Archive for the 'CV' Category
Friday, September 12th, 2008
What not to do when applying for a job!
There’s an excellent article on the Times Online, titled “What not to do when applying for a job.” It should cheer up anyone looking for a new career at the moment…
“Mistake a job offer for a prank. “I phoned an applicant and said ‘It’s Dan Hawes here, I’d like to talk to you about a job’. She thought it was a wind-up. I said ‘no, no – I’ve got your CV in front of me and you’re suitable for a job’. She said ‘stop taking the …’ I spent 20 minutes trying to convince her but she still thought it was someone playing a trick so I just left it.”
See the full article here, or “What not to do when motivating people!” here.
Points I’d also recommend:
- Don’t say you’re an expert - it back fires every time.
- Don’t lie - if you don’t know the answer in an interview, don’t try to ‘blag’ it.
- Spell checking - it takes one click and five minutes, it also stops you’re CV being the first in the Bin!
- Read the job advert - and don’t go off on a tangent in your covering letter!
- Don’t leave the “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet” in the sample CV template you downloaded.
Top tip of all - a generic, downloaded template looks exactly like it is - a generic downloaded template. Taking the time to personalise the CV and Covering letter to a job will make the world of difference.
Monday, June 16th, 2008
Tell the truth…why you shouldn’t lie on your CV!
The temptation to lie on your CV is always there, but more and more employers will check your background out in detail. It might be adding a few figures to the previous salary, entering some additional experience, or just giving yourself some extra time somewhere…it’s all going to come back to you.
The golden rule is - be honest. There’s nothing worse than going to an interview and being asked about the things on your CV you don’t actually know or have!
Remember a CV is a straight reflection on you - would you want to be seen as dishonest?
If your qualifications are found out to be false later on down the line, you will be guilty of gross misconduct in many workplaces, facing the sack. It’s possible that you could also be taken to court for Fraud/Deception. This isn’t just going to impact on your current role, but on every role in the future.
Are you going to get caught? More than likely, just remember that your CV will be kept on file by most employers once you get a job, and that any checks into your references and background might not have the result you want.
Make sure you have good references, and you have sold yourself both honestly and well!
Theres some good follow up and tips on this here at changeboard.com.