Discussion
Look at the jobs you think you could do and write a CV based around those specs. Put in your job history with the most recent first and leave it open on end date (don't put redundant - gives a bad impression).
Put the different job aspects in bullet points. If you've been with employer a long time, then all the other jobs can be just a summary. Never put why you left a role, if necessary put "contract" and explain at the interview why (as long as its a good reason - if fired, dismissed etc er.. bulls
t your way out of it!).
Don't be afraid to write different CV's that focus on different aspects of your role. I currently have 5 that I use, and I always alter them slightly to the role specification before applying. Remember all that needs changing is your most recent set of experiences which make you suitable for the role they're trying to fill.
Remember, if its going through a recruitment consultancy to find their number and call and ask to speak to the person who is looking after that role. Do this around an hour after you've applied online. The question to use is "have you received my application?". Also then ask "what happens now?". Sometimes this works, other times what they've put in the spec has been changed and you'll be up against someone who has previously applied and the consultant has them in mind.
I did this on Monday with a job I applied for over the weekend and was sitting at the company HQ for an interview on Tuesday. This has worked for me previously too. I've lost count of the amount of interviews I've sat since december last year. Its been 2 a week usually. Unfortunately there's a lot of people out there in the same position as me and I'm usually beaten to the post by someone with more experience who is basically taking a pay cut to get the role.
Going back to your CV, put in your skills underneath what jobs you've done. Computer literacy is still a big problem out there surprisingly so make sure thats listed - list the apps you're familiar with e.g. MS Office, SAP, Sage Accounts, any CAD software etc. Know any foreign languages (above basic level) put these in here.
Then put in your academic qualifications - degree, followed by A levels, followed by 9 GCSE's including Maths, Physics and IT (thats what mine says -alter to your requirements but don't lie!)
Finally put in a bit about your hobbies and what you enjoy doing - brief sentences should be fine. They're just so the interviewer can try to find out more about you the person to see if you would fit in within their team. Probably best to avoid any comments on religion, politics or anything a bit weird. Going to kungfu classes 3x a week and then having just started ceroc dancing is fine (mine says something similar). Regularly sacrificing goats to pagan gods with the brotherhood of whatever should be left off there, they don't need to know that. Same goes for admitting you're a labour supporter or a member of the BNP.
Try to keep the whole lot to one page with your full name, date of birth, phone numbers, address etc at the top of the page (this is so the agency can remove it easily and replace it with their logo and contact info). The reason you go for one page only is that its easier to look at and thats what others do. It wouldn't surprise me if agencies base their decisions on who has one page CV's only. 2 pages is a bit old fashioned and OTT now.
Mine has points down the side where I split the page into 1 small column for each section heading and one large column for the bulk of the information.
Don't be put off by the recruitment parasites - if you keep chasing them they'll get you an interview and then a job just to stop you phoning them! Also don't forget they're fundamentally sales people, YOU are their "product" which they're selling. Unfortunately they don't know you, so you're going to have be really pushy and sell yourself as exactly what their client is looking for.
Fortunately my previous roles have always been sales engineer roles so I'm good at the selling and chatting aspect. If you want to rise to the top of their list you'll have to do the same.
Also remember the agencies won't know their clients business that well (they never do in my experience) and so try to use laymans terms on your CV as much as possible. If you're going for a very specific role in the same industry as before (IT springs to mind here) then use the buzzwords from your previous role if they're industry wide, not just company specific. Otherwise avoid using them, as you might get an old school interviewer who dislikes playing bullst bingo and rips you to shreds as a result.
On the other hand, there's no harm in asking the interviewer to define their buzzword and then proving you know what they're talking about by giving examples of how you did exactly that in your previous role. Give you an example, one interviewer asked my thoughts on "Channel Management". On finding out this meant selling via different "channels" to the end customer (e.g. direct, through a certain type of distributor etc) I was able to point out my experience of it. Just remember to call it a "term" rather than a "buzzword" as the latter implies the interviewer is a moron. For example "could you define that term for me, as I'm not familiar with it?"
Have I missed anything?
Yes I have, put your nationality in with your address, contact name and phone no's. The agencies are getting a lot of time wasting immigrants who aren't allowed to work in the UK. Point out you're not one of them as you usually have to point this out when you apply online for roles.
I'm done!
Put the different job aspects in bullet points. If you've been with employer a long time, then all the other jobs can be just a summary. Never put why you left a role, if necessary put "contract" and explain at the interview why (as long as its a good reason - if fired, dismissed etc er.. bulls
t your way out of it!). Don't be afraid to write different CV's that focus on different aspects of your role. I currently have 5 that I use, and I always alter them slightly to the role specification before applying. Remember all that needs changing is your most recent set of experiences which make you suitable for the role they're trying to fill.
Remember, if its going through a recruitment consultancy to find their number and call and ask to speak to the person who is looking after that role. Do this around an hour after you've applied online. The question to use is "have you received my application?". Also then ask "what happens now?". Sometimes this works, other times what they've put in the spec has been changed and you'll be up against someone who has previously applied and the consultant has them in mind.
I did this on Monday with a job I applied for over the weekend and was sitting at the company HQ for an interview on Tuesday. This has worked for me previously too. I've lost count of the amount of interviews I've sat since december last year. Its been 2 a week usually. Unfortunately there's a lot of people out there in the same position as me and I'm usually beaten to the post by someone with more experience who is basically taking a pay cut to get the role.
Going back to your CV, put in your skills underneath what jobs you've done. Computer literacy is still a big problem out there surprisingly so make sure thats listed - list the apps you're familiar with e.g. MS Office, SAP, Sage Accounts, any CAD software etc. Know any foreign languages (above basic level) put these in here.
Then put in your academic qualifications - degree, followed by A levels, followed by 9 GCSE's including Maths, Physics and IT (thats what mine says -alter to your requirements but don't lie!)
Finally put in a bit about your hobbies and what you enjoy doing - brief sentences should be fine. They're just so the interviewer can try to find out more about you the person to see if you would fit in within their team. Probably best to avoid any comments on religion, politics or anything a bit weird. Going to kungfu classes 3x a week and then having just started ceroc dancing is fine (mine says something similar). Regularly sacrificing goats to pagan gods with the brotherhood of whatever should be left off there, they don't need to know that. Same goes for admitting you're a labour supporter or a member of the BNP.
Try to keep the whole lot to one page with your full name, date of birth, phone numbers, address etc at the top of the page (this is so the agency can remove it easily and replace it with their logo and contact info). The reason you go for one page only is that its easier to look at and thats what others do. It wouldn't surprise me if agencies base their decisions on who has one page CV's only. 2 pages is a bit old fashioned and OTT now.
Mine has points down the side where I split the page into 1 small column for each section heading and one large column for the bulk of the information.
Don't be put off by the recruitment parasites - if you keep chasing them they'll get you an interview and then a job just to stop you phoning them! Also don't forget they're fundamentally sales people, YOU are their "product" which they're selling. Unfortunately they don't know you, so you're going to have be really pushy and sell yourself as exactly what their client is looking for.
Fortunately my previous roles have always been sales engineer roles so I'm good at the selling and chatting aspect. If you want to rise to the top of their list you'll have to do the same.
Also remember the agencies won't know their clients business that well (they never do in my experience) and so try to use laymans terms on your CV as much as possible. If you're going for a very specific role in the same industry as before (IT springs to mind here) then use the buzzwords from your previous role if they're industry wide, not just company specific. Otherwise avoid using them, as you might get an old school interviewer who dislikes playing bulls
t bingo and rips you to shreds as a result.On the other hand, there's no harm in asking the interviewer to define their buzzword and then proving you know what they're talking about by giving examples of how you did exactly that in your previous role. Give you an example, one interviewer asked my thoughts on "Channel Management". On finding out this meant selling via different "channels" to the end customer (e.g. direct, through a certain type of distributor etc) I was able to point out my experience of it. Just remember to call it a "term" rather than a "buzzword" as the latter implies the interviewer is a moron. For example "could you define that term for me, as I'm not familiar with it?"
Have I missed anything?
Yes I have, put your nationality in with your address, contact name and phone no's. The agencies are getting a lot of time wasting immigrants who aren't allowed to work in the UK. Point out you're not one of them as you usually have to point this out when you apply online for roles.
I'm done!
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