Good idea for a thread.
I spend my days offering employment advice and may also be able to help out anyone who's looking for work at the moment.
Firstly, I would like to add that the majority of CV's contain lies. When discussing this with clients I more often than not advise them that things can be tweaked and spun to suit their own truth. What im really trying to say is tell lies if you want. I personally would lie regarding gaps in employment.
There are a few posts on this thread regarding voluntary work and I would agree it enhances your employability. However, make sure the voluntary work is specifically related to the industry you are trying to find work in. It will provide you with both on the job experience and a good reference for applying for paid positions. I think someone mentioned a restriction on the number of hours you can work voluntarily whilst claiming JSA; this is not the case.
On the issue of CRB checks I would advise people with criminal convictions against applying for certain types of work. For example, in my experience financial services are particularly fussy about employing people with criminal records and do extensive background checks. Therefore dont waste your time and focus on other types of work. Having said that, each and every employer is different with their own HR policy.
Unfortunately I dont really know the labour market outside Glasgow, but HMRC are just about to recruit 1000's. I believe 140 posts will be available in Glasgow alone, with more posts in Dundee and East Kilbride. As for the rest of the UK; check the website.
I am also familiar with the
proposed plan for the recruitment at HMRC and it would very much suit people who may have been unemployed for a long period of time or have little to no experience within call centre/admin work. The interview process I believe will be based on competencies and allows you to draw upon your experience outside of a working environment. Competency based interviews are in my opinion one of the easiest, since you can
to an extent prepare answers beforehand.
Try and think of scenarios when you
worked well as part of a team/delivered good customer service. Another key issue to consider would be the delivery and structure of your answer. Often you may hear of answering questions using the STAR technique, and I would suggest this is good method for delivering your answer.
Spend a bit of time researching some of these things beforehand and practice on someone. Sounds daft, but it really helps you develop a rhythm.
Hope some of this might have helped