CV Tips (1 Viewer)

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How to simplify… your CV (for maximum impact)

Finding a new job in the current atmosphere of recession is not easy, but getting your CV working for you will make the chances of securing that all important interview much greater.

The recruiter who receives your CV will probably have dozens and dozens to sort through, and very little time to do so, so your CV will have to showcase your relevant experience, skills and qualities in less than ten seconds. Simplification is the key to success.

The golden rule for job applications is not to rush. Give yourself ample time to collate the information for your CV. If you dash something off the night before a deadline and it leads to your application being discounted, all your experience and hard work will be wasted.

The most important information – usually your skills and recent experience – should be clearly laid out at the very beginning of your CV, as it’s this that will get you long-listed for an interview. Don’t assume the recruiter will search through reams of information to find out if you’re qualified for a position – they won’t!

Whilst there’s no hard and fast rule for the length of a CV, a couple of pages are usually regarded as the norm unless you’ve had a very long career or the recruiter specifically asks for a more detailed CV. Keep it punchy, get your foot in the door and save the more involved explanations for your interview.

Your CV should not become a confessional, a list of mishaps or a series of excuses. Exorcise any references to failure – whether that’s examination, marital or business. Write positively and present your best face to the world, concentrating on the experience and achievement that equips you for a bright future.

Decorative patterns and eccentric formatting can often detract from your message. Keep your CV uncluttered with short sentences, big margins around your text and key points emphasised. Bullet points can be useful in moderation.

A sure-fire way to boost your chances of getting an interview is to tweak your CV for each application you make. Do your research on the business or organisation – what type of language do they use on their website to describe their staff and their outlook? Can you mirror this in your CV? Go through the job spec with a fine tooth comb, making sure to include examples proving relevant experience for all requirements of the role.

Any unexplained gap in your employment history will be regarded with suspicion by recruiters, so make sure to plug those holes. Even times of unemployment can be adequately justified if you focus on the development of soft skills such as project management, communication or teamwork.
Check, check, check. And then check again.

Any spelling or grammatical mistakes in your CV are going to create a negative perception in the mind of the recruiter – why would they want to employ someone slapdash? Whilst spell-checkers can be useful they don’t catch everything and can often end up erroneously altering words to American spelling conventions. Get as many people as possible (who can spell) to go over your CV for typos and grammatical errors.

Unless specifically asked to provide a photo of yourself, leave it out. The skills, achievements and experience you describe should carry weight with the recruiter, not your hairstyle. In the same way, you should not provide recruiters with age, weight, height, religion or marital status unless strictly relevant to your application.

Never, ever embellish the truth in your job application, no matter how well you think you can cover it up. It only takes a quick phone call for the recruiter to discover that your First in Biochemistry from Oxford is actually a NVQ in Food Science from your local community college. Highlight the positives in your CV, but don’t include blatant lies – even in the section on your leisure activities.

Source: Yahoo
 
C v

Excellent advice, but the following paragraph in my experience really sets the candidates apart. Put together correctly the interviewer can actually visualise the candidate working in the organisation. With that you're in the game.

"A sure-fire way to boost your chances of getting an interview is to tweak your CV for each application you make. Do your research on the business or organisation – what type of language do they use on their website to describe their staff and their outlook? Can you mirror this in your CV? Go through the job spec with a fine tooth comb, making sure to include examples proving relevant experience for all requirements of the role."
 
Something else I found and I know it sounds poxy but it works....put a page border around your CV and colour it in the companies corporate colour, it will make yours stand out from the rest and a connection will already be there with the person sifting through the applicants.

Simple things are always the most sucsessful.
 
These CV tips are very useful for everyone over here. Can you suggest me some tips on GD and interviews Questions.........
 
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I do agree having a cv is a good idea as it got me many jobs but having said that most of the starts i did get was on the basis that i work for a couple of days to see how i was and then agree on a pay rate if i was any good , i was always happy with that but again in this day and age the industry is changing so we have to change with it i suppose and not get stuck in the past!!
 
Curriculum Vitae
AOM

Chucked out of Campbeltown Grammer 86.:embarrest:

Humping steel ever since.:)

Now you know the real reason I started on my own.:bigsmile:
 
when i started scaffolding it was because you couldnt do a cv .cant do nothing else be a scaff . like the generation before .cant do nothing else be a miner . or like your average smoggie .cant do nothing else do a minor
 
when i started scaffolding it was because you couldnt do a cv .cant do nothing else be a scaff . like the generation before .cant do nothing else be a miner . or like your average smoggie .cant do nothing else do a minor

I, agree when I started in the game I thought a CV was something to do with Citroen cars.Once they stopped producing these in 1990 someone decided that scaffolders will need to write their life stories down in order to get a start.
Thats progress for you!!!!:p
 
very few scaffs get the chance to gain the qualifacations that Ian presents on his cv, unless you pay for everything yourself,then you are not likily to get a job after all the expense and time and effort you have put in ,must have experience, same old cry to get experience somone must take a chance on you and give you a start,i done my Nebosh 15yrs ago but it was five yrs before i got a job in safety ,i am all for anyone bettering themselves,it would be a whole lot better if the established scaffolding companies reconised the need for a scaffolder to be trained in safety .
 
I agree with denbo. I did my NEBOSH in 2008 whilst working as a contracts manager for a roofing company & it's meant jack **** since. I would go so far as saying it probably hinders me when applying for jobs now. "a trainee Scaff with NEBOSH? Must be a smart arse". Lol.
 
I have got a few CV templates that are relevant for all levels of construction experience, all you need to do is chop and change to highlight your own skills & qualifications. And most of all adapt the CV to compliment the desired role in question.

If anyone wants a template private mail me.............................................................
 
I, agree when I started in the game I thought a CV was something to do with Citroen cars.Once they stopped producing these in 1990 someone decided that scaffolders will need to write their life stories down in order to get a start.
Thats progress for you!!!!:p
Mate I'm going through the process now f$&k me I found A bloke on the internets cv he's a scaff but on linkin he calls himself a construction professional instead, flash , I suppose got to get with the program adapt or die!
:)
 
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