Tag Archives: CV Tips

Writing a CV

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There is only one opportunity to make yourself stand out before landing that all important interview. Make sure you sell yourself from the word GO!

Get the basics right! 

Here’s our top tips before starting: 

  • One CV does not fit all roles, adapt your CV to fit with the job description and company! 
  • Don’t spend too much time on design. Focus on the content.
  • Research the role and company before starting a CV and keep all duties and company ethos in mind when completing.
  • Always get someone else to proof read your CV before submitting, a second critical  eye can provide a fresh approach.
  • Don’t rush, leave yourself plenty of time to compile your CV before the closing date. 
  • NEVER LIE ON A CV! You would be surprised at the amount of people who get caught out – don’t even consider it!  
  • Ignote the two page myth, I have witnessed many candidates not including vital information as they kept the CV to two pages. Try not to exceed three pages though. Don’t include irrelevant information, ensure all is relevant to the role you applying for! 

`Presentation

  • A CV is always about substance rather than style.
  • Keep it simple, do not use coloured block columns. 
  • Ensure it’s easy to read.
  • Pick a standard professional font, size no smaller than 11. 

Writing your CV:

  • Always include a short personal statement (2/3 lines) that summaries your key skills and experience to date. Keep it brief and precise with key words associated with position you are applying for.
  • Ensure your contact information is clearly visible so your potential employer can get in touch with you either via email or telephone. 
  • Refrain from including any personal information that may be deemed as discrimination. 
  • Begin with your current or most recent employment or alternatively list your recently completed education such as a recent degree (within the past two years) if you don’t have any significant work history. 
  • Include month and year of starting and ending jobs and ensure they are accurate. 
  • Explain any employment gaps, don’t leave it as unexplained as many employers will pick up on this and you may not get an opportunity to explain this.
  • Tailor your experience to points on the job description for the position you are applying.
  • Always be assertive and positive in work history.
  • Keep information and skills relevant at all times.
  • Skills and achievements – ensure they are relevant and kept to last five years. Don’t include any that have no relevance to the industry you are applying within. 
  • Qualifications – always start with latest and work backwards. 
  • Don’t list personal details of references. State they are available upon request.  This avoids any scenarios of references being contacted without your consent.

Finally before submitting:

  • Always make sure your CV is up-to-date before submitting.
  • Have someone proof read it for you and listen to their input.
  • Imagine you are the recruiter, read over your CV and ask yourself if you were recruiting for the role would you invite you for interview. 
  • Once your CV is submitted you another opportunity sell yourself, unless you are invited for interview. This is your first chance at making a lasting impression. Make it count. 
  • Finally, ensure all social media platforms are turned to private (or deleted) before submitting a CV for consideration as 87% of employers check these upon application. Ensure profile pictures and posts don’t include anything that may impact your application…… 

 

Words have power – Words and jargon to avoid in today’s job descriptions..

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Getting the right people in the door for the right job is a challenge for many businesses. The recruitment  process begins with a well-crafted job description. Job descriptions are a communication tool between the employer and candidates, and it is viewed by candidates as a mini preview of your company culture.

I recently consulted with a small business in hospitality on job descriptions, and as a result, their recruitment campaign was a huge success. By applying simple changes, they were able to attract a calibre of talent they had previously not been able to tap into.

Revisiting job descriptions and paying attention to wording and phrases will impact how your business is viewed as an employer. After all this is what will attract a candidate to your business, and represents your employer branding. Descriptions packed with jargon and words that you are used to have become meaningless, and in today’s era can have a double meaning. Many of which can be deemed as red flags for the workplace culture.

As an example, ‘Family’. Once a key word and viewed as welcoming, is now one to avoid. Family means different things to all individuals, good and bad so be mindful of using this term, as it can be misconstrued that boundaries are violated and remember not all family life is happy. As a successful HR senior peer recently pointed out to me, many families can be dysfunctional, and individuals don’t want that culture in a workplace which is a very valid point!

Here are some other examples of words and phrases we see featured in job descriptions daily which are simply off putting in today’s era. If you can, try and avoid words such as:

  • fast-paced
  • enthusiastic
  • detail-oriented
  • multi-tasker
  • Passionate
  • enthusiastic
  • dynamic
  • Works well under pressure

These types of words and phrases are used so much in job descriptions that they have lost their meaning and effectiveness. If you use them in your job ad, you risk your description blending in with the rest, and you want you want to stand out from the other job descriptions the candidate has just glanced over.

When detailing what you are looking for in a candidate, specificity is key. Vague business jargon is simply content filler that is distracting from seeking out the qualities and skills you want.

Example:

Instead, use phrases that show what the job entails as well as the skillset required for the job. For example, instead of saying that you are seeking someone driven, indicate that the role requires someone with a proven ability to meet quick deadlines. This prompts anyone applying to have evidence of this skill ready to be discussed in an interview or cover letter.

The more natural your job posting reads, the more likely it is that candidates will respond.

To avoid any mishaps, always use neutral language whenever possible. Not sure if something has a bias or reads inviting?  Ask a colleague to review and get their interpretation of the wording prior to hitting “Post.”

Daly Recruitment offers an hourly consultancy service to assist businesses in this area, if you would like to discuss options for your business, please email Nichola on Nichola@DalyRecruitment.com

Managing COVID-19 gaps on your CV

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As reopening dates are in the horizon, many individuals are working on their CV’s and one of the main concerns is having gaps on their CV’s as a result of COVID-19. My advice is, don’t be worrying! 2020-2021 will always be remembered as the year the world was put on hold. All career aspirations and businesses were halted as a result of the global pandemic.

Here are some tips to manage this and build your confidence:

Important to note: If you’ve been furloughed, you have technically still been employed as you remained on the payroll.

Always be honest:
The simple most important thing to remember, is to always be honest when dealing with a gap on your CV should it be due to COVID-19 or other. Honesty is always the best policy, and I would always recommend you apply that thought and principle on CV, interviews & LinkedIn.  While you may be tempted to leave out your employment gap on your CV or make up an excuse as to why you were out of work, always be honest with potential employers about your employment gap.

Include a note on your CV / Cover letter about your job due to COVID-19:
Potential employers and good recruiters can quickly identify gaps on CV’s. It’s always a good idea to give them the information they’re looking for, rather than leave them to speculate the reason behind your gap.
Many people have been affected by redundancies throughout the pandemic, and recruitment managers are aware of this. We recommend you include a small snippet in your CV regarding your job loss due to COVID-19 and clarify it with complete transparency and honesty.
Own it and take the worry away. It’s nothing to be ashamed about!

Remain focused and positive:
Being made redundant is a daunting experience and can leave people feeling discouraged and impact their confidence about job searching again. Many won’t have ever experienced a gap on CV’s before this. It’s important you remain focused and positive throughout this time and not let this experience dishearten you on your job search. You are not on your own and employers, will be aware of the impact the recent pandemic has had on our industry.

Put emphasis on your skill set & experience:
The best way to approach any job application is by painting a good clear picture of your skills and experience to match the job you are applying for. Potential employers and recruiters will be interested to hear about the value you will be able to bring to the job – so focus on your skills and accomplishments, not your employment gap.

The better you demonstrate your skills, the more you are creating awareness of your best assets and attributes that you can bring rather than forcing on the employment gap.

Your LinkedIn profile:
Ensure your LinkedIn profile reflects your CV, remember it’s your online CV presence and can lead to multiple opportunities as recruiters and potential employers search for potential candidates. Check your LinkedIn setting is set to ‘open to job opportunities’. Let your connections know you are open to discuss opportunities and are ok to be contacted.

A top tip is to indicate that you have been laid off due to COVID-19, you can put “The Coronavirus Job Gap” to your LinkedIn profile as a ‘company’. An anonymous user created this so that employers would be aware of this employment gap.

Set goals and look after yourself throughout the job search: 
Set a daily or weekly application goal to stay on top of relevant opportunities, read jobs descriptions in depth ensuring you match all essential criteria before applying, you don’t need more knock backs, that will make you question your ability.
Look after yourself and mental health along the job search journey.

It’s important to stay patient and positive by taking breaks, practising self-care and investing in skill development as you search for jobs. There are many online courses being delivered by Spring Board Charity & colleges (many fully funded) other industry bodies to help assist upskilling throughout these times.

Finally, remember that one CV will not fit all roles or company cultures, always tailor your CV to the company and role you are applying for!

Best of luck and remember to believe in yourself, the past year has been a year which many have used to stop and reflect, now it’s time to start putting those goals back in place and looking to restarting the career journey!