CVs and Interviews

Linkedin and other social media tools seem to be all the buzz at the minute. Personally I use Linkedin as it’s an online toy for big boys. I hear more positive feedback from jobseekers about Linkedin. I actually got my first piece of professional business last week from my Linkedin activity – A small outplacement project.

So why should jobseekers use linkedin – here are some quick points!!

1. Networking is the key to successful job hunting in a tight market – forget about those reactive job hunting strategies. Networking is king!!

2. Most jobseekers are not comfortable with real world networking so Linkedin offers a softer alternative – networking without the physical contact. I believe it is equally as effective and you can even take your networking into real world once the connection is made.

3. Online networking is proactive and helps you access the hidden job market. You can keep moving unlike the frustrations of reactive recruitment. Networking can help you make things happen rather than sitting about looking at the web waiting for some company or agency to post a job.
5. You are creating an online CV. If you create a profile on Linkedin you are creating a CV or as close to it as I have seen. It is simple and straightforward to do.

6. Many organisations are training recruiters how to source candidates through linkedin. If you are not there you won’t be found. Help recruiters find you and create a profile today!!

7. You are creating a network for life – most people only think about networking when they are seeking a new job. Once they secure a job then forget about all those valuable contacts. Linkedin keeps them safe.

There are many more reasons to join Linkedin – for more information about how to land your job today contact career coach.

I had an interesting conversation with a jobseeker yesterday. They were struggling in the job market to get a new job and had turned to myself for help and guidance. This individual had identified interview coaching as the key area to address in order to bring a change of fortune. After a 20 minute chat it was clear that the CV was the problem. The jobseeker was not having it – head in the sand. There are two points from this situation

1. Managing your job hunting

If you manage your job hunting effectively you should quite clearly see what is working and what is not. A little black book will record all your activity. It acts as an important feedback tool but is also professional and a valuable source of information for future job hunting. If the above individual had have taken such advice they would clearly see that they were finding jobs and applying for jobs and this is where the process stops. They were not actually getting interviews so how could this be the problem.

2. What worked in a good job market may not work in a tough market.

So why did this individual fight against my findings. “No my CV is fine – it successfully landed me my last 2 jobs.” Sorry but your CV is c**p. It worked previously because there was no competition, employers were desperate and they could not afford to let little detail like a poor CV stand in the way. This market is different – there are fewer jobs, more competition so jobseekers must be clinical in approach. Your CV must stand out in the crowd of paper on an employers desk.

How do you ensure your CV will work? CV SERVICE IRELAND

Many individuals I support through Career Coaching give out about recruitment agencies which I think is sometimes over the top as agencies provide a free service to the jobseeker. The main complaint about agencies revolves around the lack of communication from recruiters. The Irish Independent article below has some comments from my good friend Ivan which can help explain why recruiters are struggling to get back in touch.

OVER a third of recruiters have lost their own jobs, due to the record hike in unemployment.
The industry dedicated to matching vacancies with workers has itself been decimated over the last 12 months with a total of 4,500 jobs lost in what was once a 12,000-strong sector.
Many employment agencies have drastically reduced their staffing levels as the numbers signing on soared by 97pc.

The group representing employment agencies, the National Recruitment Federation (NRF), saw just a handful of clients go to the wall but has recorded a massive drop in the number of employees.
NRF president Frank Collins, said he knew of one agency where staffing levels plummeted from 12 to just one person, and another where they fell from 28 to eight.

He said “green shoots’ were visible in some sectors of the economy, although employers were waiting to see if this would lead to a recovery.

Managing director of recruitment website employireland.ie, Ivan Stojanovic, said his business survived purely because it was not heavily dependent on placement adverts.

“Recruiters have been the hardest hit of any sector,” he said. “As time goes by, it’s getting worse and worse. I believe the figure of those who have lost their jobs in recruitment could be around two out of three.

I have been fairly busy with a number of outplacement projects during April and will be fairly busy in May so there will be limited posts. You can read my recent article for RecruitIreland offer Career Advice. The article looks at using online tools like Linkedin to enhance your job hunting.

I had an interesting conversation the other day about CV versus Linkedin. I was told that Linkedin was replacing the CV but I strongly disagree. The traditional CV will always have a place in recruitment. Having said this Linkedin can have a very important role to play for jobseekers working alongside the CV, supporting networking and aiding interview preparation.

You can set up a Linkedin profile and sit back

Even if you do not like these networking sites it is a worthwile exercise to set up a profile anyway. Linkedin enables you to get your personal details, skills, and achievements into the public domain. Most of the focus on Linkedin is about networking and business generation BUT this can generate potential job offers for jobseekers. Linkedin enables jobseekers to access the hidden job market. There are headhunters, potential employers and companies that need your skills using the online tool. It can take little effort to get found.

You can be more proactive on Linkedin

Join industry or skill networks, seek out and connect with potential company targets, answer online questions to illustrate your expertise and connect with potential employers to access information to help prepare for interviews.

Having said all of this you will still need a strong CV. Many employers use traditional recruitment routes which will require traditional recruitment tools like the CV.

If you don’t have a profile on Linkedin then set one up. If you have a profile make sure it sells your skills effectively. If you have time and energy get active on Linkedin. BUT make sure that you have an IMPACT CV.

I read an interesting CV article this morning – Actually it was not that interesting or even that informative. The article quoted research from a leading recruitment agency telling me (or most jobseekers) anything new. They did not have to waste time on a survey to get their quoted facts as they are already easily accessible on the web. Rather than state the obvious the article could have provided some creative solutions about “how to help your CV avoid the bin”.

Let me quote you some of the facts from the article.

a) 92% of CV’s received by employers go straight into the bin.

d) More that 50% ill prepared for competency based interviews.

Solutions provided by the article to help CV’s avoid the bin.

a) Be careful with spelling and grammar – recheck your application

g) Prepare for interview

Some of my thoughts ….

Yes many jobseekers have poor CV’s and interview skills. Let’s face it there has been a skill shortage for the last decade so jobseekers did not need these skills. If all the supermarkets pulled out of Ireland tomorrow it is obvious that there would be a market for fishing and hunting courses. Having not had to hunt for a few years so would be a bit rusty with these skills.

The most important element of CV preparation is content yet this article leads with spelling and grammar. Come on – spelling & grammar ranks about number 10 in the CV to do list. Have these people not heard of spelling checks – I review many CV’s and this is not a major problem. CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT!!!!!

CV should be no more than 1,000 words. Is this a more creative way of saying two pages? I remember telling a jobseeker some years back that their seven page CV was too long only for the employer to tell the jobseeker at interview that he loved the CV. The amount of words does not matter – If the first page does not make an impact it does not matter how many words or additional pages your CV has.

Using non-traditional methods – Is this recruiter telling us not to use recruitment agencies? Joking!! Again stating the obvious – look on the job boards and agency sites – they have fewer jobs and as most jobseekers use these reactive routes this means more competition. Accessing the hidden job market is essential BUT please tell me how!!

Prepare for interview – Most jobseekers can’t survive a traditional interview never mind a competency interview. Again outside the HSE, Public Sector and the odd multinational competency interviews are not really used. The large proportion of my interview coaching clients face traditional interviews.

CV Writing Service

I came across a website at the weekend offering CV’s for EUR 59.00. Yes you read this right – EUR 59.00 for a professional CV writing service. I actually found his site under a search for “professional CV” – hmmmm!!

Believe it or not this is not the lowest price I ever came across. I did come across a service offering a CV writing service for EUR 45.00. Interestingly this price offering did not last long as the same provider now charges EUR 95.00 for CV writing.

I reviewed the market recently to see what competitors were doing. I came up with some interesting finding. Prices ranged from EUR 85.00 to EUR 395.00. Now obviously the lower end was for Graduate CV’s and the upper end was for Senior Executives. This means that if you pay between. This leads me to believe that the following prices are a fair reflection of the Irish CV Writing marketplace.

Graduate CV – Range EUR 85.00 – EUR 125.00
Mid Level CV – Range EUR 125.00 – EUR 160.00
Executive CV – Range EUR 160.00 – EUR 395.00

Price is very important but if I was a jobseeker considering the EUR 59.00 CV service I would also want to know the following:

Why is the CV service so cheap?
What is the background and experience of the CV writer? (Website does not reveal)
Do you consult me as part of the CV writing process?

I would also review the writer or company online to see what presence they have. Ok this is a new service so the company may not be visible online BUT the writers should if they are from a HR, Recruitment or related field.

cv, cvs, sample cv, cv template, cv how to, cv templates, cv examples, example cv, cv writing, cv layout, write cv, cv cover letter, how to write cv, write a cv, cv format, cv samples, how to write a cv, sample cvs, cv skills, cv tips, writing a cv, example of cv, professional cv, sales cv, student cv, cv online, cv preparation, job cv, cv help, examples of cv, cv services

CV, Interview & Career Coaching in Ireland

Supply of services up but according to one Blog it is a struggling market for Career Coaches – strange!!

I have had limited web surfing for a few weeks as I have been developing content for www.cvsolutions.ie and www.interviewsolutions.ie – my new websites. New BUT I will point out that the new websites have a familiar old face.

Career, CV & Interview experts are multiplying!!!

WOW!!!!!! They say mushrooms grow fast and spring up over night but this is worse. Only joking – I have seen the trend over the last number of months but it has now grown legs. I am all for it competition as it is good for the market. Good for you the jobseeker as it provides choice and competitive prices. But competition is good for me as I am the competitive type and strive when faced with competition. Hey it might lead to an enhancement of my “already brilliant services”.

So competition is increasing which would lead you to believe that the demand for these services is increasing. Well apparently not according to one Blog I read today. It was so embarrassing that I won’t even link to it. This post was offering advice to career coaches in a tough market place. You know what was funnier I could not find the two commentators anywhere on the web, papers etc.

Conclusion – if you are a jobseeker looking for career, CV and interview advice then remember – industry reputation, experience and track record (even before cost). Now if you are a career coach giving advice to other career coaches about how to grow and get business remember to at least appear on the first page of Google. I know web is not the only way to grow business BUT the most important.

We have launched a new CV Writing Service website www.cvsolutions.ie to meet the growing demand for out CV services. CVSOLUTIONS is a new site BUT is developed by an established CV expert Paul Mullan of Measurability.

The site is still in its infancy as it was only launched this week. Over the coming months the content will be developed further offering a wide range of free  CV Tips & Advice and Cover Letter Tips. Currently there is expert opinion on CV Layout and CV Format. You will also find CV Examples and CV Samples.

If you need a CV that stands out in the market place then visit www.cvsolutions.ie NOW!!

To compliment cvsolutions we have also launched www.interviewsolutions.ie. So we can get you the interviews and help you land the job. Again for those seeking to prepare alone will have free interview preparation tips, interview questions and interview answers. This information will help you improve your interview skills and interview techniques. 

CVSANDINTERVIEWS offering free CV TIPS & ADVICE and free INTERVIEW TIPS & ADVICE to jobseekers in Ireland.

Securing a new job has never been so difficult BUT some would say landing an interview has never been so difficult. There is increased competition for jobs therefore CV’s have to stand out. I read an article that they estimate that 120 people apply for every job. I cannot confirm this BUT some of my HR contacts indicate that they receive a lot of paper (CV’s) these days.

Your CV must stand out in the crowd if you want to get called for interviews. Below are some steps to follow that will help give yourself the best possible chance.

Don’t let the spelling and grammar gremlins ruin your chances. I am not going to write too much about this basic stuff. Spelling, Grammar and Clean & Simple format.

First page of your CV is the important page. If it doesn’t make 1st page it is not important info. Don’t assume that an employer will take the time to read beyond this. Help the reader save time and energy by locating relevant data as early in the CV as possible.

Less is more – focus your content to relevant data. Try not to clutter your CV with irrelevant information. Help the reader find what they want – emphasis on relevant and less emphasis on irrelevant data.

Achievements and successes bring a CV to live and help you stand out in the crowd. This could be that little edge that makes your CV stand out over the competition.

Remember our Career Workshop on 25th April in Dublin – for info email info@measurability.ie