It’s not enough to just write a good CV. Your curriculum vitae and cover letter need to be targeted, relevant and attention grabbing, and appropriate to the industry or sector you are applying to.

AccendoCV’s key strength is to recognise how to utilise our clients’ experiences and skills to create a unique and powerful CV. We use only experienced career professionals with specific sector experience and a broad understanding of the market. We can offer focused CV writing assistance in several specialist areas, for example: Engineering & Manufacturing, IT, Financial Services and Insurance.

Your CV is far more likely to be shortlisted and responded to if you show the recruiter that you are actively targeting their relevant industry. We can help you tailor your CV, your cover letter or your resume to assure a higher rate of success when job hunting.

See the list below for examples of industry sectors that we can provide support for:

We offer CV writing services, help with cover letters, applications, career management and the creating and secure hosting of Video CVs and Personal Career Websites. Visit AccendoCV for more information.

Since the job market has become more demanding and competitive than ever, careful and strategic career management is required to ensure you make the most of your skills and experiences.

Planning your career

The most successful career paths have good planning, a sense of direction, and clear milestones along the way. A career path needs to be flexible but it should always be structured. If you have a “map” of your intended route, you can make sure that all the activities in your working life help further your aims and give you a sense of purpose. Managing your career does not mean closing your mind to luck and chance, but involves talking and thinking about your career in a methodical way. This will help you gain further insights and recognise any opportunities as they arise, so that you can make the most of them.

Make the most of all the career choices that face you during your working life, be clear about your goals, alert to opportunities, and quick to make key decisions when necessary. Effective planning will help you be prepared and focused, so that when you need to, you can make the right choices. Nobody wants to look back on their career at retirement and wish they had taken a different path or done things another way.

So take action and give yourself the best chance possible:

1. View managing your career as an exciting new project.
2. Give planning your career the time and effort it deserves.
3. Concentrate on career opportunities.
4. Be prepared to look back as well as ahead.
5. Ensure you have the best marketing tools at your disposal, starting with your CV or resume

Marketing yourself

CVs or resumes are critical and to be noticed a CV has to be powerful. It is your primary marketing tool. The easy answer is that you need as many versions of your CV as it takes. There are different types of Curriculum Vitae  for different job-hunting methods — and if you are using multiple strategies and approaches to search for a job, you’ll probably need multiple versions of your CV:

1. Traditional paper Curriculum Vitae
2. Electronic CV for attaching to email applications
3. Personal Career Website for hosting your CV, professional information and experience
4. Video Enhanced CV to use as an attachment on electronic CVs or on your Career Website

Maximise your opportunities for success and ensure that you are approaching your career with a practical and realistic plan, a well-written CV and a range of marketing tools to help you stand out from the crowd.

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.

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.

It’s the responsibility of a recruiter or interviewer to thoroughly assess whether you’re the right candidate for the job, so whether we like it or not, they’re going to ask those difficult questions when interviewing. There’s no need to be nervous or anxious when going into an interview situation, so long as you are confident in your abilities and have prepared properly for how you want to put yourself forward.

They’re not looking for perfect, textbook answers; they’re looking for a genuine person who can show intelligence and the ability to think on their feet. If you follow our guidelines on dealing with difficult interview questions, you should no longer have to worry about the dreaded… “So what’s your biggest weakness?”

• Do your research. Before you even step into that interview room, make sure you have researched the company, the job description and what the work will entail, key members of management (if appropriate) and what will be expected of you. It sounds obvious, but going into an interview ‘blind’ is an easy way to go home with nothing.
• Stay positive. Answer awkward, seemingly negative questions like “What didn’t you like about your last job?” or “What are your weaknesses?” in a positive way, showing that you can see the benefits of personal growth and development. Don’t badmouth your previous employers, or be self-deprecating – answer by identifying minor faults, but backing them up with an aim to improve and extend your abilities in this new job.
• Be genuine. No one likes a suck up… Don’t practice your answers so they sound like you’ve learned them by rote, show a little personality and individuality. Putting on a ‘perfect’ front will only give the impression that you are possibly deceitful and manipulative. An important aspect of any workplace is the staff dynamic – they want to see if you will fit in as well as your ability to do your job.
• Tell the truth. You should never lie during an interview, even when you find yourself having to talk about something potentially damaging to your chances. Instead, find a way to be diplomatic and objective when asked questions about long periods of unemployment or leaving a previous job under bad circumstances. Explanations which take into account difficulties, but also display your future intentions can help you out of an awkward spot.
• It’s not about the money! Better earnings/hours are not the answers they’re looking for when they ask what drew you to this job… You should also not describe the position as a “stepping stone” to help you on your way, even if it’s true. Explaining your aims in terms of “new challenges”, “better opportunities”, “an interest in the company and an eagerness to learn and develop” etc are more tactful ways to put it.
• Plan for the future. When asked where you see yourself in 5-10 years, or what your career goals are, show your intention to better yourself and your career (ideally within the company). Even if your plans are not solid or clear, you want to put across that you are ambitious and diligent and you will work towards improving your position.
• Ask questions.  If you’re really stuck for an answer, asking the interviewer their opinion can help, for example – “How do you deal with criticism?” could be answered by saying you think it’s important to be challenged and given the opportunity to improve your skills, and follow it up by asking about the company’s audit system. Showing an interest in the workings of the business is a good attribute to show in an interview.

Interviews can be nerve-wracking, but if you have confidence in yourself and your skills, a great CV to show, and do your research and preparation beforehand, there’s no reason why you can’t succeed. If you struggle with the stress of face-to-face interviews, it might be a good idea to create a Video Enhanced CV to be your first impression for you. A short introductory video CV can broadcast your personality, your assets and your goals to a prospective employer, before they’ve even met you, taking the heat off the initial moments of the real interview. Similarly, a Career Website can showcase much more than a traditional CV, detailing your work history, ethics, ambitions and individuality – available online for recruiters to peruse along with your CV and potentially giving you an extra leg up towards getting that job.

Browse AccendoCV’s services to help you make the most out of every interview, and secure the job you are after.

Unemployment among recent graduates has risen significantly, with men worse affected than women. The Higher Education Policy Institute has estimated that unemployment among graduates aged under 24 rose by 25% from 11.1% in December 2008 to 14% in December 2009. It went on to say that at the end of 2009 17.2% of male graduates were out of work compared with 11.2% of women. Intense competition for graduate jobs means that more than three quarters of employers require at least a 2:1 degree grade - a survey conducted by the Association of Graduate Recruiters also says there are more graduates chasing fewer jobs – with vacancies down by 7%.

Applications have soared, with an average of 69 people chasing each graduate job. In response, 78% of employers are now filtering out applicants who have achieved lower than a 2:1 degree. About two thirds of students achieve either a first class degree or a 2:1 – so this means the remaining third, who will still have passed their exams and paid their tuition fees, will not even be considered by these employers. These two reports, published in July 2010 (sources BBC 7th July and BBC 4th July), show how much more competitive the graduate recruitment market is. How does a graduate respond?

He/she must rise to the challenge of marketing themselves better than other graduates. It’s what has to happen when competition increases. This happens in all markets and is a natural response. In detail, you must ensure that your CV is perfect – get professional help with it. Every small improvement is worth having.

Use a video enhanced CV – by adding a short (very short 0 30 – 60 seconds) video you can make your CV stand out. But it does much more than just that – a thoroughly practiced video transmits a lasting impression to the viewer, it allows you to control and manage first impressions, and finally, it extends by more than threefold the time a recruiter spends on your CV when doing a first screen.

Use a Career Website to be found easily. A survey run by Microsoft found that 7 out of 10 employers took online references up before meeting candidates. They googled applicants and all they found was rushed profiles placed on LinkedIn and Facebook etc. By creating your own career website via a structured service like AccendoCV you can manage this uncontrolled branding by projecting a positive career image. A career website is ‘always on’, which is essential in a competitive market.

Feel free to look at the product family offered by AccendoCV

• CV writing service
• The Video Enhanced CV (securely hosted on a career management site)
• The Career Website – personal to you, professionally designed to be visually attractive and secure.

A CV is no longer enough to promote yourself in the current difficult marketplace – whilst still necessary and important, a conventional document CV does not provide the visibility required to make an impact. An obvious solution makes the most of the internet, technology and the ease of online networking – a complete vehicle for marketing your assets and talents – The Lifebrand Personal Career Website.

There is absolutely no excuse for not having an online presence in the 21^st century; blogs, websites and personal networking accounts are easy to set up and maintain, but it is essential that any site which represents your professional life should be just that – professional. It must project your own personal brand in a believable and honest way, showing who you are and what you have to offer. Tacky, amateurish exercises in self-promotion are sure to put prospective employers off, as will inappropriate content or irrelevant information. An Accendo Lifebrand Career Website is a purpose-built, professional and impartial mechanism that will allow you to market yourself professionally and maturely.

What are the Benefits of a Career Website?

A Personal Career Website has many uses, and can become an integral tool in your own career development. The beauty of such a customisable idea is that each website will be unique and different, showcasing each candidate’s personal attributes and fulfilling a variety of aims. Here are a few ways to utilise a Career Website:

• A Marketing Tool – Having a link to your own website is a great addition to your CV, creating an opportunity to show more of your qualities and experiences than CVs or short interviews often allow. Use your web address on letterheads, in email signatures, on business cards and on your CV to give a professional view of who you are.
• A Sales Tool – A Lifebrand Career Website can make you stand out from the crowd, giving an impressive, professional, experienced impression to prospective employers or clients. It shows you value your attributes and talents, and have the foresight to showcase them in an expert manner.
• A Networking Tool – Online networking is a great asset to job hunting and career development. Providing clients, employers and head-hunters with a succinct summary of your work, your experiences and your best qualities means you don’t have to rely on your CV alone to publicise yourself. Your website will also show up in searches for your name/company, doing half the work for you!
• A Personal Brand – Personal branding is in important concept in career development, and an Accendo Lifebrand Personal Website can help build up a picture of who you are and what you are capable of.

What to Include?

Your Personal Career Website should project all the aspects of your personality and experience that will help you to find the job you want. You might want to consider the following for ideas on what to include:

• Relevant and compelling adjectives to describe you, and your brand attributes
• Your greatest strengths (think about what other people would suggest to describe you)
• What words do people use to introduce you? How do you appear to others?
• What are your short and long term ambitions or goals? How do you intend on achieving these?
• Do you know what your greatest weakness is – what is holding you back?
• Where do you want to be in 10 years’ time?

Accendo can help you to answer these questions, and assist you in creating an apt and intriguing portrayal of your personal brand, allowing you to be in control and actively and positively manage and promote your career. To ensure a high level of independence, credibility and quality, Lifebrand websites can only be edited or changed by Accendo.

Which kind of Lifebrand Website Should I Choose?

All sorts of professionals can benefit from an Accendo Lifebrand Personal Career Website. There are various different types to choose from, ranging from 3 pages to a totally bespoke design, and you can upgrade or change your type and style at any time. Accendo will guide you to the right decision for your own aims and requirements. Lifebrand Personal Websites are idea for all types of candidates, including:

• Graduates
• Sole-traders
• Business Owners
• Professionals
• IT Technologists
• Entrepreneurs
• Self-employed Professionals

In the current job market, finding work, changing jobs or developing a career is more difficult than ever. Finding a way to showcase your best attributes in an innovative, professional, contemporary way is vitally important. Accendo’s Lifebrand Personal Career Websites are the answer!

Visit the Accendo Lifebrand Personal Career Website today to find out more about our entire range of options.

View existing Case Studies for an idea of what your Personal Website could look like.

Check out Accendo CV’s other Career Management Services, including CV Writing and Video Enhanced CVs.

Interviews can be stressful situations. Ensure you give yourself the best chance for success by following our guidelines on the dos and don’ts of interview technique and etiquette:

DOS:

• Lay out your clothing the day before – getting prepared beforehand leaves you more time to organise your thoughts on the day.
• Dress appropriately. Conservative/sober dress is a safer bet but check with the culture of the organisation by contacting the offices/recruitment agent. Do wear smart attire and ensure your shoes are shiny and well kept.
• Plan your journey well in advance and allow for delayed trains, traffic and other unforeseen events.
• Ensure you know the correct name of your interviewer, job title and arrive at least 15mins early for the interview.
• Read and understand the job advertisement and description prior to your interview.
• Ensure you meet the requirements and you have a positive answer for any areas that you may not fully meet.
• Read over your CV and make sure you know it back to front.
• Have your CV, references and any additional information that has been requested with you.
• Research the company’s products and services, staff, culture, market position, recent press releases, clients and competitors.
• Be prepared for the target interview procedure; some companies have one-to-one interviews; panel interviews; assessment centres; psychometric testing.
• Give your interviewer a steady handshake when entering. Smile!
• Focus on your achievements when asked interview questions and portray every response in a positive way.
• Prepare for the interview via your own rehearsed model answers for any tricky questions you believe they may ask you.
• Prepare your own questions in advance, which might include – What is the organisation’s business plan for the next 1 or 5 years? What challenges do you foresee and how do you plan to overcome these? What challenges do you envisage in this role?
• Ask if there are any areas they would like further clarification on at the end – just to be able to have a second opportunity if necessary.
• Ask the follow up procedure; when you should expect to hear; 2nd or 3rd interviews etc if you are unclear and would like to know.

DON’TS:

• Don’t ask what the salary/benefits will be, particularly if this is the first interview.
• Don’t interrupt your interviewer, argue unecessarily or be defensive/aggressive in response to questions.
• Don’t badmouth previous employers/colleagues/businesses.
• Don’t lie or exaggerate – tell the truth, even if you have to describe a difficult situation or employment that ended badly. Explain delicately, and as briefly as possible if you have to.
• Don’t slouch, smoke, fidget, pick your nose… Sitting up straight and rigid can also look odd – try to relax, but remain interested and alert.
• Don’t stray from the question or subject – interviewers have to keep to a timeframe, and irrelevant tangents about your personal life, while perhaps giving a sense of your personality, may not impress them!
• Don’t give long-winded answers. Showing you can think fast, be succinct and solve problems efficiently is far more useful than being able to talk at length…

Interview Follow-Up:

After the interview and upon reflection, if you could have answered a question in a better way or failed to get an important achievement across, why not follow up with a letter thanking the interviewer for their time and re-state your suitability for the post?
Unsuccessful Outcome:

If you have been unsuccessful in your interview, it is worth requesting feedback. They might be very busy but they might oblige and offer you some valuable tips as to where you could improve your interview performance.

Successful Outcome:

Great! You have secured a job offer; however, wait till you have received the offer officially by post before resigning from your current post. Don’t forget to thank your interviewer/new manager!

For more career, interview and CV writing tips, visit AccendoCV.co.uk – specialists in career management and CV writing.

If tuition fees double, as has been suggested – from the current cap of £3,225 to a possible £7,000 – approximately 55% of young people in England and Wales claim they would forego attending university, according to a survey by the Sutton Trust educational charity.

Universities Minister, David Willetts, commented that students should see fees as “an obligation to pay higher income tax”, and that the cost of degree courses was a “burden on the taxpayer that had to be tackled”.

The number of places at universities has already been cut, and 70% of colleges plan on reducing the amount of courses on offer – leaving a possible 200,000 applicants without a place at further education in September 2010. Willetts suggested instead that students pursue occupational and practical courses.

The latest forecast, by Chris Morecroft, chairman of the Association of Colleges’ higher education group, is that the number of undergraduates will fall by 20% over the next five years, with more students opting for part time or online degree courses.

With more and more jobs becoming reliant on a degree, where does this leave graduates, or the multitude of students in limbo, when looking for a job? More emphasis on experience, life skills, organisation and initiative will be required to make a difference, with a well-crafted CV and excellent interview technique. The innovation of a Video Enhanced CV could be a winning solution to a difficult and saturated job market, showing forward-thinking, technological expertise and conscientiousness.

AccendoCV offers all aspects of career management, CV writing, Video CV and CV website creation and interview coaching.

It’s Wimbledon again, the 124th occurrence with the usual suspects from around the world seeking to win this glittering prize at the All England club and it promises to provide the usual nail biting excitement as well as the media driven hysteria surrounding British hopes.
These will be firmly pinned on Andy Murray, who will try to secure a grand slam title and become the first UK competitor to claim victory in the final since Fred Perry in 1936. Federer with six Wimbledon titles is clearly the odds on favourite but what makes him so successful?
Similarly there are other sporting events e.g. the World Cup, the F1 championship with two British contenders in Jenson Button & Lewis Hamilton and with a number of other multiple world champions contesting this year’s championship it prompts the question – what identifies the best from the rest when it comes to major sporting championships?
Clearly these individuals are all at the top of their game and make the rest of us mere mortals wonder at their focus, talent, tenacity, self belief and seemingly superhuman capabilities. There is always an element of luck but that is all – an element of luck. Their achievements are as a direct consequence of their ambition, application and practice.
It is this that gives all of them the ability to handle the pressure situations where tournaments or yearlong contests can be decided via their performance under pressure, consistency, ruthlessness and talent. I am reminded of Arnold Palmer’s famous quote – “It’s a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get”. It sums up the focus that we all need in our search for our next role – job search.
Are you as committed to your job search?
• Do you regularly search for new roles or new recruiters in a disciplined way?
• Do you follow-up every job application with a call to the recruiter handling the placement?
• Do you rehearse those interview questions and answers to ensure you are selling yourself accurately and well at the interview?
We at Accendo provide advice and guidance to our customers on managing this job search process and their careers with the same focus as the elite contenders and world champions mentioned above.

Accendo Career Management Services Ltd

June 2010.