With UK unemployment rates having recently risen to 8.4%, and youth unemployment currently at just over 1 million, it does not seem likely that the job market will be getting any less competitive in the near future.  Candidates have to try harder than ever if they want to stand out from the crowd and secure an interview, so having a CV that presents you in the best light is absolutely vital.
You might think at first that writing your CV is the easiest step in finding a new job.  However, once you sit down and begin to put your working life down on paper, you may find yourself running into some unexpected obstacles.

It is human nature to downplay our own achievements, especially in a CV, as nobody wants to be seen as arrogant.  It can also be difficult to decide which details are relevant and which should be omitted. The result can very often be an overview of your career that is either rambling and irrelevant, or understated and incomplete.  But the only thing that is going to be able to take you to the first round of interviews is your CV, so it needs to read like a “Greatest Hits”.  After all: if you’ve achieved it, why hide it?

This is why having an impartial third party write your CV can be hugely useful; they will consult with you in great detail to bring out your strengths and ensure that every point you make can be backed up by something you have accomplished.  A professional CV writer will also know how to best tailor your CV for your target industry, or even a specific job, as recruiters will be on the lookout for certain keywords and core skills.

A professionally written CV will be lean and relevant, showcasing your abilities and achievements in a way that will be seen as complementary to your ambitions for the future.
For more information about what CV Studio can do for you, call us on 01233 226 288, or send an email to info@cvstudio.co.uk.

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Wednesday January 25th, 2012

It goes without saying that the job market is more competitive now than ever before, and this is unlikely to change in 2012.  But before you give up altogether, it is important to know that there are a number of quick wins that can help you on the way to your dream job.

The first and most obvious of these is your CV.  Is it up to date?  Have you packed it with as much relevant and impressive information as possible?  It can be difficult to decide what to include and what to omit; our free CV review may be able to point you in the right direction.

If you are at the beginning of your career, then you may feel that your CV is a little bit thin on experience.  If this is the case, you can give prospective employers an insight into who you are by detailing your extracurricular activities, whether that is voluntary work, evening classes or playing in a local sports team.

Nowadays, a natural extension of your CV is your online presence.  The popular network LinkedIn.com provides a platform which you can use to display your achievements, impress a wide range of recruiters and make valuable connections within your desired industry.

Finding suitable positions to apply for can often feel like a full time job in itself; recruitment websites such as Reed.co.uk and TotalJobs.com are very helpful in this instance.  However, your best resource will likely be an agency that specialises in the industry you are targeting.  They will be well equipped to cherry pick roles that complement your abilities and experience, saving you hours of trawling through page after page of search results.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to revitalise your CV and get ready for the next step in your career.  To find out what CV Studio can do for you, call us on 01233 226 288.

Written by Philip Ellis - Consultant at CV Studio

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Wednesday January 11th, 2012

Before you start applying for jobs it is worth considering “what is your focus?”

What type of jobs do you want to apply for? Is it a specific industry that you want to work in or are you looking for a particular role that falls across a number of sectors? If you are clear about the direction that you want to take and have done your homework on the requirements of the role this will come across both on your CV and in the interview and will show prospective employers that you are serious about your career.

We regularly speak to people that tell us that they have applied for 100s of positions with no success. Understandably they feel that their best chance of getting a job is to apply for as many vacancies as possible with the hope that they will get selected for one of them. This however may not be the best strategy.

Take for example a graduate that we recently spoke to. They had some limited work experience as a sales assistant and a degree in Business Administration. They were sending the same generic CV to hundreds of companies listing their academic skills and work experience but weren’t getting any response.

After speaking with them for some time we were able to find out exactly what it is that makes them unique and where their skills really lay. They told us that they had really enjoyed their retail work, had a flair for sales which they were able to back up with tangible achievements and had also naturally taken a leadership role over their colleagues. In addition, they had worked for a large health and beauty chain and had worked particularly well on a cosmetics sales promotion as this had struck a chord and played to their personal strengths.

We recommended narrowing the job search to trainee managerial retail opportunities within the health and beauty sector. Our graduate selected a handful of jobs to apply for, did their research on the companies, understood the ethos of the companies they were applying for and what these particular companies wanted to see in their staff and used all of this to communicate within their CV and cover letter just how suitable they were for the role.

So if your current strategy when applying for jobs is throwing mud at a wall and hoping that it sticks, try focusing on a selection of vacancies that really resonate with you, do your homework on the companies and tailor your CV and covering letter specifically to those vacancies. You will be amazed at how much more success you will have.

At CV Studio we have a lot of experience in helping job seekers find their focus. If you would like to discuss your job search strategy with one of our highly skilled writers please contact us on 01233 226288 or email us at info@cvstudio.co.uk.

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Sunday December 11th, 2011

A CV is a potted history all about you: packaged up in an attractive wrapper; highlighting your skills and qualities. It is your glossy sales brochure, your key to accessing that elusive interview and your leverage into the increasingly competitive job market. The most important thing to consider when writing your CV is “who is your target audience?” It is likely to be a busy manager, or a recruitment consultant who is dealing with hundreds of CVs. They will look at it for maybe 2 minutes, and if you don’t immediately grab their attention (for the right reasons!) then your CV will be filed in the metal receptacle on the floor….  So the old mantra of keeping it brief is as valid as ever. Keep it concise; make it readable, clear, accurate and attractive.

As a recruiter I will skim read a CV and look for key pieces of information. I may only be looking for graduates, or I may be searching for a certain skill set. So make it easy for me to find this information. Consider your audience and always target your CV accordingly. If your CV captures my attention, then I’ll look in more detail; so yes I do want a brief career history (and I stress brief!) But more importantly I want to know all about you, what are your key skills and attributes, what can you bring to my company, what kind of person are you? Your CV should be a carefully crafted document that is readable, well presented and gives me just enough information on which to make a decision; without flooding me with fascinating facts that I just haven’t got time to read.

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Monday December 05th, 2011

Length & Appearance
A common mistake when preparing your own CV is to make it too long. When asked, employers will emphasise the need to keep a professional CV as short as possible and in most instances no more than two pages.

Recruiters want your CV to be both professional and inviting to read. To do this you should include plenty of white space and use a suitable font and font size. Only write in black and ensure your CV is printed on a good quality white paper.

Content
All CVs should include Professional Profile, Objective, Career Summary, Education, Other Skills and Interests, usually in that order. Only write what is necessary and relevant – if you cannot prioritise the information on your CV how will you be able to prioritise in your job?
Ensure essential items such as your contact details are clearly displayed at the top of your CV. Make sure all your contact details are up to date and correct.

Professional Profile
The professional profile is an overview of your key skills and attributes which will be expanded upon throughout the CV. If you are targeting your CV towards a certain position or industry it can be very useful to highlight the specific skills you hold that relate to the required criteria for the role.

Objective Statement
The purpose of an objective statement is to state the type of position you desire and your career goals. To really make the most of this section try to look at the structure of the statement from a “what’s in it for the employer” angle.

Career Summary
In the career section you must back up key skills and abilities with actual achievements. By supporting everything you say about yourself with evidence of real life successes your CV becomes far more credible. Recruiters hate “CV Jargon” – use of descriptive phrases without any hard evidence to back up your claims!
Employment history should be listed before education unless you are a graduate or school leaver with little or no career history.
You should list your most recent job first and always include the employers name, your dates of employment and your position.

Education
Include the type of qualification, place of study and date the qualification was gained. Try to keep this section relevant. If you have A Levels don’t list all your GCSEs/O Levels or if you have a degree do not include your A Level grades unless the grades are all A-Bs.

Interests & Activities
Do not fall into the trap of writing too much in this section. Trends are moving more and more towards American style Resumes which omit this information altogether.

References
Do not include details of references on your CV. Create a separate sheet for this information and indicate whether the referee is in a personal or professional capacity.

Tailor your CV to a specific role
A common error is to send identical versions of your CV to multiple employers. Targeting your CV to a specific job (even if it is in the form of a speculative application to a company you would like to work for) can reap far greater success. The key is to research as much as you can about the employer and role you are applying for to ensure you highlight the specific skills, experience and personal traits they are looking for. Try to gain an understanding of what they like and don’t like and if possible use relevant key words in your CV that you have picked out from the job description you are applying for.

Remember: keep it short, concise and clear.

Related Links:

CV information guides - Check out our other guides on how to write a professional CV
Free CV review - Ask us to review your CV for free
Professional CV writing services - Find out more about our professional CV writing services

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Sunday December 04th, 2011

Purpose

These guidelines are written with over 20 years experience of being on the receiving end of a myriad of application forms, and they will hopefully help to guide you through the maze that can be the application form.

Quite simply the application form is a standard way for companies to select individuals who are suitable for a job. It is in no-one’s interest to appoint someone who is not up to the challenge. The forms are standardised to make it easier for employers to compare people. You may have 15 years experience, but it may not be relevant to this job. So the purpose of the form is to select only those candidates for interview who seem a likely match for the vacancy.

From the individual’s point of view, it is your opportunity to show an employer what you can do; make your application form stand out; showcase your experience and secure that elusive interview.

Many companies will only accept application forms for job vacancies. Most public sector bodies and many large firms will just ignore a CV if you send it in. It is the company’s policy, not simply someone being unhelpful: so it is crucial that you don’t send in your CV if you are asked to complete an application form. It will simply be ignored.

The Application Form

The application form is usually split into specific sections. You must complete all the sections. The strict criteria by which application forms are usually assessed means that any missing information will probably render your form invalid.

Take your time completing the application form. In the same way as a CV, the application form is your opportunity to impress your recruiter and get yourself that vital interview. The biggest mistake people make is to rush an application form. I generally spend 2 or 3 evenings when compiling a good application form. And remember, you can always take a copy of the completed form and re-use some of the content for future applications.

Paper or Electronic

Some application forms are supplied on paper and require you to complete them by hand. If you receive a paper form (which is quite unusual these days) I would recommend photocopying the blank form; you can complete it in draft on the photocopy, and then neatly fill in the original form. If the application form tells you to use black ink, then use black ink; if it says use capital letters, then do so! Simple instructions that are often overlooked by candidates and create a bad impression with a recruiter. If you receive a paper form, you can always ask the company if they have an electronic version, they may well do; I personally feel that filling in an electronic form makes life much easier when completing it.

The majority of application forms though are now available electronically. Sometimes you download an electronic Word document and other times it will be an online form. The advantage of these methods is that you can cut and paste and spell check!! Misspelling on an electronic form is inexcusable. If you are using an electronic form, ensure your font size is big enough to read. Quite often the recruiter will be supplied with a paper version from HR, and won’t have the opportunity to increase the font size. I would suggest a minimum of 10 point and a maximum of 12; also use a clear font like Arial, Calibri or Tahoma unless the form is specifically setup to use a particular font.

A quick word about spelling whilst we’re on the subject. Don’t use American English, set your spell checker to U.K. English. The Americanisation of certain spellings makes me cringe!

Personal Details

Back to the form itself. The first section in an application form generally contains personal details such as name and address, phone number, National Insurance number etc. Always complete these sections accurately and fully. Your NI number for example shows your eligibility to work in the U.K.

Education

Education details often feature next. Again, be accurate and detailed. Most companies will now check your qualifications, either at interview or before you are appointed, so don’t be tempted to make that B grade an A grade or it could disqualify you! If you have a lot of higher level qualifications, like a degree and masters, then it is acceptable to say something like “9 GCSEs including English and mathematics, grades A to C”. If you have very little work experience you may want to list the module titles of your courses. If you have lost your certificates, now may be a good time to apply for copies, before it holds up your job appointment.

There is often space in this section for details of professional memberships and associations. Include details, dates and your registration number, if you have it.

Career History

When you complete this section, make sure that you include months and year of employment, the name of your employer and your job title, and list your jobs in reverse chronological order, i.e. latest job first. This is where you can be a little bit clever; rather than just giving a brief description of what you did, try and match this to what the company wants. Look at the job description and pick out key words and phrases to catch the recruiter’s eye.

Skills and Experience

Next comes the meaty bit of the form. This is where it is vitally important to give the recruiter exactly what they want! Many application forms are split into sections such as “experience”, “skills” and “knowledge”. It can be confusing to know what to put in each one; but here is the big hint: when you receive your application pack it usually contains a job description and a person spec. It is usual for the person spec to contain a list of essential skills, knowledge and experience (if that’s what the application form asks for). Don’t make the selection process difficult for your recruiter. If the person spec contains something like: “must have detailed experience of project management”; on the application form you can write something along the lines of “I have extensive experience of project management in the banking sector, where I project managed a £10M project over 3 years….”.

It’s very important not to simply repeat what the job spec asks for: you also need to give evidence and examples for EVERY criterion. Make sure you try and write something about every criterion too if you possibly can. The reason why this is vital; is that your recruiter will have a checklist of the criteria, and they will tick off each one as you demonstrate that you have it. Only if you can tick all the boxes are you likely to be invited to interview. Again, this isn’t the interviewer being awkward; they have very strict recruitment guidelines that they have to adhere to, which hopefully ensures a fair selection process. So unless you tell them that you have experience in xy and z, they won’t know!

I provide a lot of feedback for people who haven’t been invited to interview, and when I say “you don’t have any experience in managing people” they often reply “oh I do, but I didn’t think I needed to say that!” Your recruiter doesn’t have a crystal ball. So give them everything that they are looking for in the employee specification.

It’s also worth mentioning that your skills and experience don’t necessarily have to come from paid employment. You may be a school governor, or a scout leader. You may have acquired vital skills and experience in these voluntary roles, so don’t forget these skills when you are looking for examples of relevant experience.

Just to sum up that rather large section: the employee spec is vital, make sure you use it and address every point on the list. Give relevant examples for every criterion; simply saying you have managed staff isn’t enough, say “I managed a team of 12 operatives whilst at XYZ company”. Make it readable. Your recruiter may have 50 similar forms, so make it easy to read by laying it out well, use numbering or bullet points to make it easier to read. Don’t bury your evidence in a page of waffly text. Make it focussed, succinct and accurate. Your recruiter will thank you for it!

Other Information

Application forms sometimes contain a section for other information where you can add in extra snippets that may assist. Try and make these relevant to the job, but add in here any voluntary roles or responsibilities that you may have held. Coaching a football team; being a St John’s ambulance volunteer or a church PCC member can all help to present you as a rounded individual with good transferable life skills.

Hobbies and Interests

Be a little bit careful in this section. Think about what your hobbies say about you. If you mention that you also run a small start-up company, an employer may question your dedication. If you state that your only hobby is watching TV, you may come across as rather uninteresting and not very dynamic.

References

These are essential. Most organisations will not recruit you unless you supply one or two referees as requested. You can often ask that the referees are not contacted unless you are being offered a job. But make sure you supply the full details. Companies often want your most recent employer as a referee, so it’s important to provide them with what they require.

Vive la Difference

But remember, every application form is different. Read and re-read the instructions. Most application forms come with guidelines for completing the forms in addition to details about the job. A well completed, thoughtful application form sticks out a mile!! So make sure you give yourself every chance.

Some Key Do’s and Don’ts

We have included some key dos and don’ts in this section. Things that we have direct experience of during our years of recruitment:

Do

• Take your time and don’t rush it. This is your opportunity to get yourself an interview. Sometimes it’s best to sleep on it and re-check your form the day after.
• Read the job advertisement, person spec and job description. Everything you need to know is in there
• Take care with spelling, punctuation and grammar. Use either right colour pen, and make it readable, or the correct font size. Get someone else to check it before you send it.
• Use active verbs and make your application clear and concise, but detailed enough to cover all the main points
• Read the application form carefully and complete every section. Don’t miss bits of vital information

• Be extremely accurate. It’s important not to claim some skill or experience that you don’t have. If it is discovered after you are appointed you could be dismissed for this
• Do some research on the company! I interviewed a man who thought waste management (i.e. refuse collection) was actually about sewerage, and he talked about water, disposal pipes treatment works for an hour. Very amusing but he didn’t get the job!
• Make sure you have a complete career history, and explain any career breaks. Because more people now take short term contracts it is acceptable to have short periods of unemployment between contracts, so be honest and say so. Don’t leave your recruiter to guess
• Ensure you submit it on time. Most companies have strict deadlines, so make sure you are not 10 minutes late or your form will not be accepted
• Keep a copy for yourself. It may be some weeks before you get an interview and you may have forgotten what you wrote! Plus you can reuse bits of your form for other applications in the future
• Ask for feedback if you don’t get an interview. Most companies will happily do this for you, and it can be a useful learning experience
• Be very honest if you have a disability. It won’t disqualify you from interview; in fact if you meet the person spec many companies will guarantee you an interview

Don’t

• Don’t include highly personal details. The reason that you had a career break may have been to look after your sick mother, but your recruiter doesn’t need to know that you had to feed her and bathe her! If you are explaining a career gap you can simply say Career Break, Sabbatical or Personal reasons. Also, don’t mention your children or other responsibilities. Although it shouldn’t affect your chances, if an employer knows you have childcare issues it can put them off without them even realising it. Get the job first, and then sort out the childcare!
• Don’t submit an application form that reads like War and Peace. Whilst you need to include everything required, don’t produce dozens of pages as it can be impossible for your recruiter to pick out the relevant bits. It is very frustrating for a recruiter to have to read several pages, and it makes you look like you are unable to discriminate between relevant and irrelevant information
• Don’t mislead or lie, you will invalidate your application form
• Don’t simply write “see attached CV” on the form. It is lazy and will get you nowhere. Many companies have policies that state information in a CV cannot be considered.
• Don’t ignore the person spec and simply tell them what you have done. Unless you address the points in the person spec you will not get an interview
• Don’t use jargon and acronyms unless you explain them. It can make your application form very unreadable
• Don’t undersell yourself! It can be very difficult to extol your skills and virtues, but no one else will do it for you, so you have to make an impression

Hopefully these guidelines will help you to write successful application forms. However if you need further help, we can assist you with writing the form, or we can check the forms that you have completed yourself and provide you with advice and guidance on how to improve them.

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Thursday December 01st, 2011

Layout is really important. Use a clear font such as Arial, Calibri or Tahoma in an 11 or 12 point font; nothing fancy like script and don’t use colour: keep it black. Make sure you have plenty of white space, so probably 2cm on all borders and top and bottom. It’s also important to try and keep your letter to one page; if it goes over a page, reduce the borders slightly or reduce the font size.

We always recommend that you put your name, address, email address and telephone number at the top, in a bold font. Make your name 18 or 20 point so that it stands out; and centre this text.

Next comes the name and address of your prospective employer. If you don’t know the name of the recruiter, mark it for the attention of the Personnel Manager. Make sure the name and address are left aligned.

Write the name of the post you are applying for and underline it or make it bold. If it has a reference number, include that too. If you are sending a speculative letter to a number of employers, simply put “vacancies” instead of a job title.

We then suggest about 5 paragraphs. Your introductory paragraph should be brief and include the fact that you are applying for a specific job and where you saw the advertisement for the job. Follow that up with a sentence along the lines of “I feel that I have the ideal skills, experience and qualifications for the post”. Again, if it is just a speculative letter, a more general introduction would be advisable.

Your next two or three paragraphs should ideally highlight your skills, experience and qualifications that are directly relevant to the post. This can be quite descriptive, and should highlight skills that are transferable like organisational or supervisory skills. You can discuss things that you may have not explored fully in your CV, like voluntary work for example.

Mention one or two of your key achievements, and why they are important. It’s also worth mentioning the main requirements of the job you are applying for. So for example, if the job asks for experience of Project Management, you could say “I have 20 years experience of managing multimillion pound projects, the most recent project being the implementation of a key IT system which saved the organisation £2m”. Try and quantify your success if you can, it’s much more impressive.

If your letter is speculative, write about your main skills and experience in a general way. However it is always better to try and direct your letter towards a specific job or type of role.

To finish off your letter, summarise that you feel you have the necessary experience for the post. Tell them that you would be happy to provide more information if required, and that you think you would be a valuable asset to their company.

Sign off your letter with “Yours faithfully” if you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, or “Yours sincerely” if you have used their name.

I would also recommend justifying the whole of the body of the letter as it looks much better than left aligned text.

Some final check points before you send your letter:
• Use plain English and keep sentences well structured and focused.
• Check your spelling and grammar – try to use the U.K. (not U.S.) dictionary
• Get someone to read it for you to check that it reads well
• Make sure you use the correct company name

If you are still struggling with writing a cover letter, we can help you. CV offer a wide range of letter preparation services including the creation of bespoke targeted and speculative letters.

Related Links:

CV information guides - Check out our other guides on how to write a professional CV
Cover letter services - Find out more about our professional cover letter writing services
Professional CV writing services - Find out more about our professional CV writing services

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Monday November 28th, 2011

Don’t choose something quirky or casual like Comic Sans or a heavily scripted font like Vivaldi, they look unprofessional and can be very difficult to read. There are two types of fonts: serif and sans serif fonts. A serif font, like good old fashioned Times Roman has little ‘tails’, or serifs on each of the letters; whereas a sans serif font like Arial (sans meaning ‘without’) doesn’t.

I find that people are generally moving away from using serif fonts like Times Roman because the majority of documents are now read on screen. Whilst Times Roman may look good printed on paper, it can be difficult to read on a screen and it does look slightly old fashioned, dull and dated.

So, unless you are only going to supply printed copies of your CV, I would suggest using a sans serif font for clarity on the screen, and also a clean crisp look on the printed page.

As I mentioned, favourite fonts are personal. The most widely used sans font is Arial, but I find it rather boring and overused, so my top tips for ideal CV fonts are Calibri and Tahoma: two well proportioned and readable fonts that look good both on screen and paper.

When it comes to font size, we generally suggest 11 or 12 point for readability. Research suggests that CVs written in a smaller font look more intelligent! You can have headers and titles a bit bigger, but don’t use too many different font sizes. Two is usually enough, three at most. Titles can also be bold, but don’t overdo it otherwise your CV will look unstructured.

And never use different colours for your text, unless you are applying for a job as a graphic designer!

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Friday November 25th, 2011

What is a CV?

CV stands for Curriculum Vitae. Basically it is a summary of your personal details, academic achievements, work experience and skills and, if written properly, is your key to securing an interview.

Why is it so important to write a good CV?

Your CV is the only information that an employer has to go on. They receive tens if not hundreds of responses for vacancies and need a way of deciding who fits the job criteria and should be invited to interview.

How to create your first CV

CV writing is very subjective; everyone has their own opinion on what makes a good CV. There are however some standard do’s and don’ts that most recruitment experts agree on.

Things to include:

Personal Details

Include your name, address, telephone number and email address

Education and Qualifications

Include the name of the qualification, your place of study and the date that you obtained the qualification.
Add examples of notable successes such as awards for achievement in a particular subject or major projects that you have been involved in.

Work History

Even if you have only had casual employment in a shop or food outlet, do include it on your CV. Any examples of professional experience can demonstrate your ability to work as a team, use your own initiative and handle responsibility.
Similarly, if you have undertaken any work placements or voluntary roles, add details of your main responsibilities and the skills you used whilst undertaking the role.
Remember, employers won’t expect you to have lots of work experience at this stage.

Key skills

It is important to include a section of your key skills. Try to include skills that relate to those that are required for the job you are applying for. For example, if you would like a career in web design and are already proficient in the use of Photoshop and Dreamweaver, make sure you include these skills on your CV.

Other tips:

-Try to keep your CV to one page of A4
-Use an 11 or 12 point font size
-Use a serif or sans serif font
-Make sure you check your CV for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. You can always ask someone else to check your CV for you – two pairs of eyes can be better than one!

Finally, don’t be shy about selling yourself. Your CV is there to tell employers what your individual strengths are and why they should employ you.

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Tuesday November 15th, 2011

Funnily enough we tend to use them either when someone has very little experience, and their CV looks rather light; or conversely when someone has such a lot of experience that they need to emphasise specific key areas. We also recommend the use of skills sections when someone has a range of highly technical or specialised skills or is looking to change career and would like to focus on the transferability of their skill set.

If you don’t have much experience, and need to make your CV look a bit more impressive, then adding a skills section could highlight the generic and transferable skills that you possess, like good communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills, or exceptional people management skills. Try and give a bit more information too, it’s better to say:

“Good communication skills and the ability to deliver effective presentations to a range of audiences” than simply “Good communication skills”.

If your CV is very detailed and you have a wealth of skills and experience, then it’s a good idea to emphasise the ones that are specifically relevant to the job you are targeting. It’s also a great idea to qualify your skills and say why they are important. So for example, rather than simply saying:

“Good project management skills”

It’s better to include something like:

“Acquired exceptional project management skills via the delivery of numerous prestigious change management projects utilising the Prince 2 methodology”

If you have specialisms, like IT skills, you don’t want to clog up the body of your CV with details of every system or platform you have used, so the key skills section is ideal for grouping together your skills, so for example you could include something along the lines of:

• Operating systems: Unix, NT and Windows XP
• Languages: C, C#, HTML and Java
• Hardware platforms: Sun, HP and Apple Mac

We would recommend that you only include 5 or so key skills; don’t flood your CV with skills. It’s also a good idea to put your skills section somewhere near the top of your CV, as that’s the section that your recruiter will read first and they will look to match the skills listed on your CV to their requirements. So be very selective and choose carefully.

Occasionally people have a ‘Key Skills and Achievements” section. This can be used when you have something very specific to tell people which lets them know just how good you are in your field; something like:

“World’s youngest ever IT graduate and featured in The Times”

“Key member of team that delivered the first multi-million pound radiography system in the NHS”

If you need any more help or advice or if you would like us to write your CV for you; our team of highly specialised CV writers are on hand to assist. Call us today on 01233 226288 to discuss your requirements.

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Tuesday November 15th, 2011

Our CV writing services have remained largely the same with the addition of some carefully thought out add on services including optional telephone consultations for those customers that lack career direction or need help in identifying their relevant key skills and experience.

Other additions include our new online CV service which allows our customers to have a professionally written and skilfully formatted online   CV that they can add to their facebook account, linked in profile or send to prospective employers as a standard web link.

Perhaps the biggest change has been the addition of our information and resources sections. Over the coming months these will become packed full of useful articles on how to create CVs, cover letters and application forms with contributions from our writers, recruitment professionals, career consultants and key industry experts. And don’t worry, they won’t be like some of the information guides you see on CV writing websites that do nothing but plug paid for services and tell you that you couldn’t possibly write your CV yourself!

To tie in with the launch of the new website we will be creating a series of information guides and blog posts that relate to specific areas of the job market. Starting with teenagers looking for employment for the first time, topics will also include those looking to return to work after a career break, middle managers hoping to take the next step to a senior role and many industry specific segments.

We do hope you will find our new website useful and informative. We always welcome feedback and look forward to hearing from you.

This blog post was originally posted on CV Studio on Wednesday October 26th, 2011