Gillian Knight

CV & Interview Coach IrishJobs.ie

&

Managing Director Kala Management Solutions Ltd www.kala.ie

*What is the purpose of a CV?

*Who gets the interview & job offer?

*A CV is a 20 second interview

*A terrible 20 second interview

*A high impact 20 second interview

*Structuring the CV for 20 sec impact

*Conclusion

*Q&A

*Marketing document

*Opportunity to impress a potential employer

*Highlight your skills & experience

*Get called for interview

*Secure a promotion

Employers will choose the candidate who has the best CV for the job –

not necessarily the candidate who is best suited for the job.

* Wasting space

* Under/Over selling yourself

* Bad grammar & typos

* Bad formatting

* Unprofessional photo

* Irrelevant/too much personal information

Here is what the interviewer wants to conclude after a 20 second interview:

*Person has the skills I require. *Person has experience of using the skills I

require. *Person understands my requirements. *Person has provided benefit to previous

clients using those skills. *This person is perfect!

*Professional layout

*Clear message

*Matching role requirements

*Can/Will add value

*Has core competencies

*Proven track record of success

* Dates are aligned down the left hand side

* Job titles & companies are in bold

* Some key words are highlighted in bold.

* Education and training together with personal details can be listed at the end of the CV.

* Only expand on more recent roles.

* Reduce text on lower grade roles as you progress in your career.

* Be succinct.

*Writing a good CV is a skill itself. The key is approaching the exercise as one in marketing and sales as opposed to writing an essay about ones life!

*Ensure you target the position directly with your CV and get the message across in 20 seconds that you are perfect for the role.