Your CV is a very valuable document and is often your principal marketing tool. A good CV should give you the opportunity to embark on that next step in your career, gain a better position, offer new challenges, etc.

Your CV will create that all-important favourable first impression and therefore has to represent the best you have to offer. Failure will result on missing that opportunity that was made just for you. Presentation

Employers are often inundated with CV’s for their vacancies, particularly if you are responding to a nation-wide advertisement. Presentation is an early selection criterion which you cannot afford to fail. The average time spent reading a CV is two minutes, therefore your CV should:

• Always be typed, on good quality A4 sized paper.
• Be of no more than two pages in length.
• Unless you have a good reason, avoid over-colourful stationary.
• If you can’t type yourself it is a worthwhile investment to have your CV professionally produced.
• Always send an original and not a photocopy; otherwise it may look like you have been sending your CV to lots of companies.
• Make sure your CV creates the sort of image you want portrayed. It should illustrate clearly your skills, capabilities and achievements.

Targeting Your CV

Your CV should be tailored to suit the particular needs of your potential employer, highlighting your most relevant experience and achievements. A covering letter will enable you to target your application, and show your interest.

Covering letters should:

• Be addressed personally
• Have the correct job title
• Contain the name of the contact/interviewer

General Layout

There is no one way to write your CV. The most important point to remember is your CV should be a flexible document, in which you should be able to tailor it to suit the position you are applying for. The following gives guidelines, which will keep your CV clear and concise.

Personal Details

Name, address, telephone numbers (home, business, mobile), date of birth and if it’s relevant to the job whether you have a current driving licence.

Education, Training & Qualifications

Always start with the highest level of qualification obtained. List the establishment, the dates attended and results achieved, including grades. You should also list details of any courses attend in regard to your career development, stating whether they were internal or external.

Personal Statement

This should highlight your overall experience, achievements and responsibilities with a maximum of 5 lines. E.g. I am a qualified Social Worker with over 5 years experience in …

Employment History

List your career development in reverse chronological order beginning with your most recent/current employer first State the name and nature of the business, alongside the dates of employment, and job title. Bullet point up to a maximum of 8 responsibilities. E.g. Carried a caseload of …

Avoid leaving gaps in your employment history. If you have taken a career break, for example to raise a family, travel, then say so.

Additional Information

Use this as an opportunity to express something of your personality,still keeping it brief and factual. Show any interests or hobbies that may underline qualities that will help you in the role you are applying. E.g. Participation in sports could highlight that you are able to a team or your competitive nature.

Always read through your CV carefully, checking for grammar, spelling and sense. It is always a good idea to get someone else to read it through. They may notice something that you have missed.

Remember to keep your CV – WELL PRESENTED, FACTUAL AND CONCISE

Interview Techniques

The interview is the single most important obstacle to overcome in achieving job offers. The best place to start improving your interview skills is with the important issue of preparation. The best place to start improving your interview skills is with the important issue of preparation.

Interview Preparation

Good preparation is crucial – the best prepared candidate invariably gets the job. This is why:

Preparation is evidence of professionalism, and interest in the company, but above all, it is indicative of the way a candidate is likely to work. If someone doesn’t prepare properly for an interview which may have an impact on their entire career, what kind of an employee are they likely to be? Preparation is vital. So what do we mean by preparation?

First we mean research, gathering as much information as possible. You need to:

• Visit the company’s website
• Review the job spec and seek as much information about the role as possible.

Having done your research, use it to develop questions and points of view, which will both help you gather key information at interview as well as impressing. Also, plan answers to questions they are likely to ask.

The final stage of preparation is rehearsal. Practice at presenting yourself. The best way to do this is to arrange a mock interview with your recruitment consultancy or another trained interviewer.

Preparation done, it’s now time for the real thing.

Interviews

Here is a brief summary of some key points to help you at interview:

1. Interviews are unlike the CV filtering stage in that people will be looking for your positive points rather than reasons to reject you. Most interviewers want to be impressed with the people they are interviewing. Be confident. Believe in yourself.
2. First impressions are crucial. Most interviewers make a decision within minutes of meeting someone. Here’s a checklist to help those opening minutes go well:
   • Be on time
   • Be polite to the receptionists and support staff – they can be very influential
   • Dress smartly and professionally
   • Smile and give a confident handshake
   • Politely thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you
   • Have an easy topic of non-work conversation ready as an ice breaker
   • If they don’t take the initiative immediately, open the conversation
   • Listen as well as talk
   • Be friendly and appear enthused
3. When the interview gets under way, let the interviewer lead. They may well have a series of topics they need to cover and a set time limit, so let them control the conversation.
4. Be mindful of the questions the interviewer is trying to answer and help give them the answers. Remember, the most important question is always “Would I like to work with this person?”
5. Ask good questions which demonstrate you have done your research and thought about it.
6. When answering questions, don’t be afraid of taking a moment to think before plunging in.
7. If asked for your strengths and weaknesses, start with your strengths, and only offer only one weakness