Tag Archives: CV Advice

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

Being specific on your CV – Project Management CV tips

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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

Careers Advice, CV Tips, CV Writing, News, Q&A

Questions Answered – Why do I not hear back from recruiters when my CV is submitted to employers?

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Having received a great deal of questions over the past couple of weeks from project management professionals regarding their CVs I felt it would be a good opportunity to share my responses. I aim to take the most asked questions and answer them over the coming weeks – if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch either through the website, twitter or our facebook page.

My CV is being put forward to employers on a regular occasion through recruiters but I am not receiving any feedback – I can see my CV is of interest but it seems to stop at the employers’ door and I am not sure why I then hear nothing? David, Programme Manager, London.

Hi David – many thanks for your question, one I hear on a regular basis from candidates coming to me for advice. First of all I will assume you have been applying for roles online through the job websites which the recruiters often use as a means to attract talent to new roles. I believe this is a good introduction to agencies however I also believe it is a sterile form of application – in that you are not striking up a relationship with the recruiter personally from the outset. It often then becomes difficult to move the relationship forward from this point as the recruiter will submit your CV along with a shortlist and move onto another role until they hear back from the employer. You could work on building relationships with the recruitment agencies from the outset by taking the time to identify agencies which work in your field and make contact. Often these agencies will have their own jobs board which you can apply direct to and if you already have that relationship with a consultant you can call them to discuss the role further before submitting a tailored application. This will give you greater “buy in” with the individual and as such you should be able to set a communication plan moving forward to be kept up to date with your application. You are more likely to then receive feedback about your application, such as why the employer will not be taking yours to interview etc and gain a great deal of knowledge in regards to future applications.

Of course there are other reasons why you are not hearing back, roles close without notice due to changes in the business and internal candidates being placed but you should also be receiving this feedback from the recruiter. Personal exposure to recriutment agencies has seen that some work on quantity not quality – so they may take a large list of roles and not necessarily take time to review CVs specifically for the role and so just submit a lot of CVs to the client. Working on this basis leaves little time or inclination to respond to candidates with feedback. Therefore I would suggest you pin point agencies which specialise in your field and only take on a set number of roles where they spend time and knowledge to identify CVs which closely align to the business needs and as such will only present a shortlist of less than 10 CVs to the client. These types of agencies tend to take time to nurture relationships with their clients and candidates to ensure successful outcomes.

As “Questions Answered” is to become a regular feature on this blog site – we welcome any questions you wish to submit. To make contact please use the above links or come direct through our website: www.thecvrighter.co.uk

Careers Advice, News, PMO, Project Management, Sector Advice

A shift in strategy for top police job, is this a sign of change in attitudes?

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Friday’s news made an interesting read; “Tom Winsor ‘best candidate’ for police watchdog role” was the headline on the BBC news website. Interesting because what has traditionally been seen as a role for a police individual has been opened up to a civilian, the first time since the role was established. Winsor, a commercial lawyer has been handpicked by a committee and backed by the home office to take the role.

Could this be the start of a shift in the job market? Particularly for project management staff, who in recent years have struggled to shift into any role other than the sector or industry and project type they have experience in? PMO professionals have had an easier ride in transitioning into other industries but purely due to a lack of experienced individuals in the field during a time where employees in secure roles are less willing to move roles due to uncertainty in the market. PMO staff can be recycled within the organisation and set up to support the next programme of work whilst project managers (particularly those with a niche specialism) are more likely to be moved on or kept but to work on projects which do not “light their fire” hence more project managers actively searching for roles, meaning more competition which has lead on to hiring managers (in a risk averse state) picking candidates most closely matched to the organisation.

Adapting to change

I have often felt that businesses are missing a trick when it comes to bringing new employees onboard, surely someone who has a breadth of experience and skills in the field of PPM but less exposure to the “product” will be asking questions often overlooked by teams who are too familiar with it? Also it has often been seen that organisations adopt different ways of working across sectors – could elements of this be introduced into a different industry? It all comes down to perspective, strategy; and no doubt – fear of change.

So reading that Winsor is a prime candidate for the role filled me with a sense of hope for everyone looking to make changes moving forward. And a lesson to be learned here is that Winsor took on a piece of work to analyse police pay – the review left him unpopular with people within the force however he gained a great deal of exposure to how the force is operated. This insight and his ability to address key areas of change without fear of losing popularity coupled with a different perspective, the home office feel, has placed him in pole position for the job. Take opportunities to look into different areas and fields – it may well be your passport out of your current industry into a great new challenge.

The CV Righter is a professional CV writing service which was formed to assist all those in project management – having a background in managing projects and implementing PMO processes followed by 5 years experience in recruiting project management staff from support roles through to programme directors across all industries and sectors means we have a good insight into what the employer expects to see on your CV. If you would like to learn more about how we can assist you, get in touch: https://www.thecvrighter.co.uk/

 

CV Tips, CV Writing, News, PMO, Project Management

Details you should leave out of your CV – Friday snippet

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Your CV is your marketing tool to that next role and as such needs to contain a good deal of information about you and your career experience – but are you giving too much away? I have addressed the necessity to leave out information such as date of birth due to identity fraud previously. But there are other pieces of information you should also ensure you are not putting in your CV such as:

  1. References – most employers want to perform a reference check, however, this should only really be performed once you have begun the interview process and in an ideal world once you have been offered the role. By providing the contact details and names of your referees on your CV you are leaving yourself open to hiring managers contacting your current employer (who may or may not know you are looking to move on) and also leaving your referees open to unsolicited calls from recruiters who are looking for their next lead. Not only are you assisting unprofessional and unscrupulous recruiters in potentially gaining new work, you are also allowing your referees to be pestered. Not ideal when you are wanting them to provide a good reference for you later on down the line. It is perfectly acceptable to state; “references available on request” on your CV – it also frees up space on your CV for you to add more detail about yourself.
  2. Have you ever checked the properties of your document? If you have utilised a CV template or had a professional CV writer work on your CV then it may well have their name in the properties. I have also seen company names in the properties which may not be creating the right impression if you have been updating your CV in your current workplace – a potential employer may not be too impressed to see how you spend your working day looking for another role and utilising their licences, time etc. to do so.

When putting together your CV you should treat it with as much care as you would a report for senior management – after all, at some point it is exactly that level who will be reading your CV. Take care and time to ensure you get it right the first time as first impressions last.

For advice on creating a professional CV get in touch: www.thecvrighter.co.uk