Category Archives: No

Infographic, News, No, Project Management, The CV Righter

Unveiling our new animated infographic by Zack Esterhuizen Design

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Infographics are becoming increasingly popular in a number of fields and apps which produce these are a plenty however taking the infographic to the next stage is an exciting concept which is being embraced across the digital media industry and spreading out to other sectors – the animated infographic. Intrigued by the concept The CV Righter engaged Zack Esterhuizen Design to create an infographic about our business and were very pleased with the service we received. I met with Zack who is the company founder of Zack Esterhuizen Design – he performed requirements gathering and really worked to understand what The CV Righter as a business hoped to achieve from the animation. Our primary goal was to have a piece of work which clearly covers our service offering and has a humour element too. Once Zack had taken down a detailed brief about the business they went away to work on a project plan and were back in touch with a story board and script for the animation which we went through together, slide by slide, to ensure it worked and said the right things. Perky Pair engaged S2Blue, an established audio services business in broadcasting, to create the voiceover – who took on the assignment with as much professionalism as Perky Pair and created a great piece of work which runs over the animation. Once this was approved and changes were made we were presented with the final product.

Not only were we impressed by Zack and Vikki’s professionalism throughout the project – we also felt included in the process which I have to say was very exciting. The final piece is both informative and easy to follow – it says a lot in a short time frame and as such I personally feel this would be an exceptional tool for engaging stakeholders on large projects. It moves away from the traditional “stuffy” format and brings a fresh element to presentations. But don’t take it from me – have a look for yourself here.

The animated infographic is a fantastic way to present service offerings to a wider audience and unlike the static format – it engages its audience with a short presentation which gets to the point and presents some great facts without getting embroiled in confusing detail. Perky Pair manage the project from start to end and engage the third party suppliers as required – overall I would say they have embraced stakeholder engagement exceptionally!

 

Careers Advice, CV Tips, CV Writing, Job Applications, News, No

Local man secures new role after working with The CV Righter

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I published an article titled “Steve Clarke pleads for work at the roadside” 21st June 2012, which highlighted the plight of a local man who was at the end of his tether looking for work after been made redundant 11 months prior. I made contact with Steve to see if we could offer some support as his story struck a chord with us here at The CV Righter.

As Steve had made over 300 applications but had only secured 5 interviews we made a strong assumption that his CV was not saying the right things about him and with little assistance out there for him and others in his position – we extended a free service to re-write his CV and offer advice about making applications for roles. At the time through the media attention Steve had gained from sitting at a roadside with a placard asking for work, he had been offered a temporary role on minimum wage which he was delighted at accepting and certainly helped him keep afloat whilst he looked to make further applications in his field as a Quality Assurance Engineer.

We re-wrote Steve’s CV ensuring it contained the information employers expect to see on a CV for such a role and ensured the content was true to Steve’s experience through constant communication. Once Steve and I were happy with the end result we then advised Steve to start making applications and ensuring his CV was searchable by recruiters and employers alike.

I received great news from Steve last week that he had been for an interview using the new CV at a local business which is currently expanding – he received fantastic feedback on his CV and his interview was a complete success, resulting in him being offered a rolling contract, there and then at the interview. Steve is delighted with the outcome and so are we!

As previously discussed in my blog we feel the help out there for those found unemployed is not good enough – however we hope sharing tips on writing CVs is useful and we offer a competitive service for those who find themselves in Steve’s position. We only wish we could offer a free service for everyone in this position. One service we do offer is a free CV review through our contact page.

One of the key areas I find in CVs which do not secure interviews is the core content of the roles themselves – often candidates feel a job title and basic summary will cover their expertise. I cannot emphasise more that job titles can be very misleading and what is standard in one company may not be in another – do not assume the hiring manager knows what you can do / have done. Write a list of your duties and then look to add some context by talking through what each competency actually means in that business.

The CV Writer specialises in project management CVs however – with extensive experience in careers advice for all types of roles we can also work with CVs from all walks of life.

 

Careers Advice, Friday Snippet, No, PMO, Project Management, Risk Management

Friday the 13th Risk Management – Friday Snippet

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Anyone who knows me well – knows that as such I am not superstitious but being a little accident prone to say the least, I am cautious on days which are deemed as unlucky. So today I am writing to you covered in bubble wrap, laptop running off a battery, all sharp objects and obstructions removed from my vicinity…

So I would like to address project safeguarding – as we all know, it is not just the dreaded Friday 13th when things can go wrong and in a time when no one can afford slippage what can we do to ensure we keep things on track?

Risk management – certainly nothing new here however if anything, more emphasis has been placed on this element of project management over the past few years due to the collapse of the banks and resulting EU troubles. More organisations are demanding project professionals with a greater awareness of risk management and PMOs come into their own here by promoting risk management through workshops within the business. Putting greater emphasis on risk frameworks and creating a robust risk register to ensure you are considering the bigger picture will not only put you in good stead with your stakeholders but will also raise your profile within the team and if you are good – you could become a champion in this field. As Risk Managers command an attractive salary and dedicated risk managers are in a minority, this could be a prime opportunity to break into a specialist field and really give your career a push in the right direction. Risk management is not just for financial services; all organisations taking forward business transformation will be very interested in a dedicated risk specialist. This could be a particularly good focus for contractors who go from assignment to assignment and need to hit the ground running – if you have great exposure to a number of industries and sectors coupled with the risk exposure you can potentially command very rewarding day rates.

Just some food for thought – I hope it has whetted some appetites out there and please do be careful today!

CV Tips, No

Recruitment insider – what they won’t tell you

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So you decide it’s time to start applying for a new role; you are excited about the prospect of starting a new job and all that it holds. You get your CV sorted and start applying for jobs which look interesting; some go direct to employers but a lot go to recruitment agencies. What does this mean? On the whole, most reputable recruitment companies are honest in that they often state they cannot respond to every application. They also encourage candidates to keep applying for roles as the sheer volume of candidates getting in touch means their databases are overwhelmed. Others say they respond to every application with individual feedback. I have yet to see this and if you think the rejection email you received was written just for you, it probably wasn’t. Apply for another role and receive an uncannily similar response to your application. These types of agencies also claim to place you in a database which is being managed effectively; so you do not need to apply for every role which comes in, that is relevant to you as they will “find” your CV and get in touch – a rarity. So what is it these recruitment businesses are doing with your CVs, yes all your information is sat in a database – all the effort made on your part as a prospective revenue earner for an agency is often dismissed and even when chasing up applications you are palmed off with generic spiel (if you can even get to speak with the recruiter). Have you ever started getting e-shots randomly shortly after applying for roles?

Unfortunately you are in a catch 22 situation with recruitment agencies – they form the interface to the employer.

However you can bypass the recruiter, as the reality is that only a very small percentage of jobs are run through them (only 10-20%). Saving the employer £’s you can do a few things to increase your chances of success and avoid giving all your details to a database which claims to only have your best interests at heart.

  • Ensure you have a LinkedIn profile which is up to date and reads more like a CV than a sparse profile. That way, employers can see what you’ve been up to and make contact should they feel you may be of interest based on the info supplied.
  • Create opportunities – networking and research are key to finding that next role.
  • Research organisations you wish to work for and set up searches to keep an eye on movement; you do not need to wait for a role to be advertised. Go one better and identify change within the organisation, as project management is all about change you are likely to hit on something which you could apply for speculatively – well before the organisation has even considered advertising for a role.
  • Make sure your speculative applications are tailored to the organisation and any changes in the news (see above comment). Take time to match up your skills and expertise to the potential role and needs of the employer.

As the employers are becoming more frugal in how the take on recruitment campaigns it is a prime opportunity for you to approach them, saving valuable time and money for the employer can stand you in good stead.

It is important to make sure you are moving with the times and as recruitment agencies are increasingly coming under scrutiny for how they treat their candidates coupled with employers’ wishes to reduce recruitment costs, there is prime opportunity to divert to a more effective way of applying for work.

The CV Righter not only provides a professional CV writing service – we also provide careers advice to candidates which is tailored to your needs and with our insider knowledge of how employers view varied approaches, we can advise on what works best. www.thecvrighter.co.uk