It’s nearly 2014 – where has 2013 gone? – and the decision made by many following a few days R&R over the holidays will rear its head once again. Namely the decision to start 2014 off with a bang and a new job…!
Once you have made that all important decision to start seeking alternative employment it can prove to be a daunting task for those who have looked for quite some time. Getting your CV up to date and in working order is the first order of business and the perfect jobs to be getting on whilst to you sit and enjoy all of the leftover food from the Christmas period.
Your CV says a lot about you and is worth going the extra mile to ensure its quality and content.Your CV is your chance to sell yourself to a future employee and how you word it can have a massive impact. Making it seem too relaxed and inform can put off a lot of hiring managers and recruiters as you can come across as someone who is looking to interact with them as a friend not as a professional. I’ve seen it on a number of CV’s from graduates who try to make their CV funny and entertaining – someone even put on what age they were when they mastered Lego and the use of verbs…! The short answer is funny doesn’t work. Everyone has a different sense of humour and one person’s joke is another’s turn off.
How you set out your CV can play a big part of helping details grab the hiring managers / recruiters attention. Trying to use a really flashy complicated layout will not work most of the time. This may be different if you are trying to secure a position within a creative industry but for sales and IT in particular this does not work.
Your relationships with other people can play a large part in your career hunt. This could be a simple as a family member or valued friend to help you with your CV or give you a lift to an interview. The more help you get the easier the hunt will be and could open up even more career opportunities. By telling your friends and family you are seeking a new role you have significantly increase the number of opportunities you could hear about and you might even find yourself being recommended to a friend/ family members company! Everyone has to go through a process to find a new job and they might have a recruitment agency that helped them who gave them excellent assistance or could warn you away from people who wasted their time.
Remember to be positive, plan your strategy and take the time on your CV and don’t forget to talk to people. If you do this your search can become so much easier and a lot less stressful with the result of a new career that you really enjoy and want to keep doing.
