish.
Do not be aggressive, rude or arrogant. A bit obvious but you would be surprised about the stories I hear about these meetings.

We have an offer for regular readers of our website – a discount on Microsoft Office 2007 Self-Start Learning Kits. This will offer you a recognised Microsoft Qualification and help your CV stand out in the crowd. You will agree that the appearance of this qualification on your CV will have a greater impact than “strong MS Office skills”. If you want more information on this training and offer – Microsoft Office 2007 Self-Start Learning Kits.

Microsoft Office 2007 Self-Start Learning Kits combine everything you need to learn about Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Outlook 2007, Access 2007 & Windows Vista – and get internationally recognised qualifications from Microsoft – by following three easy steps.

For more inofrmation – Microsoft Office 2007 Self-Start Learning Kits.

Paul Mullan is a Career Doctor for the Independent in Ireland. Every few weeks he offers free advice to readers across a range of career issues. You will find the Career Doctor column in Irish Independent Jobs & Careers section every Thursday. Below are two of the more recent questions and answers as they are quite topical in this market place.

CV & Job Hunting explains the importance of getting your CV and Job Search Strategies right.

Upskill in Ireland explains why you should upskill and the benefits of upskilling.

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.