Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Why Choose an English Language CV Service?

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Why an English Language CV Service?

If English is not your mother tongue, it can be a difficult process to get your CV read by employers and therefore to give you the opportunity to get interviewed, an English language CV service can and definitely does make a difference to your job chances.

If you are looking for a job in the UK, then you will be up against stiff competition. Unemployment in the United Kingdom is high and levels of literacy are generally good. Employers can now take their pick of the talent that is available to them and choose the very best applicant for their vacancy. When working through a pile of CVs to decide which ones to shortlist, employers are stretched time wise and do a quick sift through the CVs. This means that every CV will get a very quick scan, perhaps 20 seconds or so to remove the CVs that obviously need to be rejected. The purpose of this sift is to remove CVs and get the pile down to a manageable level from which to shortlist.

CV That Works- an English language CV service

Having written CVs for people from all over the world, CV that works has seen every possible type and style of CV and has seen many mistakes that are commonly made with people’s CV. Many people for whom English is a second language realise that their lack of grammatical skills makes a key difference to the chances of getting a role. Going back to the example of employers sifting through the CVs that they receive, one criteria commonly used is to immediately reject any CV that has grammatical or spelling errors. Remember I mentioned that recruiters are looking for ways to reduce their workload- easy then to get rid of CVs that are badly written.

Why get your CV rejected unnecessarily?

The standard of English that recruiters see in job applications and CVs can be described as appalling- common mistakes that are simply unforgiveable are getting the recruiters name or the name of the company wrong, simple misspellings of common names and grammatical errors can get your application stopped in its tracks.

Choosing an English Language CV service

CV That Works write CVs for people from all backgrounds. If they actually do have a speciality, it is writing CVs for people for whom English is a second language. The UK is among the most tolerant of societies, in fact, it has been described as the best country in the world for people to come and integrate into. Racism is rare, acceptance is the order of the day and the British people generally welcome visitors with open arms. What the Brits dislike among some pet hates are the butchering of the English Language. We dislike foreign call centres, struggle with strong accents and are generally reserved.

English Language CV services ability to deliver varies enormously. CV that works have an incredible track record of getting people interviewed. After all, the CV is the only thing that an employer sees and is often the key determinant in getting an interview or being rejected. Follow the hundreds of satisfied customers who have had their CV written by CV that works and get it written properly. For less than the price of a week’s work, you will receive a document that will get you through the door and showcase your talent- after that, it’s down to you. W e strongly suggest you take advantage of their excellent video CV review and get a consultant to give you personal and accurate feedback on the CV and get you on the road to success.

Unemployment rises by 1,000 in Wales over quarter

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Unemployment rose slightly in Wales by 1,000 in the three months to the end of February, with women bearing the brunt of the increase, according to official figures.

The number of women out of work during the period rose by 4,000.

The number of unemployed men fell by 3,000 in the same quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The ONS said 131,000 people (8.9%) were unemployed – an increase of 5.3% on the same time the previous year.

Unemployment has gone up by 7,000 over the year.

The number of people claiming jobseekers allowance also increased. The claimant count was 80,300 in March – up 600 on February and 9,100 on March 2011.

It is the second month in a row that the ONS has said quarterly unemployment rose by 1,000.

Across the UK unemployment fell by 35,000 to 2.65 million, but the claimant count rose to 1.61 million – its highest since October 2009.

Despite a “weak” UK labour market, the Welsh government said there were some “encouraging signs”, including an increase in employment.

“The figures are not great and unfortunately this kind of economic crisis disproportionately affects women due to the types of employment that women are engaged in”

Eluned Parrot Liberal Democrat AM

The number of people in work rose 15,000 to 1.35 million.

A simultaneous rise in employment and unemployment could be due to welfare changes introduced by the UK coalition government, particularly phasing out incapacity benefit.

Even if jobs are being created, more people are also being moved off long-term benefits onto jobseekers allowance.

The Welsh government said the proportion of 16 to 64-year-olds classed as economically inactive, which dipped below 25%, was approaching a record low.

Business Minister Edwina Hart said: “While employment in Wales was up 9,000 over the previous year and up 15,000 over the previous quarter, we remain determined to create the conditions necessary to create more jobs, boost economic growth and increase confidence in the Welsh economy.”

‘Promising news’

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan said: “The fact that employment and economic activity levels in Wales have continued their upward trend for the fourth consecutive month is indeed very promising news.

“There is evidently still much to do, but there is a raft of measures in place to tackle the issues at hand, as well as helping to boost growth opportunities across the nation.”

Plaid Cymru said the figures were a “worrying sign” that the economy was not improving.

Plaid AM Alun Ffred Jones said: “In the last year Wales has suffered a massive loss of jobs – over 5% – yet neither the Labour Welsh government nor the Tory-Lib Dem UK government is doing what’s needed to help.”

Liberal Democrat AM Eluned Parrott said raising the threshold at which people pay income tax would protect women on low incomes.

“The figures are not great and unfortunately this kind of economic crisis disproportionately affects women due to the types of employment that women are engaged in,” she said.

College Placement Application Panic?

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Looks like the penny has started to drop about getting all of the placement applications in before that all important deadline. We have been absolutely inundated this week with requests for updated CV’s, bespoke applications and cover letters which leads me to ask a question?

Why have people left it so late to get their applications into the companies at a time when job opportunities are scarce and unemployment is high? I guess the answer is complacency- if you’re working hard studying for that all important qualification then your focus needs to be almost 100% on your college work and not on that job application.

Our advice’ however is to get to work on that college placement application straight away- it won’t get done on its own and you are going to be up against some really stiff competition this year- we have been doing College placement applications for months now so we know what the score really is!

If you need some help, check out our College placement application service and we’re sure you’ll get further than doing it on your own.

Does Your CV Need To Be Tailored To A Specific Job?

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

We've just replied to an email asking if your CV needs to be tailored to a specific job role or company.
 

I've reproduced the answer that we gave below with some additional information that
might help you If you have to write a CV for every application individually, you will end
up spending all of your time simply revising the CV and that isn't
necessary.

Our perspective is to make sure that your CV highlights the benefit(s)
that you have delivered for your employer(s) in the past as opposed to
simply listing activities and responsibilities.

When a prospective employer can see that your CV emphasises the benefits
that previous employers have gained as a result of your work, they see the
value that you can bring to their business. Your track record of
achievements remains the same no matter where you want to work in the future.

We advocate slight changes in the profile if you do want to tailor the CV
for a specific sector or location; however the profile can be written in a
way that a recruiter sees an immediate fit if the correct terminology is
used. Sometimes if the application is for your first choice employer then
we would consider a strong, tailored cover letter.

One other factor is that keeping track of which CV you have sent to which employer
can soon get out of control- having different file names for example by employer
can make it seem to the employer that you have written a CV just for them and
that immediately makes people suspicious- nobody likes to be chased- play
hard to get and you're generally more likely to succeed

CV Profile

~~send2BL~~

Job Interview Tips

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

An interview gives you the opportunity to showcase your qualifications to an employer, so it pays to be well prepared. The following information provides some helpful hints.

Preparation:

Learn about the organization.
Have a specific job or jobs in mind.
Review your qualifications for the job.
Be ready to briefly describe your experience, showing how it relates it the job.
Be ready to answer broad questions, such as “Why should I hire you?” “Why do you want this job?” “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
Practice an interview with a friend or relative.

Personal appearance:

Be well groomed.
Dress appropriately.
Do not chew gum or smoke.

The interview:

Be early.
Learn the name of your interviewer and greet him or her with a firm handshake.
Use good manners with everyone you meet.
Relax and answer each question concisely.
Use proper English—avoid slang.
Be cooperative and enthusiastic.
Use body language to show interest—use eye contact and don’t slouch.
Ask questions about the position and the organization, but avoid questions whose answers can easily be found on the company Web site.
Also avoid asking questions about salary and benefits unless a job offer is made.
Thank the interviewer when you leave and shake hands.
Send a short thank you note following the interview.

Information to bring to an interview:

Social Security card.
Government-issued identification (driver’s license).
Resume or application. Although not all employers require a resume, you should be able to furnish the interviewer information about your education, training, and previous employment.
References. Employers typically require three references. Get permission before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good reference. Try to avoid using relatives as references.
Transcripts. Employers may require an official copy of transcripts to verify grades, coursework, dates of attendance, and highest grade completed or degree awarded.

Interview Tips That Work In a Downturn

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Tip (1) Find our as much as you can about the company before you get there. The internet is a massively useful resource. Company accounts, news items, company newsletters, reports, etc. can be a very useful talking point. Take spare copies of application forms, CVs and any other papers that you may find useful with you. If the interviewer has lost your CV it will give you massive brownie points to save the interviewers blushes.

Tip (2) Get there early. Make sure you know exactly what time it will take to get to the place you are looking for. My advice, aim to get there an hour early. Too conservative? Better that than being one minute late. If you’re late for an interview with me, you’re already history. Of course things happen, so allow time for traffic, the dog being sick or any of the thousands of other things that might get in the way.

Tip (3) Dress conservatively to impress. Boring is best- don’t offend, conservative and neutral colours are preferred. For men, that means a suit-at the very least, a collar and tie. For ladies, smart business attire is the order of the day. Whilst attitudes to dress have and are changing, the point is that you cannot afford the opportunity to offend anyone through choosing anything too way out. At the very least, take some time to find out the dress code in the organisation that you will hopefully be working for. In the media and some IT departments, more casual attire is perfectly acceptable. The point is, wear appropriate clothing. Finally, make sure that clothing is clean and pressed, paying particular attention to shoes- as uncomfortable as it may be to you, many people see dirty shoes as a sign that the person doesn’t care.

Tip (4) Be clean and well groomed. Wash your hair, make sure your nails are clean- clean your teeth and shower before the meeting. If you have a long journey before you arrive, travel in comfortable clothes and take your interview kit with you. Take a wash bag so you can give yourself a strip wash if needed.

Tip (5) What does the person interviewing you actually do? Find out their name, exactly what they do and if you can, how long they have been there. Any information that you can find out before hand will help you. Why does this matter? Most people are interested in themselves first and foremost- if you can let someone know that you’ve found out about them, you can be sure they’ll remember you. Don’t be creepy, just find out enough to make a conversation interesting.

Tip (6) From the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, never ever assume anything about anyone. assume that you’re being watched on CCTV all the time, Treat everyone with respect, be polite and friendly even if it’s holding the door for someone leaving when you arrive. You just never know who does what, and it’s common courtesy anyway. All sorts of people have all sorts of influence- do you know that the security guard isn’t the brother of the MD? Thought not- don’t take any chances and you give yourself every chance of success.

Tip (7) Don’t fidget and play with your change. Keep your hands neatly folded on your lap and lean forward to really listen to what is being said by the interviewer. Listen on purpose. If you are unsure about what is being asked, reflect a question back to buy a little time to answer. Can you explain that question in a little more detail please gives you some time to consider a response.

Tip (8) Make sure you answer the question. Don’t go off on a tangent and let the interviewer think that you don’t know what he is asking. A question is being asked of you for a reason. Whilst answering, be prepared to give examples of where you have experience from the past. One word answers are not applicable- even if the interviewer gives you a question to which the answer can be yes or no, expand your answer and help the interviewer out.

New You Tube Channel Up And Running

Monday, September 19th, 2011

New YouTube Channel cvthatworksdotcom now online

We’ve been collecting and recording videos for some time now and have created a YouTube channel to put all of our videos in one place and make it easier for people to find and access. It’s still a little disorganised with a couple of other videos in there that we have put up on there as a favour so we’ll slowly get them out of the channel so things are easier for everyone.

What is a Youtube Channel?

Basically, it a small TV channel where you can view videos on a specific topic or subject. Much the same as the satellite TV world, there are Youtube Channels available that cater to every type of style and taste. So whether you are looking for that ubiquitous dog on a skateboard or want to find something specific then there is a channel for you

Our Youtube Channel, cvthatworksdotcom

Our Youtube channel is called cvthatworksdotcom. It can be found on the link here. Content currently includes some of our video testimonials, real people who we have helped through having their CV or application written by us- we are also writing and recording some instructional videos, highlighting exactly what needs to go into your CV. here are also videos showing other elements that are needed and are associated with Cv writing and getting an interview. We will also be including other videos as time goes by on our Youtube channel.

There are other sources of information on this website,for example, we also have video testimonials on this site as well as CV articles and news as well as other information, some of which will be on the Youtube channel. Really hope that you enjoy the new resource- we will record more over the coming days for you.

Latest Video on our Youtube Channel

http://youtu.be/_cGeOONt-yI, http://youtu.be/NkuiBjTQ1bc

These are the latest videos on our Youtube Channel

Better Job Search Engines

Friday, August 12th, 2011

What is a job search engine?

Job search engines use state-of-the-art technology to assist people in their job quest. Here you could enter all the relevant information to reduce the lists of sought after jobs to get more accurate results.

Because new jobs are being added daily or even hours after, the tendency to see the results you had yesterday may be different from what you see today. This is where job search engines come in handy.

After some trial and error there are a few job search engines that could yield better results. They allow searchers to see major job sites, companies and even its associations by entering a keyword and location. Results can be seen in different ways, it could be in a browser list and some sent thru e-mail.

More job search engines

SimplyHired.com, America’s Job Bank, Jobster, and Indeed.com are just a few of the search engines that can give you more accurate results. These sites include over 500 job listings with job boards, prime newspapers, and numerous companies with career pages.

Indeed.com even has an advance search option that could be used to search company names, positions, and even the distance for commuters.

America’s Job Bank let’s you enter the job category you would like to search, then you can enter either the city or the zip code and state you would like to find the job and it gives the list of job openings. If you’re lucky, you can even get the quoted salary from each of the companies you’re eyeing on.

In SimplyHired.com aside from the list of jobs open, applicants are also given a short description of the job you’re about to handle including the responsibilities to be met even during application. It also includes the type of company, location and date when the job was posted.

Jobster provides the latest job postings from today up to the last 7 days wherein you can also choose the distance you prefer. This site gives you the ability to see the list of the freshly posted jobs from a variety of sources. A CV service can also help

How Well Are They?

These sites give listings that are relevant and timely, compared to other search engines that generate results a little longer than the others. Some would even provide results that are far from the location picked out.

So far the best among the search engines used is the Simplyhired.Com. It showed the job title, a link was also provided for posting, a summary of the job description, where the exact current location and where it originated. The produced results are easy to read, non-confusing with bits and pieces more of information plus the getting around is user friendly through the job search engine.

The Job Interview

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

The second step in getting a job is having an interview with a potential employer. The first step was sending your application and after careful review by the company, you are seen as candidate for the vacant position.

The employer got this information through an ad that was placed in the paper, referred by someone in the company or a headhunter, or by a person who simply submitted an application via the company’s website.

The first impression employers always look at is your resume. Given the many that apply, this usually takes about 30 seconds and so with the limited words, one must be sure that the resume is well written and grammatically correct.

During the interview, most employers want to know more about person since the resume only gives certain information such as the person’s name, age, address, contact number, social security number, past and current employment.

The employer will likely ask about the experiences, lessons and accomplishments one has done and learned working for another employer. This will usually include how the person handled a situation in the company, the challenges of the job and the relationship with coworkers.

Another question will be the relationship between the applicant and family members. This shows character with how the person interacts with people who are close and those that know the person for a long time.

The employer will usually ask why the person applied in the company and where you would like to be in 5 to 10 years. Long term questions such as this will show if there is dedication for the job at hand and if the company can provide something beneficial for both the applicant and the employer.

Companies follow a certain budget in hiring qualified personnel which is why the interviewer will ask how much one desires to get for the job. If what is being asked is too high, the employer will usually ask if the salary is open to negotiation.

After the employer asks questions, room is usually given for the applicant to ask questions in return. This is the best time to know a little bit more the company one might be working in and to get a feel of the potential company.

If there are no more questions, the interviewer will then end the meeting and call the applicant back if the person has passed the initial interview so that the next phase of the application process can begin.

SEO Wales
CV services

Job Descriptions: Why Effective Job Descriptions Make Good Business Sense

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

Most neophyte workers or even freshly graduated members of the workforce will jump into jobs without knowing their job descriptions. This practice is understandable. Many of these fresh graduates are just glad to have gotten a job and will try to avoid being to nosy or pushy when it comes to work. They may think that ‘demanding’ a job description will be an added negative to their employer’s impression of them.

This could not be more wrong. Employers, in general, delight in employees that ask about their job description. This shows that the employee has an interest in knowing the specifics of his or her job and would like to know what his or her specific responsibilities are. Here are a few other reasons why job descriptions are truly important to employees and even to those who are searching for jobs.

1. Knowledge of Duties
A job description will furnish you with a list of your responsibilities and duties. This will ensure that you know what jobs you are supposed to do and which jobs you are not supposed to do. Just “guessing” is not an option. However, you may be trying to do your best doing jobs that are not your duty and responsibility to perform. The result of which, on paper, is that you are not doing your job.

If you end up doing jobs that are not in your job description. You will not be credited with those jobs.

2. Prevent Being Taken Advantage Of
There will be instances when as an employee you will be asked to do specific duties that are not in your job description. It is perfectly legal to point to your job description and say that the particular job does not fall under your job description. You will, of course, have to do this politely.

You may, of course, choose to do these duties. However, make it clear that what you are doing is not within your job description. You and your manager may then choose to talk about whether these duties should be included and the proper remuneration for such.

3. What Matters to Your Employer is Paper
There have been countless employees who have come forth saying, “we did our best, worked over time, and gave our all, but did not receive the proper acknowledgement.” Unfortunately, employers will be too busy to keep track of your performance. You may have to submit reports on your progress and performance. This, of course, should be based on your job description or else it will not make any sense to your employer.

Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Why Choose an English Language CV Service?

Why an English Language CV Service?

CV That Works- an English language CV service

Why get your CV rejected unnecessarily?

Choosing an English Language CV service

Recommended Reading

Unemployment rises by 1,000 in Wales over quarter

Recommended Reading

College Placement Application Panic?

Recommended Reading

Does Your CV Need To Be Tailored To A Specific Job?

Recommended Reading

Job Interview Tips

Recommended Reading

Interview Tips That Work In a Downturn

Recommended Reading

New You Tube Channel Up And Running

New YouTube Channel cvthatworksdotcom now online

What is a Youtube Channel?

Our Youtube Channel, cvthatworksdotcom

Latest Video on our Youtube Channel

Recommended Reading

Better Job Search Engines

What is a job search engine?

More job search engines

Recommended Reading

The Job Interview

Recommended Reading

Job Descriptions: Why Effective Job Descriptions Make Good Business Sense

Recommended Reading

Video Testimonials

Satisfied Customer Comments

Call Back

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