Quality Bloke

Want to learn to cook like a real man? Training to get into shape and you need some help on making nutritious and great tasting meals? A caveman and want good food? Looking to impress a new girl? Bored in the kitchen and want to try some new things? Awful in the kitchen and need drastic help? If any of these fit the bill, then you must check out:

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Join the forum discussion on this post

CV’s are becoming a more integral part of getting a job nowadays. More and more jobs are dependant on sending in a CV and being picked out of the hundreds of applicants. If you are like me and currently unemployed, you will be aware of the severe lack of jobs at the moment. This coupled with a obscene amount of people applying for each job that comes up, you need all the help you can get.

I’ve always been complimented on my CV, so I thought I should maybe throw a few suggestions together for those who wish to improve their CV’s.

Content

• Before sending in your CV, match the job advert KEY WORDS (the essential skills etc mentioned in the job advert and ensure that – without lying – you mention these on your CV. For example, the advert mentions working as a team member, then ensure that you have working as a team member on your job history, mentioned on your CV.
• A employer will literally get 100′s of CV’s per job. They typically spend on average 20 to 30 seconds checking each CV. CV’s need to be straight forward to read, have mostly white space on the sheet and easy to read.
• With regards to your References, simply include a line that states ‘References supplied on request’. Not only will this allow you to use the space that they would have taken up for more info on jobs etc, it also means that they cannot be contacted by over-zealous HR people without your say so. This is particularly important when your current boss is one of your references and you haven’t told him you are going yet!
• Do NOT include Hobbies or Interests. Most people only use this field to fill in space on their CV. However, I have read many articles from High up employers who state that they don’t need this information and wonder why being told things such as the person likes movies, would get them the job! Don’t include it and instead use the space better.
• Keep it simple. Don’t litter it with industry ‘buzz words’, especially if you aren’t sure what they really mean! People can see through BS a mile away. It is better to be truthful than to try and hide your limitations through fancy wording. As a employer will be going through hundreds of CV’s, he will be glad if he can read yours without having to try and decipher it first!
• Only include relevant qualifications. No employer (maybe apart from a pool lifeguard job!) will care that you could swim 50 metres when at school and so on.
• Ask someone to proof read it for you. No matter how many times you look, a fresh pair of eyes may notice something you’ve missed – stuff to change, remove, adapt etc.
• Don’t worry about changing fonts, size, indenting, bolding etc. Just focus on the content. Make it easy for the employer to read. You can sell your sizzle further at the interview! CV’s with lots of different fonts and sizes etc, hints at someone trying to bluff their way in, in other words style over content!
• Do not to include a picture of you on your CV. It is a strange practice that is not really useful.

Layout

• Your CV should never be less than one full page of A4 and never more than two sides of A4. Some say that three sides of A4 is OK but I think that is overkill – it smacks of someone who cannot cull the faff and only include the essential information.
• Break your CV down into sections. Your name and contact details should be at the top of the page. Typically, your employment history should be next. I tend to list my current or most recent job in detail and then short list my last three jobs previously, in a more note style fashion (include a line saying further employment history available on request – if like me you have a longer job history than 4 jobs). After employment, follow with any Voluntary Work, then Notable skills, then Qualifications ,then the mention of References.
• The only exception to the above would be if you have just left school and have no or a small work history. In this situation, I would swap the Qualifications section ahead of the Work History.
• Use bullet points for sections that you want to make standout.
• I have a small paragraph for each job. The current or most recent job has the most detail. The last three previous jobs get short, sharp notes such as ‘Disclosure Checked for this role.’

Some tips to help find work:

• Adapt your CV to suit each new job you apply for. Do not send in Generic CV’s as it shows you are not that interested if you can’t work for the job!
• Be proactive – Call up companies and ask about work and send in a CV. Many companies will hire on the side – they will take on recommended people from their employees rather than recruit externally. You hear it all the time, a boss asks his colleague if they know someone who can do X, Y or Z and they suggest so and so. Then so and so gets the job without needing to apply. Ask to be kept on file for at least six months in case of any future roles coming up.
• Further to the above example, network like crazy! Help people out when possible. Send them your contact details. Advise them that you are looking for work. Always be aiming to help them rather than ask for help – you never know when they may hear of work going. Networking is especially important in areas where you may be lacking qualifications or experience but are extremely keen to find work in that area.
• Send your CV electronically to people when acquiring about work. Snail mail (postal mail) is slow and unreliable. Potential employers can print out a copy, forward the CV on to hiring managers etc.
• Print out copies (make sure you proof read again!) and hand into places you would like to work as you pass them, when in town etc.
• Sign up for recruitment agencies but do not rely solely on these for work. Many of these recruitment consultants get paid for the number of new people signing up, not for the work they find you (as I am finding out!) A quick five minute detour from meeting someone or going somewhere may get you a job!
• Try and do some Voluntary Work. Do some dog walking or help out somewhere etc. It gets you out of the house, makes you feel great, employers will love it and it looks great on a CV (particularly if you have just left school and need some experience!)
• Read fiction and non fiction books, magazine articles etc about the industry you are trying to find work in. Keep up to date with what is happening in that industry. It may come up in an interview etc. Knowledge of such things will make you more appeable to employers, especially if you are similar to other candidates on terms of qualifications and/or experience.
• In spare time, read books. Watch intelligent TV. Listen/watch TED.com talks. Expand your mind. Been unemployed is not an excuse for not  developing yourself.

I’ll add some more posts on this topic – about attending interviews etc – if I get some comments on this post. Let me know if it is helpful! Please email me to discuss this further (or buy the CV service in the QB Shop).

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