Posts Tagged ‘cv’

Honesty is the best policy!

When in an interview, anyone will tell you that the worst thing you can do, after passing out or throwing up, is to tell a lie.  You really don’t want to tell a lie to your interviewer no matter what the circumstances are.

You may have a few skeletons in your closet, everyone does at the end of the day - whether it’s jail time, a firing or anything else the best policy is to always be honest and truthful even if you don’t want to be.

We feel that we have to lie to impress potential employers and to keep them away from our secrets - in reality the truth will eventually surface and you will just come across as a liar.  Employers will often appreciate honesty.  Read on to find out how you can be honest in many situations;

Fired?

It’s not a great feeling to be fired - people get fired for any number of reasons but once you’re fired you feel that you are being thrown together in a big melting pot of naughty employees.

You shouldn’t feel that you can’t tell your potential employer the truth - you should tell your potential employer what really happened.  You could have been completely innocent in the whole process and were fired for the wrong reasons.  If anything, in this situation, a potential employer will feel more compelled to hire you.

Police Record?

People get arrested and get into trouble - it can feel like the end of the world and you’ll spend the rest of your days working in McDonalds or on building sites (although there’s nothing wrong with that at all).  You will feel that you want to hide the truth but in reality you should be totally honest and tell everything.

The potential employer will most likely either know about this previous struggle with the law or at least they will once they hire you - almost every company will do a background check and if you have held back important information then you will most probably get a sacking on the spot.

Honesty proves that you have served your time and learnt from the mistake making the whole process a great learning curve.

Bad References?

If you have just gotten out of a difficult job and you don’t think that you’re previous employer will give you a stunning reference then you should be honest with your potential employer and outline your worries.

You should approach the matter by saying that you are worried about the reference your previous employer will supply and that you would appreciate being kept aware of whatever had been said during the check.

You can’t hide the reference but you can try to minimise any damage!

Itching to tell a lie?

Have you found it difficult to tell the truth in an interview?  Do you agree that honesty is the best policy?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

The Perfect References

The backbone to any good CV is a strong reference list - your references are there to prove that you are as good as you’re claiming to be on your CV.  If you don’t do it properly you can really come unstuck with your references and that could totally sabotage the rest of the CV.

If you don’t want all the hard work you put into your CV to go to waste then make sure you follow our advice when sorting out your references - after all your references can either make you or break you.

Surprise

Make sure that your references aren’t surprised with a phone call from your potential employer - you don’t want your potential employer to ambush someone expecting to find out more about you and all they end up talking about is how they can’t believe they are your referral.

Before even thinking about handing in a CV with a reference list make sure you tell the referrals that they might be receiving a phone call and tell them what the job is about.  You should also give them a copy of your CV to look over so they can be sure that they can be familiar with your working past and hopefully be enthusiastic.

A Hard Choice

You should think about using different references for different job applications - references work in a similar way to a covering letter.  You shouldn’t hand out the same covering letter for bar work and copywriting work.  The same applies for your references.

Think about each reference carefully and choose the personal based on their qualities and characters in relation to the position.  You aren’t going to want someone who can’t explain themselves properly or who is no good over the phone.

Facebook

You should be careful about your social networking status when applying for a job - although it might not be the first thing you think about, a potential employer might take a step further than normal and seek you out online to see what kind of a person you are.

Employees have been known to be fired on the spot for their social networking activities and so it’s not hard to believe that a potential employee will skip past you if they don’t like the way you act online.

Be Clear

You don’t want your potential employer to have to scour through the Yellow Pages or the Internet looking for contact details for your references - they probably won’t bother and you won’t get the job.

Make sure all contact details are clear and correct - provide the name, telephone number and email address.  You could even note down the best time for contact, either the day or the evening or only after 6pm for example.  Show that you are willing to provide as much information as possible.

Getting Your References Right?

Are you struggling to get your references right?  Do you put much effort into your reference list?  Let us know…

Top CV Issues You Can Overcome

Looking for a job can be a tough deal - we’re fighting our way through a recession as we speak and unemployment rates have shot through the sky.  You need an edge above everyone else and you aren’t going to get it with a CV full of issues.

If you have any of the issues listed below then don’t worry because we’re going to tell you how to overcome them and apply for a job without and worries or fretting!

Gaps

Gaps in your employment history can be a nightmare and can bring a world of worrying.  If this is something you have to deal with then try to use a CV format that looks more at your skills.  You can do this by making a strong summary of your skills followed by a brief list of your work.

A Lot Of Jobs

If you’ve been in a lot of positions through a very short time period then you should think about being completely honest.  Although tons of jobs in a short period of time can be a bit of a flag for some employers, it is a good policy to remain honest.

If you have good reasons for the amount of jobs then feel free to explain so in your CV - maybe you were searching for a better pay packet, the businesses you worked for crashed in the recession.

Only One Company

Working in only one company will obviously show off your loyalty to a potential employer, but it will also show that career growth wasn’t a big issue in your life which is not an attractive feature.

Highlight the different positions you’ve held, rather than simply the fact you were at the business for a long time.  A potential employer will pick up on the fact that you have been in a number of positions and gained skills.

Little Experience

You may have just graduated from university and you have little experience on your CV.  If this is the case you should make sure that you are adding any internship work, part-time work and volunteer work to beef up your CV.

Temping

If you have a lot of temporary work listed on your CV then you shouldn’t worry too much.  More than half of executives actually see temporary work in the same way as full-time work.

You should list the temp work in reverse chronological order in the same way you would with full time work - don’t forget to write that the employment was temporary so potential employers can be clear about your history.

CV Issues?

Have you had any CV issues?  Has our advice helped?  Are you feeling a little less worried about your CV thanks to our tips?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

CV Writing - What To Keep In Mind

It’s that time of the year once again when the University year comes to an end and poor old students are thrown out into the real world with the sole task of looking for a job - it’s not an easy time for everyone…

Recessions aren’t exactly the most exciting periods of time to start searching for a job - you’re up against tons of people for a tiny amount of positions.  Do the math…not everyone’s going to be successful.

CVs - They’re important in case you didn’t know…

So you need to work on your CV - your CV will be your way of getting your personality and experience through to the potential employee through a simple piece of paper.  You have to get it right if you want to be called in for an interview…

You have just a few seconds of browsing time to convince the employer that you’re the right person for the job - this is what you should be keeping in mind when writing your CV.

Be Basic

When you write your CV, the first piece of information on the piece of paper should be your details like your name, email address, phone number, etc…

Make sure you use a permanent address - straight out of university you can find that you will be moving around a lot trying to find affordable accommodation in new cities - use a stable address that you will always be able to get access to.

You should also make sure you don’t put ridiculous email address accounts on your CV - spank21@hotmail.com doesn’t really interest potential employers.  Keep it professional.

Objective

You should include a section devoted to your objectives and skills directly following your personal information.  Remember to keep your writing directly to the point and don’t blah your way through…this will just turn potential employers off…

Style

Choose a style and stick to it - there are three main styles: chronological, functional and combination.

Chronological - emphasis on work experience listed from most recent to least recent.
Functional - a more skills based style.
Combination - more useful for first-time job seekers where you can actually list both experiences and skills rather than choosing one or the other.

Experience

Remember that any experience you have gained over the years is important, no matter what it is.  It can be volunteer experience, academic experience or professional experience - it all shows that you are a hard worker looking for a chance…

These opportunities will also be a good way to highlight any skills that you might have in a sly way - this is a great way to show what you can do through real experiences.

First Job?

Are you looking for your first, real job?  Are you worried with regards to the economic climate?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you’re thinking…

Recession-Proof Your CV

This is one of the worst times in recent history to start looking for a job - a recession isn’t exactly a job market where everyone wants to hire millions of people.  You have to fight for your job…

But how can you make sure that your CV doesn’t get thrown out with the recession…instead of finding yourself at the bottom of the CV pile, find out how you can move up the top of the stack.

Spring Clear

If you haven’t used your CV for a while you will notice that it is a bit ancient and out of date.  You’ll need to do more than simply up date it.  You won’t be tricking anyone by simply adding on your latest couple of jobs..it’ll still feel old.

Instead, freshen it up any way you can think.  Read through it and reinvent each section where necessary.  Remove any information that isn’t specific to this job as well otherwise it’ll just be thrown away…employers don’t want to read through a mess of words that have nothing to do with the job you’re applying for.

Change It Up

If you want to stand out in the crowd, perhaps it’s not the best option to become a sheep when it comes to your CV.  Although we’re all taught to place our work experiences in chronological order, you will find that you will just be conforming with everyone else.

You want to break free of the norm - instead of having a section specifically designed for work experience try breaking it down into sections making the whole CV easier to read and navigate through and more interesting.

Promote Your Benefits

You should be highlighting how you have managed to change the financial outlooks for previous businesses wherever possible.  Always try and put a positive spin on everything you have done.

If you introduced coloured stickies at your previous employment then make sure your potential employer is aware that you implemented an efficient organisation system that improved the running of the business.

Give Each CV A Direction

You won’t be applying to one job at a time - you will be sending your CV to a number of different jobs around the place.  For each application you should make sure your CV is angled to impress the employer specifically.

Don’t send out a generic CV to every job application, whether it’s McDonalds or a PR agency - instead you should spend time working through your CV making sure every version is aimed at the employer.  Do this by changing the main accomplishments for example depending on the employer.  Target your employer!

Looking for a job?

Are you looking to get a job and finding it a massive struggle due to the recession?  Have you found our advice useful?  Do you believe in recession-proofed CVs?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think…

Covering Letters - Your foot in the door…

If you aren’t willing to do almost anything for the job then you aren’t going to get it - that’s basically the message crammed into your brain from Kindergarten all the way through to University.  But is it really true, and do you really want to head into every application with that vicious mentality?

The first thing you should really be thinking about, before you put your war paint on your face, is your covering letter.  A good covering letter will get your potential employer to turn the page and get to the first page of your CV…

But what goes in to creating a good covering letter?  If you think about what a covering letter actually does then you can have a better grasp of what you should be putting into it.  For a start your covering letter is your opportunity to show your potential employer that you are more than ink on a page!

So when creating your covering letter, you should;

Be Laconic

Imagine yourself in an employer’s position, receiving hundreds of CVs with hundreds of covering letters, one covering letter moulding into the next.  You need to make yours short and to the point so they will want to read it - if they see a huge bulk of text then they probably won’t even bother.

You should aim for around four paragraphs of text and in those paragraphs you should think about placing in a story about yourself so the employer can build up an image of who you are.

Be Germane

Don’t waste what precious space you have with totally unrelated stories about your pet dog.  There is no need for irrelevant stories so keep it significant.  Tell stories which show how you can solve problems and explain the benefits once the problems were solved.

Take the chance to promote yourself and your skills through the stories that you are using.  If the connection between your story and the job you are applying for isn’t clear then don’t be afraid to point it out!

Be Sneaky

Don’t be afraid or ashamed to be sneaky as you can really help yourself out.  Go onto the employers website and have a snoop around - look for publications they have used in the past and look for language and keywords that crop up more than the rest - then use them…think about how impressed they will be!

You will be connecting with the potential employer on their level rather than yours.  By doing so they will feel that you will fit in nicely if you got the job as you’re already on the same level and in the same mindset.

What do you do?

Are you hopeless when it comes to covering letters and CVs?  It seems that everyone seems to have different views when it comes to correct CV and covering letter writing.  What are your views?  Let us know…