Career Services from Measurability

There are many views on CV’s but my view on CV format and CV layout is simple –“keep it simple”. I have seen many CV’s over the year with bells and whistles and fancy frills but a clean well formatted CV wins hands down any day. I am sure you have heard the saying that magnolia sells houses – well simple format and layout will secure interviews. The clean CV will offend no one and it will make it easier for the hiring manager to find the information they need. Fancy Dan CV’s can offend and paint the wrong picture. The only time I advice jobseekers to throw caution to the wind is when their content is light and they need something to catch the employer’s eye.

I have outlined some basic points on CV format & CV layout below.

Font & Font Size – It is essential to use uniformed font and font size. CV’s with different font and font sizes look untidy and rushed. If you use Times New Roman then use it throughout. If you use font size 14 headers and font size 11 for main text then maintain this throughout the CV.

Clear Headers – Clear bold headers will make navigation easy. This will help the reader and improve your chances of securing interview.

Bullet points – Bullet points are powerful on a CV. Again they assist the reader and are pleasing on the eye

White space – Trying to get too much information on the page will not work. I often see jobseekers cramp information in a bid to reduce the length of the CV. I would prefer a longer CV which has ample white space than a cramped one page CV.

Measurability offers a nationwide CV writing service for all levels of jobseeker Graduate to Executive. We work with jobseekers from all industry sectors in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway & Limerick. If you would like more information about out CV service or career coaching and interview coaching visit our website or contact us.

I met with a client today to discuss job search strategies and interview preparation. During our discussion she produced a CV and a cover letter that she had paid a “Professional” to produce.

Ok it was not the worst CV I have ever seen but there were glaring mistakes. It made me think – hey you do a good job Paul BUT also you do not charge enough!!

Here are some of the mistakes ….

CV Mistakes

Career Objective – Employers do not care what you want. They only care about themselves and the simple fact can you solve their problem. Replace career objectives with value statements – this will focus on the employer and not you.

Small Font – I have good eyesight so when I have to squint to read the CV the font is too small. This professional sacrificed readability in the bid to make a one page CV. If the employer cannot read the CV then they cannot get the information.

Solicitor Language – Some professionals over complicate language. To be honest I did not understand the meaning of half of the words. Keep it simple!!

An last but not least the biggest mistake – The CV was designed with a “one CV fits all jobs” philosophy – This will not work and you will miss out on key interviews. A CV should be tweaked for every job you apply for. When I produce a CV I will educate the client about future applications and their CV.

Cover Letter Mistakes

The cover letter highlighted why I never read them. It was pure jibber. There were big words and sentences that tell you absolutely nothing about the individual. There was a one word used that I am afraid of writing just incase the creator reads this post. A cover letter is an opportunity to let you put your personality across – don’t waste the opportunity.

There are some great people out there who write CV’s for a living and there are some cowboys. Choosing a service provider is like anything else. Shop around BUT do not just focus on the lowest price. If you need help with your CV check out our site.

CV writing can make or break you job hunting efforts. Get it right and it will open the doors to many opportunities. Get it wrong and you will endure many frustrating months. Unfortunately the latter is true for many jobseekers. Some jobseekers don’t take the time and cut corners while others just don’t get CV’s. (Actually most jobseekers I meet don’t get the whole CV thing.)CV Help – CV writing tips for you.One CV for all jobs won’t work.
You cannot send the same CV to every job you apply for. This is lazy and you are cutting corners. Every job is different therefore your CV should be designed to suit the job. I know jobseekers who have sent the exact same CV for say a sales job and a customer service job. Crazy!!

CV writing – Identify what the employer wants
CV writing can be simple. Job specifications often have the answers as they are really the employer telling you what they want. You need to dissect the job spec and identify the key points and then show how you meet the requirement on your CV. Ensure you get all important information at the start of your CV as you cannot be sure that the employer will read to the end.

CV format – make an impact
Again the job spec will dictate this. For example if a role is asking for a Degree and you don’t have it then place your qualifications at the end of the CV. This will let you. If you place your qualifications at the beginning of the CV – go straight to the bin and don’t pass go. Another example – if it is a sports company you are applying for and you are passionate about sport – don’t make the employer read to the end of the CV to find this out.

CV writing can be quite simple when you understand how to do it. Learn the key principle and you can take this with you through your career. If you need help with your CV contact us for information about out CV WRITING SERVICE.

I regularly post articles on a few recruitment and job sites including www.eirjobs.com. This is a great site for those who want to keep up to date with the Irish job market. This is one of the previous articles I posted.

The internet is saturated with websites full of advice on CV design and content and everyone seems to be an expert in this area including family and friends. In principle much of this information and advice may be relevant to help create a killer CV and sell yourself effectively but the key issue that seems to be overlooked time and time again is that your CV is not actually about you. Think I’m mad – read on.

Is a CV really about you?

Yes your CV will contain information about you under the headings of personal details, value statements, education & training, work history and hobbies but exactly what information should be determined by the job specification and the employer requirements and not by what you want to write. When you understand and embrace this point your CV to interview ratio will increase dramatically.

CV Writing – See yourself as a product or service.

Another way to consider this is to imagine you are a product or service that you are trying to sell to a potential customer. Any good salesperson will tell you that the initial focus in any sale is to identify the needs of the customer. The client has posted a job specification telling you their needs so this has already made your job easier. Most jobseekers choose to ignore this valuable information and instead write everything they can about themselves thus offering information that is irrelevant to the potential employer. These CV’s lack focus or more importantly client focus. If this is what you are doing your sales pitch is providing information on features of your product or service that doesn’t interest the client.

Many jobseekers have one CV which they submit to every interesting job. If a salesperson offered the same sales pitch to every client they would not be very successful. Your CV should be altered for every position you apply for because in reality every client has different needs. This can range from a few tweaks to your CV to a major overhaul if for example you are applying for totally different skill-sets or roles.

CV Writing – 30 seconds to make an impact.

Most jobseekers have heard that many employers will make a decision within the first few minutes of an interview. Well most employers will make a decision to call you for interview within the first 30 seconds of reading your CV. It is important to tell a client early in your CV that you can solve their problems. Make an immediate impact and secure the chance to secure an interview to hammer home why you are the right person for the job.

Need CV help or advice – contact us.

I spent last Friday sending out canvass emails to attract new clients. Although I used the spell check on my email I did not proof read before hitting send. The result was that I used the words “HR professional” in the email when it should have read “HR professionals”. Shortly after sending my email I received a reply complaining about my grammar and spelling.

The reply read as follows; Hi Paul, I cannot say that you impressed me with this mail. Your spelling leaves a lot to be desired. Sorry for any offense but if you’re selling a service in your mail should be perfect.

I must say I did have a smile when I read this reply and I thought it was nice that Mr Kettle finally made contact with Mr Pot. For the observant you will notice the American spelling “offense” and that the final sentence does not make much sense. I suppose there are a few points to make.

First point is that it is likely that you will find spelling and grammar mistakes in my blog. Please point them out but make sure to do this with proper spelling and grammar.

CV Writing – Spelling & Grammar mistakes.

A more important point is that I lost a potential customer through my error even though I did try a charm offensive. As with job hunting poor grammar and spelling can cost potential interviews. I have viewed many CV’s in my time with poor spelling and grammar. It is essential to get this right before sending your CV to a potential employer or even an agency.

I agree that there are hiring managers out there who will accept basic mistakes (after all most accept basic lies on CV’s). This aside you should not leave it to chance. I recently worked with a client who was rejected for an internal promotion because of a spelling error on his CV. By all means use the available spell checker on word but bear in mind that this may not pick up all of the potential mistakes. I recommend that you proof read your CV and that you get a third party to proof read it.

If you have poor spelling and grammar then get a friend or family member to assist with writing your CV. Alternatively you can seek professional help or a professional CV service. It is important to develop a client focused CV with optimum layout and format. This effort can be vain if a simple mistake costs you the intervew. Remember you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.