Archive for the ‘CV’ Category

Keywords are not just for websites, they are essential for job hunters and their CV / Resume too.

Your CV / Resume needs to include Keywords that are relevant to the role you want and the experience you have.

CV / Resume Keywords are essential for job hunters

Uploading your CV / Resume so recruiters can find you is one of the key actions for job hunters, but making sure it is found  by recruiters is another important tactic.

For job seekers, the “Keywords” that matter are the words and phrases a recruiter uses while searching, like the words you type into Google when you are searching for something.

So what Keywords should you be using?

A simple question, however the answer has to be “use Keywords that apply to you and your experience”

Some top tips for getting the right Keywords on your CV / Resume:

• Use nouns with their descriptive adjectives – don’t sidestep or omit the action words and power language however you now need to focus on the job title and roles that the recruiter will be searching on.
• Pick up job descriptions of job roles that you want and identify the Keywords of  nouns and noun phrases that are relevant and make sure that you are able to include them in your own CV / Resume
• Brainstorm Keywords for your CV / Resume by developing a long list of possible Keywords.

Ideas for Keywords  include:

1. your next job title, standard job titles and non-standard job titles
2. names of job specific, industry specific and profession specific tools that you can use because of your education and experience
3. software & hardware resources and unique techniques that you are qualified to use
4. use professional and technical acronyms
5. include your qualifications, education establishments and certifications
6. name drop about conferences and publications where you have demonstrated your expertise

As far as a job application goes, submitting a good one can be a real conundrum.

Of course, you are keen to find new or alternative employment and you are gathering as much information as you can about yourself, where you want to work, what you want to do and what skills and expertise you have.

You will double your success rate for interviews if you have a targetted job application

It might be that you have rewritten your CV/resume or completed a job application form but if you have not MATCHED the CV/resume or job application form to the vacant role you are applying for, you have set yourself up for failure.

Every job application needs to be unique

How do you match the job application you ask?  There are always clues:

1. The company’s published material – their values, their products or services and their markets
2. The advert – what does it actually ask for in the advert?
3. Research the role, the website and the area and check your alignment with them ALL

I am inspired by how many youngsters are working the streets, going in to shops and local businesses and enquiring about work. In such a tough market and these guys are already helping themselves by presenting in person. However, I notice that the CV/resumés that they are offering are rather tombstone like. As a speculative approach each document needs to be unique and jump to the top of the pile.

So, a few suggestions for first-timers:

• Give potential employers some credit – the document you present to them is your CV/resumé– you do not need to headline it with ‘curriculum vitae’
• Use your white space and set the information out clearly. Be consistent, list dates on the right hand side of the page.
• Use a contemporary font [verdana for example] and make good use of bold, underlining and capitals.
• Make the document look professional, check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and ensure that there are NONE.
• Do not make up anything – it is essential to tell the truth.
• Position yourself in the first couple of sentences under your contact details. Write a short profile. Look on the internet for examples or ask us for help. Make yourself special.
• Extract your skills. Employers want to see what you have to offer. Your education is important but essentially, they want to employ people with good social skills, customer service awareness and even financial abilities. Think of examples when you have proven that you have these qualities and highlight them in a section.
• Include voluntary work or experience, social activities or sports that demonstrate leaderships and team work.
• Use bullet points to bring these to the attention of the reader.
• Avoid using a table format for the CV/resumé, it makes it harder to upload to the internet should you want to submit the document to job sites.

ASSESSMENT4POTENTIAL, specialise in working with students and supporting them into work.

Related post:

Networking is a key part of job searching. Once you’ve built your network, it’s imperative to follow up and pursue networking opportunities, which include:

• temporary or part-time work to enhance your marketability and industry knowledge and to meet people in your target sector;

• voluntary work to build experience and show your commitment – be clear about what you are offering to do and for how long;

• industry intern-ships, keeping in touch with colleagues you met on your placement;

• professional associations, which may run networking events or useful training and conferences where you can forge new links;

• careers events at university or elsewhere, speaking with representatives from many organisations in one place;

• online professional networking websites – LinkedIn is a popular example that allows you to build an online profile, widen your network and join groups within your industry;
• following up, on not only applications you have sent, but also with people you meet at events, etc.

Job satisfaction comes from using your qualities as well as your passion. By qualities I mean not only your skills, abilities and talents but also your values, needs, motivation and, importantly your interests.

The better you know yourself, the more likely you are to choose a satisfying successful job.

How do you discover yourself?

One suggestion is to write things down. Have your own journal in which you can jot your musings, thoughts, and feelings down. And you can add results to any of the self-exploratory exercises or psychometric tests that you may take.

Some simple helpful steps:

1. Think carefully about your achievements at school, college or work and identify where you have done well. What particular subject have you excelled and enjoyed, and at work what tasks and aspects go well? What does this tell you about your interests and abilities?
2. Write down three headings – Abilities, Interests and Values and under each heading write down your thoughts regarding how you use your leisure time. So whether it is a hobby, social, political or religious activity, note the theme and points that reoccur when you are enjoying yourself.
3. Complete self-assessment tests or inventories that measure your abilities, interests, values and personality. Do these results reflect a true picture of how you feel and what you are good at?
4. Invest in some professional career counselling.
5. Identify your skills. Work through different exercises and talk through activities with a career counsellor or friend/family member to discover which transferable and employability skills you have; and which ones are your strongest and the ones you really want to use.
6. Write a personal mission statement including what you want to be, what you want to accomplish and what principles you want to guide you. Reread it regularly and add to it the skills, strengths and motivators.

Self-understanding happens over time. Sometimes it is a light bulb moment, but more often it happens over a period of time and with serious reflection it can be an invaluable investment in time and self-awareness.

This is a short list of basic skills which are required in today’s job market. Ensure you mention them on your applications, on your CV or covering email/letter. You need to be able to demonstrate them and think of examples when you have achieved something significant.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION – Being able to think through in advance what you want to say; having report writing skills; showing you can gather, analyse and arrange date in a logical sequence; avoid jargon and adopt your writing style for appropriate and different audiences and be able to briefly summarise your written content.

NEGOTIATING AND PERSUADING – Demonstrating you can develop a line of argument, using tact and diplomacy and handle objections to your discussion; make concessions to reach agreement and show that you can challenge points of views expressed by others; be able to emphasise the positive aspects of your point of view and understand the needs of the people you are dealing with.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION – Making effective use of speech, conduct, dress and body language; the ability to present to an audience [using visual aids, building rapport, getting your message across, etc]; accurately hearing what people say to you and being able to clarify and summarise what they are communicating without interrupting; being able to help others define their issues and having excellent telephone skills.

CO-OPERATING (TEAMWORK) – Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and how they contribute to a team; being able to contribute ideas effectively in a group and taking a share of the responsibility in a group; accepting and learning from constructive criticism and giving positive, constructive feedback to others; being assertive rather than passive or aggressive and concentrating on behaviour that could be improved.

INVESTIGATING AND ANALYSING – Being able to clarify the nature of a problem before deciding what action to take; being able to collect, collate, classify and summarise data and formulate questions; showing that you can gather information systematically and find where the required information is available; be able to use results effectively using text/graphs/tables/pictures; have impressive decision making skills; be able to formulate questions and condense information to produce notes.
LEADERSHIP – Being able to set objectives; organise and motivate others; take the initiative and persevere when things are not working out; being able to take a positive attitude to both frustration and failure; being flexible and prepared to adapt goals in the light of different situations; demonstrating you can accept responsibility for mistakes and wrong decisions.

PLANNING AND ORGANISING – Demonstrating that you can manage your time effectively and use action planning skills to prioritise tasks effectively; being able to set achievable and measurable objectives and identify steps needed to achieve goals; being able to use lists ad complete work to a deadline; having effective time management skills and be able to work effectively under pressure whilst managing stress.

NUMERACY – Being able to use simple statistics; calculate percentages; multiply and divide accurately; read and interpret graphs and tables; use a calculator and being able to manage a limited budget.

Do you want to survive redundancy? Of course you do. And you will. It’s just that when it happens, yes, when you lose your job you often feel that it’s the end of life as you know it. It’s not surprising really as most job losses are not handled that well. Even if they are sensitively dealt with, it is not unusual at some point to feel traumatised.

The mix of emotions are hardly unsurprising. Your daily structure has just been shattered, so it is more than likely that you will experience amongst other things anger, dismay, rejections, self-doubt and disbelief.

In fact redundancy has been compared to losing a loved one.

As with bereavement, there is often a flow of emotions that we experience and for some the sequence is easier than others, and for others the emotions are more of a challenge. The pattern might be severe at first but ease after a while.

The stages and typical feelings are:

Primary – Initial Phase

• Numbness
• Denial
• Confusion
• Unreal optimism

So this is the time when you get the news, you might be in shock and you can’t believe it’s happening to you. When the truth hits home you might begin to feel confused, or perhaps even think that it’s a mistake and it is not happening to you. You might even think it is a temporary blip and that it is not worth signing on or claiming benefit.

Beware: this is the time that many people spend their payout on a holiday or property alterations.

Secondary – Intermediate Phase

• Worry
• Panic
• Anger
• Grief
• Unreal pessimism

This is the stage when negative feelings set in, fantasising about revenge, worrying about your personal responsibilities and financial status. Anxiety and despair may set in preventing you taking practical steps. If you felt a lack of emotion in the first stage, you might now be feeling overloaded with emotions.

You begin to worry about finding another job, you might have been unsuccessful in your first job applications so your self-confidence has taken a knock. You might even be avoiding your friends and acquaintances.

Beware: this is the time that social isolation can set in.

Tertiary – Settling Down Phase

• Acceptance / resignation
• Realistic optimism / hopelessness
• Purposefulness / defeat

Now, you know you are unemployed and you can accept this in two ways. With resigned acceptance or constructive resignation.

• Resigned acceptance

This is the negative continuation of the last two stages – and your morale dips further; you might be bored, isolated, bitter and your rejection continues. Your aspirations reduce and depression could set in. You have lost hope, our job search is sporadic, purposeless and without hope and expectation.

• Constructive acceptance

You are practical. You have come to terms with your situation, accepting the mix of emotions and your current position. You make realistic future plans and are able to look forward clearly and confidently. You become focused and energetic. You consider your future direction and take stock of your working life.

Depending on your personal coping strategies also depends on whether you are resigned or constructive at the acceptance stage. You will survive redundancy and finding a positive outlook is one way to retain your readiness for work.

There are a few things that help in making a constructive outcome:

1. Structure your daily routine
2. Build your confidence and self-esteem
3. Rebuild your security
4. Plan for the future

Contact us for more information on surviving redundancy and achieving a smooth career transition.

CVs are so important, now more than ever before in such a competitive job market.

There are many experts out there, including ASSESSMENT4POTENTIAL, that offeradvice and guidance to help you design that perfect document.  Sending your CV electronically nowadays means that you might only have a maximum of 90 seconds to make an impact; and simple tips can make all the difference.

Top CV Secrets

Remembering to number and label each page of your CV might sound like common sense but it’s surprising how many candidates forget a simple thing like that.  Sending your CV by email means the CV is an attachment so ensure it is saved with an appropriate file name.  And, it might seem obvious but make sure that your e-mail has a unique subject title.

Some quick tips:

1. Don’t include a photograph unless requested
2. Spell check, grammar check and print on high quality paper
3. Avoid adding in too many personal details, interests and hobbies
4. ADD key words relevant to your job role and job search
5. Avoid gaps in your work history
6. Make sure your CV is uptodate
7. Write positive but brief letters or emails to accompany your CV
8. Tailor your CV for different job applications
9. Focus on your Knowledge, Skills and Achievements
10. Be truthful at all times.

Remember that your CV does not get you a job, it should however be getting you the interview for the job and the opportunity to demonstrate to potential employers your expertise and how you can work with them.

For an easy and fun way to get a fantastic job winning CV try Top CV Secrets.

Good luck

Fast Track 2010 – Published Materials

• Career, Aptitude & Selection Tests, J Barrett, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Graduate Recruitment Tests, M Byron, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Selection Tests, M Byron, S Modha, Kogan Page
• How to Succeed in Psychometric Tests, D Cohen, Sheldon Press
• How to Pass Civic Service Qualifying Tests, M Byron, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Verbal Reasoning Tests, H Tolley & S Thomas, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Computer Selection Tests, S Modha, Kogan Page
• How to Master Personality Questionnaires, M Parkinson, Kogan Page
• Test Your Own Aptitude, J Barratt, G Williams, Kogan Page
• How to Win at Aptitude Tests, P Pelshenke, Thorsons
• Interviews Made Easy, M Parkinson, Kogan Page

Lynn Tulip Chartered MCIPD, PgDip Guidance & Assessment
HR & Career Management Consultant
http://assessment4potential.tel/

Have you ever employed someone who really didn’t get on with the rest of the team? Or someone whose integrity wasn’t what you thought it was? Or someone who needed hands-on management to deliver when you thought they could work on their own initiative?

If you have, you are not alone. These mistakes however, can be very costly and may even damage not only your reputation but your team as well. Perhaps next time you might like to think about using some formal testing and psychometric assessment during the recruitment and selection process.

When used by competent and appropriately qualified individuals, the best thing about properly developed psychometric tests and questionnaires is that they lead to better judgements and are therefore more likely to be more valid than decisions made by other means.

In broad terms, psychometric tests are a relatively economic, quick and simple way of understanding an individual’s unique behaviours, style, and approach to work life as well as identifying their core motivations, strengths and other traits. All essential qualities that are required in today’s competitive job markets.

I like to use different tests for different purposes – I do not believe that there is one test that is suitable for all. Tests can be done before or at the time of the interview, but should not be used as the sole method of candidate selection. Keep in mind that such tests could also be unlawful if they discriminate against candidates of a particular race, sex or age or who have a disability. Suitable tests should therefore only be used if they are well designed and relevant to the job.

For example alongside personality questionnaires and analysis, you will want to check out the potential of the candidate joining your company. Now, if you’ve already got a robust job description and person specification, you’ll know and understand what level of skills and attributes you will be looking for. So, for an administrative post you might be looking at completing an on-line 15FQ+ questionnaire with reasoning tests; for a senior manager the WAVE Professional together with the Professional Aptitude tests.

These tests are relatively quick for the candidates to complete. One of the shortest is only 10 minutes long. Costs will vary of course depending on the amount of candidates, tests and level of services you need.

Interpretation of the results however is fundamental. Upon completion, reports are generated and sent to the qualified administrator who will give feedback not only to the candidate but also to you as the potential employer. Interpreted with skill the results can help you:

• Drill beneath the surface to find out what someone is really like.

• Decide which qualities will be most important in the new person joining your team.

• Check compatibility and prevent potential issues from becoming major problems by sharing the applicant’s profile with their manager. (In this way the investment from psychometrics can roll forward from recruitment into development and management.)

• Help individuals to understand themselves and others better. (If compared with the job role, gaps can be defined and discussed. You can then use the profile to plot progress towards a training goal.)

• Acquire the language of “people-understanding”

One of my favourite psychometric tools is the Four Groups 4G questionnaire which I’ve used successfully in not only recruitment but also for team building and talent management. The completed and complex reports give an overall picture of compatibility, work styles and communication amongst team members and their leaders. It’s been invaluable in resolving issues and building relationships.

A company’s success depends upon its people.

Psychometrics can help build that success by getting the right people in the right roles, by helping them to understand themselves and others, and by enabling the company to build a better, clearer vision, drawing on the strengths of all its people. Used by employers for successful recruitment & selection and management & team development, the long-term cost benefits are considerable: including reduced costs of recruitment, lower staff turnover, less under-performance and minimal mis-deployment of staff resulting in increased profits, better staff retention and raised morale.

With over 18 years of experience using a wide range of psychometric tools, I’d love to be able to give you more information on assessments, recruitment & selection, management & team development and to help you avoid costly personnel mistakes; so please contact me.

Lynn Tulip Chartered MCIPD, PgDip Guidance & Assessment

HR & Career Management Consultant

http://assessment4potential.tel/