CV's

[Norm]

When I last used the paper to advertise for a job, I got about 100 CVs. I sat down with a colleague to go through them, took about 80 from the top and just chucked them in the bin, telling her that "I don't employ unlucky people, and those have got to be really unlucky not to even be opened".

I guess that bad luck isn't a disability, though.

 

[Red Light]

When I last used the paper to advertise for a job, I got about 100 CVs. I sat down with a colleague to go through them, took about 80 from the top and just chucked them in the bin, telling her that "I don't employ unlucky people, and those have got to be really unlucky not to even be opened".

That's an old recruitment joke.

 

[Fletch456]

Agreed 100%. I have worked in the recruitment field for years, and if you use bad grammar, punctuation etc, like it or not, there are people who will throw it in the bin. CVs is the plural, CV's is the possessive.

My tip is try to limit it to 2 pages unless highly technical. Do not list every training course you did on how to program computers if you are now an IT director.

Use lots of white space, indent to emphasise. Save as PDF format when emailing, and use you own name in the file name (eg josephbloggscv.pdf).

Get a sensible email address. sassychick69@hotmail.com is less likely to work than debbiesmith@hotmail.com. Same applies for any "amusing" outgoing voicemail message you have. Bin it. Delete ALL facebook content that you would not like me to see (probably too late now!) and lock down your FB account 100% to the max privacy settings. I WILL Google you before you are invited in.

I can offer lots more but that is it for now

Jake Lock

Thanks Jay - I am job hunting at the moment and reviewing my CV and some useful tips in there that are a combination of those I am following and I will probably do from now on.

If you make time to post any further tips I will certainly read them with interest.

 

[swee'pea99]

At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious, googling 'how to do a good cv' and the like can be a worthwhile way to spend half an hour.

 

[jay clock]

re Facebook: I have heard about many recruiters doing this. Why?

because if it tells you that they spend every night downing Bacardi breezers at the local slappers nightclub and it conflicts with their story of helping change adult nappies down the old folks' home, then I find that informative. Try it.

 

[jay clock]

At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious, googling 'how to do a good cv' and the like can be a worthwhile way to spend half an hour.

Yes, but I tried it and the first link is this one http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm which does provide a lot of useful info (partic at the Uni leaver) but the second one is this one which I personally think is crap. http://www.seltekconsultants.co.uk/writeacv.htm - it says to mention marital status which is not relevant in my view, but does NOT mention to add an email address. It also says to add leisure interests and referees. Leisure interests you need to be careful with in my view (I see a lot who like reading and cinema [whoop-de-doo] and a lot who claim they spend lots of time doing sport but clearly do so with a bag of Krispy Kremes at hand). As for referees it will be ME who decides who to approach for a reference once I offer you a job, and with your permission, and it will be with your HR dept, not your Dad's friend who offers a "character reference".

 

[swee'pea99]

Well there you go - like I say, half an hour or so could be time well spent. You do of course have to use your own brain a little, to filter what you find. As with anything, googling will uncover a load of steaming crap. But used with discretion, it can certainly help.

 

[MacB]

I usually put that in a covering letter and keep the CV as purely factual - would you say this is wrong? (I have limited experience of such things)

not wrong, it's really my personal preference, I've found people tend to get too wordy in a covering letter, but I suppose that my top sheet is a covering letter equivalent. Just in the format - intro - why you love/are right for the job - bullet points supporting this - closing. Easy to read and, done well, will take the reader on to the rest.

They're all variations on a theme and will be susceptible to recipients personal preferences - but I've always avoided surplus bumph in work environments. Just to confuse you further I used to work with a guy that would skip any top sheet, or covering letter, and just look at qualifications and experience, to decide if the cover was worth reading. He used to say that he didn't want to read a letter from someone that seemed really nice only to find they didn't have a chance in hell.

 

[Norm]

That's an old recruitment joke.

It may well be, I don't claim originality.

The person I was with hadn't heard it and it was still a good way to start the process of reviewing 100 CVs.