How to Improve Your CV [15 Helpful Tips]

How to Improve Your CV [15 Helpful Tips] For many jobseekers, your CV is the first point of contact with a potential employer. It is the first opportunity to sell yourself, to get yourself noticed and, above all, to make sure any potential door is not closed to you. First impressions do count, so make this one work for you. As an environmental recruitment agency, we have worked with hundreds of graduates to kick-start their career in sustainability or the environment. But the tips for improving your CV apply whatever industry or sector you are looking to work in: It’s a good idea to have your CV prepared well in advance of spotting any job opportunities, and certainly well ahead of any closing date, so that it is not undertaken in a rush. This ensures that the basics will be there to build on, and you can tailor the CV for each specific opportunity without too much additional work. You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s worth repeating because there are far too many examples of people who ignore the advice â€" do make sure you check it through (better still, get someone else to check it through) for clarity, spelling and grammar. Mistakes will send your CV into the waste paper basket (metaphorically if it’s electronic). Given that your CV needs to be tailored for each job opportunity, double check it through to make sure that you are have the right version for that particular company or organisation â€" there’s nothing worse than focusing on your people management skills, for instance, when the company in question is actually looking for someone to work on their own as a self-starter. Make your CV easy to read and interesting â€" employers will have many CVs to look at, so don’t make it difficult for them â€" instead, make it a pleasure; think about the font (and please don’t be tempted to go for a quirky choice!), size of type and density of text; avoid colours other than black. Short blocks of text work well, and bullet points are fine provided the list isn’t too long â€" again, use the ‘pleasure principle’ as your overarching guide. Tables are also OK for small amounts of text, but don’t overdo it. Use the selection criteria where possible to align the skills and experience on your CV with the job description â€" wherever you can, give examples of how you match the criteria (approach it like marking criteria â€" how high can you score?). A profile (or personal statement) can work well, but only if you have some relevant points to make. This could be used to demonstrate your enthusiasm and creativity (to compensate for lack of experience perhaps) or to show your passion and commitment â€" but it is important to avoid clichés and buzzwords. Don’t include a photo â€" unless it’s a modelling job you’re after! Aim for 2 pages of A4 max, and remember you don’t have to detail every qualification and piece of work experience â€" if you have a degree or higher, the grades you got for GCSE are probably not too important, so just list the number of passes and subjects. References at this stage aren’t essential and they will take up too much space â€" just say ‘references are available on request’ â€" recruiters won’t be needing references at the CV filtering stage. Remember that life experience can be just as relevant as job experience when it comes to many key skills â€" project management, budgeting, communication skills, for example, can be demonstrated in different ways â€" so be creative Don’t forget to highlight professional qualifications and any relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) â€" what training have you undergone recently that shows that your skills are up to date? This is particularly important if you have been unemployed for a while and the employer is concerned that you could be out of touch in a fast-moving industry. Don’t be afraid to ask friends and colleagues what they think your strengths are â€" and if they have any other comments or advice on your CV. Finally, don’t think of your CV as set in stone. If you progress to the next stage, ask for feedback on your CV â€" what worked, what jumped out, what was irrelevant to the potential employer â€" and hone your CV accordingly. And do share your experiences with others â€" blogs and websites are a great community resource; if you give to others, they will give back to you. Remember, your CV is about bringing you and your experience to life, so give examples wherever possible, to help the potential employer quickly build a picture of you. RELATED: What Recruiters Really Want to See on Your CV Written by Karl McGrory, Head of Change Partnerships â€" ChangeAgents.org.uk. Change Agents is a charity that specialises in recruitment, training and support for a wide range of sustainability projects. Follow on Twitter  @changeagentsuk

Your Personal Brand Deserves Only The Coolest Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Your Personal Brand Deserves Only The Coolest Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I recently had the privilege of speaking to Alexandra Levit, who is undoubtedly a career queen in the traditional and new media streams. She just sent me her book, entitled Howd You Score That Gig?, which helps you learn more about yourself and about the coolest careers available today. Shes done the research, is the expert and this book tells all. Alexandra is the founder and president of Inspiration @Work, a career consulting firm. She is a blogger for The Huffington Post, which is rated as the #1 blog in the world by Technorati and has her own blog as well. Below is our interview and have a great weekend! This book stands out! Have you taken your own passion profile? Since you are an author, does that automatically qualify you for the creator profile? Well, not automatically, but when I took the quiz I scored highly in the creator and networker profiles. This makes sense, since Im an author but began my career as a marketing executive. In your book you profile 60 of the coolest careers on the planet by 20-year-olds. How did this survey come about and how did you collect and analyze the data to make conclusions. Do you feel the answers would have been significantly different if it were baby boomers or gen-x? I selected the cool jobs via an online survey in which I asked nearly 500 twenty and thirty-somethings to tell me about their dream careers. I encouraged people to take the survey by putting everyone who responded in a lottery to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Based on the responses, I generated a list of the top 60 careers and constructed a fairly comprehensive profile of each using the information I gathered from written sources and in-depth interviews with more than 100 individuals currently holding the jobs. A lot of my survey responders are Gen X, since they were/are in their 30s. I think that older workers boomers and traditionalists might have been slightly less creative with their choices, because they were raised to believe that cool jobs were ones with ancient prestige like law and medicine. Im hoping my book opens their eyes to new possibilities, though! You cite each person in your book by their age. I spoke about the personal brand stereotype of ageism on my blog. What role does age play in your book and how do you feel people can benefit from their age to secure a job? The book was initially written to target just twenty and thirty-somethings, and thats why I refer to people by their ages. Ageism in the workplace is unfortunately alive and well, and it can both help and hurt individuals. Millennials on the job market, for example, can leverage their reputation for being savvy, ambitious, and expert at handling new technologies, but at the same time have to combat the stereotype that their parents run their lives and that they will approach the job with a sense of entitlement. I like how you transition from your first book to your second book. You wrote They Dont Teach You Corporate in College, which I obviously agree with or I wouldnt be speaking to colleges about personal branding. This book takes that a step further and now you are examining how to get jobs that college students actually want. How did you come up with the idea and why are you so passionate about the younger generation? The idea originated as a result of several conversations I overheard at friends’ dinner parties. It seemed that someone at every event always had a job that totally intrigued the rest of the group. People were completely captivated by this individual, and were always curious to know how s/he scored the gig, and what exactly it entailed. Todays twenty-somethings arent content just to work for a paycheck even for a few years. They want to find a career that theyre passionate about TODAY. I love the energy and determination I see in so many Millennials that I meet, and it makes me want to do everything I can to help them on their journeys. How does one come up with a self-assessment? In the case of Howd You Score That Gig?, with the help of a licensed clinical psychologistmy husband. We researched existing personality type measures to come up with the passion profiles, and then tested the questions on our friends and family. Its not super-scientific, but it seems to be accurate enough. I didnt just want the book to be another boring job reference guide, where you flip through, read a bunch of vague, one-paragraph descriptions, and put it down. Right off the bat, I wanted to engage my readers so that they could learn about themselves and identify a few intriguing but very real possibilities for careers they could go out and explore tomorrow. If you could pick your top 5 careers that you mention in your book, what would they be? Some of my personal favorites besides book author and marketing executive are futurist, forensic scientist, travel journalist, bed and breakfast innkeeper, and computational linguist! How have you managed to get cited in 800 media outlets? Any advice for my readers on forming relationships with the media? The 800 number came as a result of being cited in a few Associated Press and Reuters articles that got picked up everywhere, as well as the advice column I used to have with Tribune Media Services, which was syndicated nationally. And over the years, Ive been very fortunate to be quoted in high profile outlets like the New York Times and CNN, and visibility begets visibility. As for forming relationships, let reporters in your area of interest know what you do and be a reliable source for them no matter what story they happen to be working on. Dont hound them, and never openly pursue your own agenda. Find out what the reporter needs to know, and then do what you need to do to help him/her get that precise information, even if you dont directly benefit.

What to Do When Bored at Work 8 Ideas

What to Do When Bored at Work 8 Ideas What to Do When Bored at Work: 8 Ideas Misc Tips / https://www.edenscott.com/blog In a perfect world, wed all just go home when our work is done for the day.However, many people have to stay until 5PM or 6PM regardless of what theyve accomplished that day.Dont worry though, if youre wondering what to do when bored at work, weve got you covered. Were going to share the top 8 things to do when bored at work to pass the time (and be at least somewhat productive)8 Things to Do When Youre Bored at Work:1. Stay current on industry newsWhat do most people do when theyre bored at work? Browse the web.Now you can do it productively Find a few blogs or news sites related to your companys industry and start reading about new developments, new products, ideas, etc.As long as you pick a few blogs that have fun articles that arent too serious, it wont feel like youre doing real work. Look for blogs with a lot of social sharing, a lot of pictures, etc.2. Set yourself up for a big day tomorrowInstead of sitting around waiting for 5PM, try to come u p with a list of tasks that you usually do in the morning, that you might be able to complete or start the evening before.Of course, this will make you even more productive tomorrow, so then youllhave to use one of the other 4 ideas to waste the extra time. Oh well.3. Ask your team members if they need help with anythingTake the initiative and ask your boss or teammates if they have anything going on that you can help with. Tell them youve covered your work for the day and wanted to stay productive.This will help you get noticed in a positive way, and youll also be helping your team.In the future if you need a favor or if you need to duck out early and have some of your work covered, youll have people that are eager to help.4. Clean up your email inboxOkay, so this isnt anyones idea of a fun task. But its pretty mindless so its great for the end of the day when you feel tired or bored at work and youre unable to focus on tough projects. It also makes you look super busy! Anyone look ing at emails must be busy, right??Whens the last time you actually looked at your inbox and thought about how the folders are set up, how your system for organizing emails is working (you do have a system, dont you?). Downtime at the end of the day is a great opportunityto organize this type of thing and come up with a system to make life easier in the long run.5. Clean up your deskThis one wont make you look like a workaholic superstar like idea #4, but its not a bad option once in a while.Find some sanitizing wipes and clean your desk, keyboard, phone, etc. Look in your drawers and throw away some old papers and junk.A clean workspace helps you organize your work and think more clearly.Even if you work great with a messy desk, it still looks pretty bad to those who walk byNobody feels great dropping an assignment off to somebody that has 200 papers and 3 used coffee mugs sitting next to their computer.6. Create training documents or SOPs for the groupIf youre bored at work, go cr eate some documents to help train new team members in the department.Or look for opportunities to create SOPs (standard operating procedures) for tasks that are done over and over. Then when a new employee starts, your boss can just give them this document and save a lot of time on training.Along with being a good way to pass the time when bored at work, this is also a fantastic way to get on your boss good side and possibly position yourself for a promotion.7. Systematize your work to save time laterDo you respond to the same type of customer requests over and over via email? Go write a template that you can cut and paste from now on. This will save you time every day in the future (along with helping kill your boredom).There are many things you can systematize or create a template for including external communications as well as internal emails/communications that you send frequently.After doing emails, look for other areas of your work that you can streamline and systematize. Any thing you do over and over each week (at least 4-5 times a week) is worth taking a look at.8. Think about your long-term career goalsThis is one of my favorite things to do when bored at work. Try to step away from the screen for a minute, grab a pen and paper, and think about your long-term career goals.Where do you want to be in 2-3 years? Is your current role and tasks getting you there?If not, consider asking for new responsibilities that are more closely-aligned with what you really want to be learning and doing.Or if your job is completely different than what youd like to be doing, that may be the reason youre bored at work and it may be a sign you should start a job search.I wrote an in-depth article about this on LinkedIn you really are the CEO of your career. Nobody else is going to care or take responsibility for your career direction. So if you dont want to end up on a career path you hate, you need to think about this regularly.If youre bored every day at work for hours and hours, it might be a sign that you need a change of job, or even industry/niche.The ideas above will help you with what to do when youre bored at work occasionally, but wont fix the problem if youre miserable in your job. Only a job change can fix that.

Making Small Talk - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Making Small Talk - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The top three fatal errors you can make as a leader are: Failing to leverage your market position Negotiating with irrational forces Not articulating your vision with vigor This “don’t” checklist works for business, consumer and personal brands. The deadly dangerous part is this: you have to be right with all three rules if you want to succeed in your category. Do one wrong and your headed for #epicfail or a descent to 99 ¢ Only Stores (or whatever your version of marketing Hades is). You may recall this paragraph from a prior post of mine. I dissected the Republican presidential candidates on their bizarre embrace of death as a vote-getting strategy. Death remains a bizarre platform because conservative Republicans /Tea Partiers like to tout their “pro-life” agenda, which seems only to cover women who are pregnant, and not when they (or anyone else) is not. Republican debate audiences get weirder and weirder in their outbursts. A few weeks ago they were applauding for death to anyone who cannot afford health insurance. This last week in Florida, the audience booed a solider serving in Iraq â€" a man who is sacrificing his safety to ensure our freedom. The sticking point is that he is gay. As of last week he can be gay in the military. Actually he was gay before the DADT rule changed, but he would have lost his right to serve had he not waited before he sent in his video question to the candidates. Candidate Rick Santorum addressed the audience with an ”abstinence for all” rule. “There should be no sex in the military,” he pronounced. Once again, the anti-life theme: no sex, no babies. At least they are consistent. (By the way, if you don’t know Santorum, just Google him.) The Democratic Party is even weirder. US President Obama insists on not leading the nation. He compromises until he is so bendy, he could star in Cirque de Soleil. His is reaching so far, that he is now promoting a job plan that was fundamentally the Republican agenda until he took it, and now they reject it! Why is this first son (as nearly all US Presidents are) so taken with hand-me-downs? Has he had a speech where he hasn’t credited Republicans with half or more of the ideas he propounds? This couldn’t be bipartisanship â€" that’s when the two sides work together. Leaders have to learn when irrational forces â€" like speculation, such as the mob fever that caused the tech boom bust or the mortgage for all turned foreclosure for many â€" is simply not a sustainable trajectory. Yet President Obama seems bent on self-congratulations that while ineffective, he has been wildly reaching across the chasm to the people who have said â€" out loud â€"that they will do anything to take down his presidency. This is not a handshake across the aisle; this is a free fall into the abyss. Why did he fail to leverage his political capital and instead play so long a delay game, that he gave the Tea Party its grand entrance in the congressional elections two years after he won his job? And, why does the president only use the bully pulpit and call for our attention and action, when the airwaves and our brains have been stocked full of whatever the Republicans have propounded? For example, last week Republican Michele Bachmann came out against ALL taxes! Now that’s both completely irrational and very compelling! Even the third of the country that is so impoverished they can’t buy food much less pay taxes swoon when they hear there is a magical pot of gold that will pay for roads, schools, police, firefighters and the salaries of congressional representatives â€" like Michele Bachmann! We had to wait for Warren Buffett and Mark Cuban to say that as billionaires they want to pay more taxes? That’s what President Obama waited for before he recommended that secretaries pay a lower tax rate than their hedge fund bosses? Leaders must seize the day, everyday. They don’t have time for small talk about big problems. They don’t suffer fools. It’s time to shout or get out. Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

These are the secrets to building trust in tough workplace situations - Debut

These are the secrets to building trust in tough workplace situations - Debut Without trust in a workplace, the whole operation can fall apart. You have to believe that, no matter what, your colleagues have got your back. Youre building that equity without even knowing it; every time you take an interest in someones work or weekend, go above and beyond to help someone or even check in to ask how someones doing. Its not always going to be as easy as setting up a face-to-face meeting in, say, a big multinational when youre a graduate. So Tsedal Neeley of the Havard Business Review came up with some dope ways to patch trust between colleagues and how to build it properly. Weve just whittled it down to the gems. Lets start with what you need to do to build trust in a hurry. Ways to patch trust is you need it fast Swift trust Quick, instinctive and instantaneous, swift  trust is the kind of trust thats needed when you need to work with someone youve never interacted with before. Its usually required in urgent instances where you need to get something done fast doctors and emergency services workers use it all the time. Its the notion that team members or co-workers can learn to swiftly trust one another from their very first interaction. You dont just have to be putting out fires though. You may need to do this with members of your office from diverse backgrounds to get results right away, even if you dont have the same grasp of each others languages for instance. Of course, with frequent communication between teams, the need to call on this dies down. But until then, make sure youre available and put yourself out there when you can. Passable trust Passable trust is the term used to refer to trust between teammates thats build up at a distance, whether by email, social media, or communication channels like Slack. When youre a long way away from your team, how are you gonna decide who to approach for something? Obviously, its going to be the person who answers their emails the fastest, or tweets often about the subject you need help on. Things like making yourself available and being vocal on subjects builds up equity in a team, so see too it that you do. Passable trust doesnt need to deepen or develop very far for it to be useful. Social media and email is transparent enough that you can keep a reasonable level of trust going regularly, which is why it works between global teams and large companies so well. So long as you stay online, its all good. Ways to build sustained trust These two strands of trust will serve you just fine when youre in a tough spot, but HBR also recommended two ways to build real, workable trust between you and your fellow colleagues. It all revolves around your knowledge. Direct knowledge Do you know that one of your colleagues likes to work outside the office to get stuff done? Or that another prefers a good old-fashioned conference call to a big group meeting? Thats what direct knowledge is. Having good direct knowledge is knowing what your fellow employees working preferences are and meeting them half way on a collaborative activity. You wont get this info right off the bat, so make the effort to source it straight up with some out-of-hours conversation. Itll help you in the long-run. Reflected knowledge The clues in the title here reflected knowledge is where you look at yourself and your own actions with regard to other teams of people in your office. Think about how your interactions work well and how you can do better. For instance, rushing to finish a job might come across as disrespectful to a team that prefers to take time and properly finish something with care. Or your penchant to crack open a beer at 4pm or knock off for a tea break at 3, might be inconvenient for a team that works solidly through the afternoon. However you decide to build up trust, just remember that the office is full of delicate figurines and communication is what keeps them from tumbling off the shelf. Build trust using good communication skills and youll improve teamwork and morale, as well as delivering better results for you team. Facts. Connect with Debut on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more careers insights.

Sunday Times Happiness is worth working for - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Sunday Times Happiness is worth working for - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog The London Sunday Times had an article yesterday about happiness at work and why its great to like your job. Theyre asking many different experts in the field, and Im quoted as well: The biggest single step that individuals can take is to choose to be happy, said Alex Kjerulf, chief happiness officer at the Happy at Work Consultancy and the author of Happy Hour is 9-5. ?Rather than settling for a job that?s not too bad, say to yourself ?I want to be happy at work?,? he said. ?You can be happy as a bus driver, as a mortuary worker, as a doctor . . . but a lot of people don?t seem to want to be.? Theres lots more read the entire article here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

How A Top Rated Executive Resume Writing Service Can Help You Get The Job Of Your Dreams

How A Top Rated Executive Resume Writing Service Can Help You Get The Job Of Your DreamsWhen you seek the assistance of a top-rated executive resume writing service, you can be rest assured that the individual who you hire will not only produce a professionally designed job posting but will also keep your file and accompanying documents up to date. As a result, your future employer will gain an effective and exciting resume, which will also be applied for in the future.By using a well-respected executive resume writing service, you are sure to have a resume that will prove its potential for success. Since so many people are looking for employment, a resume that clearly communicates your skills, knowledge, and experience is essential. This requires a professional touch, since the customer service agent you use is knowledgeable and experienced in the area of resume writing.With this in mind, the top-rated executive resume writing service can assist you in two distinct ways. First, it c an create a new document for you, which you can then adapt as needed. Secondly, if the customer service agent finds a flaw or omission in your application, it can revise and amend your resume. You are able to get free work from these top ranked resume services because they understand that your career is more important than the money they earn.The top rated service resume services include manual and automated resume writing services, as well as editing and production services. These services can provide the best individual care by ensuring that your information is updated, and that all the details are accurate. They also have access to a large database of qualified candidates, many of whom have had good things to say about the service you have used.In order to ensure your success with your executive resume, the top rated resume writing service will develop a customized application to help you in making the most of your skills and experience. If your current employer has created a lis t of qualities they need in their new staff, then this resume writing service can assist you in filling out that list.You can also modify your resume by creating a letter to accompany it, as well as a cover letter to go along with it. When you use a top rated resume writing service, it can give you a career overview and job search strategy, including job boards and databases that you can use to your advantage.The resume service will review your resume and tell you what they think, while taking the time to critique your work to ensure that it is current and detailed. They will also help you write a great cover letter, which will express how much you appreciate the opportunity to apply for the job.Once you use a top rated resume writing service, you can expect to receive a glowing review, with only positive comments, as a result of their hard work and expertise. As long as you follow the direction they offer you and respect their opinion, you can have a top rated resume that helps you get the job of your dreams.