Career Advice
Putting together a winning CV
Your CV is your main marketing tool in your job search – but it’s almost certain
that it can be improved – consider the following tips:
Blow your own trumpet
- Eliminate the obvious: Most HR officers or care managers will be
able to make a reasonable educated guess at your current responsibilities from your
job title – don’t overshadow your USPs (unique selling points) with information
that’s not critical
- Success sells: Think about your achievements – these might include:
- Leading or participating in a cross-functional project team
- Overseeing improvements in talent attraction or retention
- Developing your team to enable them to earn promotion
- Leave them wanting more: References to your successes should aim
to convince employers that you should at least be called in for interview – don’t
over-elaborate about how you planned and executed each achievement (but be prepared
to back them up at interview)
Mind the gaps
- Tempting fate: Gaps in CVs typically sound the alarm bells for
those tasked with screening applications before drawing up an initial round of first
interviews; when checking for spelling, examine your dates of employment or education
too – it’s easy to transpose numbers and cut months or years from your work history
- Suspicious minds: You might have a perfectly plausible reason for
not working for a while – but without addressing it in your CV, potential employers
may wonder what you’re hiding (especially for care work, where security and safeguarding
assume a greater importance than would be the case for other jobs)
- Thorny subjects: There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how you should
explain gaps that you’re uncomfortable discussing; you might want to point readers
back to a reason given in your covering letter or email – the risk is that your
CV may not be opened in the first place; however, registering with BS Social Care
we will be able to help do the groundwork for you, or use their own knowledge of
the employer to advise on how best to pre-empt any negativity or reluctance
Stay relevant and tailored
- Stick to the job: Tailor your skills and achievements to what the
employer is looking for; if there’s a strong emphasis on people management, bring
your supervisory and coaching record to the forefront – don’t relegate it beneath
mainstream technical or clinical experience that the client would look for regardless
of the vacancy’s seniority
- Transfer window: Employers increasingly seek competencies rather
than specific experience – carefully consider those you’ve acquired and developed,
and map these to the job and person specifications
- Check, check and check again: Don’t rely on your software’s automated
spell-checks – check yourself and, if feasible, ask a trusted friend to do so for
you
- Writing a covering letter/email
- Handling panel interviews
- Building your professional network
- Questions to ask at interview