There is a stigma attached to professional CV writing services – candidates being charged extortionate fees for a CV which isn’t true to them, I have seen the result of such work over the years as a recruiter which is one of the key reasons I started this business. It is important that your CV is personal to you, not just a list of skills which reads more like a job description. Having spent a number of years working in project management delivering projects and setting up support systems for project teams and then specialising in recruiting project management staff across all sectors and industries in permanent, contract and temporary roles I have decided to dedicate my knowledge and experience to assisting project people in achieving their career goals. As a consultant in this field and having provided careers advice for 5 years to project professionals and those entering the field I am in a good position to be able to really understand you and translate your background into terminology and information which is sought after in the project management field.
When engaging in our services you will work closely with me to understand the “whys” and together we will create a CV which not only markets you exceptionally in the field – it is true to you and will assist you in gaining interviews for roles which are right for you. I think we’ve all been sent to an interview by a recruiter and wondered why we are there as the role is not relevant to our skills!! By having a clear CV which tells the reader about your abilities in a professional format you will avoid such inconveniences and more importantly – will gain you the interviews for the roles you really want.
At The CV Righter we do not believe one size fits all for CVs which is why all the sessions and the final product served to you is tailored to you and your circumstances. You will never sit in an interview and be asked about something on your CV which you do not understand or have little exposure to. We don’t look to make up information but to take the experience you have and ensure it is understood by the reader. We will go through the finished CV with you (once you are happy with it) to ensure you understand all the terminology and are comfortable with it. In addition to this, based on your circumstances, we will offer you addition advice about taking that next step into securing a new role.
For a professionally written CV which is true to you – not just a template and a list of skills, make contact today to see how we can assist you. We perform a free CV review to get the ball rolling and discuss your circumstances to understand how we can support you. www.thecvrigther.co.uk
I read with great interest the article in the Daily Mail dated 20th June 2012 – an unemployed man from Bolton who is at the end of his tether trying to secure a new role after being made redundant 11 months ago. Steve Clarke, previously a Quality Assurance Engineer has made over 300 applications in this time with little result, only 5 interviews. In a bid to try and draw some attention and a fantastic PR stunt (although I am not sure it was premeditated); Steve sat on a chair by the roadside in Bolton with a homemade placard stating: “Willing to work. Job required. Steve 07584420914”.
The article drew my interest as I have worked with hundreds of unemployed people who suffer frustration at not being able to find work – upsetting when they actually really want to work. I saddens me to see such desperation but also warms my heart to see the determination one man has to secure some work and stop his house from being repossessed. The government through the DWP once offered a scheme called the jobsearch support scheme which allocated funds the jobcentre plus to put customers forward to professionally trained organisations geared to assisting the likes of Steve. Unfortunately this funding was pulled in March 2011 and I cannot help but think that such a scheme would be ideal for Steve. As Steve has not been unemployed before he has little exposure to how the job market works in the current climate and as such this lack of knowledge and understanding puts him behind his competitors for a new role.
This isn’t the first attempt to secure a new job buy standing in the street with placards and I am sure it won’t be the last time it is reported. I only hope the publicity from Steve’s campaign secures him some leads and he is soon back in employment.
Could we be doing more? Yes, I think we could! My personal contribution towards assisting those in a vulnerable position is to offer a free CV review – by talking through the CV and offering constructive advice which you can take away with you and make changes to your document, I like to feel I am giving something back. I would be interested in other organisations who offer free assistance and advice to job seekers as it would be an ideal opportunity to create a repository of information and guidance to make sure we do not have more desperate approaches to finding a job.
All too often we write our CVs conscious that we have 2 or 3 pages maximum to get down as much information as possible to attract employers and recruiters. However in trying to be frugal with words rather than write an essay, key information is lost in translation. I agree it is important to include keywords as these are what bring your CV to the top of the search for recruiters but it is also required to state what that process involves. For example stating you have full software lifecycle development experience would also require further detail such as key components like business requirements, UAT etc. Providing some context around this will also strengthen your application. When recruiters and hiring managers are reviewing CVs they are also looking for this detail and are far more likely to pick up the phone to you if you are answering their initial requirements by being thorough on your CV. Purely providing a list of skills is not useful to the reader as they need to understand when you have used the skills and what for.
Here are some tips to consider when creating your CV:
Your CV needs to be clear and concise – do not assume the reader has worked at your company or even performed your role before. Ensure you carefully address all aspects of the role which are relevant to moving forward.
If you have a list of skills in your current CV – look to remove from the skills section and integrate into the role remit, contextualising and expanding on those skills will provide the reader with the detail they need to see to be able to process your application successfully.
Supersede the skills list with some key achievements which clearly state what you can do and how you add value in a team / business.
If you are making applications – read the role advert or job description from start to end and ensure everything which is asked for is included in your CV, if you have done it. Do not add detail which is untrue or implies you have more exposure to than you actually have.
Ensure you place more emphasis on your most recent roles and less detail on the older roles – this will assist you in getting good, relevant detail on to 2 or 3 pages and it is these roles which the employers are more interested in. Roles over 10 years old are less important to the employer as they were so long ago. Do, however, ensure you list these roles as company, job title and dates for completeness.
Writing your CV properly is the most important starting point to successfully securing a new role – once you have a good strong CV you are in a position to start planning your applications. Taking the time to ensure the CV is right first time will save a great deal of frustration further down the line.
If you have not previously considered having your CV professionally written, maybe now is the time to make contact to have a free consultation and CV feedback. www.thecvrighter.co.uk
Applying for jobs can become tiresome especially when there is little to no response to applications made and job adverts are less than inspiring, I’ve even spoken to techie IT PMs who have set up software to apply on their behalf – which does seem a bit extreme and has proven embarrassing for them when I have called them about a role they didn’t know they’d applied for. I have spoken with candidates who have applied for jobs in excess of 20 per week – trust me, that is too many. And I have also spoken to those who do not apply for any roles yet always secure interviews for roles relevant to their experience.
What is the right way? Well there are lots of right ways as much as there are lots of wrong ways – the most important way, is the one which suits your lifestyle and schedule most. If you are between contracts or unemployed, then I recommend all the below. However if you are currently in employment and not in a rush to “jump ship” then I would pick and choose which work for you best. Remember, if you are working in a secure area and cannot take calls during the day – you need to ensure you are communicating this in applications / on your CV and you should also look to set aside time where you can speak with recruiters’ etc. such as taking lunch breaks off site or agreeing to take calls prior to work or after hours.
Here are some ideas to ease the search for that next new role:
Set up searches to do the trawling for you – most job websites will have a search engine which you can set to run daily / weekly and email you the results. The key to success for this type of search is to try a few keywords and see what the searches bring back to you. If you have a niche skill which you would like to play on, then you may only need to put this skill as a keyword such as Primavera etc. However using keywords such as “project manager” for a London location will return a rather large list of roles, so try to get the balance right by using keywords closely matched to your skill-set / industry / sector etc. Once you have your list of roles emailed to you, you need to go through each role and discard all the roles which are clearly not for you. By filtering down your list to a small manageable list of jobs, you are cutting down the disappointment of rejection and also cutting down your workload to send your applications to. Track your applications (which should be easy to do if there are only 3 or 4 per week) and request feedback for rejections, this should assist you in understanding whether your CV is saying the right things.
Market yourself – Gain a review of your CV to understand if it is working for you, once you are confident it is, load it on the job websites and wait for the recruiters and employers to come to you. If your CV is good – they will! If you are under confident or you have tried this method and it hasn’t worked for you, seek advice from a professional CV writer who specialises in your field.
As part of one of our services – The CV Righter can assist you with getting started on applications and show you where to look etc. For a free CV review contact us: www.thecvrighter.co.uk
