With the job market being more and more competitive at the moment it is vital that your CV or application has a competitive edge. Therefore, showcasing your key achievements will allow you to stand out from the competition while also demonstrating to the recruiter the contribution you have made throughout your career. I have summarised how best to include these …
Avoiding Age discrimination on your CV
In the UK it is unlawful to discriminate against someone applying for work due to their age. There are a few exceptions, however, there has to be a good enough reason to do so and this would have to be proven in Court. According to Natalie O’Hare from BeyondHR, asking for an applicants age is a big NO and there …
Mind the gap!
Mind the Gap! Mind the Gap! Mind the gap between the train and the platform edge! How many times have you heard this? A very good friend of mine has kindly allowed me to share her journey of returning to the workplace after taking a nine year career break to bring up her three children. Here is her story: Shortly …
How to acknowledge career gaps
There has been a very welcomed increase in the number of returnships available by companies and organisations. These are designed to act as a bridge back into work for experienced professionals who have taken an extended career break. However, many returners are still apprehensive of how to document their career gap in their CV. Whether you have taken time out to have …
Should you have more than one version of your CV?
As a professional CV writer I am often asked by customers to prepare a general CV for them that will cover all their potential job requirements. This is not something I would recommend unless there is a substantial overlap in what the CV is being used for. Instead it is important to have various versions of your CV to ensure …
Perfecting your Graduate CV
If you are in your penultimate year then you should be thinking about applying for summer internships and graduate positions to give you the best chance upon graduation. Competition is fierce and normal graduate recruitment windows are between September and January before you graduate. Even if you are approaching graduation this coming summer then if you have not already been …
Formatting tips for an effective CV
There are many tips available on what to include and not to include in your CV. The main advice out there is not to let your CV exceed two pages although there are exceptions to this rule. Many people struggle to effectively showcase their experience within two pages as they feel they run out of room. I therefore thought it …
Should you use a Professional CV Writing Service?
We have been asked by many people who are genuinely unsure if they should engage with a CV Writing Service, why it could be beneficial and how to pick between them. Some of the questions we have had are as follows: What happens if I am not happy with it? Is it different from other CVs or do you just …
What should not be on your CV!
There is a lot of advice out there on what should be included in your CV but not much on what should NOT be in your CV. So I have put together some DON’Ts and clarified the few grey area of what should be included in your CV. Photograph: This is expected for some European countries but in the UK this …
Gaps in your CV?
Do you have gaps in your career history or periods of unemployment that you are worried about? Wondering what recruiters will think and how you should present or explain this to potential employers, if you get that far? Or should you just ignore them as surely everyone must have gaps in their career history at some point? MOST IMORTANTLY…..DO NOT …