Candidate Services

cv advice

 

Your CV is a marketing tool to generate interviews. It creates the 'all important' first and often lasting impression, so it must be interesting to the reader. It's claimed that a CV gets no more than 30 seconds attention. In that time, you need to gain and maintain interest and leave a clear image of quality and professionalism to the selected employer.

 

Although there is no set format, the following suggestions will help you to compile a "self advertisement" that should gain a positive response:

 

Personal Profile

You should highlight what you have to offer at the start of your CV with an attention grabbing summary, which should be no more than five lines of text.

 

Achievements
List up to six major achievements that are directly related to the job you are applying for. It is important to pick achievements that are relevant and to quantify them where you can.

 

Career History

This is your opportunity to illustrate the breadth of experience you have gained throughout your career - avoid repetition and be concise:

• Start with the present/most recent employer and work back chronologically.
• Name the employers and provide information on the nature of the business.
• Provide dates of employment to the nearest month.
• Give job titles for positions held.
• Provide detail of responsibilities.
• If the career has spanned more than twenty years, employers will want to see the most detail pertaining to recent positions.
• Earlier roles can be summarised briefly to show career progression.

Qualifications

These should be restricted to professional qualifications and highest academic achievements.

If your education is in the dim and distant past, you should not waste too much space on it as your work experience will be far more important to the employer.

 

IT / Training / Other Skills
For IT skills you may want to include operating systems (Windows 95/98) and applications such as Microsoft Office, Oracle, SAP. Training may entail courses completed both in and out of the workplace, from Prince2 and Six Sigma to Assertiveness, Communication and Presentation Skills. Other skills may include language fluency.

 

Personal Details
This section should include your address, contact numbers (home/mobile), Email address, date of birth, driving licence if relevant and marital status (optional).

 

Hobbies/Interests
Hobbies and interests are generally not considered very important on a CV. However they may be able to tell a recruiter a lot about your personality, leadership potential and team working skills, so they should not be completely overlooked.

 

cv do's and don'ts

 

"Do"

• Make it concise, 2-3 pages is sufficient
• Ensure all information on the CV is factual and accurate
• Make sure all information is presented in a positive manner
• Highlight key skills and strengths
• Use bullet points where possible

"Don't"

• Use lengthy paragraphs
• Put weaknesses on your CV
• List your referees or salary
• Lie or exaggerate.
• Forget to spell-check the final document

interview advice

 

An interview can be seen as a two-way conversation between people, both with problems - the interviewer needs to employ, you need employment - both are capable of solving the others problem! Time spent preparing for the interview will really pay off on the day, provided that the information you collect is used in the most effective manner.

 

Find out all you can about the organisation, such as:

• Owners of the organisation
• Part of a larger group or stand alone operation?
• Turnover and profitability
• Competitors and market rating

A lot of this information is now available on the Internet or an annual report of the company. If the interview has been arranged through accountancy4u ask your consultant if they have any additional information.

 

First Impressions

You never get a second chance to make a first impression! How you present yourself at interview will have a big impact on the interviewer. You have got to look the part, professional, competent and confident. Smart dress is a pre-requisite. Do try to make an effort and if in doubt, dress conservatively.

 

Arrive early! Research the location prior to the interview, so as to avoid arriving late and flustered. Always be polite and friendly and make conversation with reception staff if possible. When greeted, smile and offer a firm handshake. Accept tea or coffee, as it is a good way of relaxing the situation.

 

Technique

• Listen to what the interviewer is asking
• Answer clearly and concisely
• Show interest when being spoken to
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Never criticise your current or previous employer
• Use every question to sell yourself and demonstrate your ability to do the job
• Be enthusiastic and positive - your aim at the interview is to be offered the job!

Asking Questions

When given the opportunity, always ask a couple of relevant questions, but be careful not to end up interviewing the interviewer!

 

Consider asking the following questions:

• "How has the position become vacant?"
• "Who will I be working with?"
• "Are there opportunities to undertake further training?"
• "What future plans are there for the position and department?
• "How does the department integrate with the rest of the organisation?" 

Closing the Interview

Establish what the next step will be. Make notes about the interview as you may be invited back for a second meeting and this will help to clarify points in your mind. If the company makes an offer to you, then ensure that the opportunity and salary are what you are ideally looking for. If you are unsuccessful in getting the job, it's not the end of the world - it wasn't meant to be! Find out why you were unsuccessful, which will help you in conducting a better interview next time around.

 

frequently asked questions at interview

 

During the interview, it is likely that several reasonably predictable questions will be asked about you, your career and your ambitions. It's wise to have the answers prepared in advance

 

Tell me about yourself ?

 

The interviewer doesn't want a life history. You should describe the type of person you are within a few minutes. Talk about your positive qualities and link them to the job you are applying for.

 

Why should I employ you?

 

Because your experience and skills enable you to get involved, work in a team or on your own initiative and to inevitably make a valuable contribution to the company.

 

Why do you want to leave your current job?

 

Don't focus on any negatives; they don't want to know if it takes you an hour to get to work or you dislike your manager. You could say, for example "there aren't many opportunities for me to develop my skills further where I am now."

 

What do you know about our Company?

 

If you've done your research, you will know that this is the sort of organisation where you feel you could make a useful contribution. Show your interest in them, how keen you are to join them and keep it brief. You could say, for example "I know you're a growing company with a great reputation in the industry."

 

How would your friends describe you?

 

The interviewer is testing your perception of yourself through others - how you feel others see you. This is your opportunity to tell the interviewer how good a friend you are and inevitably how good an employee you would be. Pick out your strong points, such as commitment, loyalty, determined or motivated.

 

What is your biggest weakness?

 

You are being invited to say something negative about yourself. Everyone has weaknesses but make sure that you are able to turn these into something positive. For example, you could make reference to something that you used to do but have now improved: "A few years ago I would have said time management was a big problem, but now I'm good at managing my time."

 

What would you expect to be paid?

 

The salary may be clearly stated elsewhere. If not, be careful. Don't undervalue yourself and don't price yourself out of a job. You will probably be able to relate salary levels to people you know in similar jobs.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

 

Here the interviewer is looking to see if you have any drive and will keep offering increasing value to them. You must balance the company's immediate needs with your long-term ambitions. You would hope to progress within an organisation, but your concern is to establish yourself in the current vacancy. You can answer these types of questions well providing you don't give them specific positions or long term objectives.

 

what employers are looking for

• Strong social skills
• Simplify complex problems
• Calm under pressure
• Work well alone or as part of a team
• Hard working achiever
• Bring in-depth technical knowledge
• Able to set priorities logically
• Diplomatic in difficult situations
• Good listener and keen observer
• Cut costs without hurting quality
• Consistently find new alternatives
• Perform against tight deadlines
• Skilled, versatile writer
• Project management experience
• Formulate practical action plans
• Succeeded where others failed
• Design new and efficient systems
• Bring out creativity in others
• Thoroughly familiar with key markets
• Inspire others to better performance