How to Write Great Cvs
Transcript of How to Write Great Cvs
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Careers & Employability Service
Alison Proudlove
Careers & Employability Adviser
Sept 2010 1
Writing great CVs and
Covering Letters
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How long does the average recruiter spend
analysing your CV?
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So, how can you make yours stand out
from the crowd?
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What does the workshop cover?
• When would you use a CV
• Speculative applications
• General CV tips
• Tailoring your CV
• Evidencing your skills
• Writing personal profiles
• Language is important
• Covering letters
• Practical exercise
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CVs – when would you use one?
• When an advert asks you to submit your CV
• When you are instructed to attach a CV to an application form
• When you are applying speculatively
• When registering with agencies
• At Careers fairs
• Uploading onto a job site – see our handout for information about
doing this safely
• As a record for yourself of your achievements/experience to-date
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A good CV can help you make a
successful speculative application
Vital strategy in the current economic climate
• Research employers
• Make a list to record your progress• Write a strong, tailored CV and letter
• Have your CV checked by a Careers Adviser
• Ring/email to get a named contact
• Chase up application after 2 weeks
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General CV tips
• Know your message
• Generally 2 sides
• Allocate space effectively
• Avoid gaps in dates – consider how to tackle tricky
topics• Provide evidence for skills
• Tailor it to the role applying for
• Make it look good and easy to read quickly
• Make it personal
• Template or not template?!
• You’ll receive conflicting advice
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Writing your CV – use a style and
layout that best suits your information
Which format - chronological/skills-based/academic? Some examples:-
• http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/applications-and-cvs/different-cvs-for-
different-types-of-graduate-job
Suggested headings: –
• Personal Details
• Profile?
• Higher Education & Qualifications
• Secondary & Further Education
• Related Work Experience - placements/ permanent/temporary/community andvoluntary work
• Positions of Responsibility/Achievements
• Interests
• Skills (to include driving, languages and computing)
• Referees
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Top 5 CV turn-offs….
• 77% Poor spelling and grammar in the application
• 34% Obvious exaggerations
• 31% Poorly presented application
• 19% No relevant work experience• 19% Non-targeted CV/covering letter
“You have to be harsh, otherwise you
would be interviewing everyone” High Street Bank recruiter.
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Don’t just rely on spellcheck ….
Proofread, proofread, and proofread again!!
“I am a rabid typist”
“Thanks for your consideration, hoping to hear from
your shor ty ” “Instrumental in ru in ing the operations of a Northwest
chain-store”
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Think about what the employer is
looking for – tailoring is essential
• Your CV must offer the employer evidence that you
are the sort of person they want
• You must find out what sort of person they want –
from the job ad, from the company website, from an
Occupational Profile on Prospects Web
• You need to change your CV for different jobs
• Now analyse the skills and experience thisadvertisement requires…….
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Employer Liaison Officer -
Placements
• You will be the lead contact for our student and graduatebusiness partnerships, ensuring they are run effectively andefficiently and in line with relevant legislation. You will beresponsible for marketing the scheme to employers, studentsand graduates, managing, and where applicable delivering,
the training associated with the schemes, as well asoverseeing all the financial aspects.
• The post holder must be a self starter with excellentcommunications skills, who can work effectively with a widerange of internal and external stakeholders, developingpositive relationships.
• You should be educated to degree level and have experiencein any of the following areas: Placement activities, EmployerLiaison in Higher Education, Sales and Marketing, Training.
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Which general skills could you be emphasising
on your CV?
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Initiative• Problem-solving
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Self-awareness
• Commitment/motivation
• Interpersonal skills
• Numeracy
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STAR – Evidence your skills
• S – situation: i.e. project or activity. Set the scene for theemployer
• T – target/task: what did you set out to achieve?
• A – action: what did you have to do to achieve thetarget, what was your contribution to the team?
• R – result: what was the outcome? Good or bad, an
employer will want to know what you learnt from theactivity
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Skills examples
• Team work
• “Planning and coordination role taken in university
group assignments - achieved an overall average
70+% grade”
Or
- “Experience of working in a team”
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Personal Profile
“Pro-active marketing graduate with over three years'experience organising and publicising successfulcampus events; participated in well-received group project creating a complete marketing campaign and
presenting to peers and professionals; invaluableexperience gained via summer work with Virgin Airlines. Seeks a challenging and creative position ina marketing environment .”
- Example from Prospects website
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Personal Profile
“Having recently graduated from University, I wish to pursue acareer in marketing and eager to gain experience in this field. I
previously worked in an administrative role gaining essentialexperience of working in an office environment. I am a team
player and also have the competency to work individually. I amkeen to secure an opportunity which would help me progress in
the world of marketing and reach my goals.”
- Example from recent MMU student
Make it short, well written, personal, and avoid clichés
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Use professional language and back
up every claim you make
• More than….years’ extensive and diverseexperience in….
• Extensive academic background in….
• Knowledge of/proficient in……..
• Proven track record in….• Now involved in co-ordinating……
• - See our handout for “positive, professionallanguage”
Evidence shows that employers respond to “trigger”words
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Make your CV achievement orientated
and consider all areas of your life…
• Was promoted in my part-time job
• Introduced new system at work
• Treasurer of a Society
• Trained up new member of staff
• Organised a fund-raising event for charity
• Learned another language
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Make the most of all your work
experience/placements
• Placements
• Employer/commercial experience
• Part-time jobs
• Relevant volunteering
Recent survey by University of Hertfordshire – 46% of
employers rated relevant work experience as the mostimportant factor in a graduate application
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The Cover Letter
• Can be almost as important as the CV
• Avoid flowery language – stick to fact
• Appropriate length – no more than one side of A4
• Brief introduction
• Why that role?• Evidence of your suitability for the job
• Why that employer?
• Positive conclusion
• See suggested outline in our handout and below
• http://www.prospects.ac.uk/assets/assets/documents/covering _letter_standard.pdf • http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-hunting-tools-downloads
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Quick CV Exercise
• Version 1
• What do you think of the overall look/layout?
• Is the “Education” section well set out?
• What comments do you have about the “Work Experience”section?
• Version 2
• What is your overall impression of the look of the second CV?
• What do you think is the purpose of the “Personal Profile”
section?• What difference does the “Skills” section make to the CV?
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So remember……
Your CV is a working document
Your CV must be targeted
Your CV must be well written, error-free and easy to
read
GOOD LUCK!
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Further CV help
• Call in to careers for a quick query appointment
• Use our e-guidance service
• There is a wealth of information on the Web to help you construct aneffective CV. Some of the main resources include:
• www.prospects.ac.uk/links/examplecvs
Examples of chronological, skills-based CVs etc.
• http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-hunting-tools-downloads
• www.mmu.ac.uk/careersClick on “Career guides”
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Thank you for listening
Careers & Employability Service
Pick up your copy of
Just Graduated?
and visit our website
for details of how we
can help you kick start
your career.