Hays Live - How to create or update your CV
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The document provides a comprehensive guide on how to create a successful CV, covering planning, structuring, and writing tips to effectively showcase personal achievements and skills. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring the CV to specific job applications and avoiding clichés while using action verbs and quantifiable results. Additionally, it highlights common errors to avoid and encourages registration with Hays for job updates after completing the CV.
![Use keywords:
• Identify the keywords for the job vacancy you are applying for, and use these
where relevant in your role descriptions
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
03
For example:
Finance Manager [insert company name]July 2018 to January 2021
• Executed long and short-term financial strategies enabling the organisation
to reach its commercial growth objectives of XXX
• Employed advanced analysis in comprehensively reviewing market trends
and making informed recommendations for future revenue streams,
contributing to an increase in gross profit of XXX
• Guided, motivated and supported the P&L team in the optimisation of X
monthly management accounts and producing X accurate analytical reports
for internal stakeholders](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/hayslive-howtocreateorupdateyourcv-210125174810/85/Hays-Live-How-to-create-or-update-your-CV-8-320.jpg)
Hays Live - How to create or update your CV
- 1. HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL CV LIVE EVENT
- 2. Hays Live – How to successfully create a CV: • What to think about before you begin • Planning the CV structure • Writing a personal statement • Employment history • Bringing achievements to life • Replacing any clichés • Showcasing skills • Ensuring your CV is error-free Please share your questions/comments: • Comment on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube • We will answer as many questions as we can! INTRODUCTION Hosted by Karen Young: Director at Hays UK and Ireland. Specialising in the recruitment of senior accountancy and financial appointments. 24 years’ experience in the industry
- 3. You want to create a tailored document which is going to deliver the results you’re looking for, so firstly, take some time to think about what you really want in your next move. Ask yourself these questions: 1. Why are you looking for a new role? 2. What salary and benefits package are you lookingfor? 3. Which role would be a sensible step towardsyour long-term career goals? 4. Which technical and soft skills are youlooking to develop? 5. What kind of culture and work environment would you like to join? 6. What are your deal-breakers? 7. What are you prepared to be more flexible about? SEVEN THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU BEGIN
- 4. To start creating your CV that reflects you as a professional, plot out the structure in a Word document: 1. Name, address and contact details • List your professional phone number and email address 2. Personalstatement • Summarise your career story in a few sentences 3. Employment history • Provide details of your work history including any paid work, placements or volunteering 4. Achievements • Give a list of your relevant achievements which clearly highlight your suitability for the roles you are applying for PLANNING THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR CV 01
- 5. 5. Skills and qualifications summary • Add a brief list of your skills and qualifications, focusing on those which are most relevant to the roles you are interested in 6. Education and training • Include information on any training courses which relate to the job you are applying for 7. Hobbies and interests • Keep this brief, to show how your personality is suited to the role you are interested in 8. References • Write ‘References are available on request’ 01PLANNING THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR CV
- 6. Your personal statement is the first thing a recruiter or hiring manager will read on your CV, so you need to impress: 1. Introduce yourself • Tell the reader who you are and what experience you have 2. List your skills and experience • Outline your key skills • Evidence the achievements which set you apart from the competition 3. Explain your ambitions for thefuture • Outline what you are looking to achieve next in your career • Make sure it links to the role in question WRITING YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT 02 Dosand don’ts to remember • DO include relevant action verbs to evidence achievements • DO use keywords from the job description • DO keep your personal statement to around 150-200 words • DO tailor your personal statement to each role you apply for • DON’T switch between the first and third person Personal statement
- 7. To plot out your employment history, start with your most recent role and remember to:: Format each job in the followingorder: • Job title • Company • Dates of employment • Key responsibilities and achievements Avoid leaving career gaps: • Explain how you made use of any career gaps and be as transparent as possible. • Recognise that there really is no stigma related to redundancy, so if you have been made redundant, acknowledge this as you search for a new role. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY 03
- 8. Use keywords: • Identify the keywords for the job vacancy you are applying for, and use these where relevant in your role descriptions EMPLOYMENT HISTORY 03 For example: Finance Manager [insert company name]July 2018 to January 2021 • Executed long and short-term financial strategies enabling the organisation to reach its commercial growth objectives of XXX • Employed advanced analysis in comprehensively reviewing market trends and making informed recommendations for future revenue streams, contributing to an increase in gross profit of XXX • Guided, motivated and supported the P&L team in the optimisation of X monthly management accounts and producing X accurate analytical reports for internal stakeholders
- 9. 04 As you write your employment history, make sure you use action verbs tocommunicate your successes and evidence your achievements. For example: • Creativity: Built, crafted, devised, implemented • Leadership skills: Headed, coordinated, executed Action verbs in action: As opposed to writing that you have good organisation skills,try: • ‘facilitated’, ‘programmed’, or‘arranged’ And rather than writing that you always achieve your targetgoals, try: • ‘reached’, ‘surpassed’ or ‘accomplished’ When bringing your achievements to life on your CV, it’s also important to incorporate as many quantifiable results as possible. BRINGING YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS TO LIFE Built, crafted, devised, implemented, pioneered, initiated, established
- 10. 05 “Works well independently” • Give an example of a time you showcased this strength and the results • For instance, try “I independently developed a new strategy that increased customer engagement by X per cent” “Agreat team player” • Evidence that you can work well with colleagues to reach a common goal • For instance, “I worked with our international and local marketing teams to implement a global rebrand across12 countries” “Results driven” • Instead of simply stating you are results driven, support this claim with facts • Ensure that you give quantifiable evidence of your results, such as “I increased sales by 25 per cent” Action verbs may emphasise your skills, but clichés will dilute them. So, make sure you give quantifiable results to all of your claims. Avoid using the below: REPLACING ANY CLICHÉS
- 11. “Ahard worker” • Prove your productivity and time management skills by giving examples • For instance, creating a successful product launch in a short time frame or never missing a deadline in two years in your last role “Good communication skills” • Be more specific by giving examples of situations in which your communication skills have really shone through, such as a presentation or sales pitch you gave which won a new client for your business “Afast learner” • If you really want to demonstrate your aptitude, you need to put your money where your mouth is. Describe a time you grasped a new concept quickly 05 REPLACING ANY CLICHÉS “ A hard worker” “Good communication skills” “A fast learner”
- 12. 06 Next, draft your skills and qualifications summary - a bulleted list of your skills and qualifications which relate to the role you are applying for. Remember to include: Technical skills These are the skills which you have gained throughout your professional career, which may be either required or desirable for the role you’re applying for, for instance: • Coding • Proficiency in a foreign language • Tender writing • Data analysis • Budget planning • HTML SHOWCASING YOUR SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
- 13. Soft skills These are your personal attributes that allow you to work well with others and achieve your goals. For example: • Communication • Decision making • Time management • Conflict resolution • Problem solving • Stakeholder engagement • Business acumen Qualifications Make sure to also include any qualifications or training courses that are relevant to the job that you are applying for. 06 SHOWCASING YOUR SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
- 14. Don’t undersell yourself by forgetting to proofread properly. Make sure you look out for the most common CV errors: 1.Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors • Use spell-checking and grammar software on your computer • Ask a friend or relative to proofread the document for you 2. A lack of consistency • Ensure you are consistent in your use of abbreviations and capitalisations • Use the same simple font and font size throughout your application 3. Formatting issues • Keep it simple – avoid using backgrounds, borders or clipart • Check your CV reads well on desktop, mobile and tablet devices 07 ENSURING YOUR CV IS ERROR-FREE
- 15. Once you think your CV is job application ready, find your local Hays website and register it with us. Online registration takes under a minute and allows you to set up job alerts and manage your applications. Once you have registered your CV,one of our expert recruiters will be in contact with the latest opportunities within your area of expertise and preferred locations. REGISTER YOUR CV WITH HAYS Visit content.hays.com/cv-guide to view the full guide for updating your CV.