1 – Your CV
By this I mean how it is presented. There are a million different formats you can use and conflicting advice everywhere you go, so it’s no wonder so many people get it wrong.
So here’s what I think!
Do – Keep it concise and succinct. Yes 2 pages are considered the norm, but if you need more space, take it – it really isn’t the end of the world. Just make sure you have the most detail on recent roles and less on previous roles.
Don’t – Make any speelling mistkes (!) It’s the quickest way to get your CV chucked in the bin. (This goes for grammar too.)
Do – Include a personal statement or profile detailing your strengths and what role you are looking for.
Don’t – Make a load of false claims on your CV – it will come back and believe me it bites!
Do – Bullet point your duties and responsibilities – a load of text in bulk paragraphs is confusing to read.
Don’t – Use coloured paper, fancy font, photos, pictures etc. This does not look professional nor does it make you stand out.
Do – Tailor your CV to suit each role that you are applying for. Make it relevant and outline the key points that would make you suitable for that particular role.
2 – ‘Job Hoppers’
A well known phrase to us recruiters and refers to people that move jobs a lot after a short amount of time. This tends to scare prospective employers as there are both cost and time implications to replace you.
My advice is to stay at each employer for at least 2 years and get a really long term role on your CV. Everyone can make 1 or maybe 2 mistakes but having a new job every year is not an attractive feature. So think carefully when you are making a career move.
3 – ‘One jobbers’
The opposite to hoppers, these are people who have had one job their whole working career and after 20 years have decided to try something new or of course have been made redundant. The objection here will be that employers will think that you will find it extremely difficult to adapt to a new company and a whole new way of working – so have a good think about how you will overcome this objection and make sure you put it in your personal statement.
4 – Salary expectations
If a salary band is, for example, £20-£30K don’t say you want £30K unless you are worth that in the market. If you are currently on £22K, it is unlikely that you will get more than £24-£25K, so that is what you should be aiming for. Salary scales are there to ensure that the employer is seeing a cross-section of what is available to them within the parameters that they have set – it doesn’t mean they are going to pay you the top end. Do some research to see what kind of salary you can expect for your level of experience and skill set.
5 – Stalking a company for CV or interview feedback
Sounds harsh but if they don’t contact you, they are not interested in seeing or recruiting you! In an ideal world every applicant would get a nice letter or email back explaining exactly why they haven’t been selected for interview – but in a market with so many people looking for work this is increasingly difficult. Similarly if you have had an interview you should get feedback, but if you don’t you have to draw a line and leave it. If you harass them it may ruin your chances for any future vacancies.
So what would I recommend you do to make sure you survive and get your foot through the door? Register with an agency of course! Recruitment agencies are there to guide you through all of this, but make sure you find a good credible agency that have integrity and stick with them. Don’t register your CV at every agency, it does you no favours and can make you appear desperate to future employers.
More on ‘What your recruiter should do for you’ next week…
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