CV Viewpoint careers advice blog

A simple guide to writing the perfect resume/CV Your resume is the first and, often worryingly, one of the most neglected steps of the job search process. Many people just don’t know where to start, especially if embarking on a job search after a long time. Updating your resume can often feel like a daunting task so hopefully this simple guide will help make the process as painless and as effective as possible. Careful attention needs to be given to all elements of a resume, including: its overall presentation and layout, grammar, spelling, and, most importantly, content.   Even if the content is top quality, most employers won’t get round to reading it if they are put off by any of the other, more basic elements. Another big turn off for employers is submitting a resume that has clearly not been tailored to the specific application. It’s not hard to tell which resumes have been modified and which haven’t. Not personalising your resume indicates that you’re not enthused enough about the position to spend half an hour researching the role â€" not a great introduction! So, in order to help you stand out, I’ve compiled some guidelines based on my experience of viewing thousands of resumes over the years: Presentation and layout Your resume must look clean and well structured, with enough white space to enhance readability.   It should be approximately two pages long unless your industry has its own standards; for instance, if you are expected to include your publications or details of many projects. Use a simple font like Arial, 10-12pt, and keep formatting like italics and underlining to a minimum. Bullet points are extremely useful as they allow you to highlight key points succinctly and keep the document looking tidy. Start each one with an action verb if you can (created, managed, increased, improved etc.), rather than I. Spelling and punctuation must be perfect, so after you proofread and spell-check it, give it to a friend to do the same. Hiring organisations are inundated with so many applications and unnecessary mistakes can mean yours ends up in the reject pile. Basic resume structure: 1. Name, address and contact details Make sure to use the phone number and email address that you use most often. You don’t want to disappoint an employer by failing to respond to their invitation to an interview in a timely fashion. 2. Personal summary This is optional, but it’s a good opportunity to highlight in a few sentences what you hope to achieve in your next position and what you feel you can offer to the employer. In marketing terms, this is the place for your ‘USP’, or unique sales proposition. Tailor this section to each job position that you’re applying to. 3. Skills summary The reader of your resume may not have more than a few seconds to spend scanning applications, so including a skills section can capture their attention by making it immediately clear what you can offer. Compile a brief bulleted list of the skills and experience that you possess that are relevant to the role. Wherever possible, use the same adjectives as those used in the advertisement. For instance, if the ad specifies someone who has ‘effective administrative abilities and excellent interpersonal skills’, these should be addressed under your skills section with brief evidence as to where you gained those skills. Make sure to tailor your skills and expertise to the individual position you are applying for, always. 4. Relevant experience This is your work history and includes paid work and any relevant volunteer or work experience placements. Work backwards from your most recent job and don’t leave any gaps; you don’t want to give potential employers any reason to suspect the worst. If you took a year out, carried out an interim assignment or travelled for six months, say so â€" just make sure you illustrate whatever the experience was in a positive way, focusing on the fact that it gave you some great skills and knowledge. 5. Achievements A future employer will be interested in where you went above and beyond the job that you were paid to do and achieved something great.   So if you’ve been “Employee of the Month” for 3 months running, say so.   All achievements should be quantified, for example if you over-achieved on your sales targets, you need to say by what percentage and over what period. 6. Education and training Use your common sense here. If you have an advanced degree, few people are going to be concerned about the exams you took when you were 16 years old. Make sure to also include any training courses that you have done that are relevant to the job that you are applying for. 7. Interests These are optional, but should you choose to include a section on hobbies and interests, keep it very brief. Avoid saying anything that could be contentious (e.g. political or religious affiliations), and wherever possible, use the space to show how your personality is suited to that of the business for which you’re applying. 8. References Actual references are rarely included on resumes. It is usually fine to simply say References are available on request. The employer will then make later arrangements to contact the referees. Good luck in your job search Hopefully the above information will help you gain a better response rate in your job search. Resume writing is not a difficult skill, however if you get the basics right then you increase your chances of success significantly. Remember to keep it structured, relevant and interesting. Good luck! Updating your CV? Our CV writing tips and advice will help you get started   8 signs you’ve been in your job too long 20 questions to ask yourself before starting your job search 6 common CV mistakes to avoid 4 ways to give your CV a digital makeover When is the best time to have a job interview? What size company is the right fit for you

Overqualified How To Talk About It.

Overqualified How To Talk About It. Overqualified How To Talk About It. The unforgiving truth old enough segregation is that it isn't only for those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s any longer. Age separation is beginning at more youthful and more youthful levels. PBS as of late detailed that jobseekers are feeling the pushback beginning at age 35. You can see yourself as blessed in the event that you hear, You're overqualified. That's in such a case that somebody says these words legitimately to you, they're allowing you the chance to counter that recognition. This is a superior situation than being seen as overqualified, however just hearing radio quietness because of your resume. Being overqualified is frequently code for, We would prefer truly not to pay you what we foresee you'll be requesting, in view of all the experience you're bringing to the table. The questioner may communicate overqualification in any number of ways, for instance, confining it under the pretense of the association has so much new innovation (that develop laborers aren't required t realize how to utilize. The questioner may solicit say, We have best in class frameworks here. Would you have the option to hop directly in? Or the questioner may endeavor make you believe he's offering you a commendation, by saying, Great, we think you'd be a major fish in a little lake with us. That despite everything implies you carry a ton of experience to the table and they would prefer truly not to pay you. We should discuss what to state in these situations: Express your excitement for the activity and pride in your capabilities. There might be an inclination to need to make light of your involvement with request to fit into what that specific association needs â€" keep away from that. What puts on a show of being increasingly bona fide is the point at which you clarify what makes you keen on this situation now in your profession. What's significant here is articulating a genuine motivation behind why â€" why that organization, why at the present time, and why you. The questioner needs to hear how might this benefit the association first. Thusly, start with why you're keen on that specific organization as of now in time. Use Google News to become familiar with the most recent things they're taking a shot at, and talk regarding for what reason that is important to you. At that point clarify how 1 or 2 components of your skill emphatically apply to the association as of now. Defeat the fantasy of an advanced partition. It's critical to battle the discernment that your abilities and information probably won't be on the front line. There's no reason today to not having innovation abilities. In the event that you have late victories, Give instances of ventures you've done which required PC aptitudes and commonality with electronic media. Moreover, update your abilities by investing gainful energy in the Internet. Keep awake to date with mechanical patterns. Realize what you have to know for your next job by taking advantage of Youtube, Udemy, or Coursera, where you will learn, truly, everything without exception under the sun. At that point underscore this preparation you've taken to stay up with the latest. Thusly, your response to the innovation question will be a resonating, yes you are versatile and well informed. Be a cooperative person. You'll never hear me suggest that you underscore your group abilities. That is on the grounds that 99% of the time, saying you're a cooperative person is only filler and it once in a while imparts anything significant. In any case, for a develop specialist who faces managing groups of expert companions who are more youthful, it's critical to talk about ongoing work encounters in which age decent variety has been an advantage. Clarify that you accept your age and experience would be useful, you are anxious to learn, and it doesn't make a difference who causes you. Ensure the questioner leaves with the inclination that you are calm working with individuals everything being equal. Age separation is uncontrolled, however it need not be the last nail in the final resting place. Make a point to radiate trust in what you bring to the table, and make a point to adjust that so it doesn't appear to be self-important. There are managers who worth age and experience â€" and will pay you in like manner â€" and when you present yourself utilizing these techniques, it's a success win for everybody!

Make Your Resume Stand Out With Resume Writing Services

<h1>Make Your Resume Stand Out With Resume Writing Services</h1><p>If you are attempting to make your resume captivate everyone, there is just a single way that you can do it - compose your resume on the web. This should be possible effectively with the assistance of a decent resume composing administration in Malaysia. They know precisely how to introduce your aptitudes to the employer.</p><p></p><p>Not everybody can land into the correct positions and this is the reason they regularly wind up remaining uninvolved. Resume composing administrations in Malaysia know all the stunts that can assist you with landing the correct positions that you generally needed. Obviously, this implies you have to have a solid resume that will get the attention of the recruiting director or interviewer.</p><p></p><p>You should have the option to coordinate your resume with the activity necessity in the event that you need to find a great deal of line of work look through on the web. You don't need to experience the problem of composing various continues and sending them to every single activity site. You can basically go with a quality resume composing administration that can assist you with getting the best resume for your aptitudes and experience.</p><p></p><p>So what makes a decent resume? A decent resume ought to have a few catchphrases that can support the enrollment specialist or the recruiting supervisor to discover you effectively, and become acquainted with about you. This can assist you with getting incredible surveys and helps the recruiting director or the business choose which possibility to hire.</p><p></p><p>To make your resume stick out, you can take a stab at utilizing catchphrases that can help the employing administrator's PC to discover your resume. The web search tools and the organizations that offer resume composing administrations in Malaysia r ealize the best catchphrase to utilize when finding your resume.</p><p></p><p>If you need to make your resume stick out, you have to ensure that you use watchwords that will assist you with finding a decent line of work that is appropriate for you. The better the pursuit of employment on the web, the more occupations you will get. This implies you can secure more positions with no issue and you can likewise fill in as much time as you need to.</p><p></p><p>Using great resume composing administrations in Malaysia can assist you with landing the best positions regardless of where you live. You will be content with the results.</p>

5 Tips for Rejecting a Job Offer

5 Tips for Rejecting a Job Offer You THINK you have found your dream job and perhaps even enjoyed meeting the company personnel and thought the interview went well. Then, you receive a job offer and find out one of the following: the job isn’t what you thought it was, the pay doesn’t match your needs, or the position requires way too much travel for your current situation. Now, you have to reject the job offer â€" read below for five tips on how to correctly do so. Tip #1 â€" Actually reject the offer. Sometimes people are so worried about saying “no” that they do nothing. This is definitely NOT the correct course of action. You have to follow-through with the entire hiring process, even if you decide you do not want the position. Tip #2 â€" Put it in writing. Send an email and document the rejection of the offer. It’s important that there is a record of declining the position. And, if you would like to, you can also send a hard copy via mail. Tip #3 â€" Use the “I appreciate you” sandwich. This looks like the following: thank the company and personnel for the time spent interviewing you and for considering you for the open position (positive). Then, state that you have decided to decline the offer (negative). Finally, end the documentation with another thank you and appreciation statement (positive). This allows you to have the order of thank youâ€"bad newsâ€"thank you. Tip #4 â€" Be concise. While it is important to state the rejection, it’s not necessary to elaborate on WHY you are declining the offer. Keep it simple and concise. If you feel that a ‘reason’ is a necessity, then just state that circumstances have changed or that the position isn’t the right fit at this time. Tip #5 â€" Maintain open communication. It’s vital that you preserve this potential relationship. After all, the company may decide to re-offer the position in the future and offer you more money or exactly what you need to make a move. Do you want to be considered at that point? If so, then be sure that you are always professional and never bad-mouth the employer. Finally, remember that just because one opportunity doesn’t work out, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still be positive about your job search and use that past experience as you move forward. There is something about knowing even more people and understanding more companies that allows you to build your network and enhance communication within your field. Use that information to your advantage and keep goingyou WILL find the appropriate position if you don’t stop looking. Ready to make a career move and not sure how your resume will work in today’s job market? Contact me today for a free resume review!