Writing an Effective CV

1. Writing an Effective CV Careers Service

2. Session aims • Understand the purpose of a CV • How to identify the key skills required for a job • How to format your CV • What you need to include • How to demonstrate your skills

3. Beneficial to think like a recruiter

4. How employers recruit • Write a job advertisement (often with person specification) • Set interview date • Advertise the position • Review the applications – cv/covering letter or application form • Select the best candidates based on the paper applications

5. Sifting applications • Has the candidate applied correctly • Scan read looking for key words matching the job criteria • Try to look for the best match • Annoyed by poor layout, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors

6. Employers look for … A CV that: • Clearly demonstrates your have the key skills, qualities and experiences required for the job • Is easy to read and looks professional

7. Put yourself in their shoes • They might have lots of CVs to look at… • and the first pass of your CV might be only a few seconds… • …so your CV must beeasy to scan

8. Key points in CV writing There is no one ‘right’ way of writing a CV. Unique summaries of personal experiences Must be tailored to a particular vacancy or organisation

9. Identify what are the requirements for the job • Personal qualities • Skills/related competencies • Knowledge • Experience

10. Write down examples to use as evidence to show how you meet the requirements of the job • Use a variety of relevant examples - education, work experience, voluntary work, interests

11. CV format • What your CV looks like can be as important as what is in your CV

12. How to format the information • Reverse chronological CV – list your education and work experience starting with the most recent first • Skills-based CV – arrange your key skills under headings such as ‘communication’ • Academic CV – contains details of interest to academic employers • Alternative CV – used if you want a fresh approach

13. Make your CV concise • Use consistent and proper punctuation, abbreviations and formatting • Run a spell check, proofread • Do not put ‘CV’ or ‘Curriculum Vitae’ • Typical student or new graduate CV two pages if A4

14. CV Content Your personal details (name, address, telephone, email, blog, LinkedIn profile etc.) Career objective/Personal profile(optional) A skills section designed to highlight your strengths Your education experience, including qualifications

15. Your record of employment - who you have worked for and what you have achieved (this will normally be in reverse chronological order - most recent first) • Other achievements or information relevant to the position • Interests • Information on sources of references

16. Prove your skills • Back up your claims with examples • Use examples of how you have developed those skills from your studies, work experience and interests/social activities • Think about your transferable skills

17. STAR technique • Situation – what was the situation you were in? • Task – what did you have to accomplish? • Action – what action did you take to do this? • Result – what were the results of your actions?

18. Target your CV • Read the job description/person specification • Identify what the organisation is looking for • Provide evidence of your suitability against these criteria • Emphasise this relevant knowledge and experience in each section • Consider whether you need to reorder or add or subtract information to match the requirements of the advert.

19. Use persuasive language • Help employers find what they want by using direct, positive and appropriate language. • ‘I feel that I am a good communicator’ What impression does this give an employer?

20. Use language effectively • Use an active verb e.g. organised/delivered • ‘Talked to clients’ – ‘established effective working relationships’ • ‘Helped produce a leaflet’ – ‘researched, designed and produced targeted handout’ • Identify the ‘buzz’ words and incorporate them into your answers

21. Mistakes !! • My interests include cooking dogs and interesting people. • I was responsible for dissatisfied customers. • While working in this role, I had intercourse with a varietyof people.

22. In my spare time, I enjoy hiding my horse • I am involved in a wide range of extra circular activities • I hope to hear from you shorty. • I am a conscious individual • I am experienced in teaching marital arts • Instrumental in ruining an entire operation for a large supermarket chain • My job involved severing customers

23. Useful Links - Competencies • www.aber.ac.uk/careers/whatempswant • www.aber.ac.uk/careers/subjectdo • www.aber.ac.uk/careers/skills • www.prospects.ac.uk • www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/learning/employability/disciplines

24. Worries you may have • Gaps in your CV • Health problems • Exam grade issues • Incomplete courses • Lack of employment experience • Disability

25. Check List • Does my CV demonstrate the required skills and experiences ? • Do I identify my key skills, qualities and achievements? • Is my CV: clear, concise, complete – cover education, jobs, work experience, IT skills, languages, interests and references, consistent – fonts and format, current – up to date • Is this what the employer wants?

26. An effective CV will get you an interview • Always turn negatives into positives • Be truthful! • Create the right impression of yourself

27. Useful Links - CVs • www.aber.ac.uk/careers/cvs • www.aber.ac.uk/careers/covlet

28. Covering letters The purpose of the letter is: • to make sure that your application is seen by the relevant person • to draw attention to key points on your CV • to highlight your suitability for the job • www.aber.ac.uk/careers/covlet

29. Make sure your covering letter does… • Explain why you are attracted to this type of work and this particular job • Why you are a suitable candidate – highlight any relevant qualifications, experiences and skills • Why you are attracted to this particular organisation

30. How Careers can help you • One to one sessions, bookable and drop in(career choice, CVs, applications etc) • Information • Workshops and employer visits • Work experience (GO Wales, YES) • Jobs/Events database www.aber.ac.uk/careers/casjobs • See www.aber.ac.uk/careers for details or follow us at www.facebook.com/abercareers

31. Where to find us! Your Careers Service site Careers Service –Student Union