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Showing posts from October, 2020

Why should I pay someone to write my CV?

 A great question; when anyone can write their own CV why should you consider paying for a CV writing service? Assuming that you are not trained in these professions then there is undoubtedly real money to be saved; the only question to answer is “what’s the end result going to look like?” is answered in the same context as the above scenarios – anyone can, BUT, what’s the end result going to look like? Put yourself in the position of a recruiter who has loads of CVs to assess to compile a shortlist for interviews. Would your preference be to have to wade through loads of self-written CVs, full of irrelevant and low-value information OR would your heart sing when you happened upon the CV that had been professionally produced and contained only clear, concise and relevant information that clearly addressed the requirements for the advertised position? It’s as simple as this – great CVs drive candidates straight into interviews and job offers and prove to be one of the very best inve...

What to Write in a CV

 Interesting question, isn’t it?  The answer for many  CV Writers  is often found by using a Google search for “ What to write in a CV? ” The problem with this route is that most “ CV Advice ”  posts, often by  very large and well known  institutions, instruct the reader to use a standard “ Reverse Chronological CV”   format for which there are many standard templates. Whilst this gives a clear idea of how a CV can be written and seems to answer the  “What to Write in a CV”  question, it does not unfortunately give the best advice or  CV writing guidance . Candidates using this advice will usually end up submitting a CV that is both outmoded and presents too much emphasis on the irrelevant and fails to highlight and emphasise the really key information that could make a real difference. There will be more information on subsequent blogs but for starters, here’s an article on  why free CV templates are such a bad idea .

CV Help - (Writing a CV) Common CV error - number four. Too long

  Common CV error - number four.   One of the most  common CV errors  is to add too much content into your CV.  A  CV should ideally be two pages long  and contain all of the  relevant information  in an easily accessible format.   There are lots of things that really do not merit inclusion, a few of which are: heading it as “Curriculum Vitae” (most recruiters will recognize it as one without this pointless heading, “Marital Status” (not required), “Age” (not required and additionally, invites potentially negative comments).   It is also a  common CV mistake  to include lots of unsubstantiated personal statements including: “committed team player”, “great communicator”, “target driven”, “inspirational leader”. At best they sound empty, at worst they make the writer sound shallow and conceited.   “ Target driven ”, when linked to evidence can be a powerful and meaningful statement, such as “achieved 130% of annual sale...