CV help
Bettingjobs.com realises that there are several issues to consider when looking for a new job. We have teamed up with a couple of helpful specialists who are giving advice on preparing that perfect CV and relocating to a new job.
Writing a CV
How to dramatically improve your CV
by Bradley CVs
Does your CV make a recruiter want to invite you to that all-important job interview? Because if it doesn't your CV will just be thrown in the bin - hence no interview and no job offer. Your CV is your sales pitch and you only have one chance to make a favourable impression.
So, what makes a good CV?
One that attracts a recruiter's attention in the shortest amount of time and makes them really want to meet you. The average recruiter only spends about 20 to 30 seconds glancing at a CV, which means that you have to grab their attention very quickly indeed.
You should therefore highlight what you have to offer at the start of your CV, rather than hiding your main attractions at the end. An attention grabbing summary and a list of major achievements at the start of the CV should help stir a recruiter's interest in you and make them really want to meet you.
Summaries
The summary should be short and sweet, no more than four or five lines of text and should highlight your key skills and attributes. This should paint a highly favourable picture of you and indicate your strengths which are relevant to the position you are applying for. Your summary, however, must be completely truthful, because if your description doesn't live up to your performance at an interview you will brand yourself as a 'liar'.
Major Achievements
After the summary you should list three to six major achievements that are directly related to the job you are applying for. It is important to pick achievements that are relevant as this shows that you have understood what the recruiter is looking for.
If possible you should mention facts and figures, although you may feel that these are confidential and you may not want to disclose them. They do however make the CV more interesting and give the recruiter a better idea of your capabilities.
Work Experience
Your work experience should come next and should describe your responsibilities, skills attained and achievements in each position that you have had. This should always be in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position and working backwards from there.
You should concentrate on your two most recent jobs, unless these are not relevant to the position you are applying for or you were only in these positions for a short time. Mention budgetary responsibilities, number of staff managed (if applicable) and try and give a good picture of where you fitted into the organisation and what interactions you had with other companies and departments.
Education / Qualifications
Obviously if your education is in the dim and distant past then you should not waste too much space on it, because your work experience will be far more important to the recruiter. It goes without saying that you must actually have all the qualifications you have claimed for yourself.
IT Skills / Training / Other Skills
You should list your up-to-date IT skills, training and other skills (such as language skills and typing speeds if relevant). For IT skills you may want to include hardware (PCs, Macs), operating systems (Windows 95/98) and applications (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Personal Details
This should include your date of birth rather than age, driving licence if relevant, marital status (optional) and nationality (optional).
Hobbies/Interests
Hobbies and interests are generally not considered very important on a CV. However they may be able to tell a recruiter a lot about your personality, leadership potential and team working skills. So they should not be overlooked completely.
References
References do not generally needed to be included on a CV unless specifically asked for.
Format
Generally, when you are writing a CV you should keep it to two or three pages. One-page tends to be too short and more than three pages may not be read. If you are emailing your CV you should send it in Microsoft Word format.
Interview-winning CVs
You will have to devote a fair amount of time to writing and producing an interview-winning CV. But, once it is finished you will have a CV that will really make an employer sit up and take notice of you and invite you to that all-important job interview!
Paul Bradley, BSc, Cert. RP, MREC.
If you would like to learn how to dramatically improve your CV
and obtain those all-important job interviews then please see Bradley
CVs web site. You will also find FREE advice on job searching
& interviews, example CVs / covering letters, plus much more.
Interviews
Handling Interviews
by Bradley CVs
Before your interview find out everything you can about the company (read their annual report, which can be obtained by telephoning them). Re-read your CV, thinking through your own career and the questions they might ask you based on the information you have provided. You should try to anticipate the interviewer's questions and prepare suitable answers. You should also prepare some questions to ask the interviewer yourself.
To do well at the interview you will need to convince the interviewer that you are technically qualified to do the job. You will also need to show that you are sufficiently motivated to get the job done well and that you will fit in with the company's culture/organisational structure and the team in which you will work.
You should dress smartly for the interview and should leave home earlier than you need to on the day of the interview - you may be delayed by traffic or for other reasons. Be courteous to all employees of the company. At the interview itself you must be positive about yourself and your abilities - but do not waffle.
Difficult / Fantasy Questions
If you cannot answer a question you might reply with "That's an interesting question - how would you tackle it?" Fantasy questions can be very difficult to answer. For example you might be asked: "What would you do if you won the National Lottery?" You should give the answer, which in your opinion will give you the best chance of getting the job.
Factors That Can Cost You The Job
- Being unprepared for the interview.
- Poor/limp handshake.
- Saying unfavourable things about previous employers.
- Not being able to communicate clearly and effectively.
- Being aggressive or acting in a superior way.
- Making excuses for failings.
Body Language
When you are being interviewed it is very important that you give out the right signals. You should always look attentive - so do not slouch in your chair. Never lie to anyone in an interview, your body language and tone of voice or the words you use will probably give you away - classic body language give-aways include scratching your nose and not looking directly at the other person when you are speaking to them.
Afterthoughts
If you're not getting the job offers you desire then you need to look carefully at your interview performance. You should try and get as much feedback as possible from the people who have interviewed you. If you have been unsuccessful in obtaining a job ring up the interviewer and ask them where they think you fell down and how they think you could do better. Once you have got feedback you can modify your interview technique and hopefully do better at the next interview.
Paul Bradley, BSc, Cert. RP, MREC.
If you would like to learn how to dramatically improve your CV and obtain those all-important job interviews then please see Bradley CVs web site. You will also find FREE advice on job searching & interviews, example CVs / covering letters, plus much more.