CV and Resume Writing Tips Part 5

Hope you are all having a good holiday weekend and enjoying good weather.
It's gone crazy here in the UK - 90 in London on Friday and yesterday it was back to winter.

Regardless of the temperature, if you've just graduated, you've got to keep up the momentum as you look for your first job. Here is another tip to help with your CV.

Use bullets

Remember, you have only 20-30 seconds to make
that first impression.

Which do you find easier to read?

Employment History

Ace Marketing Secretary 1999-present
Taking shorthand and typing correspondence for MD. Keeping diary and
arranging travel for MD and assistant director. Organizing annual conference.
Setting up and maintaining database.

Employment History

Ace Marketing Secretary 1999-present

• Shorthand and typing for MD
• Designing and maintaining office database
• Keeping diary up to date for MD
• Arranging international travel for MD and assistant
• Organising annual conference
  
  
  Same information, different layout.
  Avoid long sentences, which are difficult to scan.
  Bullets will make the important information stand out.
  
  
  If you need help with writing your CV, cover letter, or supporting statement,
  you can check out my ebook “9 Steps to a Successful CV”
  at www.ukjobapplicationforms.com
  or
  I can work with you individually by email and phone
  for further details, contact me at waller@coolercareers.com
  
  best wishes
  
  Waller
  
  

CV and Resume Writing Tips Part 4

Use the Best Format for the Job!

Traditionally, CVs were written in
reverse chronological order.

This format is still useful if you
have had few jobs, with no gaps and
your work history shows steady progression.

Nowadays, many jobs are short-term contracts
and people often move to completely different
fields, go back to college or return to work after
raising a family.

In other words, their work history is interspersed
with periods of study, unemployment or childcare.

If your background fits one of these situations, the
functional CV could be best.

A functional CV concentrates on your skills and
achievements, listing these early in the CV, with
a summary of work history and education at the end.
You’ll have headings for general skills, like

Communication Skills
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3


Teamwork Skills
· Example 1
· Example 2
· Example 3

A targeted CV is similar in style to the functional CV
ie has the same headings, but is focused on the specific skills
needed for a particular job.

I hope you are finding this series useful.

If you need help with writing your CV or cover letter,
check out my ebook at www.ukjobapplicationforms.com

or I can work with you individually by email and phone
for further details, contact me at waller@coolercareers.com

More tomorrow,

best wishes

Waller

CV and Resume Writing Tips Part 3

Welcome back. Time for some more tips!

Be Bold!

Use either bold or capitals for your headings.

Resumes must be easy to read and therefore you should
avoid gimmicks.

This means no fancy fonts, no boxes and no colour.

No italic or underlining.

Being bold also means highlighting your
achievements and skills.

Don’t be shy, if you:

won a prize
increased sales
designed an innovative course
created a website
were nominated employee of the year

say so!

I hope you are finding this series useful.

If you need help with writing your CV or cover letter,
you can check out my ebook “9 Steps to a Successful Resume”
at www.ukjobapplicationforms.com

or I can work with you individually by email and phone
for further details, contact me at waller@coolercareers.com

best wishes

Waller

CV and Resume Writing Tips Part 2

Welcome back and here are some more tips to help you create a really effective CV or resume.

A CV should be easy to read. In the first round of the the selection process, the employer will look
at your CV for approximately 20 seconds. Yes, that' s all the time you have to make a good impression!
So it's imperative that your CV is very easy to read.

That means you must pay attention to the following!

Paper:

good quality white paper
standard - size A4 in the UK
always send a top copy, never a photocopy.

Length:

two pages for most CVs
one page for school leavers
longer only for academic CVs or
very senior posts

Consistent layout :

double check your margins and tabs
to make sure everything is lined up properly

Consistent font :

choose one font and stick to it throughout

Consistent headings:

use the same format for all your headings

More tomorrow!


I hope you are finding this series useful.

If you need help with writing your CV or cover letter,
you can check out my ebook “9 Steps to a Successful CV”
at www.ukjobapplicationforms.com

or I can work with you individually by email and phone
for further details, contact me at waller@coolercareers.com

best wishes

Waller

CV and Resume Writing Tips Part 1

Target

Whatever job or course you are applying for, you should always
target your resume or application to the position for which
you are applying.

When employers are scanning a batch of CVs - and remember they
may have to look at several hundred - they will spend 20-30 seconds
on each!

That means that you have 20-30 seconds to make an impression!

So, if you are applying for a job as a secretary, does the employer
want to know that you worked for 3 years in a factory? No!

Does the employer want to know that you are an accomplished dressmaker? No!

Does the employer want to know that you got an A in Art? No!

Does he or she want to know that you can type 65 wpm? Yes!

Does he or she want to know that you can take shorthand at 120 wpm. Yes!

Does he or she want to know that you are proficient in Microsoft Office? Yes!

Get the picture?

Whatever the employer wants, comes first!

The rest can still be included - it shows something of your personality and people are interested in what you do outside work - it just isn't a priority!

I hope you are finding this series useful.

If you need help with writing your CV and cover letter, or filling in a Job
Application Form (UK), check out my ebook “9 Steps to CV Success”

at www.ukjobapplicationforms.com

To see details of the contents go to: www.ukjobapplicationforms.com/contents.htm


Waller

Tips for CV and Resume Writing

As the end of the academic year approaches, exam panic is over, only to be replaced by the panic created by the need to find a job. If you aren't one of those mega-organised students who had next year's job sorted out by Easter, the first thing you need to do is get your CV or Resume (depending on which side of the Atlantic you live on) updated and out there in front of prospective employers.

Over the next week, I'll be writing a series of tips which will help you create a CV or resume that stands out from the rest.

The first step is to gather all the information you need. So get all your exam certificates out to check dates and grades, and make a list of all the jobs you've ever had. This includes summer jobs, part-time work you did to support yourself during termtime and any voluntary work you've ever done. Also list any achievements - competitions you won, sporting achievements, academic prizes. Don't forget any clubs and associations you belong to at university, especially if you played a part in running the club, writing a newsletter or organising events.

Decide who you will ask for references and be sure to ask them if they are happy to oblige. This isn't usually necessary if you are just leaving college, as your tutor will expect to provide a reference. However, if you are asking someone for whom you have worked, especially if you are no longer doing the job, it's a good idea to ask.

That's it for today. The series of tips starts tomorrow.

Waller

Applying for Jobs Online

As technology becomes more and more advanced, so too does the process of applying for jobs. These days, many companies use various forms of online application. It's important to remember that many of the same rules used for offline applications must be followed. Just because it's an email application doesn't mean you can use text language and ignore grammar.

However, there are a few things you need to be aware of before you start filling in online forms or creating scannable CVs. Check out my free report on applying for jobs online. You can download it at www.coolercareers.com .

As finals are under way and the end of life at university looms for many, not all of those about to graduate have a job lined up. If you're in the UK, you'll need an up-to-date CV and you'll also need to know how to fill in an application form, especially that big white space with "supporting statement" or "more information" at the top! This can be a frightening prospect, but there is a simple formula which will put you ahead of most applicants and which can be adapted to suit just about any graduate level form. For more information go to www.ukjobapplicationforms.com. I'm offering a special deal, in the form of ongoing email support, but this won't be available indefinitely.

Good luck with the exams!