CV Advice

 

CV writing – insider tips!

There are two factors to consider when writing your CV:-

1. Will an employer get a good understanding of your experience level and all the skills you have to offer?
2. Will recruiters be able to find your CV and will the most pertinent information stand out?

Before you can apply for any job you need to ensure that recruiters are finding your CV amongst the other thousands on their database. You also need to ensure that when they do find your CV it is easy to read and it gives them a reason to call you. The following tips will ensure that you are gaining an advantage over the other candidates with similar skills to you.

Include a short, snappy paragraph with an overview of your career to date, your key skills, notable achievements and what your aims and objectives are for your next role.

Next, include a skills matrix which is well laid out and informs the reader of all of your technical skills, along with the length of commercial experience you have had with each technology. This will help recruiters quickly match your CV to the job specification. It will also ensure your CV is short-listed on the search engines which use keyword matching.

If you are early in your career and relatively inexperienced, list your education and achievements first, followed by your career achievements in chronological order starting with the most recent first.

If you are mid-level to experienced you should start with your previous work history, ensuring that you list the actual technologies you used in each company and what you actually did with them. Go into enough detail so that an employer understands your role and responsibilities (but not too much detail that they struggle to pick out the information that is important to their role).

Put your education at the end of the CV.

Interests and hobbies are always a contentious issue and opinions are divided. Some people will list their interests and hobbies, others won’t. Think about how they reflect your personality or if they demonstrate your strengths. If you play in a sports team it could show that you are a team player, if you have captained a sports team it can show that you have leadership qualities. These are good to include on a CV. You need to think carefully about including any weird and wacky interests and consider how somebody that doesn’t know you will view them!

Personal details such as age, marital status, children, religion, nationality etc have no bearing on whether you can do the job and should not be included.

Handing in your notice

Starting a new job is always exciting; however, the prospect of handing in your notice to your current employer can be daunting for some. Don’t worry, you are not alone - most people are understandably apprehensive. Changing jobs is stressful and not done lightly. A good deal of time and effort, along with a fair amount of soul-searching has gone into you making your decision to accept a new job. Remember this at all times.


Objectives

1. Notify your employer of your notice.
2. Confirm your leaving date.
3. Depart on good terms.
4. Keep us notified at every stage.

 
Your letter

Your notice should always be given in writing and you should keep a copy for your own personal records. The letter you write needs to convey only your intention to leave and the date you are leaving. There is absolutely no obligation to state your reasons, although many people add a goodwill tag. Always date your letter. Ask to see your manager/supervisor privately and give them your letter. If you are asked why you are leaving, 'time to move on' is quite sufficient if you don’t want to disclose any other reasons. You may want to add more, but above all avoid a confrontation. If all goes well, your boss will accept your resignation and wish you good luck.

 
Notice period

Your notice period will be stated in either your contract of employment or the original letter sent to you when offered the job. Remember, even if you are asked to stop coming into work before your notice period is up (and this is not uncommon), you will still be paid to the end of the period, so you won’t lose out.

 
Handling resistance

In most cases, managers will be disappointed at losing a member of staff, but will accept the situation graciously and begin to make arrangements for your leaving. It is likely that your boss will be disappointed at your leaving and this could make your predicament more uncomfortable, especially if you have a good relationship. So be prepared to stick to your guns. An employer may encourage you to stay by offering more responsibility, an increase in salary (remember this will cost considerably less than replacing you), a complete change of position, or the opportunity of further training. However, generally most people who give in and stay are invariably on the job market again in around three months' time - with even less chance of finding something they like.

 
Don't be bullied into submission

You looked for a new job in the first place because you were unhappy with your current position, and it has taken you handing in your notice for your boss to wake up to the facts and realise your worth. On the other hand, your new company has recognised your strengths straight away. At the end of the day, it's your life and your career - you must be selfish up to a point. Do not be persuaded to withdraw your notice to mull over things, this will only delay your start date, and will not impress your new employer.