• LAVA Moderator: Mysterier

Employment advice

Moved to the Employment Advice thread purely for the sake of tidiness and consolidation of info. Hope you don't mind, PP. :)
 
In terms of layout, stick to one simple, common font all the way through, pick Times New Roman or Arial, and use bold or underlined for headings.

Don't go mental with the layout, the whole point is making it easy for the person you send it to to pick out the information.

Stick to two sides of A4


This order has worked well for me in the past, got a mate who works in recruitment to help last time I worked it up and he suggested doing it like this:

Name and contact details

Key Skills

Key Projects (if relevant- things you have done particularly well, there should be some connection between the skills above and the projects listed here)

Employment History

Education / Qualifications / Certificates / Licences (incl driving if relevant)
 
aww nice one, thanks, ill see now if theres anything to apply for,and get the basic bits done!!!
 
im almost dizzy, thers loads of jobs out there... best start remembering what i can do :)
 
The grass is always greener... I'm sitting here at my desk and fantasising about doing some backbreaking (and shirtless) labour.

Chopping wood would be just my scene.
 
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Backbreaking, shirtless.
 
the only jobs i ever get are kitchen porter jobs...all i want is a job in a shop or in an office

Is there any chance you might be able to move into barwork or something customer facing from being a kp? Even if only a few shifts so you can then put that you're customer facing and have good people skills etc on your cv? Would help a lot in retail as would handling cash.

Or alternatively are there any temp office work agencies near you? If you can demonstrate reasonable computer skills (you seem to be able to use bluelight alright) you might be able to get some data entry shit to do for a bit which will boost your chances of getting other desk jobs.
 
well, yesterday i had an interview for a food and beverage staff job. i though it went really well i was really friendly and talkative but they never gave me a job. its so depressing.

i think i come across as an unusual kind of guy.
 
Oh right, didn't see your CV there. I don't work in those fields but I think you could tweak what you've written about each job to demonstrate some of your skills. EG: 'Job Title for Employer 1999-2001 : During this time I was responsible for xxxxxx in a busy yyyyyyy working as part of a close knit team to ensure zzzzzz happened flawlessly.'

Your SKILLS should also include some of the stuff you mention in previous jobs, you've got waiting, bartending, presumably handling cash, a lot of office skills, loads of skills really but it's all hidden in the employment history section. You need to get the concrete stuff, what you did in your actual jobs, into the skills section instead of 'being organised' etc which is just vague. Don't bother with 'creativity' unless the job you are applying for is actually creative.

Also, expand on your computing, say something like 'Proficient with computers' then list the packages eg Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook' etc. Bear in mind that the person matching you to vacancies whether an agent or actual employer is looking for words which match the job ad at first glance, so 'computing' will not necessarily mean 'excel, word' to them. They are skim reading lots of CVs with a few points from the job spec in their head and you have to make them recognise these points in your CV to avoid the bin.

ALSO, when applying for a specific vacancy spend an hour or so fiddling with your CV to make it match up to that specific job. Ideally it should be more or less the job description for the gig you're applying for but repeated back to them in different words. So if you're going for an office job, write more about your office work than your hospitality work but highlight things you've done in the kitchens etc which would benefit you in that office job, eg managing other people, working under pressure.

I think you've got good experience for either of the types of thing you want to do, it's just not organised in an appealing enough way at the moment.
 
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heres the CV. i thought it was a bit weird puting it here for people to see.

jancrow, your advice is really great i appreciate it a lot. im gonna make some changes. not right now though im kind of wasted.
 
^ IMO, CV's for professionl jobs should be 2 full pages... all others just 1 full page

ur lay CV suggests that recently you have been in and out of jobs too much

-change ''emplyment history'' to ''relevant experience'' and just put in the jobs that are relevant, the ones wiht longer dates are better

-put ''Education'' as your first section.. makes it clear you are a University student looking for a student job to keep things ticking over while you study

-i would cut out skills and hobbiest intrests and just put it into a short paragraph personal profile at the start. teamworking, organised, pressure - GOOD
using initative (bad for minnion job, FOLLOW PROCEDURES better), take out computing and creativitiy you dont need them for a crap job

-name/address/contact details
-personal summary, about you (SKILLS) -
-education
-relevant experience
-reference

1 page
 
Hay, i hate applying for jobs, i need a nice ly out for a cv, im good enough at saying the right things but i just want a layout for a cv, any lil helpers out there?

CV's are EXTREMELY personal so I understand if the offer isn't taken. But.... Though I'm not good at CV's myself my other half is and I've done one for another BL'er through his advice ( though I don't know how that ended up ). Anyway, Feel free to contact me if you'd like me ( him ) to look over your CV. If not I can also send you my template which is spot on ( personal information removed of course ).

It's up to you and the very best of luck pal.
 
However you decide to do it the most important thing is making sure your CV reflects the job application. This cannot be overstated enough!
 
thanks ive started filling in app forms so that ll jog me memory over and then i can do the cv and just dash that to a load of agencies.........should be good having a change ofscenery,, same place for 6 years
 
Right now employers are looking for folk that have pristine records.

Don't be so sure, I haven't worked for over 2 years because I've been swanning round the world or sitting on my arse making money from gambling and I start a new job on Monday. Was 5 stages to get through before getting the job. I just said I hadn't worked for 2 years because I'd been travelling, they asked a few questions about it and I blagged it. There's ways round employment gaps usually like if you're willing to bullshit them a little.
 
However you decide to do it the most important thing is making sure your CV reflects the job application. This cannot be overstated enough!

This.

If the job description suggests they want someone who is a "team player" with "good numeracy skills" who has proven to be an "excellent leader" then you better make sure you repeat back to them you have EXACTLY those skills.

For those needing to fill their CV a bit if it's looking short, rather than make your sentences longer, you could make a 'Skills Set' section where you literally just list your main transferable skills. Stick it right at the top and then prove you have these skills later on in more detail by using examples from employment/education/social.

I think I said this earlier in the thread but I have in the past been involved in whittling down hundreds of applicants to a handful, so I know what to look out for. If anyone wants a proof read or whatever then drop me a PM with CV/Cover letter (personal details removed) and I'll get back to you when I can.
 
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