Golden Ticket to Good Jobs

For some clients, it would seem as though their freshly re-written CV is their Golden Ticket that magically opens doors to good jobs which were previously locked tighter than a bank vault. They send out their new CV and within minutes the responses are flooding in. In many cases, they end up with multiple opportunities to choose from. But then there are other clients who don’t experience that same instant success and start questioning the quality of their new CV.

If their CV was written by Résumés Etc, they will have a document that accurately represents their qualifications, experience and work history in a no-frills format that is easy to read and process. Each client receives the same question sheet, the same level of service and the same standard of writing. I am able to turn a lackluster work history into one that best portrays your skills and abilities in a way that employers can appreciate.

However, this is not a task I can complete on my own. I can only accurately portray what the client has given me. All of the input comes from them, and at every stage of the CV they have to give approval. Multiple emails are exchanged and at any time, they can adjust the content. I purposefully never engage client by telephone or voice chat, because I like to have a record of every single conversation so as to minimize any chance that content is overlooked or omitted from the CV.

With each client receiving the same service and opportunities for customization, why do some CV's go further than others?

10 Things That Can Hold Back Your CV:

CLIENT INPUT:

A good CV is only as good as the content provided, and the level of client participation – and the best CVs are produced as a result of excellent teamwork. The content of the CV is a direct reflection of the amount of time the client spent answering my questions. In many cases, the client expects that once they have paid their money, they can send me their old CV and I should be able to just magically produce an amazing new CV. They forget that if their old CV contained everything it needed to attract employers’ attention, they would have no need to come to me for a re-write. I have actually had impatient clients tell me to “just Google their job description and use that.” However, doing so is both impersonal and doesn't reflect your actual abilities and history. A CV should be a representation of you and your personal work experience, your own history, your qualifications and most importantly, what YOU have to offer the employer.

FORMAT:

Occasionally a client will come back to me and claim the CV “isn’t working.” The first thing I do is ask them to send me exactly what they are sending out to employers. In just about every case, the client has changed the CV in some way, either by saving it as PDF (which is a huge no-no) or adding lines that don’t belong. There have been cases where the client has messed up the CV so badly, we’ve had to start from scratch. They come to a CV writer for a reason, because what they originally had was not working – but then they can’t accept the changes or think they can improve it themselves. Formatting is very important, and even though it is subtle, it can dramatically change how employers view you.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Local qualifications count for a lot. If a candidate is applying from overseas, their qualifications probably won’t be worth much unless they have been assessed to Australian or New Zealand standards. A more qualified candidate will trump them every time. Also, if a candidate is not qualified for a job, no CV in the world will get him an interview, no matter how well it’s written! While applying for jobs you are not qualified for can sometimes bring results, it's important to have realistic expectations regarding where you apply and what jobs you are best suited for.

LOCATION:

If the candidate is applying in popular, built-up areas, chances are there will be a much bigger talent pool for the employer to choose from. Consider applying in more remote areas, you may have a much better chance of getting into your chosen field, or at least a foot in the door.

LOCAL EXPERIENCE:

Local experience counts for a LOT. Your CV must be relevant and local experience is very important in creating relevance. If you have no local experience, join some sort of charity group and start volunteering today! Then update your CV in about a month with local experience and local referees.

REFEREES:

Talking about referees – some clients also remove them from their updated CV or are very resistant to including them in the first place. In most cases, excluding referees is a huge mistake. The details of between two to four referees should be included at the end of each CV, so that the employers can verify the candidate as a good worker- without this step they will in most cases, not even be considered for an interview. It’s also worth checking your referees- ask a friend to call them pretending to be a prospective employer. (I can give you a template for these calls if you need it). Some clients have been very surprised to learn that one or more of their referees was bad-mouthing them to employers. This could be devastating for future plans. Make sure your referees are not sabotaging you!

SCARCITY:

How scarce is your job? Are you on the Skills shortage list? If not, you may have a more difficult time than others, just because of a bigger talent pool for employers to fish from.

THE APPLICATION AND COVER LETTER:

This is a huge factor. Has the candidate followed instructions? If not, they are out, no matter how good their CV is. Last year I advertised for an administration assistant for my business, and one of my stipulations was to send me an email explaining why they were perfect for the position. More than half of the applicants told me about their personal situations in South Africa and how bad things were for them, and why I should employ them, totally disregarding my request.

This sort of response is considered emotional blackmail and completely inappropriate – the employer doesn’t necessarily want to know about your problems, they want to know what you can do for their business. Don’t share too much too much, and it can make potential employers uncomfortable, causing them to move on to the next applicant. Make sure the email you send with applications and any other documentation is short, simple and to the point.

VISA:

Some very unscrupulous migration agents tell clients all sorts of nonsense about how easy it will be to get a job, secure a visa etc, only for clients to find they don’t actually quality for a visa in the first place. No CV in the world will make you qualify for a visa. A CV is ONLY a record of your work history, experience and qualifications.

ATTITUDE:

Confidence will get you far, arrogance will not. When writing a CV, I minimize this as much as possible, by not using lots of long descriptive words, and writing the CV in first person, not third. However, some clients then go and blow these efforts in the emails they send out, their LinkedIn profile or their general interactions with company representatives. A CV cannot be held responsible for those sorts of actions, a CV is only a record of their work history, experience and qualifications presented in a no-frills, easy to read format.

How do I get Good Jobs?

For a lot of clients a new CV can be that golden ticket to drawing attention and securing an interview, but only if all of the other factors are in order. Be mindful of how a CV is only a tool; just like any other, it is only useful if the person using it does so skillfully.

For a free appraisal and quote, email your most current CV to rozzieoz@gmail.com