CV Writing and Interviews

CV Writing

In today’s competitive and fast-moving recruitment market, you only have 30 seconds to impress a potential employer with your CV. To give yourself the best chance of securing an interview, you need to make sure your CV works for you. By following a few simple rules, you can maximise your chances and stand out from the other applicants.

1. Format – write your CV in the following order: Personal details, Education and Professional Qualifications, IT skills or other relevant skills, Work experience in chronological order

2. Include only factual information and achievements

3. Ensure your CV is easy to read and well presented (you have 30 seconds to impress)

4. Check for mistakes and spelling/grammer errors

5. A good CV should be tailored for each application with a bespoke covering letter

Interview advice

No matter how well qualified you may seem 'on paper' for a job, when recruiting, an employer will still be interested in your personality and presentation. Indeed with more than one suitable applicant for a role, interview performance is often the deciding factor. This makes the face to face meeting a critical part of the recruitment process and you will need to impress from the start.

Practical tips

Familiarise yourself with the journey to the location, to ensure you arrive in plenty of time. If driving, do a 'dummy run'. Check timetables and book train tickets in advance. Anticipate delays, especially on unknown routes. Contact your interviewer swiftly if you are unavoidably delayed on the day. Be punctual for your meeting but it is inadvisable to arrive more than half an hour early. Remember that you start making an impression on your prospective employer the moment you arrive at reception.

Research

Find out as much information as possible about your prospective employer in advance. Many now have websites which are packed with information. Familiarize yourself with mission statements, past performance, future goals and current analyst ratings. Be aware that if your prospective employer does have a comprehensive website, you may seriously compromise your chances if it becomes apparent you have not taken time to research it.

The interview

A standard interview will generally start with an introductory chat, moving on to questions specific to your application and experience. General information about the company and role may follow, finishing with an opportunity for you to ask your own questions. Be familiar with your CV and prepared to answer questions from it. Similarly, ensure you have read any job description thoroughly and think of ways in which your experience will benefit your potential employer. LISTEN to what is being asked of you. Think about your answers to more difficult questions and do not give irrelevant detail. Give positive examples from your experience to date but be concise. Avoid one word answers however. Prepare yourself in advance for likely questions (see next section for common interview questions). Be ready to ask questions that you have prepared beforehand. This can demonstrate you have thought about the role and done some research on the organisation. Ensure they are open, thus encouraging the interviewer to provide you with additional information. Show your enthusiasm for the role, even if you have some reservations. These can be discussed at a later stage.

Interview questions

As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". There are some questions that are asked frequently in interviews and you should prepare your answers before-hand. The key things to remember when responding to interview questions are to keep your answers relevant, brief and to the point.

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What have your achievements been to date?

3. Are you happy with your career-to-date?

4. What is the most difficult situation you have had to face and how did you tackle it?

5. What do you like about your present job?

6. What do you dislike about your present job?

7. What are your strengths?

8. What is your greatest weakness?

9. Why do you want to leave your current employer?

10. Why have you applied for this particular job?