The story of your life.....
that's what Curriculum Vitae means, literally translated.
We've been running groups and workshops around writing CVs and keeping LinkedIn profiles updated and fit for purpose (from a job search perspective)
We've presented these for years; they evolve as time passes. We used to do group sessions in person, which were always well-received and fun to deliver. Now, we mainly offer them online, usually one-on-one. This is as part of our Facebook group, in which we are running a "Your Dream Job - 5 Day Challenge" in September.
It never fails to amaze me how some skilled marketing and communications people cannot present themselves well in a CV or on LinkedIn. On many occasions, people are just shy or embarrassed when talking about themselves and their skills and experience. It's the age-old thing about being told as a child, "don't show off," and that boasting about your achievements is tasteless.
Well, I've got news for you!
Employers want to hear about your skills and experience and your achievements. Not just a cut and paste of your job description. I would like to hear how you applied your skills and expertise to your job and what outcomes were achieved. So it would be best if you got your head around the fact that your CV and your LinkedIn profiles are showcases for your talent, and you should be shouting loudly and proudly about what you've done in each role.
If you spend any time at all on LinkedIn (and if you are looking for a job or more freelance clients, where else would you be?), you'll see that many people offer CV writing services, advice and guidance on how to write your CV, LinkedIn experts who offer courses on using LinkedIn and many more services that can help you. Choose a provider who understands what you do for a living, has experience in your market sector and get some good advice.
Spend a bit of time understanding the difference between all the services offered, and do your research. I know looking for a job is a full-time job and it's harder if you are in employment while you are looking, but I'd recommend you spend a day or two getting your job search tools set up, get some advice from experts, make a firm plan and stick to it, and then GO!
Your CV should always be a work in progress, even if you are happily employed and not actively looking for a job. Your LinkedIn profile even more so. Achievements, the end of a big project (with the outcomes), more skills learned, and more qualifications should be added to your CV throughout your career. Let's face it, you never know when you will need your CV and LinkedIn profile at short notice.
And just an FYI....there is absolutely no point in contacting a recruiter (in-house or an agency) and saying..."I'm interested in the job you are advertising but my CV's not up to date and I've only just logged on to my LinkedIn profile, I'll be updating it in the next few weeks". Do the work on both first, pretty please!
Happy to discuss all of the above!
Take care
Liz
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Liz Gadd | [email protected] | www.lizgadd.co.uk | 07377 400414
Feel free to head on over to www.moxieandmettle.co.uk - lots of new jobs this week. And we've launched a Facebook support group for candidates looking for new jobs or more freelance clients.
August so far has been our busiest month for 2 years! Amazing as it's normally the quietest.
Looking forward to hearing from you with your news and happy to help in your job search or recruitment needs.
I create CVs that convert your applications into interviews ? Working with you to showcase your value to employers ? A former recruitment business owner I understand why some CVs work and others don’t ?
3 个月Great article Liz! The last point is very important, recruiters are time poor so have everything in place before making contact