Job Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Career Resume Compilation

Curriculum Vitae (CV) / Career Resume Compilation

You have the sufficient talent and the right experience, so your resume will have no problem in getting the dream job, right?… Well not exactly. You can’t really assume the possibilities of a successful job hunt in simply making a new or revising an old resume. While you are correctly representing the excellent employee and consummate professional that you believe you are or could be, some competition will always be present and there will be always be hundreds of talented people applying for the same job you’re after.

An effective resume for other industry sector professionals won’t necessarily be effective for your chosen industry resume.  Usually, resumes are arranged in chronological way of experiences.  However in modern business, being safety conscious and project or objective oriented will be a distinct advantage.  Special security clearance and/or vetting may be required for some positions and certain aspects related to your country of origin, your right to work in certain parts of the world and supporting documentation, valid licences, transferable skills and qualifications and indeed your extra-curricular activites may be factors too.  In these times you will be up against a lot of competition, so it would be highly advisable to list the important relevant project experiences you have had in relation to the position that you’re aspiring to, or applying for. Of course don’t miss out on the important skills you have acquired over your working or life experiences that demonstrate your communication, management and people skills.

Let us explore the rest of the important tips you need to know on creating the eye-catching  Job CV Career Resume:

• Be Specific – As a skilled, experienced, qualified professional, you’re probably used to having multi-tasking multi-disciplined projects on the go and be able to think laterally and outside the box.  But don’t bore future employers with the usual resume clichés and broad skills and experience descriptions.  It would be better to have one or two-line description for every project experience you have gained in your list of abilities.
• Be Realistic About Your Salary/Rate – As we all know highly qualified and experienced professionals do make a handsome living, but salaries do have variables which include areas of specialization and relevant experience. When a potential employer’s Specialist Recruitment Agency like ERS contacts you, they would probably ask for your expected salary range/pay rate and/or your salary/pay rate history in your career to date.  Although you may not have thought about it, be sure to come up with a reasonable range based on certain variables in the industry you are targetting.  You can probably think of thinning out your expectations if the company offers other great benefits such as prestige, flexible hours/working arrangements, a good pension scheme, generous tax breaks, special working-away accommodation rates, company car, or great accommodation allowances. Be prepared with a degree of flexibility in your desired salary/pay rate range and in your future salary/pay rate expectations or else you might end up loosing the bid for the position you want.
• Words Used Are Just As Important! – Though it’s important that your resume be written in reader-friendly formatted language that makes sense to HR Managers looking to hire talented personnel, it’s also very possible that your resume will be scanned for specific keywords, possibly electronically.  Electronic Scanning is becoming increasingly common—especially in technical professions such as those associated with health care, engineering, utilities, construction, technical and scientific jobs, where hundreds of resumes might reach the specialist hiring agency—and if your resume is found lacking, it may not move on from the initial sift. Make sure you weave in your qualifications, certifications, work permissions, major achievements, relevant licences and that has been outlined in the job posting, mimicking the posting’s language where it clearly makes sense too. 
   
• Clearly Define Your Objectives – Most CV’s nowadays have defined career objectives at the beginning. If you have that, be sure that your objectives are in line with the position you are applying for or aspiring to progress into after training. If you’re aiming for Nuclear Civil Engineering but your background or specified objectives are associated with Mechanical Engineering, the chances are your resume won’t have a chance of progression and reaching the prospective employer.  If it gives the impression that you are not paying adequate attention in your application to the job description or it appears you’re not really the type of employee/contractor that they want for that post.  Nor does an all too general fluffy objective such as “I will utilize my extensive skills to benefit your company” make an effective impression.  Prospective employers are looking for the best most suitable person with the most extensive experience and appropriate knowledge and qualification to succeed in the role with which they are entrusted.  If you have this, you owe it to yourself to project this in your CV submissions.

Interview Tips and Techniques

Quality Employment and Recruitment Agencies always look to provide our candidates advice on interviewing , whether you’re a seasoned pro or a fresh graduate you can never be to well prepared for an interview.

Even as a seaoned professional, they recommend that you work through a check list with your recruiting Agent . Your Agent will have an inside knowledge of their clients preferences, techniques, likes, dislikes along with the make up and infrastructure of the team you are applying to join.

We can’t promise to help you win over your prospective employer for you but the following advise will prepare you and give you some foundations from which you can build and add your own experience.

Every client and interviewing manager will have differing approaches and there is no set format you can rely on.  General experience of successful interviews that convert into offers, is that they generally will have followed a set criteria, that Agents understand from their clients feed back.  You should take into account the following areas when approaching every interview, whether it is your first or your 3^rd interview preparation is the key.

Company Background

You should prepare yourself with as much information about the organisation and the position you are applying for.  Always make independent enquiries either directly or at very least by visiting the organisation’s website.  This should provide good information about the overall portfolio of the companies products/services.  If possible obtain an understanding of the structure of the organisation along with a thorough understanding of the position the organisation holds within its specialised market.

Interviewers

It is good practice to understand how many people you may be interviewed by as well as the format of the interview, i.e. panel, individuals, tasks, role play, assessments, psychometric evaluations and test, etc.  Always show a keen interest in your interviewer, as understanding his position always helps.

Location

Never assume always talk either directly to the site.  Establish for yourself that you understand the directions with your Agent which site you will be expected to attend along with any special instructions relating to security.  Make sure you have a map and or directions relating to your mode of transport.

Punctuality

Always allow more time than you expect.  It is better to arrive early and read the companies literature or familiarise yourself with the location of the reception.

It is NEVER a good first impression if you turn up late.

If, for reasons beyond your control you are going to be late, You should always be armed with your Agents direct number (ERS’ is 01454 203 460), as well as the Clients main switchboard number. Contact your Agent and the company you are interviewing with, inform them of your expected time of arrival and let us know that you have done this.

On arrival, apologise immediately and explain your reasons concisely.

Early is always better, collect your thoughts go over any last minute refreshers of you preparation notes, check your intended questions you have prepared.

Dress

Always dress to impress, your first impression is key. Be aware of the company culture and standards, and ensure you dress to impress.  Never dress down unless you are invited to do so.  Plan your wardrobe at least the night before avoid the last minute rush to wash your desired outfit, or dry clean your suit.

CV

Make sure you have a copy of your own CV and that you can deliver your experience in a concise clear manner understandable by either technical or non-technical interviewers.  You should be well practiced in answering questions relating to your CV.  Practice this with a friend or colleague, as it will pay dividends if your are prepared.

First impressions on arrival

Greet everyone you meet with a warm smile, a firm handshake and be polite.  We consider it very important to maintain good eye contact levels at all times, especially with the interviewer to whom you are responding to.

In our experience, subtle mirror matching your interviewer by adopting the style of the interviewer, i.e. if they are formal, be formal, if they are informal, be informal, puts both parties at ease.

Never allow yourself to be drawn into copying or obviously mirroring.  If your interviewer curses or uses a profanity/swears, never allow yourself to mirror and remain professional at all times. Sometimes, it’s a test!

Interview Techniques

Remember you are selling yourself; It is vital you understand what the interviewer is looking for.  Try to steer the interview to your strengths and how they relate to your understanding of the clients requirements.  It is also an opportunity to get the information you want from the company, afterall you must be sold on joining them.

Always ask questions this show you have a real interest in the position and the company. Have questions prepared based on information you previously researched about them. Make sure you also leave the interview with enough information to make an informed decision on the suitability and desire to join the organisation.

Your questions should demonstrate an interest in their line of work or services, as well as your enthusiasm and interest in the role itself. You should refrain from discussing sebaticals, holidays, holiday entitlement, pensions, external commitments, etc. until you are firmly in the closing stages of your 2^nd or 3^rd interview.

Remember your CV has been selected through a filtering process with very specific criteria.  Regardless of your capabilities and proven background, you still need to put in a good performance in promoting why they should select you.

Remember it’s a two-way-street…. 

We would like to wish you good luck in your ‘Job Hunting’ and remind you that quality Recruitment Agencies are here to help their clients find the best possible people for the job and to help you find the right job and enjoy career success.