Job App

[wetnappyuk]

Im trying to do a new job app and update CV, really hitting my head off a wall - any inspiring quotes would be much appreciated! x

[DailyDi]

Wherever you go - there you are.

[sarah_ab]

1. NEver ever ever lie about what you have done.

2. never be shy about putting something down even if you don't think its that big of a deal , for example helping organize the staff holiday party, could be written as "Successfully worked as a team with co workers and managers to plan and execute all staff events" - shows team work,

3. never ever lie about what you have done, it just doesn't pay off.... if they ask if you have experience in something and you haven't... say "i have not yet had the opportunity to blah blah blah"

4. action words - successfully, organized, executed, collaborated - while yes of course are cliche, are still very much what is looked for.

have at least 3 people read it over, many organizations will toss out a CV at the first typo or grammatical error.

BUt really, just let your CV accurately and effectively show who you are, what you have done and are capable of doing, .... and if you don't get the job, dont get disgruntled... i applied for over 30 positions before i got 1 call back..... the economy sucks! and good luck

[belinda_sue_fox]

execute all staff

I see the way you never lied but covered up that fact!!!!

[sarah_ab]

hey like i said.... never lie.... and it WAS a team effort........

[wetnappyuk]

Love it, thanks! Draft 1 done, its for an internal job kinda sideways move but I like new challanges. Ill sleep on it then get some people to review!

Thanks x

[Zander]

As someone who sees, verifies and screens a lot of CV's, I hope you find the below useful. Most of it is common-sense

Obviously some industries/fields will have different requirements (creative ones often expect a portfolio of past work/references), so take the below with a pinch of salt.

[sarah_ab]

i agree with you about comic sans not being an appropriate font for formal documents...

however, it always makes me wonder, because there are multiple studies which have been published which show comic sans and the most easily readable font where users have the least amount of errors in character recognition.......

but like i said, it doesn't LOOK professional....

however, I will say, it would be benneficial to have at least one mention of where you were a team leader, or worked on a project as a team... while yes its important to show what YOU will bring to a company as an individual, in many companies (and most research and books will spotlight software companies) being able to collaborate professionally and SHARE credit for your work is just as important as being able to work alone.

I only know this because my professor is requiring us to read numerous books, articles etc.... regarding this new trend in management... so no don't only say you worked in a team, but highlight that You CAN work in a team... that you CAN collaborate... that you CAN be a leader and an organizer and you CAN work with others for the greater good of the company!

although every manager i have ever spoken with who looks at cv's or resumes, state their preference is Times New Roman 12 point font, anything smaller and it hurts their eyes, anything larger and it just looks silly.

[DailyDi]

Don't sleep on it! it'll get a wrinkly and possibly wet!

[Zander]

Some good points were raised since I first posted in this thread, notably sarah_ab's - I've made a few edits due to them.

[sarah_ab]

your point about feeling arrogant, that was my biggest hurdle in writing my resume.... was basically writing what i have done, and what i will bring to a company, without feeling like i was souding arrogant... had to get over that hurdle..

thank god i did, after countless applications and countless stock emails back saying 'thanks but no thanks" i finally got called in for an interview, then got the job!!!

we found out when we graduated from training that the nine of us were selected from like over 600 applications and over 200 interviews!!!

[Zander]

On a related note, make sure you have a (clean) presence on social networks. LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are the big three, in descending order of importance.

This might not apply to all fields, but these days I'm fortunate enough that I simply do not need my CV in getting a job (sending it in is a formality usually dealt with after you've started). This is the case for most of my colleagues too, and is mainly due to social networks putting the framework around people finding that person they've worked with (or competed against), and in giving a platform for recruiters to screen down candidates quickly and pre-vet them based on their contacts and job history. I've not applied for a job in years, and places like LinkedIn mean if I wanted to move I wouldn't have too hard of a time doing so.

Arguably this comes down to "its not what you know, its who you know", and social networks mean you are "known" to a lot more people, thus improving your odds.

[BBoy]

Im trying to do a new job app and update CV, really hitting my head off a wall - any inspiring quotes would be much appreciated! x

It tastes like burning.

- Ralph Wiggum

[Diapered Jason]

Ugh, I have been having a hard time with this. I have been applying to jobs for almost a year now. As someone who knows nobody and has no real experience in my area, I am kind of dead in the water at the moment seeing as it still an employers market. I know my resume is not bad as I have had several interviews. Most of the time, I even make it to a second interview, but still no job. It looks like (not definitive yet) I will be going to graduate school in my field instead. Hopefully, the economy will be better when I graduate.

Note to all college students in the sciences: One of my biggest mistakes was not getting an internship in my field. Instead I opted for research experience and more classes during the summer. Though research experience has been very useful, you really need a combination of internship and research experience to be competitive out of college.

[LILJIM]

I put that I worked at --- for 8 1/2 years b4. When they checked it out it came back 3 different places. I stated I was there 8 1/2 years but they had sold-out 2 times thus changing their name. This showed I stayed with them even threw their rough times.

[Fulldiaper]

highly motivated, self-motivated, goal oriented. Team player, career minded,looking for challenges. Research a potential employer and find as much as you can about that company, it's officers, staff, employee's, products or services, years in business, sector served and locations. If it's public traded, research and find out how it's doing in the stock market. Also, make sure you smile, are confident in yourself and abilities. Don't Lie about anything, most HR heads check references and educational background for a potential hiree. Also, make sure you ASK someone before you use them as a personal reference.

Most of ALL dress for success. Followup in a few days after your interviews and express a desire to become part of the team. Followup with letters thanking the HR person for the interview.

Have a professionally prepared resume if you're going for a $$$$ slot. Cover letter, references and documentation for each interview.

[babykeiff]

As someone who sees and shreds CVs on a daily basis, I find the best way to put a CV together is to first, put a draft in reverse chronological order of where you worked and what you did. Make sure that the dates are correct, as it is one of the easiest things to check up on.

For each company, list the job title, what the company does, you did, and how it benefited the company - and why you are no longer there.

At the end, list the skills that you gained - per company and per time.

The document that you created is the *draft for your CV.

In a CV, all that is needed is

your name - I need to call you something,

contact details - an email address is ideal, as is a phone number. If you are currently working, don't give your mobile number/office number as a contact number. It tells the prospective employer that you will accept personal calls during business hours.

education - list only the highest qualification you have. I don't need to know that you got a star in kindergarten for toilet training etc.

work history - in reverse order starting with what you are doing. I only need to know what you did that is beneficial to my company - the rest you can tell me at interview if I ask.

Although there is some lines of thought that a CV should list everything that you did since birth, the prospective employer is only looking for what the cost / benifit you are to him/her. As a result, your CV should be wrote (trimmed) to suit EVERY job that you apply for.

A CV's job is only to get your foot in the door to interview. If you don't get an interview from your CV, then the CV is not doing its job.

An interview is where the employer meets the employee (you) to judge whether you will fit in with his team. Your job there is to sell yourself via the draft document that you created* Some large corporations use the first interview to test the interviewee, which is a waste of time and money. Interviews cost the company, and should never be used to run tests etc. IE a 5 minute phone call can give the same result as a 1-2 hour test interview.

Last of all, don't lie on a CV. If a prospective employer contacts one of your previous employers and finds out that you lied about them, you not only loose the chance of getting that job, but will also loose the chance of getting any similar as your previous employer for about 6 months will be annoyed with you. I know that in some countries that checking previous employers without employee clearance is illegal, but it is still done. The cost involved in finding and vetting a new employee and the risk involved is too great for some companies.

Also, don't in either interview or on your CV misrepresent previous companies.

CVs should be honest, truthful, spelt and formatted correctly. If you can't handle MS word or similar, get someone else to type it out for you.

It does not matter what skills/experience you have, a good CV can get you ANY job. A bad one will haunt you for life.

[Leilin]

Please note in regards to Keiff's post:

It is unusual for employers (that is, the people signing the paychecks) to disclose more than two facts about your employment in the US:

1: When you worked at that place.

2: That you currently do or do not work at that place.

The reason for this is that it's illegal for Employers to say anything false about a previous employee. The courts that make decisions on this favor the employee heavily, meaning if the employer does not have direct evidence for their statement, they will tend to lose cases against employees suing for defamation in reference to negative statements. Thus, they verify the most basic information only rather than enter into a great deal of financial liability due to lawsuit. However, your move is lateral so that's not totally relevant.

HOWEVER.

When you provide references (and if the company is asking for references, even for an internal transfer, USE THEM), make sure of the following things about those references:

1: THEY MUST KNOW that you are using them as a reference. Not only is incredibly stupid to use somebody as a reference without asking them first, but it's also incredibly rude. If I make a call to a reference and get a surprised reaction at the person getting the call, I treat that as a bad reference. I don't want somebody so incredibly inconsiderate working for me.

2: Make sure they ONLY have good things to say about you.

3: Make sure they like you. (Seriously)

[Rihanna]

Can't stress it enough, as Zander said above, make sure all your facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc accounts have "plain vanilla" content! Nothing political, nothing religious, and no negativity about anyone or anything. I recall a screen capture I saw a couple years ago of a FB posting where the poster was complaining about her boss and calling her names. One of the first replies was her boss saying something along the line of "I guess you forgot you friended me on here. Don't bother coming in to work tomorrow/ever again." (I have no idea if that is true or a hoax, but it does make one pause & think.)

On a side note, Today, I could not qualify for the job I retired from as one needs a minimum two year degree. My late wife, as just a high school grad and a couple college courses, retired from a government job that required a four year degree, yet she was out performing the ones w/degrees.

Good luck on your job move/search. Actually, since this thread was started in April, I should ask how did it go?

[dl_ashlee]

What does CV mean?

In the US we call them Resumes, never heard them called a CV.

And this post is reminding me I really need to get my butt in gear and find myself a internship. I graduate in Spring 2012, so don't have much time left.

Seems at least in the computer/software engineering fields employers are both hiring full time and interns at this point.

Oh and seems almost anyone can get a job at Cisco or Yahoo right now, know at least 5 people in either co-op, intern, or full time that were just hired in the last couple of months. Also know a few are interns at Intel, along with a grad student that just got a full time position at Intel, though he did have to move to Colorado.

[sarah_ab]

cv curriculum vitae

[Aina]

Following on from sarah_ab, cv = curriculum vitae or 'courses of life'. Make sure yours is no more than 2 sides of A4 and spell-checked!

[ldatsea]

wots spiel chocking?

[lilJester]

Dont put in your future plans/goals to dominate the human race. for some reason they don't like that answer....dunno why.

[belinda_sue_fox]

It does not matter what skills/experience you have, a good CV can get you ANY job. A bad one will haunt you for life.

You appear to have missed out "...of minimum wage or less".

It may be shocking to some but it does matter what skills and experience you have to get most jobs.