Writing Your CV
Your CV is the single, most important tool that you have when it comes to finding a new job, a prospective employer will often make a snap judgment the moment they read it and even the most qualified people can be rejected if their CV does not come up to scratch. Things to remember include; avoid making your CV too complicated, use a font that is easy to read and clear and keep your CV to a reasonable length, (no more than two or three sides of A4).
What to include:-
Personal Profile or Statement
Your 'Personal Profile' should summarise your skills and qualities, work background, achievements and career aims. It should only be a few lines, must grab the reader's attention and emphasise why they should continue to look at the rest of your CV. Avoid using clichéd phrases and instead focus on what you can do for a prospective employer and how you can help their business. It should be clear from the job description what they need you to do, so tell them clearly that you can help them do it.
Personal Details
You should include your name, address and contact details including phone numbers and email address. There is no need to include your age, marital status and nationality; recruiters should be able to make a decision about your skills and abilities without this information.
Work History
If you've been working for a while, you could put your employment history first; if you don't have much work experience, you might like to highlight your education and training.
In this section you should start with your present or most recent job and work backwards. You should include employer, the dates you worked for them, job title and your main duties. Provide more detail on the relevant jobs you have held and give examples of the skills you used and what you achieved. Use bullet pointed lists.
Try to relate your skills and experience to the job description or what you think the employer is looking for and also include any relevant temporary work and volunteering experience.
Avoid unexplained gaps in your employment history. If you had time out travelling, job seeking, volunteering or caring for a relative, include this on your CV.
Education and Training
Start with your most recent professional/academic qualifications and work back to the ones you got at school. Using bullet points or a table include:
- the university, college or school you went to, the dates the qualifications were awarded and any grades
- any work-related courses, if they're relevant
Interests
You can include hobbies, interests and achievements that are relevant to the job but try to avoid putting activities that are too general and widespread to be of interest to an employer e.g. cooking, reading etc. Make them specific and interesting.
Additional Information
Include any other relevant skills here, such as if you have a driving licence, can speak any foreign languages or any specific IT packages you are familiar with
References
Always include at least two references one of which should be work-related. You can list the contact details of your referees on your CV or just put 'references available on request'. If you decide to include their details you could also state the relationship of each referee to you.
Finally read and re-read your CV and then ask a friend or family member to read it as well, make sure that there are no spelling errors and always be truthful. Never try to give false dates or hid periods of unemployment. The most basic of checks will expose your deceit and could ruin any chance of getting the job.
Interview Preparation
Prior to the interview
Re-read you CV and think about the skills and achievements you have outlined; it is likely that both will be questioned further - so be prepared. Expect to answer questions on your reasons for leaving previous roles, gaps in your CV etc
Familiarise yourself with the job description and think about where you can demonstrate the experience, competencies and personal qualities they are looking for
Research the company before your interview and learn as much as possible about its products, services, customers and competition. This will give you an edge in understanding and addressing the company's needs and the more you know about the company and what it stands for, the better chance you have of selling yourself. You also should find out about the company's culture to gain insight into your potential happiness in the role. Company websites are a fantastic source of information and should provide you with a lot of what you need
Prepare for interview questions, have a few to ask the interviewer and dress well
Identify who are you meeting, ensure you know their job titles and their relationship to role
Plan your journey get a location map, contact telephone numbers and remember to take your mobile phone if possible, allow yourself a good 30-60 minutes of additional time to arrive
During the interview
- Smile and make eye contact
- Relax and be friendly
- Be positive and enthusiastic
- Think about your body language
- Don't discuss salary until you're offered the job
Questions you may be asked in the interview
It is not possible to predict all of the questions you may be asked in an interview but the list below includes some of the standard ones that come up time and again. As you are best placed to know your own strengths and weaknesses it is a good idea to anticipate and practice your answers before you go on interview so that you are fully prepared. Focus on the positives and the skills you can bring to a position and remember that your interview is your best opportunity to sell yourself to the interviewer.
- Why did you apply to us?
- What do you know about our organisation/role?
- What interests you about the position?
- Tell me about yourself?
- What skills and experience do you think you could bring to the role? How can you demonstrate these?
- What are your long/short term goals?
- Describe your ideal employer?
- Why should we hire you? - Give three reasons.
- How do you work best? e.g. leading a group, in a team, alone etc
- Are you looking for a position with training and/or the opportunity to gain further qualifications?
- What has been your main career achievement to date?
- What was the most difficult problem in your current/previous position - how did you solve it?
- What are your strengths/weaknesses?
- How would your friends/colleagues describe you?
- What motivates you?
- How do you cope with pressure?
- How do you like to be managed?
- How do you spend your spare time?
- What salary or benefits are you looking for?
- Why are you looking to leave your current position?
- Explain the gap in your work history?
Questions you can ask the interviewer
- Why is the position available?
- What are the skills do you feel are most important to succeed in this role?
- What are the initial priorities of the position?
- How does the position fit into the organisational structure?
- How much scope (autonomy, flexibility, career growth, responsibilities) is there within this position?
- What is the company's managerial style/culture?
- How would you describe the culture of the company?
- What are the company's key objectives over the next five years?
Remember - 10% is what you say, 20% is how you say it and 70% is your image, your body language and the overall impression you create!
Interview Tests
Work Sample Tests
These come in a variety of forms but are characterised by asking candidates to perform a typical piece of work that they would encounter in the job. These are often based on real examples, but may be shortened or simplified and are usually times. Examples of this might be drafting a letter or memo, producing a spreadsheet or writing a response to an email, having been given a few basic facts and figures to interpret.
These sorts of tests are usually fairly short and you won't be able to prepare for them, although it is good practice for you to be told in advance that you will be doing a test either before or after your interview. They test a range of competencies, from basic numeracy, spelling and punctuation to IT ability, analytical skills and written communication. They can also be good indicators of ability to work under pressure, attention to detail and time management, as they usually have a time limit and written instructions for you to follow.
In Tray Exercise
Similar to work sample tests in that they are time limited and based on typical examples of things you might encounter in the job, in tray exercises are designed to test your prioritisation skills. You will be given a number of competing priorities - sometime in the form of actual emails, letters, messages, memos etc - and asked to prioritise them in order, giving reasons for your choice and noting any assumptions that you have made. As with work samples, you will need to work quickly and pay close attention to instructions and the descriptions of the priorities, to make sure you do not miss any important clues.
Presentations
Presentation covers the whole range of tasks where you are asked to prepare something in advance and then come to the interview either to give a formal presentation or prepared to talk informally about what you have done. You will usually have a few days notice in which to prepare your task and will either be sent material with all the information you need, be asked to do independent research or come up with your own ideas (for a more creative project).
When asked to do something like this always ask for clarification if you are not exactly sure what is required - how formal/informal are you expected to be; is a PowerPoint presentation needed; what equipment is available; how long will you be expected to talk for and how many people will be there? Check if you are expected to submit something prior to the interview. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare and have a 'dummy' run on friends or family first and get their feedback. Even if you have not been asked, take along handouts or copies of your notes for the interviewers - these will be appreciated and will also serve as a reminder of your task after the interview has finished.
Numerical and Verbal Reasoning
These tests are designed and distributed by specialist companies and commonly test your aptitude in the areas of numerical skills and verbal reasoning. They are times and administered by a trained person. You will be given complex financial or written information and then asked a number of questions which are usually multiple choices. The tests contain a large number of questions and it is not expected that you will complete them in the time allowed. You are given time to work through sample questions before the test itself begins and you should also be sent details of the tests when you received your interview confirmation.
Personality Questionnaires
Again, there are a number of these on the market and they are designed to reveal how you perceive yourself and allow employers to draw up a personality profile. There are no right or wrong answers. You are usually asked to rate how strongly you agree or disagree with a number of statements about yourself and this then generates a profile. There are no time limits to questionnaires such as these, although you are often advised to work through them quickly, going for 'gut instinct' reactions rather than pondering too long. You will be given feedback from your profile, which is feds back and often used to draw up a list of questions to use at interview.
Handing in your notice
Congratulations you have been offered your new position, now comes the task of handing in your notice. This stage can often be more daunting than the interview itself, especially if you have been with your company for a long time, so the best thing to do is be prepared.
Preparation
Once you've received your offer letter from your new company, you need to prepare to hand in your notice.
Try not to feel guilty about resigning - remember the reasons why you decided to leave. Its likely those reasons are not going to change.
Write a letter of resignation. Keep this short and concise and include the notice period you will serve and any pay outstanding (including holiday pay, bonuses and expenses or commission owing) and when you understand you will receive it.
Arrange a meeting with your manager as soon as possible. Don't let time drag. Your new company is keen for you to join them. If there is nowhere very private at your place of work, suggest having a coffee somewhere or meeting after hours.
Prepare what you are going to say and don't forget to take your letter of resignation. Don't leave it on your desk for your boss or another colleague to find and don't give it to him/her and go back to your desk! This is one letter that will need to be discussed.
Useful Contacts
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development - www.cipd.co.uk
Personnel Today - www.personneltoday.com
ACAS - www.acas.org.uk
Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform - www.berr.gov.uk
Business Link UK - www.businesslink.gov.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau - www.citizensadvice.org.uk
