Thursday 8th September 2011 – Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester
Despite the wind at Piccadilly Gardens, springing to life in their bright orange t-shirts, our team of experts - joined by the Fairy Jobmother and recruiters like the AA and Brook Street - were ready to brave Day 4.
If you are struggling to find work that matches your capabilities, perhaps your CV needs work. Often the problem is not the lack of skills but the way that you present it on your CV. A strong CV is vital, to get a job that’s right for you.
- Check and double check your CV for spelling and grammatical errors – Get a friend or someone more experienced to check it before you start sending it off.
- Limit it to 2 pages (3 for more senior positions where you have had notable achievements in your field) – The average recruiter spends less than 60 seconds scanning a CV
- Keep formatting neat and simple – What looks great on your PC screen may not display well elsewhere. If you are applying via a recruitment consultant they will often have their own templates so it’s best to keep it basic and easy to copy and paste.
- List your work experience with the most recent first and place your academic achievements after your work experience.
- Your CV should demonstrate your skills and not merely list them, so ensure everything you say is qualified by specifying the actions you took and the results and/or benefits.
- Don’t leave gaps in the story – your CV should read as a continuous, chronological flow of activities so explain any breaks between jobs; such as travelling, maternity leave, sabbaticals etc.
- Don’t cover up the truth - In the current economy, stating that you were made redundant doesn’t reflect badly on you and if you don’t include it, the reader might assume you were fired.
- Don’t include irrelevant information – If you’re unsure whether to include something, ask yourself: does this impact my ability to do the job? If no, leave it out. This includes: age, gender, marital and parental status and religion.
- Keep your hobbies and interests to a minimum - Although your hobbies and activities may be really interesting, only include those that are relevant to the role or demonstrate a particular skill required for that job.
- Have a basic version of your CV which you can customise for each job application – This is one of the best-kept recruitment secrets: every role is different, so tailor your CV to that role. Go through the job spec and emphasise your relevant skills and experience on your tailored CV.
If you were at the Job Fair and would like to share your feedback, please feel free to leave your comments below.
Couldn’t make it to our bus or get a CV review? Please leave your questions below or email the Fairy Jobmother at askhayley@tmdr.com
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