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Live Q+A: Making the most of your CV – Recap
Monday 17th October 2011, 12:42PM BST.
This Q+A session has now finished. Scroll down to the comments to catch up with the discussion as it happened.
With more and more people applying for every vacancy, having a CV that stands out from the crowd is more important than ever.
In our live Q+A, in association with jobs.expressandstar.com, we’ve assembled a panel of experts to give you all the advice you need to produce a CV that will show you at your very best.
Our panel will be online and answering your questions on Wednesday afternoon between 1-2pm and you can get yours in early in the comments section below.
The panel includes:
Mildred Talabi, CV consultant
Mildred Talabi is a professional editor, writer and CV consultant. As a speaker and trainer, she runs regular seminars and workshops on CV writing techniques which have helped hundreds of people overcome barriers to employment.
Mildred is also the author of “7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results” which is available from Amazon and all good bookshops. For more information please visit www.mildredtalabi.com.
Jason Guy, Managing Director, First4Staff
Born in Wolverhampton, Jason Guy started his career in recruitment in 1997 working within the Industrial and Commercial sector.
Following twice being headhunted to run recruitment businesses he became a Founder Director of First4Staff to forefront the Midlands fastest growing human resource company.
This Q+A session has now finished. Scroll down to the comments to catch up with the discussion as it happened.
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How long should a cv be? Mine is about 3 pages as I’ve had quite a lot of jobs. Is that too long?
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Hi Jan, you dont want your CV to be ‘War and Peace’ but there is also no set criteria as to how long your CV should be. I would try though and condense your CV to 2 sheets maximum.
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Hi Jan,
I think this question will forever be asked as long as CVs exist!
The recommended length for the average CV is two pages – this is long enough to include all the necessary and important details but short enough not to bore.
There are a few exceptions however – people in certain occupations (for example academics) tend to have much longer CVs, and people with long career histories can also have CVs longer than two pages.
If you have followed all the guidelines of writing a good CV effectively and yours is still at three pages, then it’s okay to leave it at that length rather than squash it down to two pages.
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How do you get the balance right? If your CV is too short, there is not enough info to draw the reader in but if your CV is too long, it puts them off reading through. How do you ensure it makes the most impact – one page for every 10 years of your career?
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Hi Chrissie, interesting point but I would stick to a maximum and minimum of 2 pages for your CV. Too much info may lead you to be putting information on your CV that may put the employer off, effectively them finding something that they are not looking for in a potential employee. On the other hand it is important that there is enough information for them to make an informed decision on your application. Ultimately the CV is a chance for you to ‘sell yourself’ so it is important that all information contained is completely relevant to the job in hand.
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I agree with Jason. I’ll also add that if you find that you’ve accumulated a long work history, you may be able to get rid of the early jobs from your CV – particularly if they are no longer relevant to the industry you are working in or wish to work in.
Another good way of shortening your CV is to summarise roles into one. If for example you worked as a “Hotel Manager” for three different organisations over a period of 10 years, you can summarise all of this into one entry on your CV as the job role and tasks carried out are likely to be very similar, if not the same.
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If you’re not asked for a covering letter should you include one? And is it acceptable to say ‘References available on request’ on a CV?
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Hi Raymond. I would encourage you to include a covering letter on all CV applications. Larger organisations can be advertising tens of vacancies at any one time and you want to ensure that your CV is put forward for the right job.
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Hi Raymond,
I would recommend that you always include a cover letter of some sort – even if it is just a paragraph or so in the body of an email to introduce yourself and say your CV is attached; there’s absolutely no harm done in doing so.
On the second point – “references available…” has become a redundant statement that most people include on their CV without asking why. Pretty much every employer will ask for your references before offering you the job – this is usually done after the interview stage so including this statement on your CV is just a waste of space you can be using to say more wonderful things about yourself!
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How do you decide between contemporary or classical layout for your CV? Is it simply on the basis of job sector?
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Hi Kevin, a ‘classical’ theme to your CV will appeal to a broader cross section of employers. The most important aspect is the content. It is worth keeping the theme to your CV the same but amending the content for each particular position that you are applying for … remember, ‘buzz-words’ are key!
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Hi Kev,
It’s best to match your CV layout to your industry – “contemporary” layouts work best for creative jobs such as web designer, media production, fashion etc.
If done well it can really make you stand out over a pile of less exciting classic CVs.
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Is there any advice on the type of font you should use when typing a CV. Any you can suggest?
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I would stick to Arial or Times New Roman. Any fancy fonts will detract the attention away from the information in hand and the message that you are trying to put across.
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I actually have to disagree with Jason on this one!
Arial and Times New Roman are as old as dinosaurs when it comes to CVs. For a more modern and fresher look, I would recommend sans serif fonts such as Tahoma or Verdana.
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Hello and welcome to this live Q+A session on to how to make the most out of your CV. I’d like to welcome our two experts, Mildred Talabi and Jason Guy, who will be sharing the secrets of CV success with us today.
So if you’ve got a question to put to our experts then leave it now – they’ll be online until around 2pm to answer as many as possible.
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With an increasing amount of competition for every available role at the moment, how can you make your CV stand out from the crowd?
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ok, firstly you need to set your self a target …. firstly, the CV should be getting you the interview … the first interview should get you the second interview … and the second interview should be getting you the job.
To make your CV stand out you should read the job description fully and put in your CV exactly what the employer is looking for. ‘Buzz words’ such as the experience relevant to the job ie; if a job description requires you to operate a certain type of machinery … if you can, tell them you can. Do not leave anything to chance or ‘assume’ the employer will know.
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Should a CV include a picture of you?
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I would steer clear of the picture. This could lead somebody to making a decision on you for the ‘wrong’ reasons and not the right ones. Employees should be employed on vacancy related criteria … not what they look like!!
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Absolutely not! The only exceptions are if you’re going for a TV job or something similar, in which case the CV looks totally different anyway.
Having said that though, I remember many years ago I applied for a job in Topshop (as most teens do at that age) and was asked to submit a picture with my application. I’m not sure if Topshop still do it now but a few high-end fashion retailers ado expect pictures so it’s worth finding out first if you are interested in this field.
Different rules apply outside of the UK.
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The general advice seems to say that you should tailor your CV for different jobs, but how much should you adapt it? Can you send the same CV, but tweak the covering letter, if the positions are all quite similar?
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It is important to tweek both the covering letter and the CV. If you amend this information for each vacancy that you apply for it will increase your chances of an interview. If you are to use a ‘one-size fits all’ CV it could restrict the opportunity of you making interview stage.
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You shouldn’t tailor your CV to each job, however you should tailor your CV to the INDUSTRY you want to work in.
So if for example you want to work in Finance, everything about your CV – from your past experience to your skills and interests – should indicate your interest in this area.
Where you have multiple interests, create multiple CVs – do not make the mistake of producing one generic CV to get “any job going”. This is a waste of your time and the employers…
Cover letters, on the other hand, must always be targeted to the specific job.
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We touched upon covering letters earlier and many job adverts ask for them to be included along with a CV. If requested, how long should they be and what should they include?
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Once again your covering letter should be short, concise and let the CV cover your experience. I would keep it simple and covering which position that you are applying for and close the letter with a selling statement … ‘I look forward to hearing from you with the particulars of a forthcoming interview’. … Tell them that you want the job!!
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Yes, short and sweet is best – no more than about three-quarters of an A4 page.
The cover letter is designed to give a “sneak preview”, if you like, of your CV so a good one will highlight and expand on the best points of the CV without repeating the content.
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If you’ve got professional qualifications and a degree is it necessary to include GCSEs or O Levels?
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I would include all ‘relevant’ qualifications. Your swimming certificate from Junior school will not be required but GCSE’s, A-Levels are an integral part to your CV.
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What if you want to be a swimming teacher? ;)
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…. then add it!! ;)
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It depends on how far back you’re starting from – if you’ve been around long enough to have “O-levels” instead of GCSEs, chances are you would have racked up a lot more professional qualifications along the way and can afford to lose your secondary school results from your CV without any grave consequences.
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There are a number of websites out there that offer to create a CV for you – what are the benefits of using one of these and is it something worth paying for?
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I have been a CV consultant for over six years now (that’s a posh way to say I create CVs for people!) and during this time, I have found that there are two main reasons why people pay people like me to have their CV done:
1)They can’t be bothered or don’t have the time to do it themselves;
2)They don’t know HOW to write a good CV.
The second reason is far more common than the first – many people THINK they have a good CV but the test is always in the results.
If your CV is successful in getting you interviews, then you have a good CV. If you apply for jobs you think you’re qualified for and able to do but yet time and time again you don’t even get shortlisted for interview, it’s time to hire an expert to at least take a look at your CV to find out what’s going wrong.
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I’ve had two years off sick due to depression, how can I cover this gap in my CV without putting future employers off from recruiting me?
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Ok, I would not recommend you to ‘lie’ on a CV for the risk of being found out. You could fill the gaps with ‘study and research’ time .. ‘family’ time or even be honest about illness.
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Hi Del,
That is a tricky one – “health gaps” are harder to explain on CVs than career breaks.
However, my advice would be to “carry on as normal” and by this I mean, write out the rest of your jobs as you normally would, but position the dates on the far right hand side of the page so it is not the first thing the employer sees.
For the career history section I always recommend a format where the title of the job comes first on the left hand side of the page, followed by the company name, location, and then on the other side the dates.
Many people make the mistake of putting the date first before the rest of the details and for someone in your position where you have had a significant gap in your career, this draws unnecessary attention to a detail which may be overlooked otherwise. Try this and see how you get on…
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What do you think of creative CVs, such as videos or even customised ‘hire-me’ type websites such as http://www.dearlisarudgers.com/? Are they worth the extra effort or only worth doing for jobs in particularly creative industries?
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In the creative industry, its worth a try. If they are looking for something ‘off the wall’ or ‘unique’ then these types of sites are ideal for this.
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How do you know what to leave in and what to take out if you are struggling for space?
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The usuals … personal details, persoanl profile, qualifications and employment history are pre-requisites. Hobbies and interests are important and show that you have self motivation. Always be careful though which hobbies that you put down as if its a sport which contains an element of danger the employer may think ‘will they be in on Monday’? …. and if you are a season-ticket holder at the Wolves .. it may be landing on a West Bromwich Albion supporters desk!!
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Good question; in my book “7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results”, the very first of the 7 keys is to “Know your target”.
This means that before you create a CV you should know exactly who you’re targeting (in terms of industry) and then tailor everything on your CV towards this target.
This might mean leaving out or “being quiet” on information that’s not directly relevant to your target. So let’s say for example you want an IT job and you have some experience in this area but you also have early experience of working in food retail which has nothing to do with IT, you can afford to lose this from your CV without it affecting your chances in a negative way.
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Hi there
Hi there, could i send either you a copy of my CV and you could tell me what you think.
thanks
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hi Wayne, email it to me at jason@first4staff.net
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Would i need a cv if im re applying for a job i have alleady had 4 times with the same employer?
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I think that they may be familiar with you by this point Kevin
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I have had many job titles with same employers but they always let me go, they say it seems crazy but they love me which is why I get the position back.
I feel that they just use me for peaks in work so I now need perm job.
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Hi Mildred,
What is the best way to make my CV stand out?
I have applied for many jobs but I need this time to be a big success and have a position at all time.
Can I send you my CV to look at?
Josh
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Hi Joshua,
Making your CV stand out has too many elements to cover in one comment box which is why I wrote my book in the first place! I think this would be your first point of call which will serve as a reference point you can refer to again and again.
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How important is it to talk about your other, non work-related, interests in your CV? Do they actually make much difference to employers?
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Please see above on ‘hobbies and interests’ to the question I answered for WWFC83
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Should a CV include duplicate entrys if i have held the same job 4 times with the same employer?
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Hi Kevin, I think I know what you are getting at. You need to ask yourself the question ‘why have I been employed in the same job 4 times?’ … It may be best to broaden your horizons and think outside the box.
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See my answer to question 2 above!
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As we’re starting to run out of time, are there any last tips or tricks that you can share with us that we haven’t already covered?
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Keep your CV simple …. Amend it for each position that you apply for …. Add ‘Buzz words’ …. never ASSUME …. leave out the photo …. stick to 2 pages maximum ….and ask for the interview!
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Yes – remember the simple things first! Make sure your CV looks presentable, reads right, and most of all get rid of those spelling and grammar mistakes!
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It is now 2pm and this live discussion is now finished. I’d like to thank Mildred and Jason for taking part and sharing some excellent advice with us today.
We’ll be back live again in two weeks time for a Q+A on interview techniques on November 2nd and you can search for your dream job in the Midlands at jobs.expressandstar.com.
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Thank you for inviting me Todd; I wish you all the very best in your CV writing, but more importantly in your career choices. Feel free to join the “7 Keys to a Winning CV” Facebook page for more tips and CV advice – http://www.facebook.com/7KeysCV
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