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CV Tips and Advice
Interview Tips and Advice
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CV Tips & Advice
Your CV is a sales tool that should help to secure an interview. Whilst there is no set format for a CV it should contain the following information:
Your details
Include your name, address, phone numbers and email address so any interested employers can contact you easily. Information such as nationality, age and marital status are optional. Depending on your profession it is often useful to add your mobility e.g. Car owner with full clean licence.
Personal statement
This section should just be a brief paragraph of your key skills and characteristics to introduce you to the reader and fuel their interest to read on e.g. I am an experienced Personal Assistant looking to expand into a larger organisation with greater responsibility. My current role requires me to be extremely efficient, proactive and to use my own initiative regularly in the absence of my Senior Director. I am a competent user of all Microsoft Office packages, advanced shorthand with a typing speed of 90 wpm.
Work experience
List your most recent position first, continuing in reverse chronological order including the name, location, and dates of your employment for each company you have worked for. Aim to use bullet points wherever possible to highlight your responsibilities and achievements in each role so the person scanning your CV can quickly match up your experience with their job description. It also helps to give a sentence describing the employers sector e.g. HRx Limited, a Human Resource consultancy with a Corporate Support/commercial recruitment division with offices based in, Kent Hampshire and Berkshire.
Education
Again, in reverse chronological order, give brief details of your academic and professional qualifications along with the grades you achieved.
Skills
Whether you realise it or not you will have picked up many skills over the years, some tangible, some less so. Include every IT package or programme you have used as well as any foreign language skills you have gained, and state whether you're at a basic, intermediate or advanced level. Skills such as communication and project management are harder to substantiate and should be backed up with examples.
Hobbies & Interests
Including these is optional and often used to fill up space at the end of the document. The idea is to give the interviewer a more rounded picture and, perhaps, something more personal to discuss at an interview.
References
Its not necessary to list referees on your CV, but you should state that details are available on request. Personal references are not commonly used any more so if this is your first job, its a good idea to nominate tutors, lecturers or mentors.
A clear and simple layout
Always aim to keep your CV to two pages of A4. It should be clear to anyone reading your CV where to find the information theyre looking for. It should be clean, well formatted and in a simple and easy to read text like Arial, Century gothic and Times New Roman.
Remember the purpose of this document is not to get you the job, but to get you an interview. Always remember youre not writing a CV for yourself, you are writing it for your reader. As you write your CV, put yourself in their shoes. Keep it short, to the point and, above all else, interesting.
Things to watch out for
Time spent making sure your CV is crisp and relevant is always time well spent. There are plenty of simple mistakes that are often overlooked that will turn your readers off before theyve gone much further than your name and address.
Resist the urge to jazz up your CV with images or colour
Steer clear of long paragraphs
Careful use of bold type can be effective, but dont overdo it
Use typefaces like Times New Roman or Arial - theyre easier to read
Avoid using font sizes smaller than 11pt, employers wont strain their eyes to read it
Dont use txt speak and only use abbreviations if theyre universally known
And finally
Check for spelling or typographical errors. Any errors are your responsibility and are one of the first things employers use to weed out the weaker candidates. Even if the role youre after doesnt require a high level of literacy, spelling errors scream lack of care, which is an undesirable quality for any recruiter.
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Interview Tips and Advice
The following points are meant as just a guide. Interviews are varied and do not always follow a set pattern so they cannot therefore be easily categorised. However, our experience of successful interviews, along with feedback from our clients, indicates that your chances of success will be enhanced if you bear in mind the following points:
Company Background
Prepare yourself with as much information about the company and role as possible. Visit the company's website as it should provide good information about the products/services the company offers. Try to gain an understanding of the structure of the company and the market the company is in.
Interviewers
Establish how many people will be interviewing you. Find out what their roles are within the company and preferably what their interview techniques are like.
Location
Find out exactly where it is you have to go for the interview and what site you will be working at (if relevant). Make sure you have a map or directions as well as information on parking or the nearest railway station.
Punctuality
Ensure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview. It is not a good first impression if you turn up late.
If, due to unforeseen circumstances you are going to be late, contact the company to inform them of your expected time of arrival and let us know that you have done this. On arrival, apologise immediately and explain your reasons.
Arriving early will give you the opportunity to read some information on the company in the reception area and gather your thoughts.
Dress
Dress smart, be aware of the company culture and ensure you dress to impress. Decide what you are going to wear the night before to avoid making the wrong choices.
CV
Ensure you have read through your CV so you are able to answer any questions relating to it and can explain any gaps in employment.
On arrival
When meeting the interviewer(s) for the first time, greet them with a smile, a strong handshake and be polite. Maintain good eye contact levels at all times, especially with the interviewer to whom you are responding to. Try to mimic the style of the interviewer i.e. if they are formal - be formal, if they are informal - be informal. Look and act alert and interested.
Interview Techniques
An interview is a sales situation. You are selling yourself; therefore it is important that you find out what the interviewer is looking for. Don't forget, however, that it is also a sales situation for the company - your opportunity to get the information you want from them.
Ask questions and show a real interest in the position and the company, perhaps based on the information you previously received about them. Ensure that you leave with enough information to make an informed decision on whether or not you wish to proceed. Aim for questions that indicate an interest in their line of work or products and your enthusiasm and interest in the role itself, rather than holiday entitlement, pensions etc.
Be prepared with answers for questions you think they may ask you. Some standard interview questions are:
- Why do you want to work for us?
- Why do you want this job?
- What do you know about our company?
- Why did you choose your profession?
- What are your strengths/weaknesses?
- What do you like/dislike about your current job role?
- Why are you looking for a new position?
- What has been your greatest achievement to date?
- How would you describe yourself?
- How would your friends or colleagues describe you?
- What are your future aspirations?
- What can you offer to your new team/company?
Focus on your achievements when responding to questions, and portray every response in a positive way. Try to turn a negative into a positive e.g. the role requires shorthand experience which you dont have but you are experienced at audio typing so you can make this a positive by selling it to the employer that they can dictate letters in their own time (on the train or at home) rather than have to have you sit and take notes where errors could occur.
If you do not understand a question, don't guess the answer - ask them to explain the question further. If you do not know the answer still, tell them you do not know and explain how you might go about finding the answer out.
Don't talk too much; think before you answer a question and do not reply solely with one-word answers such as yes or no.
Prepare your own questions in advance but make sure you use them in the context of the interview and take into account information that the interviewer has already provided. This will make you look interested in the company, and want to find out more about the role you are applying for.
Some typical questions are:
- What are the company's future plans?
- What is the likely career development pathway in the next few years?
- What possible training could I receive in this role?
- How would you describe the culture of this company?
Be prepared to answer questions about money. Be realistic when they ask how much you require and dont waffle or apologise. HRx will always inform the client of your salary expectation and you will be aware of the companys salary bracket so there shouldnt be any surprises at this stage just an opportunity for you to justify your salary.
Feedback
At the end of the interview, if the opportunity arises, ask them how they felt the interview went. Also, if you are interested in the position, it is important to tell them.
Finally, ask what the follow up procedure is, and when you could expect to hear from them. Thank them for their time.
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Web Links
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Company Links
 Acknowledge Resourcing Limited www.acknowledge.uk.com
Technical Recruitment Consultancy specialising in the Engineering, Scientific and IT Sectors
 Gary Sargeant & Co
www.gary-sargeant.co.uk/home.html
Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors
 Griffin Law www.griffinlaw.co.uk
Corporate and Commercial Law
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