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Archive for the ‘CV Tips’ Category
27
Jul/10
With reports claiming there are now 70 graduates for every available position, a focus on how your CV and life experiences can single you out from the crowd is essential. Gap year applications have shot up this year, and employers appreciate that gap year students can add knowledge and skills to their repertoire that can be valuable in the workplace.
Gap Year Skills
Individuals who choose to take a gap year - for travel, work or a charity, should make use of this time to think about how their experiences can translate to essential skills and abilities to benefit their career. Here are just some of the gap year attributes you can showcase to potential employers:
- Fundraising – Showing that you were able to raise a percentage (or all) of the cost of your gap year by working, fundraising or applying for a grant shows determination.
- Staying Power – The ability to see a project through from start to finish.
- Enthusiasm – A can-do attitude and the spirit to take on the unknown.
- Making a Difference – Working and assisting charity and fundraising projects across the world is a fantastic personal accomplishment.
- Actively Volunteering – Choosing to help others, putting yourself forward and signing up for a beneficial project shows great character.
- Working as a Team – Gap years are often organised in groups, and especially if you are working on a project, you will have to use group skills to achieve your goals and get on with others from all walks of life.
- Overcoming Challenges – Whether you are travelling, working or volunteering, you will undoubtedly face obstacles, difficulties and hard times during your gap year. Showing how you overcame these (and what you learned) can be a great subject to bring up in interviews.
- Communication – Succeeding with interpersonal skills and problems of language shows problem solving and adaptability.
Employers wish to see proof that you have made the most of a gap year – even if you spent it working in your hometown, rather than volunteering in a third-world country – you should be able to show that you have grown as a person and expanded your life experiences. This can be on your CV, in a cover letter, a Video CV, your Personal Career Website or face to face in an interview.
A gap year can show responsibility, drive, ambition and commitment, and if you managed to fit in some related work experience along the way then all the better. By recognising the areas in which you have learned and articulate them in your CV or interview, then you will stand out from the crowd.
Interviews and applications often ask for examples of challenges you’ve faced, difficulties you’ve overcome and times when you’ve had to use your initiative. Gap year experiences can be great examples of teamwork, organisation, ingenuity, enthusiasm and passion. They can also help answer those tricky “what are your strengths/weaknesses?” questions, as your personality is sure to have been tested at least once while on a gap year.
Most importantly, a gap year should not just be a year off – for graduates particularly, a gap year should be considered to help improve employability, and for seizing opportunities. Any and every work and life experience is valuable, so long as you translate it into a tangible skill that is beneficial in your career. Accendo can help you word your experiences in a cover letter or CV to best show these attributes and gain the most from your gap year.
Tags: cover letters, CV Services, CV Writing, gap years, graduate gap years, Job hunting
Posted in CV Tips, career counselling, cover letters | 1 Comment »
21
Jul/10
Your cover letter is usually the first thing a recruiter will see, and therefore needs to be carefully created to give you the best introduction possible. A cover letter is a short, sharp summary of why you are the ideal candidate for the advertised role. It should be tailored to each company you apply to, and give employers a brief idea of who you are and your suitability for the position.
Here are AccendoCV’s guidelines on how to write the perfect cover letter:
- Find out who the letter should be addressed to and personalise the letter accordingly.
- Format professionally, proofread and double-check spelling and grammar, names and addresses.
- Keep it to a single page, made up of 3 or 4 paragraphs (or bullet points) describing your relevant skills and experience relating to the job.
- If sending by email, don’t forget to attach your CV! (It’s also a good idea to ask for acknowledgement of receipt, in case it ends up in a spam folder.)
- Highlight what the employer is seeking by listing your skills, experience and characteristics.
- Provide exactly what is specified in the advertisement, eg: your CV and a 3 page outline of a successful project you’ve managed – no more, no less.
A helpful tool to write an effective cover letter is the acronym AIDA:
Gain the reader’s Attention by introducing yourself effectively.
Keep their Interest by showing you have the skills and experience to fulfil the role.
Ensure that the content is relevant to the advertised position and the recruiter will Desire to meet you.
Make sure that your contact details are clear in order for the recruiter to Action a response to your application.
No matter how good your CV is, your cover letter is your first point of contact, and should represent you positively. You can find more tips and advice on writing cover letters here and here, or perhaps you’d prefer to consider a more modern form of introduction, via a Video Enhanced CV.
Video CVs are the future of job hunting, providing a personalised, succinct introduction to your abilities and strengths using a short hosted video presentation. Visit AccendoCV for more details on how you can create the best first impression possible, and optimise your chance for success in your chosen career.
Tags: cover letter, CV Help, CV Tips, CV Writing, how to write a cover letter, Job hunting, Video CVs, Video Enhanced CV
Posted in CV Tips, Video CVs, cover letters | No Comments »
15
Jun/10
There’s no time like the present to take that step into a new career! We all face crossroads in our business life, whether it’s being unhappy with a certain job, difficulty working with colleagues, a desire for change or financial problems, we needn’t feel trapped or stuck where we are working.
Of course, making a career change is a daunting prospect, but there is help to be had, in the form of career counselling. Accendo’s Career Counselling provides access to senior executives, human resource directors, MDs, company secretaries, CIOs and FDs. They have invaluable personal knowledge of managing business change and the processes involved and will help you work through the challenges and identify new opportunities.
It could be as simple as rewriting your CV for a fresh new start, perhaps recording a Video Enhanced CV to give you an edge over competitors in your new chosen field, assisting with interview preparation and writing a professional cover letter.
In the current financial climate, we are all concerned about job security, but there is no need to settle for less than we deserve. Accendo can assist in all aspects of career management, helping you find, and achieve the career you want.
Tags: career counselling, CV Writing, interview preparation, Job hunting, Video CV
Posted in CV Tips, career counselling | No Comments »
27
May/10
Leaving university and entering the job hunting world is a daunting proposition today. With more budget cuts and redundancies on the cards, competition for work is increasing, and the value of a degree has become questionable since graduates are struggling to find work in the field in which they studied.
More and more students are applying for postgraduate degrees to avoid the recession’s scarce job market. Postgraduate study has reached record levels in elite universities such as Oxford, as candidates strive to raise their level of qualification. Does this mean that an undergraduate degree is worthless in the current climate?
Now more than ever, the importance of an outstanding CV and interview skills are paramount. According to a study by the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information, only 49% of British students believed their degree prepared them for future work. This suggests that the “soft skills” of communication, networking and working under pressure are what graduates are relying on.
So why are they struggling to gain employment? An employer has to sift through sometimes hundreds of applicants for any one job. If your CV shows your abilities, experience and drive clearly and succinctly, and suggests a flair for innovation, it is more likely to be noticed. Recent developments in social media and networking have brought the Video Enhanced CV to the forefront of candidate showcasing. Most CVs are sent via email these days, allowing you to take advantage of internet technology. By including a link to a professional Career Management Website, your prospective employer can view an essential first impression of you, before you even meet. Eye contact, a smile, enthusiasm and energy are integral parts of appealing to recruiters. In a rehearsed and polished Video CV, you can give them all the information they need to know with just one click of a button.
Visit AccendoCV for all aspects of Career Management, including CV writing and editing, Cover Letters, Interview Skills and to create your own Video Enhanced CV.
Tags: Accendo CV, career counselling, career management, CV Services, CV Writing, Professional CV writing, Video CV, website cv
Posted in CV Articles, CV Help, CV Tips, CV Writing, News | No Comments »
9
May/10
There are lots of reasons you should have a video enhanced CV, and one of them is to control the first impression that an employer has. With a short video (30 – 60 seconds of you outlining the profile section of your CV, about 40 or so words) you can take control of that all important first impression. We have all heard the stories of candidates making gaffs in the first few minutes of an interview and recovery then being impossible, but fewer of us appreciate that recruiters are known to spend less than ten seconds on the initial scan of a CV. If we can increase the time the recruiter spends on your CV we increase the chances of your getting to interview and winning the job. A link on your CV, under the profile which invites the reader to see you briefly, is something that no hiring manager will resist. By hosting your video on a Career Website you remove another of the recruiter’s issues – of not wanting to be seen in a corporate environment of viewing YouTube or similar sites. But what we achieve is the recruiter spending 30 – 60 seconds on your CV, reading on through the document as your short video plays on his/her screen. That’s x3 or x6 the time he/she spends on other candidates CVs.
If that is not sufficient to convince you of the value of a video enhanced CV, consider in more depth that all important first impression. To make a 30 – 60 video needs care and attention and you should view our training video to learn many tips, such as to use a free download teleprompter to make you look fluent on screen, dress as you were at an interview, smile, and mare techniques. A short video isn’t difficult to make (long ones really are) but it does need structure and beginning and thank you to end. But its value is immense as it gives you control over that first impression. Because you have practiced your video and are aware of its content, you have taken control over the first impression. When you meet the recruiter for interview you already know his/her impression of you, because you created it. This is a new situation in the interview dynamic, where you have the initiative.
At AccendoCV we have put together a training video together with secure hosting of your video on a major Career Website (which itself shows to interviewers that you are serious about your career). This is in addition to our CV and Career Website services, all of which are aimed at helping you make the very most of your career.
Posted in CV Articles, CV Help, CV Tips, News, Personal Branding | No Comments »
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