Tag Archives: CV Tips

Careers Advice, CV Tips

Basic CV tips

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Getting your CV right from the start is important – in this article I will address the basic format of an effective CV. There are hundreds of CV templates available for free on the internet, all slightly differing from each other – some more effective than others. If all CVs were the same it would be a rather boring process for recruiters and hiring managers to sift through the piles of applications they receive on a daily basis, therefore it is OK to take on your own creative style as long as the CV remains professionally written and readable.

Some areas for consideration in your CV:

1. Contact details – make sure you add your mobile number, email address and basic location as a minimum. You would be surprised how many CVs I have seen with no contact details at all, how does the hiring manager reach you?

2. Profile – a good way to introduce yourself on your CV; stick to a clear and concise paragraph which details your key skills and abilities.

3. Objective – this is an interesting section to add into a CV, personally I don’t think it adds a great deal to the application however some employers appreciate the effort gone into clearly stating your career goals and matching up this statement to the role you are applying for (this section should be fluid so it changes per application).

4. Achievements – project management is all about accomplishment so why not highlight some towards the top of the document. Don’t go beyond 4 or 5 bullet points and make sure you demonstrate how you add value, utilising a structure such as STAR (Situation or Task, Action, Results) will help you keep on track.

5. Employment history – this should ideally start about half way down the first page of the CV.

6. Education and training – placed after the work experience if you are a seasoned professional or on the first page of the CV if you are a recent graduate.

7. Additional skills – such as IT skills can be added here if they have not been integrated in the remit of the roles. Any sought-after IT skills such as Primavera or MS Project etc. should be included.

8. Hobbies – not essential on the CV but it does add some personality to the CV and gives the reader an insight into you, outside of work. This has been key additional criteria in some employers I have recruited for previously.

9. References – at the end, state “available on request”

Utilising the above as the structure of the CV you can then flesh out with experience and skills to ensure you have covered the required elements of the CV.

At The CV Righter we recognise how difficult it can be to put together your own CV – there’s no shame in it, some just find it difficult to sell themselves on paper. That is why we work with you to understand exactly what you do and how you do it, we then take that detail and put together a clear and concise CV and ensure you are comfortable with all the content so you are not overselling or misleading the potential employer and will be comfortable at interview. Visit www.thecvrighter.co.uk for advice on how we can help you.

Careers Advice, CV Tips, Project Management, Sector Advice

Changing lanes – CV tips for changing industries

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There comes a time in our careers when we look for a change in direction – however with a tightening market and risk averse hiring managers blinkered to anything different form their industry, it has become a difficult task for job seekers to make that move.

Project management is a skill set which should transfer fairly seamlessly depending on the projects you are managing or supporting – particularly for the support roles, as promoting governance should take a pragmatic approach in best practice. Project managers should look to demonstrate their transferable skills and experience with projects which are common place across any sector or industry.

Here are some suggestions when preparing your CV for a change in industry:

1. Keep the focus on your skills – don’t get bogged down with terminology from your industry field.

2. Look to emphasise the projects which may be transferable into other industries such as IT, business change, office moves, equipment roll out etc.

3. Make sure you talk about the role more generically – not only are you being clearer for the hiring manager (who probably has not worked in your current business so doesn’t understand acronyms and typical terminology for that field); you are presenting a professional document to a variety of readers from recruiters, HR staff through to senior management.

4. Write a good cover letter – make sure you go the extra mile, recognising that you are effectively making a big career change – what can you give back? Match up your skills and experience specific to the task in hand.

When applying for a new role, do take into consideration what the job advert asks for – if it states youmust have experience in a particular field then it is highly unlikely you will pass through the filtering process. However if it states ideally then you are in with a chance if you can match up your experience to the projects and competence requirements. When you make an application, take time to tailor your CV to the role requirements ensuring you are ticking the boxes for the recruiter / HR staff – yes they will, generally speaking, have a must have list which needs to be complete for your CV to be placed in a shortlist for serious consideration. Do not assume the reader knows what all aspects of your role are, spell it out.

The CV Righter has a tailored service which specifically addresses your needs as a project professional making that next move – get in touch to discuss how we can assist you in creating that all important CV aiding you in a career transition into a new field. www.thecvrighter.co.uk

Careers Advice, CV Tips, CV Writing, Graduates, News

Professions being open to all backgrounds – we need to do more!

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Interesting news article on the BBC news website this morning headlined; “Professions must be open to all backgrounds, Alan Milburn will say”. Reading through the article explaining that those from less privileged backgrounds are missing out on professions such as law, journalism and medicine – it states education plays a big part in who will succeed but mainly an issue surrounding the actual schools and universities the current professionals attended being exclusive to the wider audience. It makes an interesting read and food for thought when making decisions about your career path.

I was very interested to read that internships are a key area for job seekers to be able to enter their chosen fields in such areas and how you would present yourself in an attractive way to potential sponsors. In my experience as a recruiter I have seen many a good candidate discarded due to their poorly written CVs – so maybe it doesn’t just come down to where you studied but also how you sell yourself?

I have spoken to a lot of recent graduates who have sort advice through their education establishments to write CVs – the results; some good, some not so good. Being a graduate myself and having been in the same position as others I found the assistance I received to be rather poor – basically I was pointed in the direction of a rather small area in the library with a few outdated books and told to “get on with it”. I am sure, not all, education establishments are the same and times have changed with the internet but I would hardly call this support. Could it be said that the government are missing a major point here – with the rise of recent graduates and fall of graduate level jobs and internships, surely a major starting point would be to address the overall guidance graduates and school leavers are presented with?

Workshops for graduates and school leavers would be a great start to ensuring everyone has a fair chance at securing work experience – such as professional 1 to 1 CV writing guidance and feedback, leads to follow in sourcing potential employers, effective researching skills for making a tailored approach for roles, interview techniques and basics on presentation skills would be ideal. As we now have to pay substantial tuition fees, part of the selling point from Universities could be the dedicated career service and for those who choose not to take degrees, a more robust system in school. As the government is urged to tackle the issue of opening up opportunities, they could put pressure on establishments and even offer funding to ensure targets are set and met.

At The CV Righter we offer a graduate package which addresses areas such as CV writing, effective job searching and interview techniques. Get in touch with your CV and have a free CV review:www.thecvrighter.co.uk

CV Tips, CV Writing, PMO, Project Management

Skills based CV versus Chronological CV – which is most effective?

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Having read thousands of CVs in my recruitment days and interviewed hundreds or candidates it became abundantly clear that the answer to the above question is the chronological format is most effective within the Project Management domain – why? Because employers need to understand where and when the skills have been used, simply listing core competencies does not give the reader any context. Also some skills may not have been used for 5 or 10 years, the hiring manager may require recent exercise of a particular skill as this plays a major part of that project. By listing expertise in skills based CVs you may be fortunate enough to reach interview but will be asked questions about those skills in the interview and be rejected against another candidate who does have recent relevant experience. Bear in mind when applying for a role you could be up against a large number of applicants, if there are candidates contextualising their skills on their CVs it is likely your CV will be discarded for those “ticking the boxes” for the recruiter / hiring managers role requirements list.

In a chronological CV each role should have a good level of detail which clearly states the key skills required for that role, every project is delivered differently and due to size and complexity a pragmatic approach to which aspects of formal methods used is key to successful delivery. There’s no point over complicating a fairly straight forward project, this only ties up the project manager or the support team in unnecessary “paperwork”. Do not assume the reader has worked in your organisation or on similar projects – if the CV isn’t clear, it does not get short listed.

Writing a skills based CV may seem like the easy option, it is. Being able to provide a list of bullet points or statements at the top of the CV which covers your entire career in project management would seem to make sense but it detracts away from the subtleties of each role and makes it difficult to actually “paint a picture” of you, the types of projects you have delivered and your style of execution.

Your CV is your personal marketing document – your customers are the recruiters and more importantly the hiring managers. What sells a product to you? For me it has to be a straight forward piece of information which says what it can do, how it works and how up to date it is in key areas of interest for me. Now take that formula and add to it the key requirement for any project management role which is exceptional attention to detail and written communication – think about all the reporting, MI etc.

The CV Righter is a dedicated Project Management CV writing service aimed at righting the CVs of project professionals who could use some insider perspective from PM recruitment specialism and having worked in PM previously. For more information visit: www.thecvrighter.co.uk