CV Help!

anniem

Hi Guys

I need help to update my CV which has simply been re-edited on an ad hoc basis for the past 20 odd years!

I'm a bit out of touch, as I've been working with hubby for 10 years - he's been 'trying' to manage me but half the time it's the other way around! I've decided that we spend too much time at home talking about work, plus I want to do more once I become MAAT, hopefully August.

Any advice gratefully appreciated, especially as I've just seen an ad in the paper and I need to get an application letter and CV posted pdq.

Thanks

Anna

Marga

anniem wrote: »

Hi Guys

I need help to update my CV which has simply been re-edited on an ad hoc basis for the past 20 odd years!

I'm a bit out of touch, as I've been working with hubby for 10 years - he's been 'trying' to manage me but half the time it's the other way around! I've decided that we spend too much time at home talking about work, plus I want to do more once I become MAAT, hopefully August.

Any advice gratefully appreciated, especially as I've just seen an ad in the paper and I need to get an application letter and CV posted pdq.

Thanks

Anna

Hi Anna

I recently updated my CV to apply for a job.

I was told that usually the start of the CV has your personal details like a header tab: Name address, phone number and email address

Then i was told that you need to write a brief paragraph of what summarises your career in the lines of "Financial Accountant with gained experience in the retail sector/it sector with excellent communication skills. Excellent team player with good attention to detail to ensure customer satisfaction. Highly literate in Microsoft packages with broaden background in IT"

Then list your qualifications with the name of the courses/education taken, the place/body that awarded you the qualification, the country/city and the years you achieved this

Then all your "not qualified" skills and languages you have for example Microsoft Outlook, Programming languages you know, any reporting tools you use or know, anything that you feel confident doing and although you dont have a qualification you are very good at it.

Then it comes your experience. Keep it tidy and to the point. I always have at least 5 different cvs where the above is always the same but the Work experience changes depending the job i am applying for. This determines what part of my working history i want to emphasise depending on the role/job description and candidate profile that is needed.

If for example i would be applying for a teaching position although i have been now three years out of the game i would emphasise the fact that sometimes i have had to deal with several accounts at the same time and different customers needs this matches with dealing with a full class of students with different educational needs


I hope the above is helpful


Also i have been told to try to keep CV's to a max of 3 pages

burg

Marga wrote: »

Also i have been told to try to keep CV's to a max of 3 pages

I generally keep mine to 1 page!

When I get CV's sent to me I very rarely read past the first page. If I do it's a quick flick.

I personally think the accompanying letter tells you quite a lot. Confidence, manners, personality, articulation with words.

Make sure you have a clear set up. Don't overfill the page so it looks too daunting to read but on the other hand don't leave so much white space that it looks like you can't fill it.

Keep details of jobs with limited relevant experience to a minimum. Concentrate on the skills relevant to the job applied for. Make little tweaks to relate to the specific job applied for.

Try and display your character.

Maybe try something a little different that might get you noticed and make the potential want to meet you.

At the end of the day it is a sales brochure of you so make it as personal as you feel comfortable with.

Best of luck

anniem

Thank you both, some very useful hints and tips. It's quite hard to summarise 20 odd years into one or two pages!

Will keep working on it.

A x

Marga

burg wrote: »

I generally keep mine to 1 page!

When I get CV's sent to me I very rarely read past the first page. If I do it's a quick flick.

I personally think the accompanying letter tells you quite a lot. Confidence, manners, personality, articulation with words.

Make sure you have a clear set up. Don't overfill the page so it looks too daunting to read but on the other hand don't leave so much white space that it looks like you can't fill it.

Keep details of jobs with limited relevant experience to a minimum. Concentrate on the skills relevant to the job applied for. Make little tweaks to relate to the specific job applied for.

Try and display your character.

Maybe try something a little different that might get you noticed and make the potential want to meet you.

At the end of the day it is a sales brochure of you so make it as personal as you feel comfortable with.

Best of luck

hi Burg

yes of course!!! the covering letter!!! that is a MUST

I always start like saying why i want to apply for the job (usually two or three lines always separated by full stop and that cover my career aspirations

What i have been doing (that is similar to the job role) usually four to five paragraphs of two to three lines each which covers the main three areas of the job applying for

and how good i am/ could be in that job (based on experience and skills) usually a three/four line paragraph where i brag (in a good way) of how i would fit in the role and how my skills can benefit the job applying for


I usually end up saying that i am very grateful for the time taken in reading my cv and that i am looking forward to hearing from them and to contact me if they need more information



Anna , if you have 20 years worth of experience depending how long you have been in your roles you can just expand the last 5 years for example and then keep to a minimum (one liner) the rest of the experience

anniem

OK - I got it down to two pages and now the soddin' printer won't work!

I'm dooooooomed!

blobbyh

Two pages at most! As Burg says, it's the first few lines of the first page that are the killers and you need to hook the reader within the first few seconds of starting.

Also, I'd absolutely put experience before qualifications which usually get relegated to the second page anyway. The raison d'etre being that if you're after a teaching position for example, it'd be natural to assume you're qualified and it wouldn't be appropriate to read which qualifications you might have gained twenty years ago ahead of the practical experience you gained last month. You might be qualified academic wise but if they're after an experienced secondary school teacher and you've only taught at nursery level, you've wasted their time.

Header with personal details
Short paragraph stating who you are and what you're looking for
Bullet points listing core skills and attributes
Most recent jobs with relevant experience first
Qualifications, most recent first
Other information
References can be provided upon request

And finally, print it on good quality, cream coloured paper so it stands out amongst the white crap usually found on someone's desk.

anniem

Thanks Robert.

I think I'm just about printing now, which helps no end.

Just need to write the letter:

Is:

"" Dear Mr

I write in response to the position advertised in the XX XX of XX March 2010; I have enclosed my Curriculum Vitae for your perusal.

Firstly and foremost, I would mention that I am currently looking for a new opportunity as I have been studying and wish to further expand my horizons.

Secondly, I have been working alongside Mr Anniem, our Estate Manager, for the last 10 years. We have been together for 18 years and we could actually do with making some changes to our work/home life balance!

I am currently studying towards completing the Association of Accounting Technicians qualification, with two final exams in June. Once I have passed these exams I will qualify for full membership status of the Association of Accounting Technicians.

I consider that I am ideally suited to your vacancy. I have an extensive and varied background in all aspects of accountancy, secretarial and administrative matters, together with vast experience of all aspects of countryside, agriculture, estate, land and property management.

I very much look forward to hearing from you and would be happy to answer any queries that you may have.

With kind regards ""

Yours sincerely or faithfully??

Will this be ok or have I said too much???

A x

A-Vic

sincerely if named used

Faithfully if dear sirs

and covering letter look really good

stevef

You need to think about reviewing your CV for each job you apply for, the experience you outline in your 2 to 3 pages must be relevant to the post being applied to. you also need to make it very clear how your experience is relevant.

Marga

Hi Robert

I was told that it depends which is best your experience or your qualification and actually the nature of the job itself

if as you said you are applying for a teaching position it is supposed you have the qualification so experience would come first

but if in the contrary you want a change of career and you have qualified not long for something different then what you have been worked on then i would suggest qualification comes first

Jan

Letter looks good to me - are you applying for work at a Land Agents, 'cos if so its a bit of a niche market (if that is the right expression) and your experience would be of great value.

anniem

Jan wrote: »

Letter looks good to me - are you applying for work at a Land Agents, 'cos if so its a bit of a niche market (if that is the right expression) and your experience would be of great value.

My history is secretary and analysis in chartered accountant practices, book-keeping and payroll; then into farming and accounts on big estates with extensive land and property portfolios.

Bit of a mix, but it seems to have sent me into more of an Estate Accounting role and obviously the bigger the estate the better the opportunities!

Have sent in my letter and CV now so just waiting.

Marga

anniem wrote: »

My history is secretary and analysis in chartered accountant practices, book-keeping and payroll; then into farming and accounts on big estates with extensive land and property portfolios.

Bit of a mix, but it seems to have sent me into more of an Estate Accounting role and obviously the bigger the estate the better the opportunities!

Have sent in my letter and CV now so just waiting.

keeping everything crossed for you!

anniem

Well the revamped CV and letter haven't just been thrown in the bin ..... I've been called for an interview next Tuesday!

Yippeeeeeeeeee.

Oh no ...... next dilemma - what to wear?

Life does have it's ups, downs and dilemmas, doesn't it?

I'm a happy bunny today! Did I say bunny - funny I thought of you then Marga!

Jan

Good luck - I was beginng to wonder how you were getting on.

Tip though -don't wear a bunny suite.

Keep us posted

A-Vic

anniem wrote: »

Well the revamped CV and letter haven't just been thrown in the bin ..... I've been called for an interview next Tuesday!

Yippeeeeeeeeee.

Oh no ...... next dilemma - what to wear?

Life does have it's ups, downs and dilemmas, doesn't it?

I'm a happy bunny today! Did I say bunny - funny I thought of you then Marga!

Very well done, suit a must grey is in at the mo in office wear (not that am fashionable lol) Let us know how the interview goes