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The main focus a job seeker has when they write a CV is how they can demonstrate lots of relevant skills, qualifications, and an extensive career history. The aim is to prove they have what it takes to be the next hire. But is there something extra they could do? The hobbies section of a CV is the most underrated part. Why would an employer want to know what you get up to in your spare time? Well, the first and obvious answer would be to say that it helps them to get a feel for your personality. With an application that’s littered with skills and achievements, there isn’t a great deal of room to interact on a personal level. There is also one other thing that would be of interest to the employer – and that’s your soft skill level. As opposed to a hard or specific skill that is o...

With such fierce competition in the job hunting market you cannot afford to take liberties with your CV. You only get just the one chance to make a good first impression with your application, and any kind of mistake will result in rejection. So you may be wondering if your CV still holds up today, or if you need to start again from scratch? We would like to set the record straight and help you make the right decision. A brand new CV could be just what you need to push past those out of work blues. Here are the 3 signs telling you that you need to write a new CV. Your CV is very old If you’ve stuck around with the same old CV for the past few years or even decades – then now is the time to write a new one. Presentation is everything, and your CV will not fair so well in to...

Writing your very first CV can be an extremely daunting task. One of the most important parts is the ‘work experience’ section, and you’re probably wondering what could go here if you have never had a job. The good news is that there are lots of things you can put down here and steps you can take to gain some work experience. You just have to be creative and willing to stay proactive. Here are some great tips on how to create work experience for your school leavers CV… Take advantage of school projects A big misconception about school, college or university is that it isn't actually 'work' as we see it in the traditional sense. All of the above is of course classed as being in 'education', however it's important to recognise that this is still work and can be used on a CV....

Knowing which soft skills to demonstrate on your CV could be the key to success. But if you don’t know what a soft skill is, then you could be missing out! What is a soft skill? Unlike a specific skill – computer programming or speaking 5 languages – a soft skill relates to a more common and generic trait. A soft skill is what enables a worker to perform their daily tasks – interaction, communication, time management, and so on. Injecting lots of relevant soft skills into your CV helps present the employer with an indication of how well you could perform for them. Provide as many examples as possible that cover the most relevant to your career, which will boost your chances of getting an interview. Here are the top 10 soft skills you must have on your CV if you wa...

The work history section of a CV is one of the most important parts. The employer is going to be reading this section very closely to see which skills can be used within their company. However, if you choose to go down the traditional route of listing all your previous roles along with the daily tasks and responsibilities, you are making a big mistake. Here are the 3 reasons why your work history is letting your CV down… No indication of performance One of the main reasons why an employer reads the employment section of a CV is to find out how that person performed. If you only list your tasks underneath each role, this won’t provide any indication of performance. Anyone can list the tasks they conducted on a daily basis, but that doesn’t mean to say that individual exc...

ATS is a buzzword that's being bantered around many a careers office - but what's it all about? Simply, it's software that is now being used by a lot of larger organisations to vet candidates before a human reviews their CV. The software scans submitted CVs for keywords which relate to the requirements of the job such as particular skills, qualifications and experience. Those candidates that appear to meet the requirements are then reviewed by a person. Large firms receive innumerable levels of applications for some of their positions, so ATS software saves them a lot of time. It filters out applicants that don't meet the job spec but have applied nonetheless. On the downside, ATS software filters out some applicants that DO meet the job spec by accident. 62 percent of ...