Making Winning CVs

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Making Winning CVs Applications

• Janet Willis
• University of Manchester
• Careers Employability Division

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CVs and Application Forms

• The purpose of the
• application form or CV is......
• ......to get an interview

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Completing Application Forms

• Large firms receive an average of 100
  applications for each graduate vacancy
• Selectors spend approximately 90 seconds on each
  application form received
• 80 of application forms are rejected at the
  first stage

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Completing Application Forms

• The five most common reasons for rejection are
• examples drawn from the same part of your life
• not enough detail (or too much)
• vague answers
• irrelevant answers
• not answering all parts of the question

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Examples of Difficult questions

• Explain what attracts you to the type of work for
  which you are applying and offer evidence of your
  suitability
• Problem Solving
• Describe a particular challenge you have faced
  recently. How did you cope ? What was the
  outcome ?
• What has been your greatest achievement to date
  and why ?

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Task no 1 - Self AssessmentWhat have you got to
offer ?

• The process....
• Examine key events in the last five years
• Split your life into sections
• Write everything down
• Break items into component parts
• Extract the lessons learned and the skills
  acquired

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Task no 1 - Self AssessmentWhat have you got to
offer ?

• Education
• Seminars
• Field trips
• Work Experience
• Camp America
• Shelf stacker - local supermarket
• Activities and Interests
• Secretary - Badminton club
• Travel

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Task no 1 - Self AssessmentWhat have you got to
offer ?

• Education
• Seminars - presentation skills, working in a
  team, influencing others
• Work Experience
• Camp America - taking responsibility, patience,
  tact, sensitivity, creativity, leadership
• Activities and Interests
• Secretary - organising, persuading, motivating.

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Task no 2 - What does the employer want ?

• Employers recruit against specific criteria
• These are usually set out in brochures or
  explained in presentations
• Some require technical skills
• All require appropriate personal qualities
• It is not enough to claim certain skills, you
  must provide the evidence

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Core skills employers look for

• Communication skills
• Organising ability
• Problem-solving
• Working in a team
• Drive and initiative
• Taking responsibility
• Working under pressure

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Core skills employers look for

• Analytical skills
• Creativity
• Leadership
• Motivating others
• Planning
• Numeracy

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Essential Preparationbefore you fill in the form

• Self assessment. Know what skills and
  experiences you have to offer
• Thoroughly research the employer
• Read the job description
• Identify the skills and experiences that the
  employer wants
• Match your skills and experiences to what the
  employer is looking for

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Do

• Read through the whole form first
• Draft your answers in rough
• Follow any instructions given
• Explain any discrepancies (e.g. in exam results)
• Write legibly and complete all sections
• Spell correctly and write grammatically
• Get someone to read over your form

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Dont

• Write too much
• Write too little
• Enclose a CV
• Give vague answers
• Leave chronological gaps with no explanation
• Give false information
• Use jargon, abbreviations or very formal language
• Be careless or untidy

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Spell Checker A Warning

• I like my new spell checker.
• It came with my PC.
• It plainly marques four my revue,
• Mistakes I can not sea.
• Ive run these verses threw it,
• Im sure your please two no.
• Its letter perfect in its weigh,
• My checker tolled me sew.

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What are you trying to say?

• Failed bar exam with relatively high grades.
• Special skills Thyping
• Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear
  from you shorty.
• Note Please dont misconstrue my 14 jobs as
  job-hopping. I have never quit a job.

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What are you trying to say?

• I have worked in the pubic sector..
• I really want to work for a Big Sex Firm.
• I enjoy practising marital arts
• Reason for leaving last job maturity leave.
• Enclosed is a ruff draft of my resume

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Three suggestions

• Use strong words
• Quantify
• Stress personal involvement

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Use strong words

• Words like created, started, managed, designed,
  devised...
• NOT My project was a study of local clubs
• BUT I organised an extensive survey of student
  use of local clubs. I arranged interviews with
  students, analysed the results and presented the
  information to my tutor

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Quantify

• I organised an extensive survey of student use
  of local clubs, involving over 1000
  questionnaires. I arranged interviews with 80
  students, analysed the results using Microsoft
  Excel and presented the information to my tutor

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Stress personal involvement and results

• NOT We organised a charity fund raising event
• BUT I was responsible for the publicity for a
  fund raising event which involved negotiating
  advertising with local companies and
  co-ordinating poster design and distribution on
  campus. Over 800 students attended and we raised
  1000 for charity.

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Golden Rules

• Take your time and prepare well
• Keep the tone upbeat and positive
• Take care with presentation
• Use your own words
• Give examples to support what you say
• Match your abilities with the employers needs
• Keep a copy of your form - to help prepare for
  the interview

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When to use a C.V.

• When you are asked to !
• When they say apply in writing
• For speculative applications
• When networking

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Essential Preparation - same as for the
application form

• Read the job description
• Read around the job description
• Identify required skills and experience
• Develop your skills profile
• Match this to the job
• Tailor your CV to each vacancy

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Types of CV

• Standard chronological
• Skills based
• Academic

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C.V. Factsor the myth of the perfect C.V.

• C.V.s should be ? pages long
• C.V.s should be in chronological order
• C.V.s should include referees names and
  addresses
• C.V.s should include - date of birth
• nationality
• sex
• marital status
• C.V.s take days to write and minutes to read

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yesbutnobut

• A quirky, creative CV is a good idea for a
  creative job
• Law CVs need a detailed breakdown of academic
  results
• Include a photo for a media job
• You dont need a CV for applications for
  teaching/PGCE
• Write your cover letter like a press release for
  PR

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C.V. Dos

• - no longer than 2 pages
• - plenty of space, no long prose passages,
• short sentences, break up text with bullets,
• not too many capitals, logical structure
• - be positive and upbeat, emphasise
• achievements and responsibilities
• - keep it relevant, avoid jargon
• - plenty for spelling, grammar and typos

• Length
• Layout
• Tone
• Content
• Proof reading

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Six constructive suggestions

• Make it look good
• Make it easy to read
• Allocate space in accordance to the importance of
  the information
• Dont bury the good bits
• Never send it without a covering letter
• Use different CVs for different jobs

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Covering letters

• This is your trailer to the main feature
• One page, A4, quality paper
• Should include two major themes
• - Why you want the job (and organisation)
• - Why you are suitable

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Covering letters

• Write to a named individual, if possible
• Tell employer what you are applying for (and
  where you saw it advertised)
• Be positive
• Emphasise your USPs, dont simply copy CV
• End letter with spirit of expectation

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Selection Exercise

• Read through the exercise brief and the
  information presented by five candidates
• Rank ALL candidates on a scale from 1 5 (1
  strongest)
• Make notes on each applicant positive and
  negative, comment on both content and
  presentation of CV and covering letter