| Yesterday I heard about a lady, who after seven | | | | - Took responsibility for managing Google analytics and |
| months of sending out her CV diligently, is yet to even | | | | targeting our efforts accordingly |
| get a reply, let alone an interview, or the holy grail of a | | | | - Social media management |
| job offer. Seven months! She has consulted with a | | | | - Created and implemented our social media strategy, |
| 'professional' who has assessed her CV and still | | | | driving 1000 additional unique visitors to our website per |
| nothing, not a single 'thank you for your application'. | | | | month for six months to date and increasing sales by |
| This inspired me to put finger to keyboard this morning | | | | £500K over the same period |
| in an effort to help you if that story sounds familiar. | | | | - Customer satisfaction management |
| What can you do, what is a company looking for and | | | | - Increased the profile of our organisation using |
| how can you make sure they are looking at you. | | | | customer retention strategies and social media to be |
| Here is the secret behind the greatest CVs and the | | | | more customer friendly and improve our engagement |
| best information our combined years in the industry | | | | strategy |
| can give you. | | | | - Manage a team of three marketing assistants |
| Go for quality not quantity | | | | - Managed two direct reports and had a dotted line |
| Sending out your CV fifty times in one day is not going | | | | report for our Internal Sales Executive |
| to make you more likely to get a job. In fact the | | | | When the job spec from the company looks like the |
| opposite might be true. Pick the companies you apply | | | | left hand column and the CV you submit looks like the |
| to carefully and know that you are a great fit for the | | | | right hand column you look a great match. You might |
| role. If you fall in love with a company and haven't | | | | have done many other things that you are more proud |
| seen the right opening send in a speculative application | | | | of or would typically list but this is not about what you |
| indicating what you can do and the strengths you can | | | | think about you. This is about what they will think about |
| bring to the organisation because.... (fill in the blanks). | | | | you. If the company wants what is on the left and you |
| Clearly mark your application as speculative and find | | | | submit a list that doesn't reflect that in any way, shape |
| the most appropriate person to send it to; most likely | | | | or form, the fact that you have done all of the things in |
| someone within the Human Resources department | | | | the right hand column will not even be clear to them. |
| Tailor your CV to each and every application I know it | | | | They will not be able to read between the lines that |
| takes time, it is a fiddle and sometimes it will have you | | | | you don't write and they won't be psychic enough to |
| sat scratching your head but if you want the interview | | | | work it out. Make it obvious. It is your job to make their |
| you need to look like a fit for the role. I was constantly | | | | job of hiring you easy. |
| amazed by the great emails I received from people | | | | If you look at a job spec and you only have two skills |
| that were the perfect match to the role I was working | | | | out of the ten requirements listed by the company you |
| on, their covering emails were exactly what I was | | | | are not a match and making an application is probably |
| searching for. Then I would open the CV and it would | | | | going to be a waste of everyone's time. I would |
| contain nothing at all that was relevant. | | | | recommend that you have more than half of what |
| During your career you have done enough tasks to fill | | | | they are looking for, so if there are ten requirements I |
| a book and you are trying to pick the edited highlights | | | | would suggest you need six or above for this role to |
| for a three to four page CV. How do you do that? | | | | be a possible fit for you. |
| You read the job spec for the role you are applying | | | | Remember there is no shortage of vacancies and |
| for. Go through every item listed in the company's | | | | there are more than enough companies currently hiring. |
| requirements, go to your CV, create a bullet point and | | | | You don't need to try and fit your round peg self into a |
| detail your experience in that area. Cover each point | | | | square hole. You just need to look for a round hole. |
| that you can. Don't make things up, if there are two | | | | This will not only up your chances of being hired, it will |
| points that you don't have at all then you will just have | | | | increase your job satisfaction when you get there. A |
| to miss them off, but for everything you do have, | | | | key point to bear in mind; if you get the job you might |
| clearly list it. Do this for every role. So if you have had | | | | be in that company, doing that role forty hours a week, |
| four previous jobs and you have been doing | | | | for the next three or four years (or more). Is that going |
| something relevant to the role that you are applying for | | | | to be a good thing? Will it be what you want? Do you |
| in the last three, create the bullet points for each of the | | | | really want to make the application? |
| three. Often the other role(s) will have some | | | | List your achievements |
| transferable skills so, you will need to get creative, but | | | | Make sure you list your achievements, not your job |
| with some thought you will be able to come up with an | | | | spec. A job spec is a list of tasks contained within a |
| interesting profile there too. | | | | role. A list of achievements is what you have done in |
| The example I have created is for a Marketing | | | | relation to that list. Make sure you list the latter. If you |
| Manager | | | | are applying for the role of Accounts Assistant then |
| Company 'A' Requirements | | | | some things are obvious, of course you use |
| Your Experience | | | | spreadsheets, software and are good with numbers. |
| - Five years product marketing experience | | | | What is it that makes you great at what you do? |
| - Seven years product marketing experience | | | | What have you done? Where have you been |
| - Running advertising campaigns | | | | commended? What have you achieved? What do |
| - Managed advertising campaigns for six products | | | | people compliment you on? These are the things that |
| using online and paper based media | | | | are going to set you apart from every other candidate |
| - Brand development | | | | so list them. |
| - Led the brand development of three new products | | | | It is your job to make your profile attractive to the |
| which were brought to market to fill a gap within the | | | | company you are applying to. Take time to do this, do |
| B2C market | | | | it well and you will only be doing it a few times before |
| - Monitoring web traffic | | | | you get that new job! |