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2012 Is your Career & CV ready for the Apocalypse?

It’s quite funny how the doom merchants gather around websites, blog’s and news feeds in a way that our ancestors would have gathered around a fire; All sitting there poking it with a stick or in today’s world a pithy remark. The reality is that nothing has changed, look into a fire for long enough and you will see, wait for it, a fire. Not some grand revelation, just a fire! Although it is startling how we seem segue from one social or economic disaster to another it would be naive to think that while its doubtful that the 4 horsemen will turn up on 21/12/12, its not impossible to consider that we will still be in the throes of serious instability.

Here is the good news;

The 2012 thing is all a bunch of hokum that was made up around the turn of 19th century, referenced and twisted ever since by author and scholar ever since.

How can you ensure your CV is Professional and ready for 2012: Read this and prepare!

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Has the CBI got it wrong?

The original idea behind this article burst from my head in a torrent of frustration. After calming down a little the question still needs to be answered but the thrust of the question needs to directed at some of the people that have raised their heads above the parapets of the CBI Annual Conference. I like capatalism and I’m all for making some money. I qualify that statement by ensuring that delivery of satisfaction is key and I understand that during these tough times everyone needs to be conscious of how what we do and earn can affect others not only now but in the future. I would have thought that this would have been apparent to anyone in businesses small or large.

Not so.

Let’s begin with the President of the CBI and Chair of Centrica, Sir Roger Carr saying that we should all now stop demonising banks. Really? Is it time to let them of the hook or do we make sure the hook is still in and that they are aware of it. Last time I looked banks were not lending to small businesses and mortgages were rarer than a pot of leprechaun gold. To win back trust the banks need to take the foot of the jugular of the UK economy and relax lending to a sensible sustainable level. Sir Roger, we expect more informed comments.

Then we had Richard Evans, President of Pepsico UK telling us that unless we pay every CEO a huge salary the UK talent pool will empty itself and that we will not have the talent to run our corporations. Pull the other one. That is oldest trick in the book and goes back to our pocket money days when we would tell our parents that all our friends were having more pocket money than we were! The crux of the matter is, at least for me, is I do not care how much a CEO gets paid. What bothers me is the scrutiny that everyone is under and that our top people seem oblivious to this before opening their mouths. We have had the bankers and politicians on the ropes and now its the turn of our top executives. Do not be surprised if the Public turn up with their pitchforks and torches looking for fight or that the Occupy movement has run its course. Richard, you do not need to appologise for huge pay but you may need to mindful of how resentment can twist fortune. History is littered with corpses of people that lost the vote, Nero,  Louis XVI, Thatcher, Berlusconi were all heads of state but Gerald Ratner was not…

To cap it all, didn’t they know that the High Pay Commission was releasing a report?

We expect better than naive from the big pay lads.

Has the CBI got it wrong? Read More »

There is nothing new under the sun

There is nothing new under the sun. Honestly.

And here is the proof. Those crazy kids marched from Jarrow to London and arrived although I’m not sure how many of the original gang arrived – I didn’t notice Matt Whale anywhere but then I didn’t see any media coverage of the arrival. It must have slipped of the edge and slid under my radar.

Today’s jobless figures are the “worst on record” – roll the pantomime reply; Oh no they are not. They are the worst since we started creating a record which was ’92 but we can actually look back in time and find that in the early 80’s the figures were worse. I would say in real terms, its fair to say, a hell of a lot worse. I have a particular memory of an outside toilet, with no roof at dusk with the rain tipping down and Pink Floyd say something about we dont need no education”. No internet or social networks thus the only way to find work would have been to go city to city.

Now we can do it from the comfort of our home computer, laptop or other tech device. With mummy supplying us tea and hobnobs. Its a tough life.

To enforce this idea, the good old Beeb dug Charlotte Foster of Norfolk,  out of bed to let her tell us that nobody wants to employ her and nobody will reply to her (Yawn).

I have a solution for you Charlotte, send us your CV and let’s discover exactly why you are not finding work. You seem like a bright enough kid, what have you got to lose?

Trick is how are we going to do it? I need help. I’m going to tweet this article and facebook it but I need the help of the people using these networks to repost and retweet until Charlotte gets the message and sends us her CV.

Help us and we will help her.

There is nothing new under the sun. Honestly. Read More »

Do you have a Professional CV that shows a transferable skill set?

I thought I would reiterate some comments from an article that we posted on the old blog a few months ago. The article came from the BBC Newsnight Job Market Mentors and the thrust of it was around how Public Sector employees, amongst others, can learn to survive in the real world, sorry, I meant to say the private sector. Deborah Meaden was seen to offer a young lady called Kelly, a PubSec employee, advice on what she should do to find work, and, if she can make the transfer across the Rubicon.

To coin a phrase, “let me explain where I am”;

I’m not the Deborah Meaden off Dragons Den biggest fan. I find her lack of courage and vision in the Dragons Den incredibly frustrating and she really does not put herself in the best light. This is a shame, as in the cold hard glare of the real world she actually does hold her own and speaks a lot of common sense.

But I digress. She suggested that she could take someone that has had a job and “apply at least 75% of the skills that they have acquired in it and use them in another role” (sic). Think chap that sweeps leaves in the park and turning him into the next CEO of RBS and you can see what she means – able to clean up a lot of mess with a new broom?

I’m not sure about the 75% figure, it does seem a tad throwaway but the real question is, is she right? Yes she is, but with a caveat. There is a natural point of reason whereby the statement does not apply. How do you check? First check the advertisement and what it asks for.
If you can’t answer yes to at least 80% of the requirement then it’s a safe bet your skills do not transfer to the level the employer may require and this is the issue. Expectation and square pegs for square holes. Ms Meaden is right to bring up transferable skills but unfortunately she will not be interviewing you.

Read the article and watch the video and you will probably feel that the example does not fit with your profile but you would be missing the point somewhat. Think laterally, take the main idea of being transferable and then believe enough in the idea to be credible. Ensure the CV conveys the idea and that the cover letter pushes the point home. Your next role could be completely different and you might just find it is the best move you have ever made.

Do you have a Professional CV that shows a transferable skill set? Read More »

The Secrets behind the CEO or Managing Director CV

It’s simple, to be considered the leading applicant for a new post you will need a great track record of success. True, to a point. Some will tell you that you have to show how you managed an organisation and increased margins while lowering overheads. You will also hear a raft of other obvious statements that includes strategic thinking, change management and financial acumen to mention just a few. What no other Professional CV Writer will tell you is that it is also about the psychology of self belief and the ability to convey how much of an asset you were but more importantly, how you are or will be (notice the obvious present & future tense) to a business.

When asking around the office this morning, what else is key, one reply was synonymous with a CEO/MD role; Achievements. When I asked for elaboration the reply became quantifiable achievements. Your CV has to have detail and it has to be as close to exact as is possible. This is understandable. We know the Zeitgeist is for due diligence to be performed on senior appointments – thus the fiery hoops have become smaller and hotter.

If you have a CV that shows progression and continued success then you are half way there but if your tendency is to orate during an interview then it is likely that you will not progress any further.

Brevity is another secret key that we can suggest you consider. Get to the answer of a question quickly, with precision and ensure the interviewer comprehends the answer. Keep the mood light and interesting and do not be afraid to discuss negative issues. When handled properly they can have a more positive effect than people realise.

The final secret for this article is: Let us take the strain.

When you use our Professional CV Services three things happen. You feel relief that you chose our service. You think harder, a lot harder, about who you are and about your career. You feel prepared to take your career to the next step.

To read more click here

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Directors' pay rose 50% (But only for FTSE 100 people)

There it is folks, the glittering prize. Land yourself a roll with the FTSE Elite 100 and you could be earning a cool (average) £2.7 million. IDS claims that the poor (ahem) Directors’ pay packet (more like payload) rose by 47% in the last year. This means Fatcat fans, that these tax evading rotters could quaff through just over 0.5 million litres of Waitrose Jersey Cream Double Extra Thick, the lucky things. I bet they would be really annoyed if they had to pay tax on this amount? Where can I sign up?

If you would like to read more it will cost you £460.00 + vat. Bargain!

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CV Parse, its all about the CV Keywords or Resume Keywords

Does your CV Parse the test?

Excuse the dreadful pun in the title but do you know what the parse test is? If the answer is yes than I imagine your CV is well formatted and easily read (parsed) into a recruitment database. If, on the other hand the answer is no, then you might want to look carefully at your CV and ask the following questions.

Does your CV Parse?

Clearly identify the companies you worked for?

Position held in each company?

The dates?

Qualifications and dates?

Training and dates?

Clear personal detail INCLUDING D.O.B.?

Skills?

Achievements?

Responsibilities?

This list, which is in no particular order, should be the first thing on your list of changes to make your CV parse. Imagine parsing as CV SEO. If it is not organised and targeted correctly then it will fail to achieve its complete purpose. The days when recruiters would print off CVs and look through them for a suitable candidate are gone. The CV parse is now standard, automatic, and you become an entry in a database. If your keywords are not what they should be then you will probably be missing quite a few opportunities because of poor format. Change it yourself now by looking at our professional CV examples or ask us to write your CV for you. We are often asked why people should use our services and the answer is straight forward. We have the expertise to write a CV for you. We do not ask you to fill in forms or just reformat your old CV. We interview you (so be prepared!). We send you a draft copy to show you the progress, take feedback and adjust the content if required. We then complete the document to your satisfaction. The new professional CV will change the attitude of recruiters but more importantly, we find that it changes your attitude and you will be re energised and far more positive about looking for work. Finally, your professional CV will pass the parse test. For a full list of services, click here.

Read what Burning Glass says about the CV parse by clicking here

Does your CV Parse the test? Read More »

Why your inbox is NOT overflowing with Job offers

Have you taken control of your Job hunting or left it to chance? I would love to be able to say to you that you can just click a mouse button and send your CV to hundreds of recruiters or employers then just sit back and wait for the offers to role in. Unfortunately this place only exists over the Lost Horizon, somewhere north of Utopia and just south of Shangri-La.

YOU have to change YOUR approach.

In our office we repeatedly here stories that companies cannot find talented people or that there is no decent talent available. Frustratingly, this is not the case. The real issues are lack of targeted exposure when advertising a job and poorly written CVs being overlooked by recruiters or employers. There is also something else.  When was the last time YOU approached a business that you wanted to work for and told them that you were available? This is a slim opportunity as most operations…STOP! It is not a slim opportunity. It is an opportunity that you can exploit.

Firstly, sort out your Linkedin profile and ensure its worth reading, makes you sound interesting and most importantly, employable. Or you can ask us to write your profile for you, here.

Secondly, turn your peers from organisations that you wish to work for on Linkedin into contacts and then leverage those contacts for the names of decision makers that could make the difference for you.

And thirdly, make sure that your CV targets the companies that show interest. Look at our Professional CV writing packages here

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Today's phrase: Work Self Efficacy

I’m not going to go into too much detail on this for the moment but just throw the idea in the air and see how many upward and forward looking individuals catch the theory. Work Self Efficacy, which has its roots in Self Efficacy a construct of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. I had parked this at the back of my mind without realising and after trying the quiz on the BBC website thought it would be a good time to dust it off. I have listed some links at the bottom this blog piece and would recommend anyone reading this to visit the sites.

Work Self Efficacy definition:

“Assesses workers’ confidence in managing workplace experiences (especially for new or prospective workers). The theoretical underpinning is that individuals with higher work self-efficacy are more likely to look forward to, and to be successful in, workplace performance. Furthermore, work accomplishments are believed, in turn, to increases self-efficacy through a feedback loop tying subsequent performance to augmented self-efficacy beliefs.” Read the full article on Wikipedia here 

In simple terms it is the idea that you believe that you are able to perform at a level and be competent that you can succeed. Different to self belief in the way that sometimes self belief can…run away with itself.

It can help you when you write your cv. Your level of Self Efficacy can help you win at interview. It can help in a new role. It can help with your life and outlook. It is worth your time to investigate further.

Reading:
Albert Bandura Self Efficacy: des.emory.edu/mfp/BanEncy.html
Definition: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_Self-Efficacy
CV Quiz: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15336724

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