Not Another CV Critique! Well..... Yes

[Martin43]

Hi all,

I've never had to write a CV before, going straight in to the RAF from school. However, the time has come and I need to get my bum in gear in preparation for the big bad world.

I'm hoping to move in to the oil and gas sector as a radio operator or roustabout.

I would really appreciate if someone could have a look over my CV and let me know how its sounds. After two days of tinkering, my brain is turning to jelly.

I microsoft word, it comes to just over (by two line) 2 pages of A4. It looks much better when you see it in microsoft word.

Thanks in advance


Martin Cassidy

• *Address***
• *Contact numbers***
• *Email***

PROFILE

A highly motivated and adaptable Flight Operations Manager providing a professional service to both military and civilian aircraft operating in the UK Flight Information Region and throughout the world. Excellent skills with a keen eye for detail in administration and radiotelephony. A proactive and enthusiastic individual, with excellent time management and communication. A conscientious supervisor and subject matter expert in air traffic control, flight planning and aviation operations specialisation.

KEY SKILLS

• Skilled communicator with a calm and concise radio/telephone manner
• Logical thinker with the ability to make decisions in high pressure environments
• Supervisory and leadership experience, combined with excellent interpersonal skills
• Highly competent in the use of IT systems, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel

CAREER HISTORY

Recruitment Consultant, XXXXX
Feb 2011 – Present Day

Recruitment consultant responsible for attracting candidates and matching them to positions within the Royal Air Force.

• Achieve the manpower plan handed down by Headquarters Command with best possible quality candidates, best suited to the role.
• Conduct initial assessment and interviewing of candidates to establish suitability.
• Administration and processing of candidate applications with great attention to detail and handling of personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
• Planning familiarisation visits, medical appointments and travel to meet time critical deadlines.
• Representing the Royal Air Force in the West of Scotland and engaging with the local community and schools. This includes public speaking and delivering team building activities to large groups.

Flight Operations Manager, XXXX
Aug 2010 – Jan 2011

Flight operations manager responsible for supporting UK air transport crews operating within Afghanistan and Middle East region.

• Responsible for the scheduling of six C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and ten crews ensuring the maximum, most efficient usage of crews and aircraft.
• Ensured crews were constantly updated on matters related to their task and provided them with sensitive, mission critical information.
• Planned passenger and freight movements in accordance with International Air Transport Association regulations and in accordance with the carriage of dangerous goods by air.
• Aided in passenger and freight loading, aircraft marshalling and refuelling.
• Re-scheduled the flying programme and re-tasked aircraft (often already airborne) at short notice to accommodate medical evacuation and compassionate flights to the UK.
• Mission planned and flight followed aircraft using an extensive array of IT systems, Satellite Communications, VHF and UHF radios.
• Liaised closely with UK forces, multinational agencies and maintained an excellent working relationship with Middle Eastern and Asian embassies, crucial to the success of the task.
• Personally commended by Commander British Forces and Deputy Prime Minster (Nick Clegg MP) for my work in scheduling aircraft to fly aid in to Pakistan after the devastating floods of 2010.

Distress and Diversion Controller and Assistant Air Traffic Controller
Aug 2008 – Aug 2010

Distress and Diversion controller responsible for aiding military and civilian aircraft in an emergency situation.

• Monitored UHF and VHF emergency frequencies 24 hours a day
• Provided meteorological information, airfield information and advice to ensure best chances of a safe outcome of any in flight emergency. This included runway length, rescue/fire fighting capability etc.
• Acted as a focal point for air traffic control during search and rescue operations in our area of responsibility and investigated personal and aircraft locator beacon activations.
• Investigated overdue aircraft through external air traffic control agencies and aircraft operators.
• Assisted in numerous aircraft emergencies including the ditching of a Super Puma in February 2009.

Assistant air traffic controller responsible for aiding air traffic control officers in the day to day controlling of aircraft within our area of responsibility.

• Provided accurate meteorological information for aircraft flying within the Scottish flight information region.
• Liaised closely with outside agencies to provide and obtain aircraft de-confliction information, ensuring the safe passage of flights.
• Handed over and took control of aircraft from other controlling agencies in the UK and abroad.
• Provided close supervision, guidance and training for 15 junior assistant air traffic controllers.

Assistant Air Traffic Controller, XXXXXX
Oct 2006 – Aug 2008

Assistant air traffic controller, shift supervisor and standards coordinator for assistant air traffic controllers employed in the air traffic control tower.

• Provided accurate hourly and special meteorological observations for the airfield.
• Controlled multiple aircraft and vehicle movements on the ground around the airfield.
• Provided support to controllers during emergency situations including taking full control of all ground based rescue assets and directing them to the scene of any emergency on or off the airfield.
• Provided a flight information service during out of hour’s operations.
• Conducted six monthly assessments of assistant controller’s standards and endorsed new assistant controllers, ensuring the highest of standards were met and maintained.

Maritime Air Operations Controller, XXXX
Feb 2005 – Oct 2006

Duty operations controller responsible for the operational control of all UK based maritime patrol aircraft and foreign maritime patrol aircraft operating in UK airspace.

• Provided a flight information and flight following service using UHF, VHF and Satellite Communications (INMARSAT).
• De-conflicted military maritime patrol aircraft and coordinated operations with external agencies such as HM Customs, Fisheries Patrol and Irish Air Corps maritime patrol aircraft.
• Responsible for the initial coordination of maritime patrol aircraft conducting search and rescue operations in conjunction with military, HM Coastguard and Bond SAR helicopters.

TRAINING AND CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Level 3 Certificate in Management & Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute (2006)
Level 2 Diploma in Team Leading (2006)
Certificate in Recruitment Practice (2011)

QUALIFICATIONS

Standard Grade educated including Maths, English, Physics, Italian, French, Modern Studies and Art (1999)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Full, clean UK driving licence
Medically and dentally fit, non smoker

LEISURE INTERESTS

Enjoys football, hill walking and the outdoors. A keen interest in maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. A member of the Childrens Panel and a fundraiser and regional representative for the Help for Heroes chatity.

[crazy about cars]

Hmm, your CV's structure is very similiar to my old one. Did you get help from one of the professional CV writers?

I would try to condense it down a little. Try to fit everything in 2 pages of a Word document if possible. My CV initially started out like this but I find some recruiters/employers will skim through most of it anyway. My current CV is only 1 page and it contains mostly bullet points of my current experience, key skills, qualifications and summary of previous work experience.

The "Profile" section at the start is a bit of a hit and miss. I will try to keep it short and sweet.

[Martin43]

crazy about cars said:

Hmm, your CV's structure is very similiar to my old one. Did you get help from one of the professional CV writers?

I would try to condense it down a little. Try to fit everything in 2 pages of a Word document if possible. My CV initially started out like this but I find some recruiters/employers will skim through most of it anyway. My current CV is only 1 page and it contains mostly bullet points of my current experience, key skills, qualifications and summary of previous work experience.

The "Profile" section at the start is a bit of a hit and miss. I will try to keep it short and sweet.

Thanks for the input.

No I took advice from the careers transition guys that the military provide to service leavers. I'm sure that they in turn took advice from professional CV writers so thats maybe where they look alike.

I'll take on board what you've said and try to maybe condense my CV a little more.

[WhereamI]

My concern is what relevance does your experience have to the roles you are applying for? If looking for a radio operator role then I'd have thought you'd be emphasising the parts of your experience that are relevant to that. For roustabout? Well, I'm no expert, but isn't that a hands on fix anything do anything sort of role? Again you don't seem to be doing anything to portray yourself as being suitable for that.

I suppose what I am saying is that you don't seem to be trying to sell yourself for those roles.

[Pothole]

It appears that page 3 is merely leisure interests, only one of which would attract my interest. Chop that section and put a line about H4H under the next Additional Information and you've got your two pages. Also I try and keep bullet points to one line. Do that and you can stick your leisure stuff back in.

Centre justify your personal info at the top, only put town and postcode, not full address (they don't need it)

Put your personal profile in a box.

[rog007]

Great first attempt and some good advice given above. Amongst a number of other other issues however, it lacks detail of outcomes.

Additionally, your first role description suggests you were consulting for the RAF, when in fact you were an employee carrying out recruitment activity; small point, but as it is, it could be misleading. Check some definitions of consultant to confirm.

Good luck! And if you'd like any detailed support, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

[Martin43]

WhereamI said:

My concern is what relevance does your experience have to the roles you are applying for? If looking for a radio operator role then I'd have thought you'd be emphasising the parts of your experience that are relevant to that. For roustabout? Well, I'm no expert, but isn't that a hands on fix anything do anything sort of role? Again you don't seem to be doing anything to portray yourself as being suitable for that.

I suppose what I am saying is that you don't seem to be trying to sell yourself for those roles.

Thanks for the post WhereamI,

The role of a radio operator offshore is to operate the radio and communication systems to land, helicopters and ships as well as observe met and do other admin tasks. Given that all but one of my jobs have been in air traffic control where I have used radios and sat com systems, I think that I am quite suited to that role.

The role of greenhand or roustabout is that of someone with no mechanical, technical or offshore experience so I would find it hard to sell myself for a role that is designed for those with no experience. I can only sell myself on the skills that I have.

[Martin43]

rog007 said:

Great first attempt and some good advice given above. Amongst a number of other other issues however, it lacks detail of outcomes.

Additionally, your first role description suggests you were consulting for the RAF, when in fact you were an employee carrying out recruitment activity; small point, but as it is, it could be misleading. Check some definitions of consultant to confirm.

Good luck! And if you'd like any detailed support, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Pothole and Rog007,

Thanks for your posts.

Pothole, I've take on board your advice and reduced the leisure part of my CV and its now on two pages, bonus!

Rog, I get where you are coming from with the word 'consultant' but I'm trying to find a way of describing a military job to a civil employer. Again details of outcomes are hard to get in as I'm not working in a sales based enviroment for example? Any advice on this?

Thanks again guys for everyone thats replied.

[rog007]

'Recruitment officer'; means the same in both sectors.

Outcomes = what impact you made in each role.

Hope that helps.

[98elise]

Martin43 said:

WhereamI said:

My concern is what relevance does your experience have to the roles you are applying for? If looking for a radio operator role then I'd have thought you'd be emphasising the parts of your experience that are relevant to that. For roustabout? Well, I'm no expert, but isn't that a hands on fix anything do anything sort of role? Again you don't seem to be doing anything to portray yourself as being suitable for that.

I suppose what I am saying is that you don't seem to be trying to sell yourself for those roles.

Thanks for the post WhereamI,

The role of a radio operator offshore is to operate the radio and communication systems to land, helicopters and ships as well as observe met and do other admin tasks. Given that all but one of my jobs have been in air traffic control where I have used radios and sat com systems, I think that I am quite suited to that role.

The role of greenhand or roustabout is that of someone with no mechanical, technical or offshore experience so I would find it hard to sell myself for a role that is designed for those with no experience. I can only sell myself on the skills that I have.

Definately re write it for the radio operator role.

I started to read it then thought wft has your last position, and your profile, got to do with being a radio operator.

Look at adverts for the job you want, then structure your CV to use exactly the same language, and emphasise your matching experience (providing you have it that is!).

Your CV doesn't need to be mainly chronological. You can write a big profile paragraph explaining your relative experience to the role (and this role only), so its the first thing they read. Later (on page 2) just list the jobs you've done + times, to show you've always been in work.

Somebody recruiting will skim to start with, and if they don't see what they want very quickly, then they may well bin it. Too much fluff about other responsibilties, and you will look like you don't have the experience.

A CV is just an advert to get you noticed, and in the door, so you need to sell yourself to the reader.

Edited by 98elise on Thursday 27th September 13:13

[WhereamI]

[quote=98elise]


Definately re write it for the radio operator role.

/quote]

That's exactly what I was trying to say. The cv should scream 'radio operator' if that is the role you are after. At the moment it doesn't and you are relying on the reader (who may be skim reading) to pick that out.

Never rely on the person reading to do that, when you are on the receiving end of a lot of CVs you don't really read them, you are trying to get down to a short list and the initial decision may take only 15 or 20 seconds so unless you are going for a role that will only have a handful of applicants make it as relevant to the role you are applying for as possible.