NotoriousREV

Is it worth getting a CV done professionally? I've written several variations but I'm not gettng much response when I know I have skills that are in demand.

Does anyone have experience of using a writing service, good or bad?

RRB

http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/

Have a look there, I have not used them as a service, but i did look at some of their CV examples and made my CV from there, I get a fair bit of response from mine. I have also done a few CV's for other people and they have managed to get jobs.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

I went to a CV "advisor" who didn't write actually write it but gave me tuition on interviews and how to write CVs etc. Worthwhile in my case as at 37 I never had had a CV!

NotoriousREV

OK, I've looked on a few sites and using bits and bobs have come up with 2 very different CV's. Take a look and make some comments. Detail have been changed to protect my identity, although not too much

CV1

CV2

milo

both have most of the right things in... but to be honest bro, like about 90% of candidates, both cvs are selling yourself short, and are not highlighting what *most* recruiters want to see.

the profile bit is great.. no worries there. but the rest (altho u have MOST of the detail, it needs improving).

IMMEDIATELY after profile, you need your achievements (ALL of the major ones - which is usually 3 or 4 for most people), and you MUST quantify them. at the end of the day, a company ONLY hires you because they think you can make them more money than it costs to employ you. you need to prove that in a cv... look:

"Introduced ADSL offering to massively increase customer base"
massively is too subjective. what did you increase it from and to?

"Improved dial-up services and increased revenues"
again - increased by how much? £1.50 or £1.5 million?

"Reduced costs by identifying cheaper suppliers"
reduced costs by how much?

following your achievements (which shouldn't be job-specific and should span your whole career), post your chronological career history. tailor this to each specific job... you HAVE to. list the projects you did, the skills you used in each, which are relevant to what you're applying for. and ONLY list things that you're confident you can answer questions about and talk about (i for one LOVE to ask technical questions on ANY aspect of a cv and expect a complete answer each time - if it's on your cv, you should know it).

your education should come next - you've got that fine. i'd use a mixture of the two formats personally, and have it look like this:
Warrington Collegiate Institute
GNVQ – Information Technology
A-Level - Biology
A-Level – Chemistry

let's face it - for you, your career FAR outweighs your education (i.e. your work experience is such that it doesn't really matter what a-levels you have) - so it's almost like you just want to mention it in passing (no need to use up space on it like in cv 1)... or even consider leaving it off.

then interests - as per the first cv. a LOT of people say "leave off interests".. but i disagree. as long as your interests aren't vile like "member of the kkk" or something (which yours aren't), it's ALWAYS worth putting them - if someone thinks your cv is merely "okay", but then has similar interests to you, it could get you the interview.. and certainly people generally like to work with people who have similar interests to them.

then that's it. forget the "skills" part as on cv 2:
"Strong customer facing skills at all levels" and "Excellent interpersonal skills"
who doesn't think they have these?! and does the fact that you didn't put "excellent management of personal hygiene" mean you stink?

and leave off "REFERENCES Available on request" because of course you have references available on request... everyone does if they want a job.

as for the length... 2 pages is just fine.

hope that helps.. or at least gives food for thought.

good luck.

milo

oh yeah, and i'd advise getting cctv at your house now.... now that everyone knows you live at 123 Madeup Street you'll probably get burgled

jason4656

they look similar to mine, i also have some desireable skills in IT and many years experience and am not having much look looking for new contracts, i keep getting agencies offering me jobs and then never getting back to me, they are a nightmare

that bradleys? 600pounds for a cv? thats a **** take

milo

depends doesn't it? if that £600 lands you a job for £600 a MONTH more than you're currently getting, then it's money well spent, surely?

at the end of the day, if your current cv isnt landing you interviews, and you have desirable skills, then your cv mustn't be good, and you could do with some advice on it... even if it costs you money. £600 is chump-change to what a good job (usually obtained either by knowing the right person, or by having the right cv) in IT pays.

NotoriousREV

Thanks Milo, definately helps. I don't really live at 123 Madeup Street, I live at 124

I'm a bit worried about the 9 month gap between my last job and now, I've actually done some contracting, but only crappy helpdesk stuff which I feel detracts from my previous roles (but hey, we all need money, right?). Would you put them on or leave it as it is?

milo

i wouldn't worry too much - it's the 21st century and HEAPS of people are out of work for extended periods, either out of choice (travelling, doing something else), or due to redundancy. look at it this way.. a prospective employer may well just be glad that you could effectively start tomorrow... especially if you're wanting a perm job, where most managers end up having to give circa 1-3 MONTHS notice. heck, chances are you'll be being interviewed by someone who's been out of work before for a while.

if i were u, i'd do one of the two options in these ways:

* leave it off (in which case, consider NOT putting exact dates of employment on there - maybe just put the years "2000-2003", and/or go for a non-chronological career history (very good option in this case) - there are examples of these on the net). if/when asked about exact dates and the inevitable "how come you've been out of work for x months" comes up.. you can mention the contracting then... and better still, if you've been travelling and/or pursuing other activities, put some of it down to a career break - as long as you can speak openly about what you've been doing and it's constructive. employers often like this.

OR

* put it on there, but make it look right (and impressive). with the right word-play, a crappy helpdesk role can be made to sound far more impressive.. without lying. in that position, you're probably liaising with customers constantly, fixed x number of problems, reducing lead-time on calls etc etc, used your management skills etc. and again, as above, if you've been able to do other things too, such as travel, it will be easy to give a reason why you've been doing this kind of work.

Chris L

Looks OK. I would agree with Milo's comments. CVs are sales documents - you are selling yourself. Don't be afraid to highlight your strengths. On the first page put your contact details and then as suggested, pick maybe 6 (max) key strengths that show what you've achieved.

Always keep the wording positive i.e. 'mananged' , 'delivered', 'maintained' etc etc - nothing negative. You don't need to go into huge detail, as the idea is that this will be picked up at the interview and will give you topics to talk about.

On the second page, I would put your work history (include the contract stuff, so you don't have a gap of 9 months) - again with brief details of your roles. Perhaps highlight a key project or deliverable that you achieved during this time. After that list your professional qualifications, then education, then your status (i.e. married, kids, driving licence etc) and then personal interests. These are important as it shows you are a well balanced guy with a life outside of work.

Just remember that the purpose of of a CV is to get your foot in the door - i.e. to get an interview. YOU will get the job, not your CV.

Good luck
Chris

RRB

IT market is screwed right now, im in the same boat. Getting loads of calls from agencies but they either dont get back or the job just isnt suitable due to something i.e. crap money, too far away etc.

I was speaking to an agency guy the other day who says IT market picking up a bit now though.

milo

if you're not getting interviews, then it's your cv that's not up to scratch.

if you're getting interviews but not getting the job, then it's you that's up to scratch.

the IT market is fine for good candidates with good cvs who have realistic expectations of money and have some flexibility (note: im NOT saying you're not one of them). take a look on jobserve... there are HEAPS of jobs out there.

you do have to be pro-active and apply for the jobs you see on sites tho... sadly (and wrongly), agencies will rarely come to you with a proper lead, even if you're on their "books", no matter how good you are (like estate agents, they don't do their job of matching people up... they wait until both sides come to them and are glorified secretaries of just arranging the interview and collecting their x% commission).

RRB

I agree to an extent. There are lots of IT jobs out there, I should have maybe said not so much more suited to my field and not too much in Scotland. I have knocked back a lot of potential agency offers due to travelling distances. More and more now though jobs are getting advertised with unrealistic salaries, Network specialist position advertised last week in Edinburgh for 12K .

I think my CV is ok, agencies have commented on it and i have an interview on Tuesday with stirling police

terryb

My advice to you is to ask yourself - who knows you the best? The answer is YOU. Therefore you are the best person to write your own CV.

Milo made a good comment - that you need to detail your "key achievements" after your profile - think long and hard about these - as the best indicator to a prospective employer of what you can offer is based on what you have done before. Use facts and figures - percentages, monetary values, man-hours, number of users, etc.

Make sure your CV is on 2 pages and fill it out. The 2nd example you have done is far too sparse. The 1st has too many bullet points in 1 list. Be precise with your formatting (attention to detail) - make it pleasing to the eye and you have to sell yourself on the 1st page.

I've been working as a recruiter for the last 3 years and whilst not specialising in the IT field, I have seen more jobs coming along recently than I have done since I started. If you apply to an agency - or they contact you - then follow them up - call them and find out what's happening.

Hope this helps.