Category Archives: CV Writing

CV Tips, CV Writing, Job Applications, PMO, Project Management, Project management CV, project management resume

The best & worst CV

Leave a comment

The best CV I have ever seen in my project management recruitment capacity has to be one from a PMO professional – his CV was well presented and stated everything a hiring manager would need to know about his skills and abilities. Apart from having a fantastic variety of industries worked in it also stated the types and maturity of the PMOs, what he actually was brought in to achieve, the tools and methods used and the benefits realised. You gained a great sense of the sizes of teams, types of programmes and projects, challenges faced and how he added value in each environment. Whenever I submitted his CV for PMO roles he always gained a great deal of interest from the client which yielded interviews and subsequently job offers. Because I knew his preference to challenges I could match up his requirements to the right organisations and ensure both the client and he were happy.

The worst CV I have ever reviewed to date has been a very poorly written piece of work which was full of spelling and grammatical errors to start but also did not contain any real evidence of the work undertaken. Stating a short paragraph which basically said he had worked in this company for xx years and managed their projects, giving no indication of the size or complexity of projects or methods used to achieve success. Even the qualifications were misspelt “practioner” not “practitioner” – I remember having a conversation with the candidate at the time as he called to ask why he’d been rejected for the role he’d applied for, when I listed key requirements of the role he told me he had done all these things and I asked him where this was stated in the CV.

Having a CV which can work effectively for you is not always an easy task for some but putting the effort in and following all the great advice on the web for project professionals CV writing is a must.

Careers Advice, CV Tips, CV Writing, Job Applications, Project management CV, project management resume

Breaking it off – why job applications can be rejected

Leave a comment

The main reason job applications are rejected comes down to not demonstrating the right skill set and experience for the job applied for; however there are a number of little mistakes which can put you straight into the rejection pile. When I say little – these are big errors which often get overlooked but should be addressed as a first port of call when proof reading your CV and applications.

Here’s some food for thought:

  1. Grammar – poorly written CVs are still a major concern for employers, think about writing your reports for senior management, badly written pieces of information in the workplace are not acceptable and by demonstrating poor grammar in your application you are effectively telling the reader that your reports won’t be much better.
  2. Spelling – spelling mistakes are very common in CVs and with the likes of spell checker in-built into software packages these days, it is unacceptable. Make sure you proof read the entire document carefully and get someone else to do this for you too.
  3. Incorrect information – do spend time gathering information which is true to your work experience, you will get found out if you are bending the truth as recruiters and hiring managers do check the details out for validity.
  4. Etiquette – your approach to applications should be professional from the outset, you are being judged from the moment you send in an application. Make sure you add an introduction email in the form of a cover letter not just a line stating; “see attached” or a blank email with your CV attached and if you call to check the email have been received, be professional and polite to all you speak to.
  5. Following instructions – read the job advert properly, check who you are sending it to, if any additional information has been requested and demonstrate that you can follow instruction.
  6. Contact details – make sure they are correct and included on your CV; I have seen a great deal of CVs with incorrect phone numbers and email addresses and also CVs with no contact details at all. How do you expect to be contacted if you cannot provide the right information?
  7. Misguided focus – keep focus on the work history and skill set not on activities out of work and family, you can add a short statement about hobbies to the back of the CV but the hiring managers want to know about you in a work capacity over flying kites at weekend and what subjects your children are studying at school.
  8. Format – try to keep the document in a professional format, adding colours and clip art is not what the employer wants to see for a professional role – it can detract away from the content and a good deal of databases cannot handle images etc so you will lose them and the format of the CV anyway.

Remember it is not always the best candidates which make the interview short-list – it is often the best CVs! Take time to do the basics and you will notice a marked increase in activity after submitting your applications.

Careers Advice, Contractors, CV Tips, CV Writing, Job Applications, PMO, Project Management

Understanding your target audience – CV Tips

Leave a comment

Writing a CV can be daunting at the best of times – some struggle to write a page others write a 10 page document fearing that everything they do needs detailing. To a point it does but it is important to ensure you are getting to the point as I am yet to meet an employer who will gratefully receive a lengthy CV. Put yourself in their shoes – they will have a number of CVs to read and are already very busy.

Understanding your target audience is a good way to making a start with writing your CV – do some research, get a feel for what is attractive to the line manager for the roles you wish to apply for. Once you break down into a few categories, what it is you wish to do next, you will soon be able to start formulating a CV which will gain a greater buy-in from the reviewer.

For example – you may be in a permanent programme manager position and having had good exposure to realigning failing pieces of work, feel that you would like a change and want to go into contracting. OK great so the biggest challenge you will need to overcome is demonstrating that you can “hit the ground running” with your potential employer. Therefore starting to list the types of projects and programmes you have picked up in various states of health and detail what you needed to do to bring them back in-line. By talking through the ability to do this you are clearing the first hurdle in the transition from a permanent employee to a contractor. Next look at the types of work being offered in the contract world at present – a good deal of business transformation and IT systems integration are glowing areas particularly for the financial services. Take a look at your portfolio and pick a handful of relevant programmes and projects to talk about, If you do not have a financial services background you make look to place more emphasis on the IT systems you have integrated or the types of transformations – politics, stakeholders, any regulatory / compliance exposure you make have and document this in the CV.

You may have a good length of service within in the PPM domain so ensure the emphasis is kept to the more recent roles and anything over 10 years ago is kept to a line; stating dates, role title, company name and location. Draw out specific key achievements relevant to the types of change you are looking to continue with and take care to add the benefits.

Do not assume the first person to read your application will understand the role – HR staff are often given a list of competencies to work through when reviewing your CV so make sure you address the job description when writing the CV and any buzz words are also embraced, terminology can differ slightly from methodology to methodology so make sure you are consistent with the definitions used in the JD.

Careers Advice, CV Tips, CV Writing, Job Applications, News, No

Local man secures new role after working with The CV Righter

Leave a comment

I published an article titled “Steve Clarke pleads for work at the roadside” 21st June 2012, which highlighted the plight of a local man who was at the end of his tether looking for work after been made redundant 11 months prior. I made contact with Steve to see if we could offer some support as his story struck a chord with us here at The CV Righter.

As Steve had made over 300 applications but had only secured 5 interviews we made a strong assumption that his CV was not saying the right things about him and with little assistance out there for him and others in his position – we extended a free service to re-write his CV and offer advice about making applications for roles. At the time through the media attention Steve had gained from sitting at a roadside with a placard asking for work, he had been offered a temporary role on minimum wage which he was delighted at accepting and certainly helped him keep afloat whilst he looked to make further applications in his field as a Quality Assurance Engineer.

We re-wrote Steve’s CV ensuring it contained the information employers expect to see on a CV for such a role and ensured the content was true to Steve’s experience through constant communication. Once Steve and I were happy with the end result we then advised Steve to start making applications and ensuring his CV was searchable by recruiters and employers alike.

I received great news from Steve last week that he had been for an interview using the new CV at a local business which is currently expanding – he received fantastic feedback on his CV and his interview was a complete success, resulting in him being offered a rolling contract, there and then at the interview. Steve is delighted with the outcome and so are we!

As previously discussed in my blog we feel the help out there for those found unemployed is not good enough – however we hope sharing tips on writing CVs is useful and we offer a competitive service for those who find themselves in Steve’s position. We only wish we could offer a free service for everyone in this position. One service we do offer is a free CV review through our contact page.

One of the key areas I find in CVs which do not secure interviews is the core content of the roles themselves – often candidates feel a job title and basic summary will cover their expertise. I cannot emphasise more that job titles can be very misleading and what is standard in one company may not be in another – do not assume the hiring manager knows what you can do / have done. Write a list of your duties and then look to add some context by talking through what each competency actually means in that business.

The CV Writer specialises in project management CVs however – with extensive experience in careers advice for all types of roles we can also work with CVs from all walks of life.