CV 4 Jobs

I have just finished running two successful CV & Interview Workshops over the last week. One was for a group of individuals who had just lost their jobs and the other for a group of students seeking work placement. What struck me was the amount of misinformation feed to jobseekers about CV’s and Interviews. Some of this information is so out of date it is unreal. More worryingly is the source of this information.

Jobseekers beware!! There are many career experts and wannabes in the market place offering so-called expertise. Unfortunately most of their knowledge has been taken for a lecture hall or text book. It is not real world and many of these experts have not experienced real world recruitment or job hunting.

CV Services and Interview Coaching services should be treated like any other service – purchase with care!! I suggest you seek referrals or recommendations from friends or family. If this is not possible check the service out online etc …..

Happy job hunting

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.

Employment References are a bit of a taboo subject at the minute. References were once a key component of any recruitment and selection but now they have a reduced role. Increasingly companies are refusing to give out references on past employees for fear of court cases. Most just provide standard script about then length of service and job title BUT they will not go into detail about performance or related issues. What do these standard references tell a hiring company? Not very much.

This development has let many jobseekers with a dodgy career history of the hook.

In a past life I took many references on jobseekers and it always amazed me how many provided referees that did not speak highly of them. You would think that these jobseekers should have an indication about what sort of reference would be provided. This was deflating when you had invested alot of time and effort into the recruitment process only to stumble at the reference hurdle.

On the subject of references. Should you list them on your CV?

I normally say NO and suggest that jobseekers put “References on request”. I say this because it gives more control to the jobseeker. You will know when a potential employer is chasing references as they will have to request this information. The only time I suggest you put reference names and details on a CV is if they can help your cause and get you to interview. Another example – I helped one jobseeker with a CV to apply for a role with a political party. She had two references in the party. I made sure these two names were very visable. And YES she was called for interview.

Let’s face it most of you hate writing CV’s (That’s why I get so much work to write them for you). Well forget about writing a CV and make a videoCV. You all had aspirations to become Colin Farrell or Kate Winslet. No more practicing in front of the bathroom mirror – you now have the opportunity to put those skills to the test.

CVizz is a revolutionary new website that employers are using to recruit graduates (I guess this site will eventually evolve to cater for experienced jobseekers too). Why not register now to ensure that the top employers in Ireland have access to your profile.

Who said job hunting was not fun?