CV lies can damage your health

Yet it is still surprising how many CVs I see on a regular basis that are embellished, creative and downright untrue.

Even the most senior of executives are known to tell lies on their CVs resulting in their dismissal from their job.

Is it worth  telling CV lies?

The answer is a resounding “NO”.

Never tell CV lies.  It will not enhance your employability.

Yes, job searching is highly stressful and you might be feeling pressurised to fabricate or enhance your successes at work and show yourself off in a positive and more favourable way.  But exaggerating your qualifications, altering your dates of employment to hide career gaps and beefing up your pay scales are not the way to find your ideal job.

Of course you need to you present yourself in the best possible light, after all if you don’t tell a potential employer how good you are and what you are worth how will they know?

If you are under the illusion that everyone tells “CV lies” so it’s ok to do it you would be well advised to think again.    The cost of these CV lies can be more than embarrassment; it can be job loss as well or worse still, imprisonment.

Inventing job roles or tasks, concocting certifications and making up information to appear better than you are compromises your job application, your work ethic and your future opportunities.

When the CV lies are uncovered either at interview, within employment or doing payroll runs you may well be labelled in uncomfortable terms which will be wholly detrimental to any future employment offers.

Trust me, it is unwise to tell CV lies.

To learn more on the seven killer CV mistakes that destroy your chances of job success read Can’t get That Job?

Power cuts can be a challenge at the best of times but this week’s unexpected 7 hour outage meant a rethink of how I was going to work with my clients.  

No internet, no computer and no use of online resources.  And I was poorly prepared as had no idea I was going to lose the juice.  I couldn’t even offer the clients a cup of hot tea or coffee.

The usual preparation is the printing of different assessment tools and sorting them into some semblance so that the client and I can explore the responses together. Occasionally the assessment tools are online, so the client will sit quietly and work on their own before we consult.

However this week the assessment tools were cards.  Yes, cards.

We did a couple of word sorts from Very Important to Not Important at all for personal and work values.  Critical for job satisfactions.

And the more use of assessment tools in the form of a competency skills profiling pack of cards.  Working through these competencies helps the clients refocus on their skills and expertise.

Using these assessment tools was ideal since I couldn’t use the PC and made for a better dialogues and discussion. I think the clients had a better understanding of their results too.

Delighted to get these assessment tools out anytime to remind myself of my own values and skills.  Makes interesting learning.

What assessment tools have you used?

Whether recruiting or restructuring, making sure that the best people for your business are identified, selected and then developed is one of the biggest challenges you can face.   It is possible to use different assessment tools for different projects.

Assessment Centre - Group Exercise

Assessment tools can be used for:

• Recruitment & Selection – predict job potential and performance, job and cultural fit, possible career derailing behaviours, motivation drivers and pre-employment checks
• Organisational Change – role transitions, employee engagement and performance management
• Talent Management – succession planning, career management, employee engagement programmes, mentoring and internal training initiatives
• Personal Development – career management & outplacement
• Leadership Potential – work style behaviour & self awareness
• Team Effectiveness – improve motivation, communication and performance

Different Assessment Tools

1. Psychometric Tests
2. Presentations
3. Group activities
4. Social & informal events
5. Information sessions
6. In tray
7. Case study
8. Written exercise

I was interested to read on a recent face book post about Infographics.  These graphic visual images represent information, data and knowledge and can demonstrate complex information quickly and easily. It was interesting to compare my two twitter accounts – and see which was the winner!

Of course there is.  It’s all about research, preparation and action planning.

The art of successful job-hunting

What is successful job hunting?

To be successful in the job hunting stakes you need to get organised.

Getting organised means having done your research, made preparations and kept records and planned your strategy.

Job hunting is an occupation in itself.

Of course it’s easier said than done so here are some tips and ideas to keep you on track:

1. Set aside an area that resembles a space where you can work quietly and efficiently uninterrupted.
• Do you have all the equipment you need?
2. Consider what resources you will need.
• Who can you network with? Online, face-to-face locally and personally
3. Your personal branding must be as up-to-date as possible.
• Does your CV include keywords and a positioning statement?
• Is your CV format suitable for uploading to online job boards?
4. Use the internet effectively.
• Is your online footprint suitable? Does your LinkedIn profile mirror your CV? Is Facebook showing you in your true colours?
• Can you find job descriptions, word clouds and company information easily?
5. Create a Job objective and a long term career action plan
• Is your job objective realistic and does it match your career action plan?

Read more about the Art of Successful Job Hunting in Get That Job.

That purpose is  to get you an interview for a job.  It doesn’t matter whether your CV is handed to someone face to face or whether it is uploaded to a job site.  The content of your CV has to be powerful, rich in keywords and look good.

CV Content

Your CV needs to be achievement focused.

By achievements I mean your successes. If you don’t start to tell a recruiter about your accomplishments they will never know what they are.

Accomplishments or achievements  should not be confused with duties or responsibilities. They signify your achievements, verify your results, and identify your skills.

A solid list of your accomplishments can serve as a bridge to help you:

• Become aware of things you have done well
• Gain insight into your natural talents
• Identify your skills
• Develop a solid base for CV / Resume preparation and interviewing.

As you prepare your consider both paid and unpaid work, as well as responsibilities you have performed at home and in your community. For each position you’ve held, list at least one accomplishment.

Include your education, training, and recognition (rewards, citations, merits) as you build your inventory of achievements.

The following list of memory joggers will help you broaden your evaluation.

CV Achievement Reminders

• Did you identify or assist in identifying any problems or challenges?
• Did you resolve or minimize any problems?
• Did you discover and take advantage of any opportunities?
• Did you target a need for a product, service, plan, program, system, method, procedure, technique, etc.?
• Did you reduce costs, waste, time, or effort?
• Did you create any original works: reports, brochures, newsletters, guides, manuals, proposals, contracts, etc.?
• Did you develop or design a new program, plan, service, product, process, project, system, method, strategy, etc.?
• Did you develop new markets, territories, clients, accounts, etc.?
• Did you improve (redesign, streamline, or reorganize) any projects, plans, programs, processes, services, products, etc.?
• Did you administer or implement any programs, plans, procedures, etc.?
• Did you increase or participate in increasing sales, profits, market share, volume, distribution, production, revenues, cash flow, etc.?
• Did you formulate or participate in formulating any management decisions, policies, goals, organization changes, acquisitions, terminations, recruitments?
• Did you make any recommendations that saved money, made money, increased efficiency or productivity?
• Did you improve employee relations or boost morale?
• Did you open or establish a new office, department, branch, facility?
• Did you improve quality or standards for hiring, products, services?
• Did you make a technical contribution?
• Did you facilitate or improve communication among employees, with clients, or with the community?
• Did you improve service or customer satisfaction?
• Did you impart worthwhile knowledge?
• Did you develop personnel or build a team?
• Did you improve safety or security

Answer all of these questions, adding your own personal ones to the list.

Read through your answers and then OUT LOUD ask yourself “So what?”  If your answer is not strong enough you know you will need to quantify the response and add in more details.

Keep asking “So what?” after each answer until you have achievements that you are not only proud of but that demonstrate your successes at work.

Your CV achievements need to be  results focused.

Responsibilities and tasks are all very well but it is the SUCCESSES that your CV MUST include.

Let me know if you would like me to review your CV for FREE.

Being made redundant can create a mixture of feelings. First of all there’s the shock. In fact after the shock there will be a raft of emotions from denial, anger, depression and bargaining before reaching acceptance of your situation.  During this time you could be encouraged to share your emotions with your family, friends and colleagues.

One of your priorities during this time is to take stock – take stock of your finances and to take stock of yourself.

Being made redundant can be an opportunity.

Take this time to focus on what you really want to do next.  Is getting a job doing what you have always done what you really want to do? Or, could you do something similar that you might enjoy more?

Transferable skills for the redundant

Identifying your abilities, skills and attributes along with your career interests will help you decide on whether to remain in the same type of role or whether it is indeed transferable and you could find your dream role in something completely different.

Self-report questionnaires, inventories and worksheets are great simple and easy tools to help you identify your strengths and characteristics. These exercises, once collated, can give a redundant person back their self-esteem  to ensure that they are well prepared for the road ahead, and that their inner resources are well documented.

Once made redundant, you can use your days effectively by building a powerful CV, setting a strategy for your job search and focusing clearly on where you want your next job to be.

If you would like sample worksheets, personal inventories and self-report questionnaires send us an email.

Lynn Tulip is a career management and HR professional running her own HR consultancy.  Find her on online or follow her @LynnTulip @A4P_HR

How to use Twitter in the job search?

1. Create a professional twitter background page, with a sensible avatar and personal summary.
2. Your personal summary should include KEYWORDS that are relevant to your job search and your situation.
3. Include a link to an online website where your CV can be viewed [suggest LinkedIn] or perhaps a networking site where you have your own space, your website or even Facebook
4. Use your twitter feed to present yourself as an expert, share your job search and ask questions.
5. Build relationships with people you know, your network and recruiters. Use them wisely and offer support and ideas as well.
6. Follow #Tweetmyjobs  and  look on their website as they offer a free service for job hunters.
7. Use http://tweettabs.com/  or http://www.twellow.com/ to search for hr professionals and recruiters – use keywords such as executive search, sourcing,  talent management etc to search within your industry and within your location.  You can then search different profiles and follow them if they are right for you.
8. Sign up for RRS feeds from Jobsites and http://www.twithire.com/
9. Get listed in http://justtweetit.com/ . You can expand your choices and network so you are linking with others who have shared interests.
10. Don’t ignore the benefits of  searching using the hashtag # and abbreviations like NAJ or HAJ; also words like job, hiring, employment.
11. Give out positive messages on twitter: “Looking for an opportunity” reads better than “wondering whether to have another glass of … ”
12. Be honest, open and act with integrity at all times. Employers do not want surprises.
13. Follow @Microjobs – a profile set up to link recruiters and job seekers.  Depending on your sector and location you might find it a useful connection.  NB: they do not follow you back.

There will be a number of twitter accounts that are dedicated to job listings in different sectors, locations, and more. If you specify your own criteria you can get mobile alerts to your phone / e-mail and be amongst the first to get notifications.

I can’t repeat enough times that it is seriously hard work job hunting, so investing time and strategy in twitter needs a fool proof plan. Use it in combination with other social media and networking, build strong connections and it could prove to be a successful addition and help you find opportunities, get you interviews and land you a job.

It’s a well researched fact that if your career interests match your work or job interests then you are statistically more likely to be satisfied and successful whilst working.  Using the Career Interests tool is an easy and quick way to identify where you sit on the Holland Occupational Theme for Career Interests.

Based on the theory of John Holland, Ph.D., people with the same or similar interests are often found in the same work environments. To discover the work environments suited to your career interests, abilities, and personality, consider the following categories/themes.

Holland’s Career Interests Definitions

REALISTIC people are characterised by competitive/assertive behavior and by interest in activities that require motor coordination, skill, and physical strength. People oriented toward this role prefer situations involving “action solutions” rather than tasks involving verbal or interpersonal skills. They like to take a concrete approach to problem-solving rather than relying on abstract theory. They tend to be interested in scientific or mechanical rather than cultural and aesthetic areas.

INVESTIGATIVE people prefer to think rather than to act, to organize and understand rather than to persuade. They are not apt to be very “people oriented.”

ARTISTIC people value self-expression and relationships with others through artistic expression. They dislike structure, prefer tasks involving personal or physical skills, and are more prone to expression of emotion than others. They are similar to investigative people, but are more interested in the cultural-aesthetic than the scientific. SOCIAL people seem to satisfy their needs in teaching or helping situations. In contrast to investigative and realistic people, social types are drawn more to seek close interpersonal relationships and are less apt to engage in intellectual or extensive physical activity.

SOCIAL people have high interest in other people and are sensitive to the needs of others. They perceive themselves as liking to help others, understanding others, and having teaching abilities. Social people value social activities, social problems, and interpersonal relationships. They use their verbal and social skills to change other people’s behavior. They are generally cheerful, scholarly, and verbally oriented.

ENTERPRISING people are verbally skilled and use this skill in persuasion rather than support of others. They also value prestige and status and are more apt to pursue it than conventional people.

CONVENTIONAL people don’t mind rules and regulations and emphasize self-control. They prefer structure and order to ambiguity in work and interpersonal situations. They place value on prestige or status.

Understanding Holland’s theory about Career Interests will help you make good choices – decisions about which occupations, careers, or training programs best fit you.

Holland’s theory can be summarized in six statements:

1. In our culture, most people are one of six personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.

2. People of the same personality type working together in a job create a work environment that fits their type. For example, when Artistic persons are together on a job, they create a work environment that rewards creative thinking and behavior — an Artistic environment.

3. There are six basic types of work environments: Realistic,Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventionalnal.

4. People search for environments where they can use their skills and abilities and express their values and attitudes. For example, Investigative types search for Investigative environments; Artistic types look for Artistic environments, and so forth.

5. People who choose to work in an environment similar to their personality type are more likely to be successful and satisfied.

For example, Artistic persons are more likely to be successful and satisfied if they choose a job that has an Artistic environment, like choosing to be a dance teacher in a dancing school — an environment “dominated” by Artistic type people where creative abilities and expression are highly valued.

6. How you act and feel at work depends to a large extent on your workplace (or school) environment. If you are working with people who have a personality type like yours, you will be able to do many of the things they can do, and you will feel most comfortable with them.

What are your Career Interests?

If you’d like to complete a complementary Careers Interests Questionnaire contact us.

Whilst LinkedIn is still the primary professional networking site that recruiters are using to source candidates, Facebook and Google+ are catching up fast.

There is a wealth of talent on these sites and you need to be part of that talent.

Facebook currently attracts the graduates and student market however, there is a place for executives as well.

Image from Wikipedia

Remember your privacy settings and ensure that these are set appropriately and that content on your Facebook pages is suitable for potential employers to view.

How to use Facebook as a resource?

Once again it’s about setting a strategy and reminding yourself about what is your goal. With Facebook it might be that it’s about looking for the right employer.

• Employers will set up their own company pages so your strategy is to research the sector, industry and company and then ‘Like’ their business pages.
• Engage with company and add value to their wall. Ask questions and offer positive comments.
• Facebook is more entertaining and active than LinkedIn so if you are actively updating your status, ensure that it is suitable.
• Companies can showcase their business with video, pictures, adverts for jobs and testimonials for FREE. These tools allow them to show the members what a great company they are and how attractive they would be as an employer.
• Facebook has a large audience and the members that ‘Like’ certain business pages become a target market. Be prepared to receive their communications.
• Facebook feeds and ‘Like’ buttons make integration easier so employer branding is becoming more prominent.
• Facebook is an open network with no fees charged at any level so you can have access to all the content to help you in your job search.

Recruiters might use LinkedIn for networking, screening and recruiting but they are using Facebook for brand activities and talent communication.

As a starting point, Facebook is a great place for employers to start looking for bright new talent and for you, the job seeker it’s a great place to position yourself as one of pool. The more proactive you are the better you will come across.

Do you think that LinkedIn still has the edge or does Facebook and Google+ come close when using social media for job searching?