Career Advice

How to write a good CV

The most important attribute of a successful CV is that it clearly explains to the potential employer what you can do for them. As well as being honest and factual it should be:

• A well presented clear and concise selling document
• A source of relevant and interesting information
• A script for talking about yourself

Ideally your CV should be no longer than 2 or 3 pages. Remember you are not writing the CV for yourself, you are writing it for potential employers, so as you write your CV put yourself in the shoes of the intended reader. You should ensure that your CV includes the following information:

• Personal information
• Personal Profile
• Employment History
• Education
• Interests
• References

Remember your CV is your opportunity to sell yourself!

Principles & Guidelines of a good CV

The decision to recruit is like a buying decision on the part of an employer, this creates a very clear picture of what a CV must include:

• It must meet the needs of the target organisation where possible, this means a generalist CV is unlikely to be sufficient.
• It must highlight your achievements and how they relate to the job you are applying for. It must give the potential employer a clear indication of why you should be considered for this job.
• The first page should contain enough personal information for the recruitment consultant or employer to contact you easily.
• Choose a presentation format that allows you to headline key skills and achievements.
• Your employment history should commence with your current or most recent employer.
• Achievements should be short bullet pointed statements
• Where information clearly demonstrates your suitability for the vacancy you are applying for, and enhances your chances of being short- listed, include this information near the beginning of the CV.
• Leave out information that is irrelevant or negative
• Include details of recent training or skills development events you have attended which could be relevant.
• List all you professional memberships and relevant qualifications.

Once you have attracted interest using your CV and have been successful, the next step is the job interview Stage...

Job Interview Advice

Job interviews are the make or break of the search for employment. No matter how good your employment record is to date, the job interview remains one of the most important steps towards achieving your career goals. Preparation for the job interview is, therefore, crucial. Before you begin the job interview process you need to:

• Know your CV and ideal next career move
• Know your potential employer
• Know the interview styles that are currently in use

Throughout this section there are opportunities to practice and develop job interview techniques. You may find it useful to be videotaped during a practice interview so that you can see yourself as an interviewer will. This may be particularly useful if it has been many years since you have had a formal job interview. As well as the knowledge and preparation you need to perform well in job interviews, there are some general 'DO' and 'DON'TS' that should be incorporated in your interview style.

Know your CV and ideal next Employment Move

There are several styles of job interviews which will be covered later in the programme. However, this approach, i.e. knowing your CV and ideal next employment move, requires you to be prepared to give evidence. In preparation for an interview, knowledge of your CV is the most important thing. It is your opportunity to set down situations where you have demonstrated how you added value to the organisation. If you have a firm grasp of your ideal next job, you will be prepared for ANY job interview.

The person interviewing you generally knows little about you except for what is in your CV. They will generally use the CV as a prompt to find out more about your career and your abilities. You should be sufficiently prepared so you are able to tell a story about every point you make on your CV.

Try using the following model to help frame the stories you prepare. The model we recommend is called SOAR. It is relevant in preparation and/or during behavioural and competency-based job interviews.

S stands for Scenario. You should begin your story with a brief description of the scenario you were in. This requires brevity and clarity so the listener has a context for your story rather than all the detail. For example, take this question framed from the competency, ability to manage a small team of professional staff:

Question: "Tell me about a time you had staff members in your team not working well together and you had to intervene"

Answer: "I was managing a team of five marketing staff who generally worked on separate accounts, but need to work as a group for a national launch of the companies major new product. When a critical deadline was not met, I realised that 2 staff members who where allocated to work together on a key task hadn't spoken to each over for over a year. This hadn't been realised, and now they were refusing to exchange vital information and were creating significant tension in the wider group"

O stands for Ownership. This is where you clearly indicate the extent of influence you have had in the scenario you are describing. Use an appropriate pronoun so the interviewer is very clear about your role. An example could be

"It was my responsibility to get the product ready for launch, so I had to do something immediately"

A is for Action. Describe the action you took. Present it sequentially and identify key steps. Avoid excessive detail. An example could be:

"As the revised deadline was only 24 hours away, I called a quick staff meeting and assigned the task to two staff members I knew worked well together. In the meeting, I gave the staff in conflict separate tasks I know worked well together. In the meeting, I gave the staff in conflict separate tasks I knew they could do without the need for collaboration, in addition to making an appointment to meet with each of them after the project launch".

R stands for Results. Detail the outcomes of your action. For example:

"The critical tasks were achieved by the next deadline, tension in the group eased, by the total launch was a success and all staff knew that action was going to be taken with the offending team members.

Each SOAR should take approximately 2 minutes to tell

You should also ensure you know:

• The date and time of job interview
• Name and position of the interviewer
• Address & directions of the company
• Company background
• Job Description
• Hours of work
• Salary

Always remember to dress appropriately and smartly, first impressions last!

When at the job interview remember to:

• Give your interviewer a firm handshake both at the start and end of the job interview
• Show enthusiasm and interest
• Have knowledge of the company and role you are being interviewed for
• Ask questions
• Always give good eye contact
• Listen to the interviewer and answer questions clearly and concisely

•  Facility to download a CV template