Job Seekers

Looking for employment can be a stressful and frustrating experience and therefore we would like to offer some straightforward advice to anyone applying for a new job. Simply click below on any of the subject headings to gain some detailed advice, or for further help, contact your Consultant at Plus One Personnel, who will be happy to help you personally.

A well written and presented CV could make a big difference in securing you a job, especially if you are applying for a permanent job. At the very least, a good CV will ensure that you promote yourself to your best advantage and help you to gain interviews.

How do I write a good CV? What CV layout should I use? There is no single way to construct a CV; it is your document and can be structured and presented as you wish but we have some advice below that will help you, as well as a CV builder located on this site that will enable you to construct a CV suitable for your job applications.

What information should I include in my CV?

• Personal details. Most CVs start with these but take care to avoid details which aren’t relevant, such as religious affiliation, children's names etc.
• Education and qualifications. Ensure that you include the names of institutions as well as the dates attended in reverse order; university/college before school results.
• Work experience. The most widely accepted style of employment record is the chronological CV. Career history is presented in reverse date order starting with most recent nearest the top. Achievements and responsibilities are listed against each role. More emphasis/information should be put on more recent jobs. You should try to think of 2-3 ‘key achievements in each role, in particular, things that make you stand out against the crowd. These could be special projects or secondments, or perhaps you won a major client for your employer, or put a process in place to save the company money? – have a good think.
• Skills. Include computer skills and (genuine) foreign language skills and any other recent training/development that is relevant to the role that you have applied for.
• Hobbies and Interests. Keep this section short and don’t include anything that may give your employer a false impression of you.
• Referees. These can simply be ‘Available on request'.
• The order in which you present these, and the emphasis which you give to each one will depend on what you are applying for and what you have to offer but should include your previous 2 employers or if you have only worked for one company, perhaps 2 suitable contacts within that employer, or maybe a personal reference in addition.

General Tips

• Your CV should be laser-printed in black ink using a plain typeface, on good quality A4 white/cream paper. Decorative borders are not necessary, nor are photographs of yourself as these could lead to a decision being made on your suitability – If you look like Brad Pitt then congratulations, but you should let your prospective employer find this out for themselves!
• You sometimes hear people say that a good CV should ideally cover no more than two pages and never more than three, but so long as your CV has all of the relevant information in the first few pages, it could be longer – but no 7-10 page novels please! Aim to ensure the content is clear, structured, concise and relevant. Using bullet points rather than full sentences can help minimise word usage and make the CV easier on the eye as well as easier to read.
• A good CV needs to be tailored for each job application – This is vital for any successful application. You must ensure that you highlight your skills and experience most relevant for the role you are applying for.
• The completed CV needs to be checked carefully for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes and to ensure that it makes sense. Ask an 'independent' party to review your CV before you send it. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression!
• Remember when writing and structuring your CV that you are marketing yourself and that a potential employer will use the details provided to make a pre-judgement about you and also to form interview questions. It should be clear and easy to read. Gaps in career history should be explained and falsehoods and inaccuracies avoided at all costs – Don’t lie about dates on your CV as a good interviewer will nearly always find you out.
• There is no reason to include your reasons for leaving each job on your CV but be prepared to answer these questions in your interview.
• Current salary details should not be included.
• A good covering letter should always accompany your CV.
• So now you know how to write a good CV, good luck with your job hunt!

A well written covering letter or application could differentiate your CV from the many others that pass across an employer's desk, so how do you make sure yours stands out?

When responding to an advertised job vacancy, whether via letter, email or fax, you should always include a covering letter with your CV. Treat it as a part of your personal marketing literature, which merits attention and consideration. A cover letter introduces you and your CV and is your first chance to make a good impression on your potential employer. Aim to make it entice the reader to take those few extra minutes to consider you against other applicants. Your CV should not be sent without one!

Below are some basic guidelines to help ensure you receive a positive response from your initial contact.

Appearance and layout

Ensure your letter is neatly and clearly presented with no grammatical or spelling errors. Emails should be written in a common font with standard formatting and should emulate a handwritten letter in terms of style. – Please don’t use ‘text’ speak or bad English here as it could destroy all of your hard work.

Content

The content of your cover letter should be brief and pertinent to your application, so avoid lengthy repetition of information covered in your CV. (Unlike a CV, it is acceptable to write a covering letter in the first person.) In particular:

• Your letter should address the relevant contact, whose name often appears in the job advert. Avoid Sir or Madam if possible, unless you are unable to obtain a name.
• If you are replying to an advert, say so. Mention job title, any reference number and where and when you saw it.
• In some cases an advert will indicate a more substantial letter is required. Always follow a specific instruction and include any information if it is particularly requested, for example, current salary.
• Briefly outline your current situation and why you are seeking change. Include current or last job, qualifications and professional and academic training, tailoring your information to make it as relevant as possible to the organisation or job applied for.
• Tell the potential employer a little about themselves to demonstrate you have properly read the advert and that you have done some research into the organisation. Also, state why you are interested in them as an employer
• You need to succinctly emphasise why an employer may want to meet and employ you. Highlight your transferable skills, achievements and versatility; what you can contribute and what makes you different. Mention personality traits relevant to the role applied for. Don’t overdo things here as an overly ‘gushing’ letter could actually have the reverse effect.
• Ensure that your CV covering letter flows freely however and does not slavishly match every point on the job description. The reader should be left with an overall impression that you are a potentially valuable addition to the workforce and not merely going through the motions.
• Negative information of any sort should be avoided in your covering letter as well as CV. If you were dismissed from a previous job, you should save the explanation to the interview.
• Close your letter with a polite expression of interest in further dialogue with the recruiter. Do mention that you would like the opportunity to discuss your suitability further at an interview and that you await a response in due course.
• One other thing regarding letters of application and CV’s is that if you should always follow them up with a phone call after a week of posting/emailing it, if you have not had a response. Employers are very busy with many tasks and do not always have the time to respond promptly, so it’s a good way of ensuring that they have received your application. Also, it’s a way of perhaps speaking directly with the employer and breaking the ice!

There are some common interview questions that you may be asked and you should prepare your answers before-hand. The key thing to remember when responding to interview questions is to keep your answers brief and to the point, only expanding if you feel you should.  If you are faced with a difficult question, make sure you stay calm and don't get defensive - take a moment to think about your response before you answer. Don’t try to ‘blag’ an interviewer – again, a good interviewer will have heard it all before and will use specific questioning to scrutinise your answers. Just be honest.

Remember, the answers below are only suggestions and you should personalise your responses as much as possible to fit your situation and personality.

Question: Tell me about yourself.

Answer: Identify some of your main attributes and memorise them. Describe your qualifications, career history and range of skills, emphasising those skills relevant to the job on offer.

Q: What have your achievements been to date?

A. Select an achievement that is work-related and fairly recent. Identify the skills you used in the achievement and quantify the benefit it had to the company. For example, 'my greatest achievement has been to design and implement a new purchasing process, bringing it in ahead of time and improving our profit margins significantly.

Q: Are you happy with your career-to-date?

A: This question is really about your self-esteem, confidence and career aspirations. The answer must be 'yes', followed by a brief explanation as to what it is about your career so far that's made you happy. If you have hit a career plateau, or you feel you are moving too slowly, then you must qualify your answer.

Q: What is the most difficult situation you have had to face and how did you tackle it?

A: The purpose of this question is to find out what your definition of difficult is and whether you can show a logical approach to problem solving. In order to show yourself in a positive light, select a difficult work situation which was not caused by you and which can be quickly explained in a few sentences. Explain how you defined the problem, what the options were, why you selected the one you did and what the outcome was. Always end on a positive note.

Q: What do you like about your present job?

A: This is a straightforward question. All you have to do is make sure that your 'likes' correspond to the skills required for the job on offer. Be enthusiastic; describe your job as interesting and diverse but do not overdo it - after all, you are looking to leave.

Q: What do you dislike about your present job?

A: Be cautious with this answer. Do not be too specific as you may draw attention to weaknesses that will leave you open to further problems. One approach is to choose a characteristic of your present company, such as its size or slow decision-making processes etc. Give your answer with the air of someone who takes problems and frustrations in your stride as part of the job.

Q: What are your strengths?

A: This is one question that you know you are going to get so there is no excuse for being unprepared. Concentrate on discussing your main strengths. List three or four proficiencies e.g. your ability to learn quickly, determination to succeed, positive attitude, your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal. You may be asked to give examples of the above so be prepared.

Q: What is your greatest weakness?

A: Do not say you have none - this will lead to further problems. You have two options - use a professed weakness such as a lack of experience (not ability) on your part in an area that is not vital for the job. The second option is to describe a personal or professional weakness that could also be considered to be a strength and the steps you have taken to combat it. An example would be: "I know my team think I'm too demanding at times - I tend to drive them pretty hard but I'm getting much better at using the carrot and not the stick".

Q: Why do you want to leave your current employer?

A: State how you are looking for a new challenge, more responsibility, experience and a change of environment. Do not be negative in your reasons for leaving. It is rarely appropriate to cite salary as your primary motivator.

Q: Why have you applied for this particular job?

A: The employer is looking for evidence that the job suits you, fits in with your general aptitudes, coincides with your long-term goals and involves doing things you enjoy.  Make sure you have a good understanding of the role and the organisation, and describe the attributes of the organisation that interest you most.

Other common interview questions to consider:

Give an example of when you have worked under pressure.
What kinds of people do you like working with?
Give me an example of when your work was criticised.
Give me an example of when you have felt anger at work. How did you cope and did you still perform a good job?
Give me an example of when you have had to face a conflict of interest at work.
Tell me about the last time you disagreed with your boss.
Give me an example of when you haven't got on with others.
Do you prefer to work alone or in a group? Why?
What are you looking for in a company?
How do you measure your own performance?
What kind of pressures have you encountered at work?
Are you a self-starter? Give me examples to demonstrate this?
What changes in the workplace have caused you difficulty and why?
How do you feel about working long hours and/or weekends?
Give me an example of when you have been out of your depth.
What have you failed to achieve to date?
What can you bring to this organisation?

Interview performance is often the deciding factor when deciding between candidates for a job. This makes the face-to-face meeting a critical part of the recruitment process and you will need to impress from the start. Remember, at least 50% of the interview process is going to be about you as a person, rather than just you experience.

Following the interview preparation guidelines below will help you prepare properly and whilst you are bound to get some pre-interview nerves, you should be more confident having thought about your interview in advance.

Research

Find out as much information as possible about your prospective employer in advance. The vast majority of companies have websites which are packed with information. Familiarise yourself with mission statements, news feeds and up to date information. Be aware that if your prospective employer does have a comprehensive website, you may seriously compromise your chances if it becomes apparent you have not taken time to research it as you may be asked!

If there is no company website, it is still easy to research your employer. All national newspapers and professional magazines have online sites with archive articles. You can also utilise web search engines just by entering the company name. Talk to anyone you know who has worked at the organisation. If all else fails do try phoning the company and requesting general information. There are so many ways of gaining information about a company that it’s almost inexcusable to say that ‘you have not been able to find anything out’ about them.  

Interview tips

• Greet your interviewer standing, with a firm handshake (don’t break their wrist here, it’s not a competition) and a smile! Good body language is vital. Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Speak clearly and confidently. Try and maintain a comfortable level of eye contact throughout – no far away staring out of the window or repeated checking of your watch!
• A standard interview will generally start with an introductory chat, moving on to questions specific to your application and experience. General information about the company and role may follow, finishing with an opportunity for you to ask your own questions.
• Be familiar with your CV and prepared to answer questions from it – memorise dates and get your facts right. Similarly, ensure you have read any job description thoroughly and think of ways in which your experience will benefit your potential employer.
• Listen to what is being asked of you. Think about your answers to more difficult questions and do not give irrelevant detail. Give positive examples from your experience to date but be concise. Avoid one word answers as these will do nothing to build rapport with your interviewer. Prepare yourself in advance for common interview questions.
• Be ready to ask questions that you have prepared beforehand. This can demonstrate you have thought about the role and done some research on the organisation. Ensure they are open questions, again encouraging the interviewer to provide you with additional information.
• Show your enthusiasm for the role, even if you have some reservations. These can be discussed at a later stage.
• Make sure that you have some questions about the job role and/or company up your sleeve ready for the interview. By the end of the meeting you should know everything about the role and what is on offer.

Before attending your interview, make sure you prepare yourself by finding as much as you can about the hiring organisation. There are numerous sources of information about nearly every company. Information is on the internet, in the library, in shops, in databases and available from the recruitment agency that found you the position (if the job has been sourced through an agency).

In particular, the internet should give you a wealth of information about the company and the industry in which the company operates. Most industries also have trade publications so have a read through these publications to gain knowledge about the industry and current trends and issues that they face and gain some knowledge about the company’s competitors.

Interview research tips

• Call the company/agency and request any literature, job descriptions, brochures, website information and so on.
• Log on to the internet and visit the company website, spending time looking at all of the information and gaining a good understanding of what the company does, and their goals and values. It’s not good enough in today’s market to go to a company and not know what they do!
• If available, also access the press area of the website if this is available. This will give you articles from the media and insightful information about the company. It will also ensure you are aware of recent press releases involving the company and/or awards that they may have won as well as new contracts that they might have gained – it demonstrates that you have taken an interest in them.
• If the company website does not have a press area, access information online through search engines such as Google or MSN. Alternatively, log on to media sites, such as The Financial Times website, and run a search on the company.