How To Raise Your Job Chances With A Brilliant CV

Employers and recruitment agencies often express surprise, even shock, when they see the latest batch of CVs offered up. "Don't these people even read the job description?" said one frustrated dental practitioner looking for a new dental nurse. "We specifically said, 'relevant experience essential' but most of the people who responded didn't have any knowledge or experience relevant to the job."

Targeting what you put into your CV so that it meets the job description is a first essential. While composing a standardised CV means you have a useful template to work from, you must tailor it for each application you offer up. Refer to the company name either within the CV or in a covering letter and make clear that you have taken the trouble to find out something about the firm you are approaching.

Think about the skills you have accumulated. These may be specific, quantifiable skills such as foreign languages or driving or they may be transferable skills like group training, leadership or counselling. Now match them against the job description so that you can directly connect your presentation to those requirements.

A CV needs to start with a strong profile that highlights the very best of your abilities and how this makes you the ideal candidate for the job. Remember though, it is not a wish list and should be backed up by evidence further on in your CV.

Many job applications are made online and employers or recruitment agencies often carry out targeted searches to find the kind of recruits they need. It's important, therefore, to include appropriate keywords to improve your chances of being found. Identify the right keywords by analysing the job descriptions relevant for your skills and picking out the words that recur. Knit these into your CV opening profile.

Whether you're sending a hard or a soft copy, don't be tempted to use gimmicks like brightly coloured paper, photos or bits of clip art. They don't impress and usually irritate. Keep your language specific, tight and punchy. Don't waste limited space on vague, wordy statements. You are not writing an essay. You are giving a neat synopsis to encourage your recipient to invite you for interview.

Now is not the moment to show off how many rare words you know. Be concise and to the point so that what you say matches you so well to the job description, they feel compelled to interview you.

Less is more. If you did a temporary job as a wine waiter ten years ago and you're now looking for a post as a primary school teacher, don't waste space including that history. Stick to what relates to the job but don't leave gaps of long periods.

Focus on your successes at work rather than just offering descriptions of your old jobs. A situation-action-results (SAR) formula will help you to focus. Bring out examples of where you analysed a problem, carried out the appropriate action and got the desired results. This will hold true whether you were charged with sorting out the company filing classifications or building a new bridge.

Put yourself into the shoes of the person judging these CVs. He or she has to use consistent selection criteria. Make sure you will make the match.

Have a clear, coherent structure to your CV. There are hundreds of templates and samples available online that will help you to get this right. The usual shape is to put your personal and contact details first followed by your qualifications then your employment history from the present day running backwards. It is useful if you can include two or three referees.

Don't be tempted to tell lies or exaggerate grossly: being found out is very damaging and potentially not only for that one job. Affiliated companies or those in the same sector often share HR information informally even though they aren't really supposed to do so. Word gets around.

Generally, unless the application procedure expressly forbids it, include a covering letter. That gives you scope to offer a brief distillation that summarises the most significant match factors between you and this job. It also allows you space to give a very positive, upbeat and enthusiastic introduction to you and your skills portfolio.

Written Words is an international media consultancy offering strategic solutions for the world's press, companies, international agencies and the public sector. Additional services include media skills and presentation training, speech writing and tailored public relations solutions. We also offer a full ghost-writing and book editing service to publishing standard. Call us on +44 131 667 8282 or e-mail: maggie@writtenwords.co.uk

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Avoid These 2 Resume Mistakes to Help Your Chances of Finding a Job in 2011

As a professional resume writer I am in the business of helping people create resumes that get them hired. What I have noticed is that there are 2 common mistakes that the majority of people make when trying to put there resume together themselves. If you are able to avoid this mistakes you will significantly increase your chances of landing a new job and you can do this without spending hundreds of dollars on a pro resume writer.

Lack of a profile - The beginning of your resume is where you should have a summary of your experience. In the profile section you should sell yourself and highlight why you are a fit for the position you are applying for. This section is the most important because if you do not impress the reader here they will not continue to read the rest of your resume.

Lack of accomplishments - I recommend to my clients that they create a separate section that highlights their accomplishments. This section should come right after the profile. This provides a great opportunity for you to let the employer know about your successes and why they should hire you beyond the skills and experiences that you have alluded to in the profile section. Some people choose to list their accomplishments within the experience section tied into the positions that they have held. This is certainly acceptable but make sure that accomplishments appear somewhere on the resume. After reviewing thousands of resumes over the course of my career, I have noticed that over 65% of people do not list any accomplishments at all.

If you avoid making these two critical mistakes you will increase your chances of landing an interview and securing the job. Best of luck in your career search.

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How Professional Resume Writing Can Increase Your Chances Of Employment

Resume writing appears to be a straightforward task. All you, as a job seeker, need to do is organize your relevant work history and education. Sometimes, particularly for workers with several decades of experiences, this document turns into several pages that detail achievements, skills, awards, certifications, and education. Although this may provide a comprehensive view of your employment history, a hiring manager does not want to read through all of this. If you are not sure about what to add or delete and how to condense this document down, seeking professional resume writing help is necessary.

Professional resume writing addresses all aspects of creating a resume. A company offering these services speaks with the job seekers first about goals and experience; a customized resume and cover letter are necessary in a difficult job market. Writers editing an existing resume or creating a new one take this information into consideration.

Even small mistakes can take a resume and cover letter out of the application pool. Resume writing, in this case, involves analyzing and thoroughly proofing all documents. A professional resume writer will examine your documents and proof them for typos; essentially, he or she is your second set of eyes.

Text can be well-written and you may have extensive education and experience, but if a resume uses a confusing format, a hiring manager may not consider you for an interview. Resume writing involves more than proofing and revising; a professional writer, in this case, must use a clear format for a document. As a hiring manager may only spend a few minutes reading your resume, the format of the document must present everything clearly and allow the information to make a distinct impression.

Professional resume writing, however, is not the absolute factor in employment. A job application process has many steps. Having a well-written resume and cover letter may increase your chances of being noticed by a hiring manager and of getting called for an interview. An employer, nevertheless, considers many aspects when examining each candidate. Beyond a well-written cover letter and resume, interviewing skills, interest, a background check, references, and work samples also influence a decision.

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How Using Professional Resume Writers Increases Your Chances of Employment

Can anyone write a resume? With the communication and writing skills needed for the professional world, anyone can put together such a document. As in all fields, however, some writers are better than others, and professional resume writers not only have this advantage, but they also keep ahead with the latest employment trends. A resume using an out-of-date format or skills set (for example, "word processing" is expected of all job candidates and is no longer an advantage) may be placed in the rejection pile, regardless of your education and experience. Professional resume writers give job seekers an advantage in a difficult market. Not only will they see that your resume and cover letter are free of typos, but they will also make sure the format and information are relevant.

All mistakes matter in a difficult job market. Before you start worrying about the tie you will wear to an interview, however, consider your resume and cover letter. These documents are your first impression, and a typo or misplaced comma may make you seem lazy and not careful. Precision and reliability are two factors an employer wants in a job candidate, and your resume needs to reflect this. Professional resume writers, by proofing your resume and cover letter, serve as a second set of eyes.

Typos and grammatical errors are only two aspects a hiring manager may notice, and within the scope of a resume and cover letter, both are small. A confusing format, on the other hand, may turn off a hiring manager. He or she does not want to sift through large blocks of text or see too many fonts and bullet points on a page. Professional resume writers, in editing or creating a new document, strip away the verbiage and organize the text better.

A resume and cover letter, however, are not the only factors in employment, and using professional resume writers enhances your chances - but does not determine them. As getting a job is a multi-step process, sending a resume and cover letter to an employer is only the beginning. A hiring manager can forward your documents and call you for an interview, or he or she can place them in the "rejection" pile. Beyond this point, your interviewing skills, interest, references, a background check, and work samples are also factored into a hiring decision.

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