Anyone used a good CV company?

[EH11_2NL]

I've got a possible job on the horizon and it's a good one. I've been asked for a CV but it's been a long time since I submitted one and never used a company to do it properly. Anyone used a professional company for their CV?

[Thunder and Lightning]

1 hour ago, EH11_2NL said:

I've got a possible job on the horizon and it's a good one. I've been asked for a CV but it's been a long time since I submitted one and never used a company to do it properly. Anyone used a professional company for their CV?

 

There are many layouts for free online. Just remember you are selling yourself. Not what the "team" did. You. 

 

All they will do is reword your current cv. You can do that better than they and save some cash. 

 

 

[Ribble]

Best advice I've ever had about CV's is that your CV should only ever get one use before making a change, edit the CV to reflect the role you are going for and copy the language used in the advert/job description.

 

If the hiring company want you to 'lead the team' but your CV states you 'manage a team' then change manage to lead. Honestly makes the world of difference and while the two statements basically mean the same, in the recruiters mind (I've done plenty of interviews from the recruiting side) the more matches on words or phrases then the more compatible for the role someone appears.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Ribble

[Spellczech]

13 hours ago, Thunder and Lightning said:

 

There are many layouts for free online. Just remember you are selling yourself. Not what the "team" did. You. 

 

All they will do is reword your current cv. You can do that better than they and save some cash. 

 

 

That's why HR departments do appraisal processes - it is not just so they can screw you out of a decent payrise. It is also so the boss knows what his team have done so he can write on his CV that he did it! Haha

[kila]

Your CV should be re-written every job application to reflect the job description/duties.

 

Recruiters won't spend more than 30 seconds skimming through it. If it isn't matching what they're specifically looking for in the job description it'll go into the bin.

 

Making a CV look fancy is irritating too. It isn't to show of someone's word processing skills, so beware of some templates being too arty farty.

[John Gentleman]

1 hour ago, Ribble said:

Best advice I've ever had about CV's is that your CV should only ever get one use before making a change, edit the CV to reflect the role you are going for and copy the language used in the advert/job description.

 

If the hiring company want you to 'lead the team' but your CV states you 'manage a team' then change manage to lead. Honestly makes the world of difference and while the two statements basically mean the same, in the recruiters mind (I've done plenty of interviews from the recruiting side) the more matches on words or phrases then the more compatible for the role someone appears.

If they basically mean the same, then why change it?

[Ribble]

13 minutes ago, John Gentleman said:

If they basically mean the same, then why change it?

 

As kila said above, recruiters/HR skim read dozens of CV's for every position, positions they normally don't fully understand, they are working off a spec given to them by the hiring manager so if the wording from the hiring manager says 'lead a team' then by matching your CV gives you a better chance of a recruiter picking you out from the others. While I kinda agree that it shouldn't be the case it's often just that the recruiters don't have time (or the knowledge) to translate every CV and to be brutally honest if a candidate can't be arsed spending 10-15 mins updating their CV then they'd not be someone I'd want to interview never mind hire.

[John Findlay]

Thank someone I'm now at the stage that I don't need to worry about my CV.

[Marvin]

Keep your CV to the point. Employers don't care about your job you did 30 years ago. They are more interested in what you have done in last 10 years. And gaps in your employment history.

[Ribble]

17 minutes ago, Marvin said:

Keep your CV to the point. Employers don't care about your job you did 30 years ago. They are more interested in what you have done in last 10 years. And gaps in your employment history.

 

Correct, 2 pages max with general details and current role on page 1, 3/4 previous roles on 2nd page and a placeholder saying further previous roles available on request. The further back a role is the less detail is needed, leave in only what is transferable/applicable to the role you are going for. Really don't need a detailed description of your summer job in starbucks/witherspoons while at uni 20 years ago.

[Thunder and Lightning]

Screw it, feed Chat GPT the job ad and ask it to create you a CV that will get you the job.

[kila]

16 minutes ago, Thunder and Lightning said:

Screw it, feed Chat GPT the job ad and ask it to create you a CV that will get you the job.

 

Chances are recruiters will be using ChatGPT to process job applications and CVs 

 

[Matty]

It’s right that you don’t want something too fancy or arty farty and of course the content must be specific and relevant to the role. 
 

There are some really smart CV templates on Etsy, some minimalistic but very professional with icons for LinkedIn etc. 

 

It can also help with just basic layout idea's by taking a wee look at them, without buying the download.  

[Ray Gin]

Cater your CV to the job. Keep it short (no more than 2 sides of A4 and uncluttered). A clean easy to read layout is important. Whoever is reading it will be skimming through quickly. Make sure the important info isn't hidden away.

 

Don't go into detail about past work experience or qualifications that have no relevance to what you're applying for. Just list the job title and the years for any roles like this.

 

Do mention achievements or experience that makes you suitable for the role you are applying for. But not in deep detail - they can get more info in the interview. Just enough to catch the eye so they think "oh that sounds good".

 

Don't take up space listing school grades from 20 years ago that they likely won't give a shit about. Just put the year you attended and "4 Highers/A level" or whatever. (unless you've recently left school, in which case give more detail)

[Ribble]

2 hours ago, Matty said:

It’s right that you don’t want something too fancy or arty farty and of course the content must be specific and relevant to the role. 
 

There are some really smart CV templates on Etsy, some minimalistic but very professional with icons for LinkedIn etc. 

 

It can also help with just basic layout idea's by taking a wee look at them, without buying the download.  

 

That's another key thing, make sure that jobs and dates lineup between your CV and LinkedIn, once had someone whose CV claimed they'd spent the last 2 out of 4 years at their current company at a promoted level, linkedin (where their colleagues were connections) had it as a 3 month secondment