Latest Career Advice and Tips.

CV Tips

Writing A CV

By Russell White, managing partner, PremCons, London

A Curriculum Vitae or CV is summarised as a chronological summary of your academic awards and work experience. The ultimate goal of a CV is to get you an interview for the job you have applied for! Nothing more nothing less! There are many different styles and formats and as a Recruitment Consultant I have seen the good, bad and ugly! This article will help you to create a CV that will get you noticed as well as help avoid some of the pitfalls and common mistakes I regularly see!

Firstly limiting a CV to two pages is a myth – unless you are asked to produce a resume, which is more common in the US and rarely exceeds two pages of A4. In the UK CV's can be longer and the general rule I suggest when asked is that you are allowed a page a decade you have existed on the planet! However I would suggest that after the fourth page most recruiters will be getting bored.

The style is important, as is the font and general page layout. UK CV's should be created in Word Format (PDF's, HTML are not compatible with some HR systems that log and manage applications). It should be created as portrait and it's best to avoid point sizes lower than 9. Fonts that have high impact are Arial, Franklin Gothic, and Tahoma, as opposed to Times New Roman which is a default font for most MS programmes. Start with your name, address and contact details at the top of the CV. Do not include your Date of Birth, sex, or religion and state whether you are married or single or whether you have any dependants.

Career summary – I could write a whole article on whether one should include a 'Career Summary'. Personally, I never read them as they all sound the same:

"A resourceful, confident and commercially astute business leader with experience across a range of markets with an emphasis on delivering results in mail order, direct marketing and CRM" - Does this describe a top Marketing Director in a leading Mail Order company? Not at all – it's me! My point on this is that they are too generic so a waste of time.

Content is king in a CV – but basically the rule of thumb is the more senior you become the more commercially aware you should be, so your CV must include your recognition of your efforts to improve profitability/margin/revenue.

The CV's that impress me most are those that give a brief description of the business (including turnover, number of employees), your job title, a summary of the role and an emphasis on achievements i.e. what you have directly contributed to either the business or the team you work in.

When you come to prepare your CV the most recent roles are the ones you focus on in terms of content and description. If you started your career as an Account Executive 15 years ago, then it really is not necessary to put down all you did back then. (you'd be surprised at how many CV's I get that do!). Don't worry about gaps - career breaks, redundancy – a good recruiter will spot them and will either (usually) dismiss them, or note them and explore at the interview stage. Check for typing errors – my rule of thumb is three mistakes and you're out – some of my clients are stricter! There is nothing wrong in 'tweaking' a CV to make it more pertinent to the role you are applying for.

Detail your education – which college or University you went as well as your Secondary school. If you attained a 1st or 2.1 at University then put that down too, whatever level of seniority you are.

Finally include some personal details or extra curricula activity. "Reading, eating out, socialising" are what most people put down and given that is what 90% of the UK population do in any event it is not relevant. Very few people I meet have no hobby or 'interesting' interest. E.g. not many people know that I am a World renowned expert on late 70's Disco and Dance music and my opinions on particular artists and tracks is sought globally by recording artists, DJ's and radio stations! I can all hear you saying I want to meet this man!

Career Advice from Employers

CVs & applications

When you compose your CV take your time to ensure that it truly reflects who you are and what your primary and unique skills are. Don't expect the recruiter to second guess or read beyond what is on the pages in front of them, sometimes job titles and their functions don't translate from organisation to organisation. I woud always suggest you relate your CV to the role you are applying for but don't attempt to feign experience you don't have. All you will do is pile the pressure on yourself if you over-sell your abilities and get the job. I have always found it best to be honest if I don't know the full ins and outs and expressed an interest in learning these extra skills. It is far better all round than being exposed as a fibber later on in the process. I think that honesty is one of qualities that will impress most employers as it is becoming a rarity in these dog-eat-dog days.

TS, London

Proffesionally Prepared

If you are desperately seeking a job don't let that desperation show. Be selective about the jobs you apply for. Don't waste time and energy applying for everything going. Instead focus on responding professionally and with precision to those advertisements for roles that are appropriate and within your remit. Do your research on the recruiting company and include references to its niche, success, or ethos in your covering letter. You must present yourself as fully prepared and "tailor-made" for the job without appearing to be arrogant or over-qualified. It is a very delicate balance and as you only get the once chance at each job you have to do your homework most thoroughly.

DW, Cheshire

Bring more than just yourself...

Consider yourself as a product and market yourself accordingly. You are expensive, costing the employer at least twice the salary you are expecting. You need to justify why you are worth every penny. List the benefits you are capable of bringing to your prospective employer. It is very rare that anyone meets the full set of criteria but sometimes there will be candidates with the edge. What you can do to get more leverage is offer to share the risk – show willing to prove yourself as an interim or project based resource as it can often tip the balance in your favour. Sometimes the preferred candidate may be on an extended notice period, or may even be persuaded to remain in his/her current job, so your immediate availability can work well for you. If you have already burned your bridges with your current employer or are between roles you have nothing to lose and all to gain. It is also always easier to find a position from a position and frequently an interim post will lead to something more permanent or convince you to follow the "permanent" interim or consultancy route to earning a living.

Sally B, Herts

Be honest...

Once upon a time an ambitious young chap - we'll call him Fred – really needed to land a proper job. Already in his thirties and heavily in debt with nothing to show for it, Fred had had a mixed bag of a "career" to date. Odd stints selling timeshares, local newspaper advertising, double glazing... then a luckier break selling web site advertising. Nothing he'd stuck with though. Brief stints overseas and getting odd jobs here and there... now back in the UK, stony broke. So Fred did as others have done before him. He re-invented his working life and embellished his CV so that, on paper to the untrained eye, he looked like a real contender for jobs in the £50K bracket. However Fred was not that bright. The recruitment consultancies saw straight through him. The dates on his CV didn't ring true and one of the companies he said he'd been Head of Digital Sales for it ... and a call to the company's HR department found that he'd never worked there at all. In such a small incestuous world Fred had screwed any chance he might have had. With good sales people in such high demand he could probably have found someone ready to give him a try at ground floor level if he'd been less of a Billy Liar...

Jenny A, Birmingham

Networking

Never, ever forget your network of contacts – former colleagues, suppliers, people you've met socially and through business over the years. Call them, email them, ask them if they know of anyone in the market for someone with your background. Keep in touch with anyone who might be in a position to help. I don't mean pester them, simply drop them the odd email and remind them that you are looking. Go out to the tradeshows where your peers will be, arrange to meet them for a coffee and a catch up, be seen and be heard. Pen topical letters for publication to the trade press to keep your name about...Some of the best jobs never get advertised – candidates are found by word of mouth.

JM, Birmingham

Work with agencies

Don't ignore agencies in your bid to find new opportunities. It is estimated that around a quarter of all executive/management positions are filled exclusively via agencies. Find out which ones work for your target companies – many specialise and have a very strong grip on their chosen sectors. Remember that agency people worth their salt will know of the right match for you and your skills and can secure you interviews you might not obtain for yourself. Be sure that you make a good impression with the consultants you contact and that you are completely honest with them as they can have a major impact on your immediate and future career progression.

JD, Bath

Proof before you send

Many CVs are so full of buzzwords and corny phraseology that they are utterly worthless and go straight to the shredder. The same goes for CVs full of grammatical and spelling errors, conflicting dates and questionable achievement claims. For every ten CVs our company receives as a result of advertising it is rare that more than one makes it to the "consideration" pile.

AB, Harrow

Interviews are a bit like blind dates, or meeting someone you've chatted briefly to over the net for the first time. It is a fact that most of us make an instant decision on whether we like the person or not – and that these first impressions are rarely wrong. Both employers and applicants should pay heed to this as they could save themselves considerable grief over the long term.

MF, Wilts

What goes up...

We had a long term member of staff who thought she wielded the power in the company and who had so many fronts we used to call her dogger bank. She'd sing your praises to your face, smarm all over you then you'd turn your back and she'd be ridiculing you to anyone in earshot. We mostly ignored her but some were hurt by her nastiness and left as soon as they could find other jobs. We were always having to replace and train staff thanks to her. But there was one new recruit who took immediate umbrage and told the prism exactly what most of us had longed to ... that she was a sad, insecure and jealous bitch whose obsession with her appearance and come ons to anything in trousers (think mutton dressed as lamb, uber-slapper) was an embarrassment to everyone and who'd do better to seek psychiatric help than to continue to make everyone else as miserable as she was. Dogger Bank left that afternoon and six months on, to our knowledge, has yet to find another job in the industry. It is sad in many ways but what comes around...and the atmosphere in our offices is a million times improved without her.

Barbara H, Northants

Age-ism ?

I think that the hardest part of job searching is finding a company that knows what it is looking for. Now in my fifties (though age discrimination is now strictly forbidden – ha!) I have a great deal of experience having worked for large UK corporations and SMEs, the European subsidiaries of US businesses, and been a share holding director of a catalogue business which was sold. What I am seeking now is an engrossing role that will see me through to retirement – in other words I am offering a commitment of around seven years. I don't want to job-hop, I want something to get my teeth into and to go out of this business on a high. I am happy to roll up my sleeves and have a lot to offer so who will hire me ? I have reworked my CV so that it summarises the past fifteen years of my career, has no date of birth or other age/date clues. With this tweaking I do sometimes manage to secure an interview for a job that appears to mirror my skills. Some employers have been visibly taken aback by my age and clearly would not have seen me at all had they had forewarning. Is it that most employers don't fine tune what they want until they draw a picture based on the applications they receive and, from them, meet the right person ? Or are they simply casting the net to see if they can lure applicants from the competition ? Or is it that they are totally unrealistic as to how much experience they think candidates can accrue by age 28 ? I have been rejected for being over-qualified, for being too expensive (without any mention of remuneration by either party), for being (potentially) set in my ways, and for being unlikely to fit in with the company's culture/(younger) team members – in other words, too old. Is it because those interviewing me are the age of my (now grown up) children and are embarrassed by that ? Sad times these, especially now no one can actually tell the truth without risking prosecution.

TF, S Yorks

Blah be f****** blah !

This simply had to be included. As much as a warning to those who would adeptly tailor their CVs to the job they are applying for. In this instance a journalist was returning from overseas and seeking a news editor role in the West Country. He applied to Catalogue E-Business journal and sounded fantastic on paper – as a natural wordsmith would – until we got to the description of his most recent role on a newspaper in Western Australia where his prose was interrupted by a set of parentheses and the words "blah de f****** blah" – not quite the detailed proofing one would hope for in a news editor ...and, no, we didn't take his application any further...

Jane R-H, Ilfracombe

Sick desk Syndrome

Most employees have vivid imaginations. They honestly believe that every evening out of hours an army of little elves descend on their desks to clean all the mess away. (Just like Mum used to when they were toddlers). Or they think that the average office cleaner is going to scrape their keyboard clean of lunch time splodges of grease, armies of crumbs and slopped coffee. And wash and disinfect their bin to rid it of the sticky residue of coke and ice-cream wrappers, and leftover sandwiches. The reality is that none of these things is going to happen.

Elves don't exist (or if they do please mail us a picture as evidence or better still post us one that's looking for a change of scene). Office cleaners do exist, of course, but are usually expressly told NOT to touch keyboards or processors or anything that bleeps or to move any of the teetering piles of paperwork that reside on many desk tops. Whilst the cleaning staff will quite merrily empty the bins, hoover the floors, and clean the cloakrooms, they aren't going to clean any area of desktop that is hidden under paperwork or any electronic machinery. Nor are they employed to clean up your personal mess. There aren't the hours in the day and it is more than their job is worth.

They wouldn't actually want to touch your keyboard anyway because if it is like most keyboards it is liberally caked in bacteria as is the area of your desk you most often use … up to 10 million of the blighters can reside there. Your phone is even worse with something like 25,0000 microbes for every square inch of surface – yeuch – every time you cough and splutter into it something nasty sticks to it ! Use someone else's phone extension ... ugh ! Far, far worse than the average shared loo seat which most of us imagine to be the dodgiest thing we'll encounter at work.

Other areas prone to the real nasties that can infect you and make you ill are the office microwave – there is always one sloppy employee who never cleans up after his or her self and leaves splattered tuna or other smelly stuff everywhere. Then there is the office fridge in which once fresh food is allowed to grow thick furry overcoats before someone eventually gives in and prises it off the shelves. Come on, what does it take to clear up after yourselves ? Don't have the nerve to expect anyone to do your dirty work for you...

Then there are the dust mites that breed with abandon and are apparently extremely at home under the keys of your keyboard receiving regular food parcels of the dead skin cells they so enjoy. The chap who hunches over his keyboard scratching his head is probably responsible for feeding half the world's population of dust mites ... and he wonders why he is always coughing and sneezing and why his asthma is playing up...

Enough said …. food for thought at least ... so come on chaps at least try to keep your work space clean – buy some antibacterial wipes and use them and give your keyboard a good shake out on a regular basis.

Get Trusted

1. Get your workplace loyalties in order – your first loyalty should always be to your employer, after all unless you have a private income, you go to work because you need to earn a living like everyone else does – never forget who pays your salary
2. Make it known that you are a grown up who doesn't take sides or indulge in idle gossip or tittle tattle but are there for anyone who needs someone to confide in – and be sure not to betray confidences unless you really feel morally bound to.
3. Support individuals who you feel could use a little help – that is not to say do their jobs for them, but help them so that they can accomplish more and gain valuable experience and additional skills on the way – a sure way to develop strong relationships with those you help and those who recognise your team playing abilities.
4. Say what you mean with tact when needs must and do as you say – don't be two faced – be honest, open and true to your beliefs in all relationships or you'll soon be uncovered as someone not to be trusted – the rule should always be the same for everyone.
5. Don't promise more than you can deliver when you know you re out of your depth and don't ever transfer the blame for every little thing that goes wrong onto others when the chances are that it is your performance that is at fault.
6. Don't hog the limelight when things go well because invariably others will have contributed to the success of a project or a campaign – be sure that all of your colleagues share any praise that's going or you'll get short shrift if you need help again.
7. If your position requires that you manage others then be sure to keep a professional distance in order to be able to manage effectively …. be friendly by all means but don't expect any respect if you keep bringing yourself down to the "one the guys" level – chances are your team would prefer you not to go out with them as you'll only be cramping their style.
8. Accept that, at times, you will come across others who have far greater skills or are better educated and qualified to progress, or a better fit in the company than you and for that reason are likely to earn more and climb the ladder at greater speed … don't gripe – if you are unhappy then invest in additional training yourself – or take a sabbatical to go back to college or University, it is your future, no one else's ...
9. Occasionally you will end up with an employee or group of employees who simply won't listen to you and won't accept your authority – admit that you can't win and ask for help or you will risk being continually dragged down and be tarred with the brush of failure.
10. Leave your bad habits and your personal life firmly at home … don't let yourself down by continually sniffing, coughing and spluttering, chewing your food with your mouth open, swearing, belching … all this says about you is that you are uncouth and ill mannered ... and as for your personal life it has nothing to do with work, your colleagues aren't interested in hearing every last detail about your love life, your kids' tantrums, your debts. Save all of this and your mobile for your social circle – enough said ?

If you are seeking a new job then for goodness sake don't tell fibs to cover for the days you take off for interviews. Pulling sickies is very bad form as is pretending to attend funerals, visit desperately ill relatives etc.. Simply ask for the time off as part of your holiday entitlement or take it unpaid – to do otherwise is dishonest in the extreme and will only show you in the worst possible light...

Get Ahead

Never, ever leave any job on bad terms if you can help it. Sooner or later you'll need references and the chances are if you stay in this incestuous sector you will run into your former bosses or colleagues in the future (they may even be the ones to determine or influence whether you get a certain job or not). Best all round to act professionally and give your very best right up until the day you leave whatever the circumstances.
Anon, London

Make a name for yourself for all the right reasons. Volunteer for extra tasks during busy periods when you know you are able to be of immediate help but be sure never to promise what you can't deliver. Rise head and shoulders above the jobsworths and the clockwatchers simply by showing how resourceful you can be and how prepared you are to go the extra mile when it is needed of you.
Mike T, Beds

Many people are content with their lot and don't share your ambitions to climb the corporate ladder. That's fine, it means more opportunities for you but don't dismiss the value of steady support staff when it comes to their providing you with information that will help you to do a better job.
Katie M, Manchester

Study out of hours. Hit the web, buy business books, teach yourself what you think you need to know. Read the trades and business sections of the quality dailies. Bone up on technical and "insider" terms, find out about competitive businesses, absorb every bit of information you can get your hands on. If you invest in yourself you can be sure as eggs is eggs that others will want to invest in you. Anon, Wilts

Loyalty. Your first loyalty will always be to yourself and your family. Beyond that, in the workplace, you are selling your time and skills and should never sell yourself short or under deliver to your customer (your employer). You should always show that your loyalty is with your employer and that you are capable of ignoring and rising above the usual, ordinarily petty, bickering and gossip that lesser individuals who are going nowhere, unless fired, engage in.
Marion, Bristol

Never expect that everyone at work will want to be your friend or plan on trying to be friends with everyone. Settle for being an OK colleague and someone reliable who can be trusted, and earn their respect instead. That way if you do get promoted you won't find your authority undermined by past over-familiarity or inappropriate shared confidences. If you act like a manager from the start you are half way to becoming one.
Linda, Essex

Do your best to network with your counterparts from other departments in your company and from other businesses. Be sure to let your boss know that you are keen to learn and that you can be trusted to represent your business at appropriate industry exhibitions and meetings. Join a local business club or charitable group like Round Table, for example, that attracts other business people and be sure to maximise your value to it. The more influential people you can get to know, the more opportunities will come your way but don't expect instant results, you have to work at it.
Ben D, London

Be the person who can always turn in better than expected results whether you're left to make the best of a bad situation, chasing in overdue money, finding a more efficient way of doing a tiresome task, getting better terms from a supplier or finding those hidden nuggets in the customer database. Demonstrate your ability to find a profitable solution in everything you do.
John S, Birmingham

Sometimes you do get landed with a boss who steals the credit for everything. That goes with the territory when you are on your way up. Take it quietly as flattery until such time as you have built up enough "brownie points" with those around, above and below you, to declare your biggest achievements before the credit is stolen away.
Elaine, Cheshire

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