About Kirsty Hall

http://www.peopleandnumbers.co/

Posts by Kirsty Hall:

Graduate CV Writing

Graduation-clip-art-images-dromgam-top-2 Graduate CV writing can be tricky especially if you have very little work experience so I have put together this post to give you a bit of a guidance regarding how to get started and best sell yourself and demonstrate your abilities without simply listing a lot of trite overused words.

How to get started with Graduate CV Writing

So how do I get started when graduate CV Writing well I start with the job type. I recommend starting by looking at the types of jobs you want to secure.  This is a simple bit of research using the lovely google or another great resource is The National Careers Service where you will find banks of job descriptions for a wide range of career options.  When you are doing this research you are really just looking for the skills that are required for each type of job. You don’t need to be finding specific roles that you want to apply for necessarily at this stage. Once you have a few job descriptions make a list of all of the essential criteria or key skills that they say they are looking for and then start to cross reference with your abilities and experience.   This should pretty quickly highlight to you areas of strength and weakness with graduate CV writing and give you a good starting point.

Writing your key skills section

Having done the research suggested above you should now be ready to write the key skills section.  I recommend starting here as it is based in fact and will go on to inform other sections such as the personal statement as it will help to define your personal brand.

Take your list of cross referenced skills and choose those that came up most often in your job search and that you can most effectively demonstrate.  I would suggest having no more than about 6 skills that you want to highlight to the recruiter.

Use bullet points and make each point two lines long.  If each point is roughly balanced in length your CV will look far more appealing and be easier to read.  This also gives you a good guide as to how much information you need to include

Try to always give an example and write in the 3rd person so that the information remains professional and not too personalised for example rather than:

In my last role I had to manage my own time and plan activities so that I met key deadlines

Demonstrates excellent time management skills with the ability to organise own workload effectively; as a Customer Service Assistant consistently processed orders within agreed service delivery schedules

You might like to change the title of this header to Key Skills and Achievements and use it to highlight either professional, academic or extra curricular success, but be sure that each achievement is linked to a relevant skill.  For example:

Developed leadership and organisational skills when selected as Captain of the university football team;  successfully motivated the team to achieve sporting success as well as organising large social and fundraising events

Employment Experience

I recommend keeping the formatting very simple in this section.  If you have any work experience include it here. You can also include voluntary experience, but be sensible and if you have held lots of short positions only include thse that are relevant.  If you have been in full time study you can choose what you include as no one will expect to see employment dates that run concurrently as they understand you have been studying.  If you really don’t have any experience then leave this section out, but in that case you will need to really accentuate the skills section.

My advice would be to try and avoid simply repeating a job description and instead use each point to demonstrate capability for example rather than:

Responsible for meeting and greeting customers

try

Creating a positive and welcoming environment for customers and delivering quality customer service at all times;  communicating clearly and effectively to understand and meet their expectations

Personal Statement

I think this is best written last although it will come first…  This is because what you write about yourself throughout the CV should inform how you summarise who you are.  The statement should not be a covering letter or something akin to your UCAS statement.  The opening statement should be short, snappy and to the point.  It should highlight what you can bring to a business and not what you want or expect.

An example might be:

A focused and dedicated graduate with a BA (hons) in Marketing who has consistently excelled both academically and within professional environments whether employed or as a volunteer.  Has a commitment to success and is truly passionate about building a strong career within Marketing and delivering results for an organisation through continued learning and hard work.

Graduate CV Layout

When planning the layout of your graduate CV I would recommend the following:

Personal Details

Personal Summary

Key Skills and Achievements

Education and Qualifications

Employment History

Additional Relevant Skills

Interests

References Available on Request

For further assistance with graduate CV writing why not submit your current CV for a free review or engage us to do the work for you.  Graduate CV Writing starts from just £50 www.cvrighter.co.uk

 

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CV Writing Trends 2016

CV WRITING TRENDS 2016

 

If you are sitting down to write your CV then you might be wondering what are the latest CV Writing Trends.  Like everything else in this world CV Writing has trends and just like with fashion it’s hard to keep up with the changes – what’s in and what’s not? CV Righter has done the research for you and put together a brief guide to the CV Writing Trends 2016 that we have seen so that you can be sure that your CV stays bang on trend.

Signposting

  • Make sure that your CV has a clear and logical structure and use signposts such as headers and bold titles in order to highlight key information and to guide the recruiter through your document.

Keep it short and snappy

  • People are busier and busier so are not going to spend hours reading your CV. They don’t need to know everything you have ever done.
  • Keep sentences and bullet points short and concise – aim for around 2 lines per point that should be about the right level of detail and if everything remains the same length then it also creates visual balance and makes the document easier to read
  • Remove all superfluous information. We have noticed that unless someone has no work experience then interests tend to be removed. Also people are focusing on their past 10-15 years’ experience as these are the most relevant. Think about it if you are CEO no one cares that you once spent a summer frying chips….

Edit yourself

  • Try to have an objective and critical eye when looking at your CV. Once you have finished print it and glance at it quickly. Ask yourself what stands out? Where does my eye go? What did I not see? If the most salient points don’t leap out at you rework that formatting until they do. This is vital as recruiters are seeing vast numbers of CVs so could just be skimming each document initially
  • Ask a friend to take a look for you. Give them no more than 2 minutes to look at it and then see if they can then tell you what your brand and key selling points are. If they can’t you need to think about what they are and make sure it comes across

Know your target market

  • Increasingly we are seeing visual information such as graphs and design elements included on CVs. Visual information is absorbed by the brain faster, but we advise caution here and that you ensure you know your target market. This tends to be more accepted within visually driven professions such as design. It may not have the desired effect in more traditional professions such as banking, insurance, law etc…

Backing up your statements

  • It has become more and more important to be able to back up your claims with fact and data that demonstrates results
  • We advocate including a key achievements section at the start of your CV so that you can really celebrate the contribution you have made to organisations and their success
  • Wherever possible be specific about the results achieved and use quantitative data, but be such you are not sharing confidential information
  • Think about how you present your results i.e. in a small company saving £1000 may be huge, but if you are now going up for a role at Barclays that would be nothing so consider using percentages to show the effect on your organisation more convincingly

Hope you found our CV Writing Trends 2016 article useful and that it helps you write a great CV. Should you need any help with the process then don’t hesitate to get in touch www.cvrighter.co.uk

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Updating your CV – Quick Wins

If you are sat there looking at a CV version that is out of date and in urgent need of updating and you don’t know where to start then this guide to updating your CV – Quick Wins is for you.

Sometimes you just don’t have time for updating your CV and just add on your most recent roles but this is missing a trick. So I have devised a short list of hints that can help you to make an impact when updating your CV by only making a few changes.

  1. Focus your efforts on the start of the document.  This is what hooks a reader in so make sure you review the personal statement.  Is it short and punchy? Two sentences is my recommendation
  2. Reformat – ensure the whole document is in a uniform font and reduce margins to maximise space
  3. Add a personal header to the document at the very start. What is your profession? Tell the recruiter quickly and make it bold so at a glance you stand out
  4. Add in keywords up front.  Include short key words under Areas of Expertise section.
  5. Move the key achievements- if you have achievements listed under each role I recommend moving them to the start of the CV in one section so that you quickly show a recruiter you are worth interviewing
  6. Unless you have no work experience remove those hobbies and interests; they are a waste of space

There are lots more hints and tips available on the rest of our blog pages so do check us out and remember if you need further help CV Righter can write your CV for you www.cvrighter.co.uk

 

 

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Looking for a job is a job

People often ask me how best to look for a job and complain that they have been looking for a job for ages with no success.  So here is my quick guide… The first thing to say is that looking for a job is a job…

Looking for a job is a job

You wouldn’t go into an appointment meeting without any preparation or start a project without making a plan would you?  I expect not and yet people regularly seem to start applying for jobs without any forethought whatsoever.  Is it any wonder this haphazard approach isn’t wildly successful?

Step One

I recommend starting off by really thinking about what you want out of a new job and why you are looking in the first place.  If there is something in your current role that you really hate you don’t want to end up doing that activity again equally if there is a part of your existing job you love then you want to be targeting roles that include the same activity.  Once you have decided on your target roles you need to do a bit of research into the skills they are looking for and then prioritise these for inclusion in your CV.

Step Two

The next step is to review and update your CV. We can of course help you do this at CV Righter and don’t forget we offer a free CV review, but quick wins for updating your CV yourself are:

  • Make sure that the content is tailored towards the types of roles you want
  • Keep formatting is simple, consistent and aesthetically pleasing
  • Signpost your reader through the document using headers
  • Avoid tables as this can hinder the searchability of the document, be a right pain for recruiters and cause you to miss out on opportunities.

Record Keeping

It’s dull but necessary when looking for a job.  I recommend keeping a clear record of each role you apply for and  keeping notes of each conversation that you have with recruiters so you can remind yourself of where you are at in the process.  This not only helps you keep track but supports you in looking professional and building a relationship with recruiters.  Nothing kills rapport like forgetting someone’s name…

Be Proactive

Follow up that application with a phone call to the relevant agency to remind them that you are there, provide any additional information and to create a relationship with them.  Its easier to remember someone you have spoken to and liked.

The next step is then to prepare for interview but that’s a whole other article.

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Interview Preparation Tips

Is it enough to just read the job description and turn up for an interview relying on your great personality to get the job? We think not especially in a tougher market and today’s competitive market place. Here are our interview preparation tips:

  • Review the job description in detail making sure you understand what it is asking you to do
  • Focus on the highlighted essential skills  and ensure you have an example prepared for each of these
  • Be able to explain how you have demonstrated desired and essential skills or attributes in your working life
  • Think through your working life achievements and create mental links to the skills / responsibilities needed for this role so that you can call on these during interview to show your suitability
  • Practice, practice, practice – you might feel silly but practice saying your examples out loud so that it sounds natural
  • If you can get someone to ask you some questions then go for it or contact us for a mock interview coaching session
  • Do some research on the organisation. There is nothing worse than asking someone what they know about the business and being greeted with a blank stare. It just looks lazy and you want to be able to show that you really want to work THERE not just anywhere
  • Prepare some questions to ask them as you will inevitably get asked if you have any and this can be a great opportunity to demonstrate further knowledge through clever questioning

Feeling prepared for interview makes you a better candidate as you will be more relaxed and ready and be able to really demonstrate that best version of you. We hope our interview preparation tips are useful.  However, if you need further assistance we can help you with our targeted interview coaching which includes mock interviews, dealing with nerves, confidence building and practical work on preparing skills based examples. Contact us through the website if you are interested.

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