1. You must have a CV

2. Video and Audio Resumes

3. CVs - the functional CV

4. CVs - 15 tips on making a shortlist

5. Is the traditional CV dead?

6. Video CVs - should you have one?

7. Get that job! – CV and covering letter mistakes

8. CV Reviews - first step to a new job

9. CVs - should you choose a video CV?

10. CVs - should you opt for a longer CV?

In the Sunday Times last week there was an article "Will video kill the old CV star?"

A number of companies are investing in the technology, and looking for companies to seek it and to have candidates creating vido CVs.

I wrote about this in November last year. 

On the face of it, it sounds great – a chance to show your personality and to enhance the written word.

But, as I’ve done some short listing recently, I’m reminded of how quickly you can shortlist using paper CVs. It’s time consuming for companies, a CV can be read through quickly in about a minute but even a short video CV is likely to take 5 minutes and it’s going to be too consuming a task for a recruiter.

It’s also not going to be so easy a job to compare candidates against each other. I’m sure there are other problems – not everyone can afford this software and it contains info that can be seen as discriminatory including about sex and race.

Reminds me of when people send me photos - I paid to have a professional shot done of me, but so many people rely on a photo produced by a family member. If you are the president of a professional body, or chair of a local society, wouldn’t it be worth investing a little bit of money to get it done well?

I offer complimentary CV reviews via my web site. Some people have never had their CV critiqued and it can be useful for them to get an external view.

I’ve recently reviewed a CV from Paula.Two key things I noticed from the CV was the headings were very large – font 18, the text was in a small font, size 9 and there was a lot of wasted space with the CV covering 4 pages.

The key thing to remember with CVs is that the person reading it is only going to spend a minute or so with an additional review so it has to grab attention quickly. It’s also important to  remember that the CV is just to get you an interview, you have time to impress further when you meet with the interviewer.

Less is definitely more - you want the space to make your points stand out and include the most relevant details not everything. You also need to think of the covering letter as the companion to the CV and include relevant details on what you seek and why in the letter.

I’ve written some guidance about writing CVs on my web site. 

Alongside presentation it is also important to think of what you achieved, not copying out details from the job description. You need to step back and think about the job, what did you do that made a difference?

Any thoughts or questions? Do get in touch or comment below.

According to a survey by Robert Half Finance and Accounting, 21% of Chief Financial Officers surveyed found there were substantial errors with CVs and nearly 9% pointed to errors in the covering letter.  If a CV has an error, this indicates a lack of attention to detail which can make recruiters think that this is how you will work.  

Make sure you read your CV and letter through carefully before you send it out. 

Have you thought about having a video CV? A few websites are now allowing you to create one but is it something you should do? 

On the face of it, it sounds great – a chance to show your personality and to enhance the written word.

But, as I’ve done some short listing recently, I’m reminded of how quickly you can shortlist using paper CVs. It’s time consuming for companies, a CV can be read through quickly in about a minute but even a short video CV is likely to take 5 minutes and it’s going to be too consuming a task for a recruiter.

It’s also not going to be so easy a job to compare candidates against each other. I’m sure there are other problems – not everyone can afford this software and it contains info that can be seen as discriminatory including about sex and race.

So should you opt for one?

Probably not, I’d advise you to concentrate on getting a great CV together instead.

I was talking about CVs with clients this week, they were wondering what style works best and if they even need one with more and more need to complete on line application forms for job sites.

There are still occasions when people will ask for your CV and what you need to do is to ensure it stands out and also conveys your key messages quickly.

Too many CVs I look at when I’m short listing are too wordy and also vague. I want to know WHAT someone has done, not just have details brought from their job description.

When you put your CV together make sure you make the key facts easy for someone to pick out – achievements, keywords etc.

You also want to pay some attention to design, to make sure it stands out from those using templates and copying those you see via a web search. You want to make it visually appealing to encourage it to get it to the short listed pile.

We do also need to be mindful that CVs are now scanned, in which case we need to concentrate on key words which must match with the requirements for the job.  You can use the same CV but then change it to plain text (no formatting) for computerised searching, and then looking for where you can add more key words.

The CV is still an important part of your job search tool bag, so make sure it is a good one. If you need some help in creating a great CV, a cost effective way is to use my Create a CV eBook and get a complimentary review. http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/ebooks.htm

1: Be clear on what you are selling – what have you achieved, not what you have done!

2: Make sure your CV and letter are error free – errors will lead to the reject pile! Check the spelling, and get someone else to read it through.

3: Include a clear summary or objective – a clear summary of what you an offer and how this supports your job objective

4: Take the focus off you, and move it to the company. You have to sell yourself.  Make sure they know how you can help them.

5: Follow reply instructions – if it says to include a hand written letter, do so.

6: Do not be afraid to telephone the recruiter or company to chat about the vacancy.

7: Always get a name for the covering letter.  If it’s not in the advert, use your initiative and phone.

8: List skills and experience, gained from hobbies plus languages that appear unrelated to the job, but could end up making the difference.

9: If seeking to change sectors, look for common cultural links between the two work environments, such as comparing the fast moving nature of retail with that of information technology.

10: Display good judgement by selecting the right, relevant information.  Make sure the CV and letter are fully focused on the job.

11: Don’t let a mail shot approach, look like it is.  Personalise all letters.  If you can’t use mail merge, learn!

12: Do not send photocopies.

13: Explain your current role.  Do not assume people will know what your responsibilities are.

14: Describe how your work has led to measurable outcomes, benefiting your organisation.

15: Send a follow up letter to reemphasise your enthusiasm.

Taken from my eBook - Create a CV, a step by step guide.

The standard CV is called a Biographical CV.  It has your career history in chronological order followed by education etc.  However, sometimes you want to change career paths and this style of CV is too focused on what you have done rather than what you want to do.

If you want your next career move to be in an area where you will have a significant shift in responsibilities or move to a different sector, than a functional CV is the one to choose.   The Functional CV highlights skills and achievements rather than the chronology of events.

A Functional CV can be very useful if you:

• Are making a career transition

• Want to return to a professional area you worked in earlier in your career

• When you want to disguise a previous career path

• Have large time gaps in your CV and/or

• Have extensive accomplishments in volunteer work or hobbies.

For example John worked for many years as a Church Minister but for a change of career wanted to move into human resources.  Rosie had been on a career break for several years and need a way of including all the skills and experience she had gained via voluntary activities.  

For both John and Rosie a functional CV significantly increased the number of interviews they gained.

There is plenty of detail on how to produce this in my CV e Book.  Basically its about having highly focused paragraphs on specific skills and abilities that relate to the job being targeted. So all the examples from your career history go under headings rather than jobs.  Headings include things such as adminstration, communication, consulting, designing, engineering, management, research etc. You then put a few bullets under each heading drawn from your work and non work experience.

Have you ever thought about a functional CV? Has something stopped you from using it?

Do you have a question about CVs, do comment below and I’ll get back to you.

I’ve been reading that in America some technologically focused job searchers are using video resumes. to do this well would be very costly and I can imagine some people could put far too much energy into a film that could be seen as a gimick and unwanted by most HR professionals.

 However, an audio CV may be worth thinking about. In the US there is a company called My Ad Box and they have launched Audio Resumes.   you record your answers to 5 of the most common interview questions which are created into an audio file. This means that when you contact companies you can include a link to this, which may give you a competitive edge.

http://www.myadbox.com/services.shtml