I need to write my second CV ever for recruiters on my Uni open day, my first one was to get a part time job and didn't need to be that impressive which was lucky because I didn't have a whole lot to write about. The only things I can really put down is my part time job I've held for 4 years and the small job I held before that both with 100% attendance, along with my current and past education. I'm looking to the field of general electronics, software engineering on embedded processors or hardware engineering I'm terrible at "bigging" myself up, I'm generally modest and in my efforts of writing it down it just sounds like pretentious bull, although I do believe I have something more to offer. Anybody know a decent guide or have any advice on writing a CV without it looking stupid
I'd be more than happy to assist with this, ping me a pm - to either arrange a call or a time when we can get some questions awnsered to help build a picture of a profile and then place it on paper. Do you have a linkedin profile? If not get signed up and start populating the areas you can.
Thanks that would be helpful, I'm generally pretty strapped for time Maybe if I wrote something up and send you a copy to critique? I'm more than confident about my up front presence, I just want to make sure if someone picks up my CV they remember who I was
Demonstrate the requested skills/abilities using the STAR method: S = Situation: explain the situation that you were in. This should be a short description, it could be: ‘during my degree’ or ‘whilst working in a bar’. T = Task: briefly explain what it is that you had to do, and what the success criteria was. If you were working as a group explain what the overall task of the group was but be clear about your own role. A = Action: This is the most substantial part (around 50-70%) of any example and you need to include: What you did. Why you did it. How you did it. What skills you used. R = Result: explain the (successful) outcome. What happened as a result of the actions you took? What you would do differently or improve? What impact the result had overall on the team task? Make sure you: Use an example that is up to date and relevant. Talk about action that you took not just a whole team. Make sure that the task and action are related to the job description. In the action part of the example cover the skill and qualities that are being sought. Be concise; don't ramble!
Very relevant for competency based interviews, less so for CV's. As for the Cv, don't just have one that you use for all jobs. Maybe have a base CV, but ensure it is tailored to each specific job. Research the company and role as much as possible to help in building that tailored CV. When the recruiter is reviewing submissions they are looking for experience and relevance first.
It's more for job applications than a general purpose CV, true, but a useful framework from which to describe previous jobs and roles.
My personal advice: - Keep it to two sides A4 at absolute most and use a clean style - if it's difficult to read they won't - If you're at uni, focus on your education or experience relevant to the type of job you want. No-one will expect you to have miles of work experience. Once you've been working for a while swap it around and focus on experience rather than education - Make sure your spelling and grammar is right - if it's not they will notice and remember you for the wrong reasons - The type of job(s) you've had don't really matter - they demonstrate you're employable, which (believe it or not) is very important The STAR method is great for interviews, even ones that aren't competency based. It just helps you frame your pitch into a flowing narrative.
If using STAR, which I agree is a great technique especially in interviews , then don't forget the R (result). It is quite common for people to explain the context, elaborate on the challange, and describe their actions however forget to talk about the outcome (result).
Welcome to the most opinionated topic where everybody has their "best tips" haha. I was job hunting for 6 months and gradually tailored my CV about a hundred times over the period. Here's my opinions. Identify the job you want. Look at lots of job specs. Know what they're looking for. Tailor your CV towards the skills and requirements they desire. Prioritise the top half of your CV with the most relevant and best points that really SELL you. If they only read the top half (very common) then at least they read the most important bits. Listing your job history in order is common but i feel, ineffective. If I did a highly relevant job 5 years ago and had 4 jobs since then - they might miss it. Use action words. Keep things short and punchy. Cut out every single pointless word. They wont have time to read it, and it doesn't sell you. Be brutal with your word choices. Goodluck
Lots of fantastic advice guys! I have a lot to go on now, I was slightly concerned this thread might go wrong but I'm thankful I made it. Feel confident about writing it now
One more thing: memorise your CV. You don't want to forget what it said, or contradict it in the job interview!
I have applied for thousands of jobs being unemployed. I get many interviews, but my interview skills aren't great. CVs I can help with though. Don't use the same CV for everything; have a base one and tailor it for every position, putting relevant skills and such for that particular job. Don't use a boring, black and white CV where every part looks exactly the same; style the cv a bit, use different layouts and see what works. Companies look through hundreds of CVs for every job, the interesting looking ones stand out to them. Spell check and make sure everything is correct and relevant. One spelling mistake or punctuation error and your CV goes straight in the bin. No joke. Never put a picture of yourself on the CV, or tell them how old you are on the CV itself. The object is to give them professional information; they don't want to familiarise themselves with you. Always use a well written cover letter; companies will always pay attention to a candidate that puts the time in to put together a good cover letter. As Nexxo said, remember what you wrote. 4 out of 5 people lie on their CV to some extent, even if it's some tiny detail to make yourself seem more interesting. If you do put a little white lie on your CV, remember the lie as well. Know your details about everything. If you're using a personal statement, don't blabber. Put short, punchy sentences that give the maximum information about you and how professional you are without being over-personal or boring.
If you're still in need of assistance, Jordan, pm it across and I'll happily have a go at it. I helped BigKingFun to put together an application that got him through the door and an interview with an overseas company.
