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9 Handy CV Tips

November 25th, 2009

Whether you are looking for a promotion or your first job, having a compelling CV is essential if you want to impress a potential employer. Having a Curriculum Vitae that really sells your skills and promotes you as a person can make a huge difference to your chances of getting a job.

You need to remember that any job that you find attractive enough to apply for will also attract the attention of other people. Some of them, shock horror, might be better qualified, or have more experience than you – however this does not necessarily mean that they will get the job in front of you. If they present a CV that does not emphasise how great they are compared to you, then they might not even get an interview.

Here we have 9 handy tips to help you improve your CV and boost your chances of getting a new job!

1 – Short is Sweet

Keep your CV to a maximum of two sheets of A4 – an employer wants to know enough, not everything. Also, you might have used your IT and Microsoft Office Skills every day in each job, but you don’t need to list them every time.

2 – Keep it pretty

Take a good look at your CV – would you like to receive it. There’s no need to get silly with rich backgrounds, and manic fonts. Simple is best, but it needs to be well spaced, clean, and interesting to look at.

3 – Stick to the facts

Does the employer really care whether you loved your previous job? No, they want to know what you did, and how you did it. You can communicate your enthusiasm for filing and making cups of tea when you get the interview.

4 – Accuracy is Everything

Spell check, proof read, spell check again, and read it aloud. Then get someone else to do the same. Would you employ a person who can’t spell.

5 – So be Honest

Don’t forget, an employer isn’t going to give you a great job with fantastic pay without checking you out. They will contact your referees, and if they can’t back up what you are claiming, then you are not going to get very far.

6 – Keep it Relevant

You might have plenty of experience looking after cats, but if you’re going for a web design job, then it isn’t going to impress the boss. Keep your experience on topic, and adapt your CV for different opportunities.

7 – Sell Yourself

Put a bit of life into the CV. Stick to the facts yes, but add a little bit of colour too – your statement should impress, and also give a little idea about who you are.

8 – Keep it in order

Put the most recent jobs and qualifications at the top. They are the ones that your potential employer wants to read first

9 – Remember the Covering Letter

You should always send a covering letter along with your CV. This should always be unique to the job you are applying for, and include a few points from your CV.

Bonus Tip!

Whether you are actively looking for a job now, or simply want to keep your options open, don’t forget to add your new CV to jobatwit – upload your CV now, and promote it to thousands of employers via Twitter!

Tags: cv, jobs, recruitment
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Top 20 Best Paid Jobs

October 24th, 2009

Although the recession is still continuing in the UK, employers are seeing improvements in the economy, and the number of vacancies is now increasing. Salaries are however not forecast to increase significantly this year as most companies are still keeping careful about money.

There are still great paychecks to be had though – provided you are prepared to work for them.

Below is a list of the top 20 best paid jobs in the UK according to the ONS.

Job Title	Salary
Directors and chief executives	£212,910
Brokers	£94,293
Financial managers and chartered secretaries	£77,931
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	£63,664
Managers (mining and energy)	£58,802
Managers (research and development)	£54,950
Police officers (inspector and above)	£54,241
Managers (marketing and sales)	£54,029
Lawyers, judges and coroners	£52,049
Air traffic controllers	£51,911
Legal professionals	£50,649
Personnel and industrial relations managers	£49,717
Managers (purchasing managers)	£49,148
IT strategy and planning professionals	£48,787
Managers (advertising and PR)	£48,258
Management consultants and economists	£47,517
Finance and investment analysts	£46,718
Local government officers (senior)	£44,755
Financial and accountant technicians	£44,204
Fire, ambulance and prison officers (senior)	£43,810

One thing to note about this table is that the salaries listed above are averages for the role, and do not include any bonuses. Some roles, such as “broker” could well result in a much higher take home wage. Some roles that you might expect to see such as “musician” or “footballer” do not appear as the vast majority of professional sports people earn a much lower wage than the highly paid members of premiership sides.

What is quite surprising about this list is that there are so many public service jobs listed (5) – although what this reflects is the competition for good people that the public service faces these days.

There are also many roles in Finance listed in the top 20 best paid jobs list above including brokers.

The thing that is most notable about this list is that almost all the jobs listed above require the employee to have a degree - while there may be some debate about the value of a university education, it appears that a degree is a necessity for the kind of strategic roles that deliver a substantial wage.

Tags: careers, high paid jobs, jobs
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How to Sell Yourself in an Interview

October 21st, 2009

You might be the best qualified candidate for any position, and you might have the best CV possible, however unless you are able to project just how great you are, then you are always going to struggle to get the best jobs.

The best opportunity that you have in an interview to sell yourself is when the recruiter asks you to “tell me about yourself”. Aside from enthusiasm and honesty, you need to stick to the point and be concise, using opportunities to talk about strengths at any point.

Your Education

Talk about your highest academic qualification, and also any additional courses that you have subsequently taken from work. If the qualification is relevant to the job, show where the parallels are.

Personal

You don’t need to talk about your marriage or kids, simply give some historic information about yourself and your interests – again, tying them into the job that you are applying for. Talk about positive events where you have demonstrated your abilities.

Your Career to Date

<>Although this will be covered later in the interview, it should also be part of the “tell me about yourself” stage. Prepare a couple of bullet points in your mind about how quickly you were promoted or took on any additional responsibilities.

Why you are applying

Having a conversation about where you are in your career provides the perfect opportunity to segue into why you have applied to move on. The secret here is to show enthusiasm for the position by showing that you already have the skills, and are ready for the challenge without coming across in a negative way as though you are boasting, as this might be considered a negative quality.

Other things

Over the course of the rest of the interview you need to structure answers to be as positive as possible about your career to date and future ambitions. Here are a few other tips:

Get to the interview location 10-15 minutes and relax yourself. This demonstrates your ability to perform under pressure.

Research the company and learn the names of key individuals. This underlines your enthusiasm and interest in the job.

Be positive in your answers and attitude. Again, this demonstrates enthusiasm

Always listen to the whole of a question before you answer. Sometimes there will be a bit tacked onto the end.

Think before you speak, and think before you stop speaking.

Carry a couple of copies of your CV or portfolio. Being prepared with a copy to refer to if a specific question is asked is a good thing.

Let the interviewer bring up the subject of salary – you don’t want to come across as being mercenary.

Get to the interview location 10-15 minutes and relax yourself. This demonstrates your ability to perform under pressure.
Research the company and learn the names of key individuals. This underlines your enthusiasm and interest in the job.
Be positive in your answers and attitude. Again, this demonstrates enthusiasm
Always listen to the whole of a question before you answer. Sometimes there will be a bit tacked onto the end.
Think before you speak, and think before you stop speaking.
Carry a couple of copies of your CV or portfolio. Being prepared with a copy to refer to if a specific question is asked is a good thing.
Let the interviewer bring up the subject of salary – you don’t want to come across as being mercenary.

Tags: interview tips, jobs
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Jobs in Advertising

October 14th, 2009

The advertising industry is one of the most competitive places to work. Every year, many young graduates leave university wanting to get involved in this specialised area of marketing, and unfortunately, it is not possible for all of them to make it.

Like most other industries, there are numerous different types of position within advertising firms, including things like accountancy and administration, but it is the roles within the creative areas of the companies that are most sought after.

Getting involved in the advertising industry requires a number of skills, and people come to it from various backgrounds. Here are some of the key skills and some ways that you might be able to display that you have them.

Creativity

You will need to show some ability to be creative. Whether the advertising jobs that you are looking for require you to be a great copywriter or a superb designer, it will be important to put together a portfolio that shows off your work. This needs to be built up over time, and is something that you absolutely must not rush. You should showcase work that is honest to your style, as this is something that you will be more passionate about when you present it.

Sales Focussed

It is often overlooked by people who are simply driven to work in advertising that the ultimate goal of their job is not to sit in wine bars talking about how amazing they are. The goal of advertising is to sell, and people who are unable to understand that are rarely successful. Showing some experience of working in sales jobs is very useful when it comes to applying for more creative roles as they show that you are aware of the process of convincing a buyer of a particular message.

Analysis

If you want to be successful in any industry, you need to know what success is. Depending on the media that you are working within, it can be difficult to provide the tangible results of a campaign – as Henry Ford said, you waste half your money on advertising, you just don’t know which half.

Modern companies want to know the benefit that they are getting for every penny they spend, so being able to dig into data and find trends or draw conclusions from it is a real boon when it comes to getting into more senior campaign level roles.

Sympathetic

You can be the most creative individual in the world with amazing analytical skills, but you won’t get anywhere in advertising if you don’t know how to communicate with people in a way that they understand. If you are unable to deliver the message that the client wants in a way that emphasises the benefits that they want to suggest, then you will never run a successful campaign. Knowing how to push people’s buttons in the right way will allow you to be much more direct in structuring advertising campaigns, and help you to deliver the kind of advertising that modern companies need.

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5 Ways to Make Yourself Indispensable

October 13th, 2009

While job markets around the world are beginning to recover from the depths of the recession, many people are choosing to stay in their current position to avoid the uncertainty of starting a new job. Of course, no job is 100% safe, but there are some ways to improve your status within the business where you work and make yourself almost indispensable.

Work Smarter

The chances are that you and your colleagues are all competing with each other for attention in the office. A great piece of advice that will improve things for you is to work smarter. If you spend time planning your day out before you start, and set specific goals of productivity, you will find that you often complete tasks more quickly. This will free up time for you to take on additional work, and make yourself harder to get rid of.

Innovate

If you see processes within your business that could be made more efficient, don’t be afraid to tell your boss. Put together a plan to implement your methods and present it in an appropriate way. If you show that you are an intelligent thinker who is not afraid to change the status quo, then you put yourself in a position as a leader.

Take on Responsibility

If you can realistically take on additional responsibility, don’t be afraid to do so. Quite often, it is the most junior people who find them selves losing out in a redundancy round, by showing that you are prepared to take on additional duties, you can make yourself more distinct from your colleagues.

Increase your Skills

Whenever you get the chance to improve your skills, you should take them on, if your company is offering any courses such as management, or additional skills such as making presentations. If the company has invested money in you, they will be less keen to let you go.

Brag

Not everyone feels comfortable with talking about their achievements, but they should. When you have got good results make sure that you and your line manager both shout about them. It emphasises how good both of you are, and should also inspire your colleagues. If you are recognised within the business as a person who gets good results, you become an asset who the company will want to keep.

Tags: jobs, keeping a job, training
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4 Ways to Calm Your Nerves Before an Interview…

September 27th, 2009

…and one way not to

For many people, a job interview is a fairly traumatic experience, and the anxiety that they feel both before and during the interview can have a big impact on their performance, and ultimately act against them getting the job.

While every employer expects a little bit of nervousness during an interview, it can be a little bit off putting to have the candidate apologise for their nerves every two minutes, and use it as an excuse. For me, one of the main qualities I look for in my staff is the ability to work well under pressure. If a candidate comes into an interview and can’t handle the pressure, it doesn’t bode well, and I’m pretty unlikely to take them on.

It doesn’t need to be like this though, and there are a number of things that you can do to keep calm in an interview.

1: Arrive Early

If you are a nervy person, then it is important to minimise the number of opportunities that you have to get anxious. Plan your journey to the interview in advance and take traffic into account – make sure you arrive 15 minutes early so you can freshen up – but don’t turn up at the office until around 5 minutes before your interview, otherwise you’ll have to spend a lot of time waiting around for the interviewer – and that is time when you will end up allowing your nerves to get to you.

2: Be Positive

If you’ve been invited for an interview, then you are half way to getting the job. I don’t waste time on people who don’t have any promise, and neither does anyone else. It’s not professional to get people in to laugh at them, and I’ve never heard of it happening. If you have been invited to talk, treat this as a positive, and let it feed your confidence.

3: Take a Deep Breath

There are loads of relaxation techniques and many of them actually work. One that definitely does is a deep breath. Go to a quiet place, close your eyes, and take a deep breath in. Then hold it. For at least half a minute. Breathe out and open your eyes, you’ll naturally reduce your heart rate, and this will make you feel calmer.

4: Wear an Anti Perspirant

Anxiety tends to feed itself and make you more nervous. When some people start to sweat they become very self conscious and this feeds back on itself to make you feel even worse. A good anti perspirant will reduce the sweat and make you feel less self conscious, and take your mind of your nerves, allowing you to perform better.

One thing not to do…

Whatever you do, if you are going for an interview, don’t have a drink beforehand to settle your nerves. There is no point turning up to the interview half cut, and there is no point lying to yourself that the interviewer can’t tell that you’ve had a drink. They can. Slurred speech, drifting answers to questions, and even falling asleep (it has happened) will not give the best possible account of you. If you need to have a drink, stick to water.

The main thing is to be positive, and to remember why you want the job, that way you’ll be more positive.

Tags: interviews, jobs, recruitment
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5 Great Interview Questions

September 22nd, 2009

Candidates can rehearse heir interview techniques and spend a lot of time on their CV to ensure that they turn up for their interview as well prepared as possible. This can lead to problems for recruiters, as in some cases, a candidate who looks great in the interview turns out to be a disappointment. Leading employers who look for a little bit more from their staff tend to ask questions that appear to be nonsense on the surface, but actually test the candidate’s ability to think and act under pressure.

When you ask these questions, you are not looking for a specific answer, it is all about how the candidate answers and structures their answer. The questions are designed to unsettle the candidate and reveal their inner workings.

1 How many bubbles does it take to fill a bus?

2 How do they get the coating so smooth on an M&M?

3 How would you weigh the atmosphere?

4 What advice would you give yourself ten years ago?

5 Which animal most closely reflects your personality?

Tags: interviews, jobs, recruitment
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7 Tips for Writing a Great Cover Letter

September 15th, 2009

You put together the best possible CV, had all the right experience and qualifications that the job required, and yet you didn’t even get called in for an interview?

The chances are that your covering letter sucked, and the recruiter took one look at the few lines of misspelled words and hit delete rather than opened the CV and found out about all you had to offer.

The fact is, a covering letter is a chance to really sell yourself, and introduce your CV. A chance to explain to the recruiter about what a great candidate you are, and how you are perfect for the role that they are advertising. If you don’t put the effort in, and wow the recruiter, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage, and with the job market being at its most competitive for years, you want to make the absolute most of everything that you have to boost your chances.

Check out our 5 Tips for writing a great cover letter to help with your next job application.

1. Bespoke is Best

There is no point in using the same letter for every job you apply for. Use the letter to tie your experience into the specific job that is being offered, and make your interest in the business clear.

2. Be Enthusiastic

…But not too enthusiastic. You don’t want to come across as annoying, but you should at least explain why you are applying. Think about using phrases like “Keen to work for a leading company” or “eager to learn more”

3. Be Unique

While a CV is a pretty formal piece of writing, your covering letter gives you an opportunity to express a little bit more of your personality. By making your letter memorable, you will already have a better chance of getting an interview.

4. Put Some Effort In

If you’re applying for a bar job, the chances are that you won’t have to write a great covering letter – or even have to submit a CV for that matter, however if you are looking for something a little bit more demanding – and well paid – you should put in the work to get it. If a job is worth applying for, put some effort into your application, and you’ll be more likely to be considered for it.

5. Be Brief

You don’t want to bore someone before you get into the interview. Actually, you don’t want to bore them after you get into the interview either. Keep the letter short, to the point, and positive. Remember that the purpose is to sell you, not tell your life story.

6. Be yourself

Make sure you remember that the letter is selling the real you. If you get the job you will have to fulfil the promise that you put into the letter, so make sure it represents you accurately.

7. spel chek

If you want credibility, use your spell checker. Mistakes will make you look like an idiot, and you’ll be more likely to be a joke than a serious candidate.

Tags: jobs, recruitment
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Are you ready for promotion?

September 10th, 2009

While we all think we deserve more money and a better job title, there is more than ambition to think about when applying for a promotion. Getting a better job is all well and good if you are ready to step up, but if you are promoted before you are ready, you might well be doing your career long term harm.

Check Your Skills

Whether you are applying for a promotion within the business where you currently work or in a different company, it is important to look at staff at the level you want to be at. Be objective, and ask yourself whether you have the same (or better) skill set as those people. Look at the areas where you need to improve, and spend time concentrating on those areas to ensure that you are ready for the next step.

Get Relevant Experience

If you can, try and take on additional responsibilities over and above what your current role entails. This will have the benefit of providing you with opportunities to develop new skills and helping your personal development, and will also provide you with the chance to boost your profile.

Research the Post

If you are requesting a promotion in your current company, finding out the exact responsibilities will be fairly straightforward, however a job at a different business may be harder to research. Ask for full details when you apply, and be realistic when comparing your skills against the job defininition.

Apply if you are ready

You should really only apply for a promotion if you are ready for the opportunity to progress, as otherwise you could find yourself out of your depth in a senior position that you are not able to fulfill correctly. However, if you are applying to move up in your current company, then you might want to apply anyway, as this will show your interest in progress to your current management. In most cases, even if you do not get the post, in most cases, your interest will be noted, and your manager may well organise extra training to help you to progress.

Tags: career planning, jobs, promotion
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Losing a Tech Job Could be a Good Thing…

September 9th, 2009

…For the tech industry at least.

A recent study carried out on behalf of Wired Magazine has suggested that redundancies in the technology industry are a good thing in the long run, and help to incubate new ideas as well as opening up new avenues of research.

The technology industry has long had a reputation for being an area of the economy where short term employment is not unusual. Many staff in smaller start-ups will often discover that competition (and in some cases realisation that the big idea is a bad idea) can finish off many companies very quickly. Not everyone gets bought out by Google.

Of course, the turnover of businesses and staff does mean that a highly qualified and flexible workforce is often avaialble at short notice, so good posts are often filled quickly and efficiently.

Many staff also have good business skills, and an entrepreneurial streak, meaning that provided they get a good pay-off for being made redundant, it can often be an opportunity to begin a new project to expose their talents within the market.

For more information about the study, its worth reading the article in Wired Magazine, but if you’re more interested in finding Tech Jobs, check out the tech jobs avaiable on job@twit.

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