Week 7 Writing your CV
- 2. BUILDIN G YOUR GRADUA TE CAREER What can you expect to learn today? assess your personal skills and experience learn how to build a CV learn how to write a Cover Letter prepare for interviews look for graduate jobs in your country
- 3. If YOUR CV doesn't make a positive impression, it will also almost certainly be the last contact with that employer! CURRICULUM VITAE WRITING
- 4. CV’S REMEMB ER You compete with other applicants during selection process AIM To convince a prospective placement provider that you have the skills, experience, ability and motivation for their opportunity PURPOSE To get an interview
- 5. A THOUGHT A major employer dealing with responses to an internet ad. will spend about: 15 second s per application on the first sift 1 minut e per application on the next sift. 5-10 minute s per application on the final sift before short- listing for interviews
- 6. CV’S ARE: The first point of contact with a potential employer A personal, targeted marketing tool A means of highlighting your academic qualifications, skills, abilities and work experience A means of demonstrating your suitability for the position you are applying for The first step towards obtaining an interview
- 7. CV’S – WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO AND WHY Before putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard: Research what the placement provider is looking for Use ‘job’ description, website and company brochures Think about what you have to offer an employer Tailor your CV to the specific job/company Give yourself plenty of time
- 9. THIS IS JANE She has recently graduated and is hoping to get a job in Tourism or Marketing. In this workshop, you have the opportunity to find out a bit more about Jane. She's beginning to think about what she might put in her CV. You can see the advice she's getting, you can decide what you think best fits each section of her CV, and at the same time you can be starting to build up the material for your own CV.
- 10. ABOUT JANE Graduated with a degree in Bachelor Hospitality and Tourism Speaks fluent English ,advanced Chinese. Studied Marketing, Hospitality and Tourism Management at Stamford International University Came to university straight from high school where she earned honors in English, Math, Chinese and Geography. At the weekends she works at her family’s import and export company
- 11. ABOUT JANE Sometimes she helps out friends at their travel agency Enjoys plays and acting and is an active member of a local theater group Spends time with friends (clubs, cinema, eating out), goes to the gym regularly and enjoys travelling. So, how can Jane put ALL this into a CV which will impress an employer?
- 12. CV FOR JANE Jane Personal Details Education Work Experience Key Skills Additional Skills Information Interests / Achievements References / Referees
- 13. TYPES OF CV
- 14. RESUME FORMATS Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. CHRONOLOGICAL FUNCTIONAL TARGETED
- 15. CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. Starts with the most recent job experience Detailed description of job responsibilities Write about the past five years or past three jobs only
- 16. FUNCTIONAL RESUME Organizes information into categories and emphasizes information related to the job for which you Organize information in each category according to date or relevance to the job for which you are Preferred format if you have a short or broken work history as it makes your work history
- 17. TARGETED RESUME Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. A clear, detailed, specific, and lengthy resume Describes in detailed paragraph s all previous job responsibi lities and skills Written specificall y for one job, so a new resume must be written for each job
- 18. SCANNABLE ELECTRONIC RESUMES Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. Use 10 -14 point True Type Font Use standard paper (A4 for Asia; Letter for US) Have 1” margins on all sides
- 19. FOCUS ON: Chronological Provide all the information most employers want in a familiar format and demonstrate steady development in education and career. List education and work experience by date with most recent information first.
- 20. Personal Details Placement Objective • Key modules • Key skills / abilities developed demonstrated – evidence Education (Most recent 1st) • Duties – what did you do, how did it develop you • Key skills/abilities demonstrated – evidence Work Experience (Most recent 1st) Additional Skills Achievements • What do they say about you – evidence of skills / abilities Interests / Activities References CHRONOLOGICAL CV LAY OUT
- 21. CV CONTENT
- 22. PERSONAL DETAILS This bit is pretty simple. The employer simply needs to know who you are and how to get in touch with you! But make sure that all the information you give is up-to- date. And does that e-mail address still live?
- 23. PERSONAL DETAILS • Name • Address • Telephone number • Email address Standard • Date of Birth • Nationality & Gender (unless you are an international student) Optional • Marital status • Photograph Not required
- 24. PLACEMENT OBJECTIVE (OPTIONAL) If uncomfortable with this type of ‘sales pitch’ or are short of space include the above in the cover letter Provide a summary of your current status, previous experience, relevant skills and longer-term career ambition. Short, snappy opening statement to set the scene for the employer.
- 25. EDUCATION This is where it starts to get a bit more complex! Ask yourself what the employer needs to know and remember that the beauty of a CV is that you are in control – you decide what to include and what to omit.
- 26. EDUCATION • And make sure you are not saying more about what you did at school than at university! Start with your most recent education – degree or postgraduate qualification. •dates, •names of universities /colleges/secondary schools attended, •courses/ subjects studied. Include: •are commonly included, but are not compulsory. Grades
- 27. EDUCATION • Remember your education has been about more than individual subject knowledge and the employer will be interested in all aspects . • So you could think about including brief information about: • projects, group work, presentations, • time spent abroad as part of your course, etc.
- 28. WORK EXPERIENCE This is one of the most important parts of your CV - employers expect students and graduates to have some experience of working. But they are also realistic and know that often you have to settle for part-time and summer jobs which relate particularly to what you hope to do after graduation. However, they will still want you to be able to show that you got something useful (apart from the all-important money) out of your experience, so you need to do some thinking about this.
- 29. WORK EXPERIENCE The most common way to present your employment is to do it in reverse chronological order. •dates, company name and job title. Include: •but remember that the employer will also be looking for an indication of the skills you used and developed. Include some information about what you did In particular, links between your experience and skills and the requirements of the job.
- 30. KEY SKILLS Some common headings are: Communication/Interpersonal Team Work Leadership Problem solving Using initiative Organizational Skills / Time Management ICT
- 31. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This section, allows you to provide other important information which you haven’t been able to mention anywhere else on the CV. awards / certificates, language skills, driving license, etc.
- 32. INTERESTS • that can give them more insight into your skills and personality. Employers want to know about your interests But relax! •They just want a bit of evidence that you are a well- rounded individual. They don’t expect everyone to have had positions of responsibility.
- 33. INTERESTS Don't just write a list - this tells the reader very little. Try to give some indication of your level of involvement, what you feel you gained from the activity (remember, this can include simple enjoyment as well as skills)
- 34. INTERESTS Community Involvement Sports – active participation Volunteering / Adventure Travel (not family holidays) Clubs / Community/ Hobbies -– leadership skills Music – instrument etc.
- 35. REFERENCES / REFEREES It’s important that you have referees that you asked their permission to use their names! It is very common to give the details of the referees on the CV, but it is also acceptable to state: References available on request
- 36. REFERENCES / REFEREES • an academic (e.g. tutor, project supervisor, adviser of studies) • and one other, often an employer. Usually two referees are required Give their names and contact details. • a copy of your CV • and some indication of the type of work you are applying for. It is helpful to both you and the referees if you give them:
- 37. CV PRESENTATION Concise and clear content Use simple/plain, positive, active English Use correct spelling, punctuation and grammar Well laid out and split into sections – i.e. Use bullet points and short text over long sentences No less than size 10 in a normal font, i.e. Arial or Times New Roman Maximum of 2 pages
- 38. NUMBER OF PAGES FOR RESUME NEW GRADUATE — 1 PAGE WORK EXPERIENCE — 1 TO 2 PAGES EXECUTIVE — 2 TO 3 PAGES Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
- 39. GET GOING ! Now you have a good understanding of what's involved in graduate CV. You can move on to think about the words to use, how to put it all together and start to draft your own. It’s important to remember that the employer will expect the CV to provide evidence of skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the job. In Jane’s case this is Tourism or Marketing What about you?
- 40. BUILDING JANE’S CV You will see one possible way on each section of her CV in which Jane could present her information. You have a step-by-step opportunity to note down any thoughts and ideas for your own CV on a paper and type them into your CV template
- 41. PERSONAL INFORMATION Jane Garcia Address: Phone: 0066 956321778 E-Mail: janegarcia@yahoo.com
- 42. OBJECTIVES Dynamic and highly motivated BA- Hospitality and Tourism Graduate seeking a position in an International Corporate Business Environment to utilize my education and experience along with my team working capability and enthusiasm to improve my skill while providing fundamental theoretical based knowledge in Marketing- and Tourism Management.
- 43. EDUCATION 2016 – 2020 Stamford International University, Bangkok Thailand BA Hospitality and Tourism Honors subjects covered study of Marketing and Tourism and included Contemporary Event Management Project and a Case Study on the development of Eco Lodges and Resorts in Chiang Mai, Lanta Island and Kao Yai (English). Final Thesis: Researching the use of marketing tools on online advertisements for the Thai Tourism Industry Subjects covered in earlier years included Finance and Computing.
- 44. EDUCATION 2010 - 2016 St. Andrews International School, Bangkok Thailand Highlights: English (A). Chinese (A), Maths (B), Geography (B)
- 45. EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE 2019-2020 Sun Tours, Bangkok Thailand Helped friends during term-time as a travel consultant at their agency. Enjoyed working within a small team, often working under pressure at busy times. I had to show flexibility with my university studies.
- 46. EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE 2018-2019 Orchids Import & Export Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand Worked on the weekends and in my term breaks at my parents Import & Export Company . While my English language skills were greatly improved through the English speaking environment at Stamford International University. I was mainly responsible for planning and scheduling, customer care, problem solving.
- 47. KEY SKILLS / QUALITIES Languages – English, Chinese developed to a high standard through my education. Team player - enjoy working with and being amongst people in various settings through work, study and leisure e.g. class projects, term-time travel agency work, local orchestra. Flexible/adaptable - like to be involved in processes and prepared to take on new roles and experiences as required. Self-reliant - travelled to Europe on my own to develop my language skills.
- 48. INTERESTS Theater Group Member: Active and enthusiastic member of local theater group, sometimes helping with administration of tickets, programs etc. Keep Fit: Regular user of local gym Spending Time with Friends: Clubs, cinema, eating out Travelling: Enjoy holidays abroad and opportunity for new experiences.
- 50. WEEK 7 DISCUSSIO N • This discussion will help you build a CV for your next Assignment. • Look for graduate work in your country. Research what the placement provider is looking for. Use ‘job’ description, website, and company brochures. List requirements, skills, experience, and qualifications the employer is looking for. Think about what you have to offer an employer. • Post a summary of your findings and what you can offer. • Reply to 2 or more posts with advice or questions about qualifications/skills/experience. • Include reference links to job posting, position description, etc. • Due Dates: • Initial Post - Wednesday 11:59 pm • Comments - Sunday 11:59 pm
- 51. SHOW DON’T TELL KEY TO SUCCESSFUL CV
- 52. PROVIDE METRICS This proves two effects that are critically important to you as a job seeker: Numbers provide a measurable outcome to your skills and they draw the eye. Decoding the job description and providing metrics to demonstrate your skill sets is essential to capturing an employer’s attention and securing the interview. It’s a fact that 17% of hiring managers spend 30 seconds or less reviewing resumes, and 68% spend less than two minutes. National Survey by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder
- 53. FOR EXAMPLE: Delivered significant sales growth • The word significant is too generic to be valuable: it sounds like deliberately avoiding the real number. • If it was genuinely strong result, show and contextualize it. For example: Delivered 12% growth in sales (against target of 6%) • Including the actual number instantly adds credibility; showing some sort of target or benchmark helps to contextualize it for an employer who may not know how significant that 12% was.
- 54. EVEN BETTER WOULD BE: •Delivered 12% growth in sales (against target of 6%), through: • Re-activating existing clients, via eDMs, to drive repeat and referral business • Developing sales channels, including the new independent retailer wholesale channel • Rolling out eCommerce
- 55. AVOID CLICHE PHRASES Bloated resumes are filled with words that talk around your skills and say nothing about your actual accomplishments. Hiring managers and recruiters have a trained eye to these fluff words and will perceive a poor impression of your abilities. Phrases like results-driven, team player, jack-of-all-trades, thought leader, and detail-oriented, just to name a few- are big-time resume turn-offs.
- 56. AVOID CLICHE PHRASES • Instead, focus on more descriptive words that enhance the telling of your story by story by showing an example of how your experience specifically applies. Some examples include: • Achieved • Improved • Trained/Mentored • Managed • Created • Resolved • Increased/Decreased • Negotiated • Launched • Revenue/Profits
- 57. EXAMPL E TELLING: • I have great communication skills and am able to build up a rapport with customers due to my friendly and approachable nature. SHOWING: • I have consistently met and exceeded my sales targets for 2017-18. Due to my efforts and results I was nominated for ‘Regional Sales Person of the year’ and came second. Over 500 people were nominated.
- 58. EXAMPLE S TELLING: •Participated in the development of a new personal training program. SELLING: •Spearheaded the development of a new personal training program leading to a 30% increase in member participation and a 10% increase in new membership each quarter of 2009.
- 59. EXAMPLE S TELLING: • Managed membership accounts. SELLING: • Directed the processing of over 100 new membership account setups, ensuring 100% accuracy. • Pioneered a new application process increasing ease-of-use and reducing the amount of time needed to process by 25%. • Delivered a solutions-focused method for reducing the amount of membership cancellations by 15% each quarter of 2009.