Tapping into high-intent leads in real time
In a recent live Q&A, on switching between the public and private sectors, one of the panellists said: « Getting someone else to write your CV for you, especially a CV writing business, is a mistake. I would always want to see how you describe yourself, rather than someone else do it for you. Professionally-written CVs look generic and sterile and do not create a good impression with the reader. »
In my view, the belief that the individual is the best person to write their own CV is not always true. Although many people can write their own CVs, and do it well, others struggle with a variety of problems; such as incorrect English, not knowing how to structure a CV and not knowing how to best highlight their most relevant strengths.
Through in-depth consultation, a professional CV writer can help identify the key achievements and skills necessary for a particular role or sector, cut out unnecessary or irrelevant details, and pinpoint what makes the individual stand out. This level of objectivity is one of the major benefits in working with a professional writer. It’s often difficult to be able to stand back from your own career history to assess what’s relevant or not, or to choose the most appropriate qualities.
If you do choose to work with a professional, here are some tips for working with a CV writer:
Be prepared to invest your time
You’ll probably need to answer an in-depth email questionnaire or be interviewed before any writing actually starts. The more information you can give your CV writer to work with, the better, so the promise of a quick turnaround time isn’t always going to result in the best possible CV. Take the time to think about your career aims, your past achievements, and the value you bring, before you start the whole process.
Your CV will probably be used as a springboard for questions at interview, so you need to make sure you feel happy with the way it’s written and with the choice of words. Being involved in the writing process means your CV sounds authentic.
Look for experience in your field
Ask for a CV writer who has industry experience in your sector. HR professionals and recruiters with relevant experience can also have valuable insights into what companies are looking for.
Choose a professional writer
The UK CV-writing market is not regulated as in the USA, where the letters CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) indicate that the writer is a trained professional. This means you’ll need to do some research and shop around to find someone with the appropriate writing skills. Look for someone who’s prepared to take the time to unearth your core accomplishments, choose exactly the right words for maximum impact and who understands what and where to edit. Ask to see before and after samples of their work or use personal recommendations before you choose a CV writing service.
Keep an eye on the extras
Most professional CV writers will happily make edits to your CV, although often within a specific time-frame. Some offer other benefits too, such as ongoing support or follow-ups and interview coaching, so always ask.
Choosing the right internship in competitive environment
In a flexible working arrangement, an employee has some say over how, where or when they work. Whether this involves working from home, working part-time, job sharing or having another kind of flexitime arrangement, generally workers benefit from an element of freedom to define a working arrangement that supports their lifestyle.
Tom Neil is a guidance writer for ACAS, the non-departmental body of the Government that works throughout the UK to prevent and resolve employment disputes. “All employees who have worked for their employer for more than 26 weeks are entitled to make a request for flexible working,” he explains. However, whilst half of UK employers offer flexible working arrangements, a recent CBI report found that just one in 10 job listings mention flexible working. “More work needs to be done on understanding the benefits that flexible working can bring to an organisation,” says Neil.
So, can flexible working arrangements benefit both employers and employees? And, what are the barriers preventing our workplaces from adopting these practices on a much wider scale?
The benefits of flexible working
Neil explains that for employees, the benefits of flexible working are often focused on improving their work-life balance, as well as looking after their health and wellbeing. However these arrangements also impact positively on productivity. “Research from the CIPD has shown that implementing flexible working practices can improve staff engagement and motivation,” Neil says. Natalie Pancheri, HR Policy Adviser at the London School of Economics (LSE) agrees. “The benefits of flexible working are well established, from increased employee engagement to better performance,” she says.
What are the barriers?
Ellis used to work as a joiner, but after having her daughter, she knew she’d have to find a job which offered a flexible working arrangement. Ellis went back to college as a mature student and retrained as a counsellor. She began working for a charity that was supportive of her needs, but was later made redundant as a result of government cuts. “It took me from May till September to find a job that allowed me to work around my daughter,” she explains. None of the roles Ellis initially applied for in that interim period were willing to offer job splits – all wanted one person who could work full-time.
Ellis’s situation is not unique. According to an annual survey conducted by workingmums.co.uk, the lack of flexible working options, along with childcare costs, prevent mothers from returning to work. “Our recent survey showed 18% of mums had been forced to leave their work when flexible working was not allowed,” confirms Garner.
How to write the perfect email covering letter
Writing a covering email to accompany your CV
If your CV is attached to the email, then use the main body of the email as your covering letter. Tell the employer how you meet their key requirements so that you can immediately make a good impression and entice them to open the attachment and look at your CV in more detail.
- In the subject line of the email, list the vacancy title, reference number and where you saw or heard about the vacancy
- Use the body of the email to convince the recruiter in three to five bullet points that you are the right person for the job
- Send the CV as an attachment clearly labelled with your name
- Spell-check before sending the email
CV & Email Checklist
Remember, first impressions are very important. The following is a quick checklist before sending off those emails.
Your CV attachment if sending in Microsoft Word:
- Arial or Times New Roman size 10–12 for body of text and size 14 for headings
- Standard margin lengths
- Bold used sparingly, principally for headings
- No columns or boxes
- No graphics, photos or Jpegs
- No shading
CV attachment if sending as PDF:
In the subject line of the email, list the vacancy title, reference number and where you saw or heard about the vacancy. Use the body of the email to convince the recruiter in three to five bullet points that you are the right person for the job. Send the CV as an attachment clearly labelled with your name. Spell-check before sending the email
Is Career Coaching worth the cost?
The voice on the phone wants me to draw a picture of Where I’m At. I’m baffled. Where I’m at, at that moment, is in the kitchen trying to extract a tissue that’s just been through a hot cycle with the children’s school uniforms. « No, where you’re at in life, » explains the voice. « In your life Right Now. »
That’s the point when I begin, briefly, to panic. I’d volunteered to submit myself to one of the UK’s leading career advisers, Corinne Mills of Personal Career Management, partly because the idea of talking lengthily about oneself to a captive stranger is always agreeable, and partly because jobs in newsprint are looking increasingly precarious. Flexible work that permits you to appear twice a day at the school gate is elusive, and recently I’ve found myself assuming my professional future will be bound up with a Tesco checkout.
This is surprising because a large part of her clientele are lawyers and financiers who are weary of wealth without the leisure to spend it in. But even they, it seems, are vulnerable to self-doubt when it comes to leaving the familiar and marketing their assets elsewhere. « People don’t come to us because they want any job, but because they want the right job, » says Mills. « What we offer is a confidence-building process. »
The gift of self-confidence is a pricey one. A full face-to-face course, which identifies desires and options, details job search strategies and hand-holds through the process of applying and interviewing, costs up to £4,500, although Skype sessions and a programme for new graduates are cheaper alternatives. The investment seems sound, since PCM’s statistics show that 83% of clients find jobs that appeal to them and 11% set up their own businesses. « A lot of career advice companies look at your CV, » says Mills, « but don’t analyse who you are as a person, your needs and aspirations. »
Who I am as a person remains nebulous, for my career has never required a written CV and I have left the sheets on Identifying Your Achievements largely blank. A memory surfaces about saving a couple’s wedding day through my consumer help column, but mostly my 20 years in journalism have melded into a pleasant blur. It’s now that Mills’ skills are unleashed. She asks me to recount my job history and pounces when I start with leaving university. « Which university? » « Cambridge ». « So why didn’t you say so? »
With more time she would have helped build these skills into a seductive CV and schooled me in self-marketing. As it is, she instructs me to establish a website to showcase my newly identified wares and to nibble cocktail sausages with influential people. I explain that the latter is impossible. I’m no good at networking. How then, she asks, have I managed a seamless succession of media jobs? I confess that my secret lies in tea bags. I’ve always kept colleagues well irrigated and they remember my efficient waitressing when I’m needy.
Heading home I feel freshly invented and equipped to embrace the adventures of middle age. The session might, or might not, secure me a fulfilling professional future, but it’s made me evaluate the past in an encouragingly different light. I’m even tempted to pay a few grand to hear more. But, right now, I’m off to a mirror to see if my newly translated self is visible to the naked eye.