lukasz Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hello there Duma Army. Please dont treat this post like I advertising etc. I am really determined to put lots of work in to looking for a better job this year. To be able to do that I need a proper CV. Now there is a lot of those on the internet but are pretty expensive. Now I am not afraid to invest its just a risky game to gave someone lets say 150 quid and not really knowing what you get. So if you guys have any recommendation or maybe you know somebody etc that you can recommend that is doing a good job please do let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillinger Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hey Lukasz - I used a resume writing service one time. It costs me $99USD and while I got a job with the rewritten resume', I never really felt it was worth it. I mean, they are just words. First recommendation is to get a LinkedIn account. Get your profile out there in a business setting. I have gotten 3 of my last 4 jobs by way of LinkedIn, so I do believe it is worth the "opening myself up to internet scrutiny" concerns. Tailor your LinkedIn profile by looking at a lot of other jobs, or people's LinkedIn pages that have jobs similar to what you are looking to get hired doing. By doing that, you will get a lot of the most recent industry language and that will help you re-write your resume so that it "pops". I'd be happy to help assist, I just can't do it all for you right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukasz Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Thank you buddy. Its seems though that here in UK at least in London Proper CV is actually very valuable and can get you in for a lot of interviews as this is you first impression. Where ever you go to ask for a job they always tell you to send through a CV via on-line registration form. And in my situation all I need its a chance to prove my self to the employer as I dont have much amazing experience or education.(as a matter of fact I want to get better paid job so that I can start some education). Than having a nice CV I wanted to use it to create a nice LinkedIn profile. And so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted January 5, 2016 Administrators Share Posted January 5, 2016 Granted I haven't had to use my CV over the years too much but I have gathered a few tips along the way so just take it as my opinion and not fact. 2 pages seems to be the golden number in terms of not too long & not too short. I definitely think that is the case. You have to think about the person that is going to be looking at your CV, if you were them and you had to sift through 100 CVs would you really want to read one persons 5 page CV? Probably not when you could read 2 or more in the same amount of time. Tailor your CV to the specific job you're applying for. You can have a general CV but then edit it for each job you submit it to so it reads like you're interested in that specific industry/job. When you talk about your previous jobs have your most recent job experience appear first, not last. I always include a little paragraph about how that job improved certain skills and what kind of responsibilities I had. Use of bullet points for qualifications etc seems to be work well. Hope that helps! This is pretty much what I did for mine plus a few other things such as a very short 'about me' section as well as a 'my goals/objectives' section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JConnor Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I work(ed) in HR, so here are some tips from across the Pond The number one and often overlooked thing Lukaz has going for him is he's currently employed. It's a lot easier to get a new job while you HAVE a job. Employers know jobs are transient, but the difference is while most people are hard working and earnest, those who apply while unemployed often do so because they were fired, or "less than an ideal employee" at their last job. It's a subtle thing, but employers do put bias on those who are currently working and submitting a resume vs. those who are not. This goes along with what Fraser wrote about putting your current (last) employer first on your timeline of work experience. Another poster mentioned, make sure you use up-to-date lingo for the skills/skill-set in your field. If you don't have the skills, don't lie, but shape the skills & experience you do have to fit the current skills employers are looking for. Some are universal such as knowing MSOffice Suite, Windows, OSX, Internet, Social Media, etc., but for trade specific skills, you want to mold your past and current ones so they are similar to the ones needed to get a potential employer's attention. Two pages is the max as Fraser stated, and if you can make it a page and a half, that's even better. I recommend ending your resume with the "about me" portion where you list skills that aren't work related, but that you posses outside the job you are applying for. Avoid hobbies. Be specific like "developed home brew internet app in free time" and stuff like that. You want to avoid hobbies because they are too "personal" -- for both the applicant and employer -- And can lead to arbitrary biases and dismissal of your resume based on that alone. So, you want to show employers who you are (have social life; friends; etc.), but you don't want anything that can be "used against you" so-to-speak. I also recommend not stating "Why I want this job" on the resume. That's an interview question. Potential employers already know you "want" a job and if you have the skills, they will call you for an interview (or do a phone pre-interview). Don't put the cart ahead of the horse, more or less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cranium2001 Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Good luck Lukasz. I'm sure you'll achieve what you want/need. That's pretty cool of you Dillinger. This is the kind of stuff that makes this community a great place to thrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukasz Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Thank you guys for great advice I will be working on my Cv this weekend and I will defo take this suggestions on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Iain Posted January 6, 2016 Administrators Share Posted January 6, 2016 Hi Lukasz, I just saw this. I personally don't know much about CV writing but I believe Luke does so I've let him know about this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy clam Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Best of luck to you lukasz and keep us posted as were all pulling for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukasz Posted January 6, 2016 Author Share Posted January 6, 2016 Again a huge thanks for all of your input guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillinger Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Thank you guys for great advice I will be working on my Cv this weekend and I will defo take this suggestions on board. Lukasz - When you get to a point where you are ready for a peer review, I know several of us would be happy to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JConnor Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 To add to what Dillinger wrote... During my college days... Many, MANY Moons ago... I had a small business where I formatted professional business documents & term papers. I helped clients compose resumes, letters of recommendation / commendation, grant proposals, student papers, etc. My results included finding people employment, professors gaining tenor, and students getting their Masters. A resume is a professional business communication document, but it's not as scary as it might seem at first. Especially in this digital age... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Luke Posted January 7, 2016 Administrators Share Posted January 7, 2016 I work(ed) in HR, so here are some tips from across the Pond The number one and often overlooked thing Lukaz has going for him is he's currently employed. It's a lot easier to get a new job while you HAVE a job. Employers know jobs are transient, but the difference is while most people are hard working and earnest, those who apply while unemployed often do so because they were fired, or "less than an ideal employee" at their last job. It's a subtle thing, but employers do put bias on those who are currently working and submitting a resume vs. those who are not. This goes along with what Fraser wrote about putting your current (last) employer first on your timeline of work experience. Another poster mentioned, make sure you use up-to-date lingo for the skills/skill-set in your field. If you don't have the skills, don't lie, but shape the skills & experience you do have to fit the current skills employers are looking for. Some are universal such as knowing MSOffice Suite, Windows, OSX, Internet, Social Media, etc., but for trade specific skills, you want to mold your past and current ones so they are similar to the ones needed to get a potential employer's attention. Two pages is the max as Fraser stated, and if you can make it a page and a half, that's even better. I recommend ending your resume with the "about me" portion where you list skills that aren't work related, but that you posses outside the job you are applying for. Avoid hobbies. Be specific like "developed home brew internet app in free time" and stuff like that. You want to avoid hobbies because they are too "personal" -- for both the applicant and employer -- And can lead to arbitrary biases and dismissal of your resume based on that alone. So, you want to show employers who you are (have social life; friends; etc.), but you don't want anything that can be "used against you" so-to-speak. I also recommend not stating "Why I want this job" on the resume. That's an interview question. Potential employers already know you "want" a job and if you have the skills, they will call you for an interview (or do a phone pre-interview). Don't put the cart ahead of the horse, more or less A lot of great advice in this thread and Jconnor's is in particular is excellent. Lukasz - when you have a draft CV ready send it over to me and I'll read it as if I was a potential employer and give you feedback. Obviously don't feel pressured into doing this if you would prefer not to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukasz Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Thank for all of your support. I am meeting whit a friend over the weekend to work on it. As soon as I have it done will gave it for your guys review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RolidSnake Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 As a rule of thumb, I always cater my CV depending on what job I'm applying for. When I was looking for work (and I was looking for any type of work) I fell into the trap of sending the same CV out for different types of jobs. My friend was a manager at a local cinema at the time and I applied for a job there. He said his peers automatically put me on the 'no' pile as they thought I was going to use the position at the cinema as a 'stop gap' until I found something else seeing as my CV was highly geared up to get a job in print/media/design (they were dead right too!). Apart from that, most of the jobs I've had have been design orientated so I've stylised my CV accordingly. I also group it together with a cover letter which is also in the same 'style' as the CV to tie everything in nicely. At one point I created an online portfolio too which employers can look at if they feel they need to find out more about how you work etc. Obviously, this doesn't apply for every job you can apply for but it seems to work every time for me! I do however feel that a very short cover letter customised for your target employer can go a long way. Don't use Comic Sans or any daft looking fonts on your CV either... that's a given though!Another tip is to make your social media pages private as I'm under the assumption most employers will have a sneaky look at your personal life before even offering you an interview.If you need a hand with anything, don't hesitate to give me a shout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JConnor Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Most job applications are online (email, form submission + attachment), so for the cover letter I would make it clear and concise. -Don't address it to a particular person unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt who will be reading it e.g. Don't assume "Stacy" is a male OR female name and use "Mr." or "Mrs". It may sound impersonal, but "To Whom it May Concern" is universal and avoids any confusion, or hurt feelings. -K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple Stupid. State you are responding to a job posting (website, date, position applying for) and that you've attached your CV. State the time of day you are available for an interview (Skype, phone) and give your contact info. End it with a cordial sign-off like "I look forward to hearing from you in the near future, Sincerely ______". The reason you want to keep it simple is a lot of people think the Cover Letter is the interview so-to-speak. It's not. It's to demonstrate you have proper grammar... Which IS important... And that you are a professional who is looking to work with other professionals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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