What do employers expect to see on a CV these days?

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MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
My most recent version is from 2013 and includes my full employment/education history going back to 1980... which reveals my age.

I'm thinking of just using my recent employment history, eg. this century which will reveal that I'm over 40 but not that I'm closer to 60 than 50.

What do you think?
 

Drago

Legendary Member
I've got no idea. My work experience is shooting at people or hitting them with a stick. Never had a CV in my life, so it'll be interesting to see others experience of them.
 
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Gunk

Guru
Location
Oxford
My most recent version is from 2013 and includes my full employment/education history going back to 1980... which reveals my age.

I'm thinking of just using my recent employment history, eg. this century which will reveal that I'm over 40 but not that I'm closer to 60 than 50.

What do you think?

Try and keep to one page, don‘t over embellish. Plenty of templates on line to lay it out professionally
 

Emanresu

I asked AI to show the 'real' me.
The main pitfall is not reading the job specification. If you are unemployed you're supposed to be applying for jobs full time. This means that employers are swamped with mass produced CV's which are not relevant to the role. So the answer is - there is no right answer.

Read the spec and produce a tailored CV that answers the questions posed and how your skills you've picked up in your life can help the employer achieve their aims. And the older you are, the more skills you can bring to the party, and the advantage you have over the youngsters.

They call it 'onboarding' now!!

Good luck.
 
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All uphill

Still rolling along
Location
Somerset
Our son just landed his dream job competing against a lot of other candidates.

He says he did thee things at CV stage:

1 Use his network to find someone in the organisation who would meet for an informal chat about the culture.
2 From the person spec. and job description make a list of everything that the employer wants.
3 Write his CV to demonstrate, from his experience, each of the things the employer wants.

The process took him hours, but he got the interview and the job. Much better than showering employers with standard CVs that don't fit.
 

markemark

Über Member
I tend to look for the last couple of jobs. Points that would need clarifying are high turnover of jobs and gaps.

Not interested in the part time jobs you got a decade ago, nor what gcse or A levels you got 20 years ago unless role specific.

Appreciate a cover letter that shows the candidate has done even the bare minimum of finding out about the organisation and the role.

Poor grammar or spelling is a big red flag.
 
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SpokeyDokey

68, & my GP says I will officially be old at 70!
Moderator
Our son just landed his dream job competing against a lot of other candidates.

He says he did thee things at CV stage:

1 Use his network to find someone in the organisation who would meet for an informal chat about the culture.
2 From the person spec. and job description make a list of everything that the employer wants.
3 Write his CV to demonstrate, from his experience, each of the things the employer wants.

The process took him hours, but he got the interview and the job. Much better than showering employers with standard CVs that don't fit.

Very similar to the recent experience of my daughter.

A one page CV targeted at the detailed job role advertised was submitted for her 'dream job'.

Written in a less formal style than my dinosaur brain was used to back in the day, it secured a telephone interview which narrowed the pack down to 55 applicants. A further telephone screen narrowed it down to 11 for face to face interviews.

She got the job (she deserved it tbh) - her feedback was that she was 'on point' with her CV, had carried out terrific research on the employing company, that she understood the global context of the business, and had also produced a killer business plan for the job role.

It all took a lot of effort and time but was worth it - secured a significant increase in salary and other benefits for her.

The 'onboarding' process (as mentioned in a previous post) as it is now called, has changed significantly since I were a lad.

Employers not only expect relevant qualifications and experience for the role applied for, but also want evidence of a deep understanding of the company, company culture and the job role all within the context of the 'new' social mores that dominate today's world of employment specifically internal/external customer engagement, collaborative non-hierachial team working and with an emphasis on the deeper cultural shifts re major global issues.

That's my 'take' after a long dad/daughter 'debrief'. I guess the depth of probing will depend on the actual role applied for but some of the questioning seemed very left-field to me. But, as I said, I am now a dinosaur!

To anyone applying for a job I suggest joining LinkedIn and becoming acquainted with the (new to me) employment landscape.

Hope this helps.
 
Our son just landed his dream job competing against a lot of other candidates.

He says he did thee things at CV stage:

1 Use his network to find someone in the organisation who would meet for an informal chat about the culture.
2 From the person spec. and job description make a list of everything that the employer wants.
3 Write his CV to demonstrate, from his experience, each of the things the employer wants.

The process took him hours, but he got the interview and the job. Much better than showering employers with standard CVs that don't fit.
From someone who’s been a recruiting manager for nearly two decades point 2 on this list is by far the most important step and someone most applicants overlook.

There isn’t a one size fits all CV or application form as unless you are applying for numerous identical positions. It should be tailored to the job in question.
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
@MontyVeda are you applying for a job in another retail company, or is it a different industry you are aiming for?
I was in a similar predicament to yours after the pandemic, having to find a job at 58 - had lost my job in the hospitality industry.
It wasn't easy.
Give us some details, I'll tell you how I went about it.
 

lazybloke

Today i follow the flying spaghetti monster
Location
Leafy Surrey
I'll just echo that it's essential to have a good, clear and up-to-date CV that clearly summarises your experience AND skills, plus a detailed covering letter giving examples of how you used/demonstrating these skills.

The more effort i put into tailoring these to each application, the warmer the response. (I started my dream job last month).


Age... I did O Levels, so by listing these on my CV it's pretty clear i'm at least in my 50s. You can turn age into an advantage by having a longer CV to show all your awesome experience, and stand out against youngies who don't.
 
OP
OP
MontyVeda

MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
@MontyVeda are you applying for a job in another retail company, or is it a different industry you are aiming for?
...

I'm looking for a job to see me through the next 12 years to retirement that won't break me in the meantime. There's a lot of lifting and humping in retail... which is OK for now but when I'm sixty-two it will be an issue. It'll also be a lot harder to sidestep into something different when I'm five or seven years from retiring... so now is the time, I reckon.
 

Jameshow

Veteran
Do you have any friends / family who are in higher paid jobs chances are they have recruited and will be more than capable of giving you some points re CV and interview. Talking over the job spec and then answering the questions asked will give you a head start.

Also be ready for a curved ball, ie.... If you were a supermarket product what would it be and what does it show about your personality.


Or what do you think about this current news item?
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
I'm looking for a job to see me through the next 12 years to retirement that won't break me in the meantime. There's a lot of lifting and humping in retail... which is OK for now but when I'm sixty-two it will be an issue. It'll also be a lot harder to sidestep into something different when I'm five or seven years from retiring... so now is the time, I reckon.
Got you: I turned 62 today, thinking similar to you.
On the by, a did a few years in Asda many moons ago, but I prefer catering to retail.
Twice already I thought I had my perfect "retirement job" in hospitality, both times it went to pots.
The first time in 2019, when a change of management meant new management actively annoyed those old school (I had been in that job for 12 years) but meantime I had found a great job in a local cafe, training young ones with learning challenges.
That went to pots with lockdown, I was made redundant at 58.
Both those jobs were quite physical but could have been scaled down.
Trying to find a job at 58 in the catering industry was difficult: nowadays you need to do an online attitude test, I mostly failed them, even though I was (am) fully trained on the big chains coffee shops.
Same for retail, for years, alongside my main job, I had a wee 4 hours a week job with the CO-OP as community engagement officer.
When I went to do their attitude test for shop floor staff vacancies I failed!
The only employers that still wanted a cv were small independents, I wasn't getting any interviews.
So I changed emails, lied on my CV so that it looked like I was in my 20's, bang, got interviews but of course no job, too old.
Anyhow, I did apply for a gazillion jobs, did a brief stint working from home for a call centre between lockdowns, hated every minute of it, office work is just not me, which I new anyway.
Months after applying, the NHS offered me an interview for a cleaning job, I had forgotten I applied.
I got the job, I was lucky at my age.
I remember they did not want a CV, it was their online form you had to fill.
Most forms I needed to fill only wanted to know about your last 3 years employment.
If a CV is needed, as said previously, keep it short.
For what you are planning, I suggest 2 pathways:
1) the third sector: manager of a charity shop, a food bank, some paid position in a non profit retail.
If the salary is not enough, supplement with back shifts in your present job or similar till you are ready to scale down.
2) Civil service jobs: anything to do with tax office, job centre, other government jobs.
They don't discriminate on age, I personally know 2 folks my age that have been recently employed in the civil service. Some of those positions, as incentive, put £5,000 extra a year in your pension pot.
The online forms are abysmally long winded, but it's worth giving it a bash.
Expect to wait months for feedback ^_^

I would not wast my time applying for other positions in retail, I know managers humph cages in Aldi/Asda/Tesco, work long hours, no point.
Register and keep an eye on the NHS job site and on Indeed, surf daily, get job alerts.
I had a colleague doing cleaning backshift for years, because of family commitments, when family grew up she did a short admin course at college while still working, now she switched to an admin job in the same hospital - that was her retirement plan.
If a contract is offered for, say, only 20 hours a week, still go for it, the latest fashion is to offer small contracts but when you're in you can get overtime 24/7.
The benefits to work for the public sector when you're older are many: paid sick leave, more holidays, weekend/public holidays extra pay.
Imo, forget about a CV, start filling those online forms!
Good luck, if you need more info PM me.

Ah, forgot: my next "retirement job" plan is now to stay where I am for at least another year, because I'm earning good, it's still quite physical though.
I'm aiming to switch to the local health centre, walking distance, when I can't face cycling to work in all weathers at 7am anymore ^_^
 
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