What Your CV Says about you

Ever heard the phrase “ a picture paints a thousand words”?  Well, we also say  that words can paint a thousand pictures!

As recruiters we are constantly reviewing candidate CV’s. If we read 10,000 plus CV’s per year here at Career Team,  we would not be exaggerating! So we feel qualified to let you know how your marketing document is representing you...

Have you ever thought that three pages of black and white text don’t reflect you or your skills or your personality? – you are not alone. Conversely, a moving theatre of colour and video is probably too much of a mini production for most people. So somewhere in between is the key.

Here are some tips:

Keep those CV’s 100% up to date – no excuses. Current contact details and residential location are imperative.

A brief overview of your skills and what you are looking for should feature next.

Followed by a complete overview of your periods of employment and unemployment - there should be no gaps and all timelines should be explained.

What about including your top 10 attributes?

Communicate any career highlights or personal highlights as this will start to engage the reader and give some “life” to the black and white text that represents so many people.

Extra career activities should also feature – things that make you happy that you spend your leisure time doing – things that make you a balanced individual.

If you are including a photo – think carefully if it represents you NOW! It will reflect to the reader who you are but will also create disappointment if upon meeting you it is not a recent or professional photo – this is not your facebook profile!

Be as professional as you can be while letting a little bit of your personality shine through.

Don’t underestimate what you are conveying in your CV document ... both said and unsaid!
Remembering that your CV is the trailer to the main feature. Your personal impact will be your best representation once you secure that interview – make your CV work for you not against you!

Protecting Your Recruitment Investment for Clients

So you’ve found your perfect person for that role you have been trying to fill and now you can breathe a sigh of relief! Wrong! – It’s a bit like when you put your children through their restricted licence – they still need a watchful eye kept on them. In recruitment speak this is called “ on boarding” .

A recruiter has a very solid process they go through to get you to the stage of having a new employee and when the new person starts in your business – it’s all up to you. Think back to the interview – first impression mattered – the same applies to how you deal with your new staff member.

The best way to ensure they feel a valued member of the team is to be ready for them – have their email address, business cards, security clearances all waiting for them when they first start. Have an induction process in place, make sure they know what is expected of them and don’t just rely on the position description – they may not interpret things the same way you do.

Most importantly – initiate times to touch base with them and make sure it happens – we cannot stress enough how important those first three months are.

Candidates have choices about where they work and the days of great pool of fantastic candidates just waiting to be snapped up – are well and truly over.

Ensure that your new staff member feels good about their decision they have made to join your company and make sure they stay “on board”.

Resignation Tips

One of the most difficult challenges in accepting a new job is resigning from your current position.
But HOW you leave will be how you will be remembered (You may need a reference from here one day).

Our advice is to be as professional as you can in all parts of your job search cycle but it is very important to remain polite and professional at resignation time.

We recommend you always resign in person where possible – with a resignation letter ready to present to your employer at that point.

Your letter should be succinct and to the point:

• State your intention to resign
• When you will be finishing
• State your gratitude for any opportunities you have experienced throughout your time of employment
• The only time to include a reason is because of something positive

Whatever your reason for leaving this is NOT the time to be negative or critical about your employer or manager.

Once you have told your manager – ask them how the business would like to handle your decision and support that process.
Good Luck!