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A rule of thumb is to keep your CV concise and well-presented. Ensure the layout looks professional, avoid any unusual fonts and ideally keep your CV to no more than two pages. If you are a temporary/contract/freelance candidate, your CV will invariably be longer due to the range of projects you may have worked on throughout your career.
The CV content should include:
Your Profile - A short, summarised paragraph highlighting your key skills and experience can be helpful to the reader.
Your Personal Details – give your full name, address, email and home/mobile telephone numbers and try to avoid unsuitable personal information.
Education and Qualifications – It’s always best to start with the most recent first, and make sure you include all relevant qualifications and grades.
Professional/Trade Qualifications – Ensure you include the most recent first and list any training and qualifications which are work related.
Your Employment History – Start by stating your current employer first. Give start and end dates as well as the position held (bold type is useful to draw attention to this quickly). Then give a brief description of your duties and responsibilities. Make sure you list any notable achievements. Interviewers are always keen to see this type of information. Don’t leave anything out, ut don’t overplay the details – keep to the facts as you might be asked to elaborate on this information at an interview.
Your Interests – You may have many interests, but keep to the ones that will be of interest to the interviewer, such as an interest in sport which may demonstrate your team-playing or team-building skills. Think about genuine interests and play to your strengths.
References – By all means include referees when submitting your CV and it is important that you go back at least five years. It’s generally best to also ask permission from previous employers before putting their name down as a referee.
Final Checking – Always check your CV before sending. Are there any gaps in your employment history? Will you be able to explain why? Perhaps get someone else to check for spelling errors/punctuation/grammar before submitting a CV which could hold the key to your future.
The key to a successful interview is your preparation. First impressions really do count so make sure you observe the following:
• Arrive early (if possible, do a dummy run if you’re not familiar with the area).
• Dress accordingly and in relation to the job you’re applying for.
• Avoid revealing clothing and don’t wear too much jewellery – less is more on important occasions like this!
• Ensure your shoes are clean and polished.
• Make sure you know the job title and name of the person you will be meeting.
• Give a firm handshake, preferably with clean hands and nails.
• Make sure you give good eye contact and maintain this throughout the interview.
• It will impress the interviewer if you research the company and industry you are seeking to join and always look at the website for any ‘latest news’ relating to the company.
• Don’t interrupt the interviewer.
• Focus on the question that is being asked and try not to deviate.
At the end of the session, the interviewer is likely to ask if you have any questions, so perhaps note them down beforehand to ensure you are prepared.
Typical questions could be:
• What is the company culture?
• Is there opportunity for career progression?
• What are the company’s aims for the next year?
• What training is available?
• What will the next stage be and when are you likely to hear about the role in question?
• Do they have any reservations about you that you can answer there and then?
At the first interview stage, avoid questions about salary, overtime and entitlements.
After the interview
Reflect on the interview. Is there anything you could have done better? This will help prepare you for any future interviews.
If you are unsuccessful, ask for feedback as to why you didn’t get the job. Again, this information will help prepare you for any future interviews.
On behalf of the Primat Recruitment team, good luck at your next interview.