Posts Tagged ‘CV Tips’

9
Aug/10

Planning for Career Success

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.

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Posted in CV Writing, Personal Career Websites, Video CVs, career counselling | No Comments »

21
Jul/10

How to Write a Cover Letter

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.

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5
Jan/10

IGNITE YOUR CV

Ignite your CV for maximum impact
Making a career move in the current atmosphere of recession is a challenge, but you should not be deterred. Your career is amongst the six most valuable things you have so CV writing should be a priority. Getting your CV working for you will make the chances of securing that all important interview much greater.
In doing their job properly the recruiter who receives your CV will have dozens to sort through, so your CV will have to showcase your relevant experience, skills and qualities in less than ten seconds. Simplification is the key to success.

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