Advice on CV
ADVICE ON CV
Clients generally make a judgment on a CV within seconds of review. Your CV is the only real tool you possess to secure that first interview. Flexibility; adjust your CV accordingly. When reviewing a job description make sure you appreciate what the organisation is seeking; be ready to adapt your profile to enhance your chances of securing that elusive interview. Below, you will find some hints and tips on profiling your work history and academic achievements.
SIMPLE STEPS
Personal Detail
State clearly your name, address and telephone numbers. Mention nationality and if a foreign national, state your working permit situation
Personal Profile
A hiring manager will browse through this quickly; state your strengths and key career achievements as well as highlighting your characteristics and motivations. Keep it simple.
Experience
Current position first! State job title, current employer, location and dates of engagement for each employer. Ensure you state the responsibilities of your position and most importantly, clearly convey what you achieved e.g. savings made for your employer, efficiency increase. Continuous employment is paramount; unexplained gaps on CV in terms of dates will rule you quickly out of the running. If you have had a career break, highlight it. If you were not in employment highlight it.
Education
List all qualifications in chronological order. State qualification name, which School /College / University where the qualification was attained. Highlight qualification and grades achieved. Honesty is always the best policy. If you have listed a qualification you didn’t achieve, it will come back to haunt you.
Work Related Courses
Use your judgment; if there are relevant courses you have undertaken which correspond with criteria listed on the job specification, clearly state them. If not, it will only serve as a distraction on your CV.
Interests
Keep it short; be honest as you never know when a client may ask about your outside interests.
Proof Check
Get a friend to read over your CV; get them to check for date, grammar and spelling mistakes before submitting.
Size
Keep your CV to two pages. If you have an extensive work history use bullet points instead of prose. If you wish to add to your CV specific detail relating to a job specification, write a separate synopsis.
Format
When Energy Ladder submits a candidate's CV to our clients, we generally remove your personal contact detail in the first instance. Our preferred working format to work with is MS Word.