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MAY 2017, ISSUE 32
WORK ON YOUR CV When writing a CV, you need to make sure you keep improving and updating the CV document. You should focus on the way you are presenting the information to an employer. Make sure the layout is correct. The most important and recent information should stand out on your CV as this is the first thing the employer will see. Your qualifications and experience should be obvious as the employer doesn’t know you. Your CV should include information relative to the job you are applying for. Think about improving the appearance of the document to make it more eyecatching, but don’t change too much of the layout. Try to show your CV to people in your workplace or on your course to get feedback on the impression it produces. You should also think about developing your CV by improving the content. Your CV is important for giving an employer a great first impression of you as a worker.
DEVELOP NEW SKILLS Once you have worked out how to enhance your CV, you might find that you need to develop new skills or areas of expertise in order to achieve your goals. This could mean going on training or professional development courses. There are many different courses on offer. Choose
something that you will enjoy and that will be useful in your future career or job. You could also consider volunteering or an internship. It is a great way of getting new skills and of helping a charity or local organisation. And it will really enhance your CV and give you a sense of self-worth during a difficult time of unemployment. Future employers will look favourably on someone who thinks outside the box to try to develop their workplace skills.
CHANGE YOUR JOB APPLICATION PATTERN Perhaps you have got into a rut with your job applications. You might have sent out so many applications that they start to blur after a while and you forget exactly how many you sent and where to. While you might change your application slightly for each job to tailor it to the job specification, you might still rely on a cover letter and personal statement that was written months ago. You should try starting again from scratch. How would you sell your experience and skills now? It is also important to consider the types of job you are applying for. Perhaps you are applying for too narrow a range of positions and could consider alternative roles. Open up your options; you might not land your
dream job on the first go but getting any job is better than nothing due to the experience you can gain. Or maybe the opposite problem could be true. Are you using a ‘scattergun’ approach and applying for too many jobs when you would be better applying for positions only in your field? You should try narrowing it down to a few certain fields making it easier to keep track of your applications.
DO A MOCK INTERVIEW Doing mock interviews is a great way to get ready for that real interview you have coming up. It will give you the chance to rehearse some of your answers to challenging interview questions and hopefully you will get some positive feedback on your performance. You may also notice some things you are doing during the mock interview, like fidgeting. Noticing these bad habits before your interview will give you a chance to learn to control them or stop them completely. Perhaps you haven’t had an interview for a while, or are changing careers and are unsure of the interviewing format for a new job. Doing a mock interview will give you more confidence and help you know what to do when the real interview comes. You need to find someone supportive (a current colleague, teacher, lecturer or even
a parent) who will take the exercise seriously and is willing to act as the interviewer. The more you practice the better you will become. Practice makes perfect as they say!
IMPROVE YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION In a world where everyone is online in one way or another it’s no surprise that the majority of employers will check your online reputation by Googling your name. They may also scan your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media profiles you have to find out more about you. This is an area where many potential employees let themselves down. Go through every online profile you have and make sure there’s nothing there which will portray you in a negative light. You should also make sure that no-one else has posted anything that might show you in a negative way. A thing to think about when going through your social media is never to post anything you wouldn’t be happy with your Mum seeing! It’s also important to have an up-to-date online presence and websites such as LinkedIn are a good way to find new jobs. Check your profile regularly and keep your CV updated so potential employers can see it.
by Keira McLean Twitter:
@KeiraMclean_xo k.mclean@tsaglasgow.com