Stay active on these job boards, this is a sure-fire way for your CV to be seen more frequently as it will appear at the top of searches, this can simply be done by logging into your account on a regular basis.

Upload your CV to your LinkedIn account. LinkedIn has been a game changer when it comes to hiring and now more than ever professionals are using their LinkedIn account as a ‘live’ CV where they can continually update and showcase their skills, experience and current projects to the world in real time. There is also now a new feature on LinkedIn where you can showcase you are looking for work on your display photo. Whilst in the past people may have been shy or embarrassed to make it obvious they are looking for work, there has been a growing trend since the start of the pandemic in 2020 for jobseekers to be more open about their current situation. It also means recruiters can pick up straight away if a person is actually available for work or not.

If you have seen a job opportunity advertised on a job board by a recruitment agency, email them directly with an attached up to date CV and cover letter, this will really help you stand out. Follow this up a few days later with a phone call if you are able to find their contact number. Jobseekers often underestimate the value of the follow up call. Remember recruiters get 1000s of applications and sometimes just picking up the phone and getting hold of them forces them to retrieve your CV there and then and actually look at it; this way you established a relationship with them almost immediately and you will be fresh on their mind. This is very important because should another similar role pops up, they will remember you. Bear in mind they have 1000s of people on their database but it is often the person they have spoken to recently who will be put forward for a role, assuming they are a good match.

The team at Chief Recruitment are here to help and support you with your recruitment needs or any general job advice. Please reach out to us at info@chiefrec.com

The post How To Job Hunt appeared first on Chief Recruitment.

Here are 10 steps to write a CV

FORMAT

• 1. CV Length

Keep it brief and easily read by using clear spacing and bullet points. – two sides of A4 will almost always suffice.

• 2. Font Choice and Font Size

Choose something professional, clear and easy to read such Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman with font size between 10 to 12, although your name and the section headings can be a little larger (size 14 or 16) and/or bolded.

Whichever you choose, avoid fonts like brush script or cooper black, that will make you CV look more like its fit for a comic or magazine rather than a job application.

• 3. Clear & Chronological Layout

The layout of your CV should be in a logical order, with sufficient spacing and clear section headings.

Where you are listing items that include dates, for example work and educational history, make sure you lay these out in chronological order; starting with the most recent items first in the list.

• 4. Spelling & Grammar

Check your grammar and spelling thoroughly… and then check it again!

CONTACT INFORMATION

 DOs

• As a minimum, include your name, mobile or phone number, a suitable email address, and your home address, although a postcode or the city you live in is fine also.
• Consider adding social media profiles that are applicable to the position, such as a well curated ‘all-star’ LinkedIn profile. Other profiles such as Facebook, Medium and Twitter, may be valuable but this will vary depending on the role.

 DON’Ts

• Use an unprofessional email address, like Starboy86@hotmail.co.uk. Set-up a completely separate email address for professional use only if you do not already have one.
• Add your personal information, such as marital status, nationality or religious faith.
• Include a head shot photograph of yourself.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

A study revealed that on average recruiters spend just under 9 seconds looking at your CV . So, similar to the way someone can quickly pass you by when using dating apps like hinge, use your Personal Statement (sometimes called Profile or Summary) section of your CV to really sell yourself and give the recruiter a reason to read on.

In one or two sentences, summarise who you are, your work experience and relevant skills, aiming to prove why you are suitable for the position. Keep this strong and simple.

KEY SKILLS

The “skills” section of your CV is a place where you can show your strengths and individuality. Start by stating each of your key skills as a bullet point that are most relevant to the role you are applying for.

Then back it up with a short account of how you learned that skill or why you believe you have it. Make these entries short, keeping to two- to three-lines clear straight to the point text.

This can often be a great place to add value to you CV by including things like computer software names you have proficiency in.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

This section shows when and where you have worked. Covering specific accomplishments you have made during each of the jobs you held.

Listing your relevant experiences in reverse chronological order, include your job title, the name of the employer, time in the position, and a few key responsibilities.

Rather than focusing too much on what responsibilities were in your previous roles, show what you achieved there and some of the skills you developed. A job title is enough to show an employer roughly what you did, but it does not necessarily show your achievements.

Should I avoid gaps in my CVs work experience?

Whether it is through choice or forgetfulness, some people leave previous jobs off their CV; resulting in a gap in their employment history.

Even if you were a stay-at-home parent for a while, include it. If a potential employer has to guess how you were spending your time during your employment gaps, they will likely suspect the worst.

WRITING UP YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS

Here are some simple methods of how best to include your achievements in your CV’s employment history section:

 BEST

1. Led a team of sales and marketing executives in a promotional campaign that resulted in increased sales of £650k and the company exceeding its annual sales targets by 32%.
2. Revamped the business page on Facebook that now reached over 95,000 followers (up 38% in just 2 months); which generated over 1,200 customer leads resulting in over 4% increase in bottom line profitability.

 NOT IDEAL

1. Led a team of sales and marketing executives in a promotional campaign resulting in exceeding the company’s annual sales targets.
2. Redesigned the Facebook business page which generated new customer leads resulting in increased profitability.

And remember, do not worry as to whether your experiences are “good enough”, employers admire people who have worked hard in a variety of positions.

INCLUDING EDUCATION ON YOUR CV

Placing the most recent first, list your educational experience and achievements in this section of your CV, include the school attended, dates of study, the type of qualification and/or the grade you achieved.

You may also wish to include other vocational qualifications in this section too such as HGV driving license or Microsoft Certified Engineer etc.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SECTION

In this section you can list various additional things that may be relevant to your application and help you to stand out. For many within this section they include their hobbies and interests.

You do not always need to include hobbies and interests in your CV but mentioning relevant ones could back up your skills – not to mention give you something to talk about at an interview.

Other options of what could be included in this section are:

Publications and Presentations: List any publications (digital or traditional media) you have written, co-written, or contributed to. You should also include any publications you are currently working on. Include any conferences you have presented at; listing the conference name and location, and the date you presented.

Professional Memberships: Include any professional associations that you are a current member of. Likewise, if you are a board member of any professional body, also list your title.

BUZZWORDS ON YOUR CV

Deciding on what keywords to use within your CV can be a bit of challenge, especially if you are not someone who has a strong vocabulary.

Generally speaking, the best types of words to use are predominately action verbs.

Action verbs help describe the skills you’ve highlighted to employers in your CV. Having an action verb at the beginning of a line in your bulleted list also helps keep the descriptions of each, short, yet powerful.

Appropriate keywords for your CV could include:

• Achieved
• Analysed
• Built
• Coordinated
• Created
• Designed
• Developed
• Increased
• Launched
• Marketed
• Organised
• Reduced

CV FORMAT

Saving Your CV As A PDF

Most employers prefer to receive a CV in PDF Format . To create yours, look for the “Save as PDF” or “Print to PDF” option in your word processing software, such as Microsoft Word. Review the file carefully to make sure any text and spacing formatting you added has been preserved in the PDF version of the document.

Emailing A CV

When emailing a CV, you will likely be asked to send it as an attachment. Review the job listing carefully to see if there is a preferred format; most likely, employers will ask for a PDF.

Remember to save the file as Firstname_Lastname_CV or CV_Firstname_Lastname.

At Chief Recruitment, we will accept CVs in many file formats, however, as with most UK recruiters, we generally prefer Word file formats such as .doc or .docx, and PDF files.

Printing Your CV

It is a good idea to have printed copies of your CV on hand when you go on interviews.

Start with a well-formatted document and make sure it has been proofread.

You also want to make sure it is the same version that you submitted as part of your application. Use a high-grade quality paper rather than regular cheap office paper; it will create a much better impression. Make sure your printer has fresh ink and then print a test run to check for any errors or inconsistencies.

Lastly, remember, only print on one side of each piece of paper.

CV WITH COVERING LETTER

According to statistics, as many as 56% of recruiters would say a cover letter to accompany as CV these days is just about redundant. A cover letter still remains one of the most important opportunities you will get to connect with an employer or hiring manager. It is the one and only opportunity you are likely to have to grab their attention and make them want to meet you instead of many of the other CVs they may have piled up in front of them.

Representing your career interests and highlighting your most relevant skills and experiences, a professionally written cover letter can say a lot about you as a person and as a prospective employee. So, you should have in mind that a prospective employer will be looking for your attention to detail.

So after hours spent crafting a great CV, just how do you write a cover letter?

Use our comprehensive guide on how to write a Cover Letter to accompany your CV:

The team at Chief Recruitment are here to help and support you with your recruitment needs or any general job advice. Please reach out to us at info@chiefrec.com

The post CV Writing Tips appeared first on Chief Recruitment.

A cover letter is a short document sent to potential employers that summarises the job seeker’s work experience, relevant skills, and personal interest in a particular job opening. It is meant to introduce the job seeker and serve as a personal supplement to a CV.

Do Your Research Before You Start Writing

First things first, you need to do your research.

Take some time to look into the company and role you are applying for – and then use this information to adapt your cover letter accordingly.

Doing this research beforehand will also help give you an idea of the appropriate tone to use in the cover letter and of any points you should mention, bearing in mind such factors as the organisation’s sector, ethos and values.

The important things you should research before writing are:

• Who will be receiving and reading your letter?
• The skills and experience mentioned in the job description
• What does the company do?
• Who are the company’s competitors?
• The sector and any recent news or trends
• The organisation’s target audience
• What are the essential skills for the role?

Based on the answers you find to your research questions, you will then be able to express to the prospective employer within your cover letter how your skills and abilities, and potentially values, align with those of the required role and company.

How To Format A Cover Letter

It is essential that your cover letter is well-presented, concise, and to-the-point.

But pay particular attention to:

Format

• A professional business layout is important, addressed to a named individual – This information is easier to find than it has ever been before, so there is no excuse as to getting any names wrong or not addressing the cover letter personally to the employer.
• Start with your address and contact details in the top right-hand corner – Make sure your contact details are sensible – email addresses like starboy86@hotmail.co.uk will not make you look very professional! You should then follow this with the address of the company you are applying for and the date further down and on the left-hand side.
• Aim for a maximum of one side of A4 – preferably half a page if possible, and using the same font style as you have used in your CV.
• State the position that you are applying for – This may sound obvious but many applications will say “I would like to apply for the role advertised”, this may do the job in small companies, but for larger companies they may have more than one vacancy at any given time, adding unnecessary confusion to your application.

It is always best to address your letter to the reader directly, e.g

Dear Full Name, e.g. Dear Peter Jacobs,

Dear Mr Surname, e.g. Dear Mr Jacobs,

Dear Ms Surname, e.g. Dear Ms. Jacobs,

(never presume marital status, so write Ms instead of Miss/Mrs)

If you do not know the name of the person who will be receiving your placement cover letter, there a few things you can do:

• Contact the company and ask for the name of the person who is tasked with reading the cover letter.
• Address your cover letter to the manager of the department you will be working in.
• If you cannot locate the person who handles recruitment, address your placement cover letter to someone who works in HR.

What To Say

• Briefly introduce yourself – State what position you are applying for and where you saw it advertised. For a speculative letter, include the type of work you are seeking.
• Start with a strong introduction to draw the reader in – The first sentence of a cover letter will either grab an employer’s attention or lose it, so it needs to cleverly prove that you understand what their current requirements are. In the first paragraph communicate your unique selling points that will help them solve their problems, such as relevant sector experience, skills, qualifications and achievements, instead of the generic “I would like to apply for the role of XXX.”
• Express an interest in their company – Let the employer know why you picked their company, this will allow them to see that you have a genuine interest in working for them.
• Tell them why they should choose you – As with our generic cover letter above, don’t just write that you think you are suitable for the position, tell them why you think you are suitable. Provide evidence of your key strengths by referring to experiences on your CV. Aim for your key strengths to reflect the requirements of the employer and position.
• Indicate your availability for an interview.
• Sign off professionally – Conclude the main body of the cover letter with a power phrase such as, “I would like to discuss in greater detail the value I could bring to your organisation,” and close with the formal and widely accepted “Best regards” or “Yours Sincerely”. If you did not find the name of the person end your letter with ‘’Yours Faithfully.’’

The Don’ts

• Don’t drivel on – keep it brief. The employer is usually strapped for time and will only be interested in the concrete facts rather than quirkiness or clichés.
• Don’t just repeat what you’ve said on your CV or LinkedIn profile – a cover letter should complement these other job application materials, and should really serve as a means to support and enhance your overall profile as a prospective employee.
• Don’t write in the third person – A cover letter is, after all as its name suggests, a letter, and if written correctly as described above, addressed directly to the employer. You are essentially using this document as a personal marketing tool, and while a cover letter’s tone of voice should be professional, it should also be sufficiently conversational to engage the employer and communicate your personality, values and interest in the role.

Sending A Cover Letter In 2021

With today’s technology, it is common to send a cover letter – and a whole job application, for that matter – online or via email.

With this in mind, if you just need to send your cover letter as an attachment, then write it as explained above, but when it comes to saving it, make sure you save it as a PDF file; this will allow any computer &/or smart-phone mobile device to be able to view the file, and as a bonus all of your text/font formatting will be preserved as you intended it to look.

If however you have been asked to send your cover letter as an email, your method will need to be slightly changed. First, make sure you format the subject line of your email like this:

Application for [Job Title] [(Job Ref No.)] – [Your Name]

e.g.

Application for Recruitment Consultant (REC001) – David Peters

Once you’ve done that, then there’s also a few changes to make to the layout of your cover letter. The core paragraphs can be the same as an A4 copy of your cover letter, but for the email version you should remove the heading and footer elements such as the addresses, date and signature.

The team at Chief Recruitment are here to help and support you with your recruitment needs or any general job advice. Please reach out to us at info@chiefrec.com

The post Cover Letter Tips appeared first on Chief Recruitment.

They are a way for employers to assess your intelligence, skills and personality.

In other words, recruiters use psychometric tests scores to work out whether or not to hire you.

These tests also evaluate your capacity to work with others, process information and cope with stress.

The majority of psychometric tests are taken online, although paper tests are sometimes used.

A Brief History of Psychometric Tests

It was in 1905 that Alfred Binet introduced the first ‘intelligence test’.

They have since evolved to become a common feature of a selection process.

Particularly within large, competitive organisations, these types of test are frequently used as they can assess candidates based on their acquired skills rather than their educational background.

Why and When Are Psychometric Tests Used?

Recruiters like to use psychometric tests for the following reasons:

• They are objective and impersonal, allowing candidates to be compared in ability terms without unconscious bias;
• They help to make the recruitment process more efficient and can represent substantial HR costs;
• They are proven to be reliable indicators of future job performance.

The tests may appear at any stage in the recruitment process but usually, you will undertake the test at one of these three stages:

1. Immediately after you submit your application form
2. As an add-on to your interview
3. Immediately before or after your actual interview

What Do Psychometric Tests Measure?

The term ‘psychometric’ is coined from the Greek words for mental and measurement.

There are three main areas that the tests explore:

1. Your capabilities,
2. Your aptitude for the job,
3. To determine whether your personality fits in with the vision of the organisation you are hoping to join.

Essentially, the tests are looking to evaluate your intelligence, aptitude and personality, as well as how you handle pressure and your working style.

What Are the Different Types of Psychometric Test?

As explained further below, there are essentially three categories: aptitude tests, skills tests and personality tests.

Let’s examine each in turn:

Aptitude Tests

Aptitude tests aim to assess a specific or general set of skills, though this often depends on the type of job that you are applying for.

Categories found within this group include:

• Numerical reasoning test. Used to identify how you interpret data, often via a combination of written and statistical information presented in reports, graphs or charts. This can also be used to assess basic mathematical abilities. Try a free sample test below.
• Verbal reasoning test. Used as a way to determine your ability to evaluate detailed written information so as to make an informed decision. Try a free sample test below.
• Inductive reasoning test. These require you to identify trends or patterns, typically using diagrammatic information. Try a free sample test below.
• Diagrammatic reasoning test. These assess your capacity for logical reasoning, using flowcharts and diagrams. Try a free sample test below.
• Logical reasoning test. Aims to evaluate your skills in reaching a conclusion. You may be provided with some information and then asked to make a decision on what you have been provided with. As such, these tests are also often known as deductive reasoning tests.
• Error checking test. Assesses your ability to quickly identify any errors in complex data sets such as codes, or combinations of alpha-numeric characters.

The type of test that you will have to undertake will be determined by the job type and sector.

As with any type of recruitment related test, it is always recommended that you familiarise yourself with the process so that you know what to expect and are adequately prepared.

Psychometric tests are quite formal and impersonal but there are many ways in which you can practice and prepare.

Increasingly, psychometric tests are completed online using specialist systems that removes the requirement for a paper-based test.

Personality Tests

Personality assessments enable employers to evaluate your suitability based on your behaviour and the way in which you approach your work.

This will be used to determine how well you will fit into the organisation and the culture of the business.

Your responses will often be cross-referenced with those of a top-performing employee or successful manager, which will be an indication as to whether you share the same characteristics.

Employers look at many factors during the recruitment process, from your knowledge and experience through to your aptitude in areas such as decision making and teamwork.

Increasingly, they will use personality tests as a way to determine if you have the right attitude and personality to fit in with the company’s culture and vision.

Myers Briggs is one of the most commonly used personality tests.

After progressing through a series of questions about how you would feel or act in a given scenario, you will be assigned to one of sixteen personality types based on your responses.

Employers then review this personality type to see if you would fit in with their organisational values.

There is rarely a time limit, as they are looking for you to answer the questions honestly (though it’s worth having a sense of the job description and the employer needs in the back of your head as you go along).

How to Prepare for (and Pass) Aptitude Tests

Practising similar aptitude tests beforehand is likely to improve your performance in the real tests.

As such, try to become more familiar with the types of test you may face by completing practice questions.

https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/

The above website is an excellent resource and contains practice tests and solutions for just about every online test you can take including numerical, verbal, diagrammatic, and logical reasoning. There are also personality and situational judgment tests.

Preparation Before the Test

Treat aptitude tests like an interview: get plenty of rest and sleep, plan your journey to the test site, and arrive on time and appropriately dressed.

Listen to (or read) the instructions you are given and follow them precisely.

Before the actual aptitude test itself, you will almost certainly be given practice examples to try.

Make sure you ask questions if anything is unclear at this stage.

You will normally be given some paper on which to make rough workings.

Often you can be asked to hand these in with the test, but typically they do not form part of the assessment.

Taking the Test

You should work quickly and accurately through the test.

Don’t get stuck on any particular question: should you have any problems, return to it at the end of the test.

You should divide your time per question as accurately as you can – typically this will be between 50 and 90 seconds per question.

Remember that the tests are difficult and often you will not be expected to answer all the questions.

Be particularly cautious if the aptitude test uses negative marking; if this is not the case, answer as many questions as possible in the time given.

Remember that multiple-choice options are often designed to mislead you, with incorrect choices including common mistakes that candidates make.

When approaching any type of psychometric test, it is really important that you do not try and give answers that you think the employer will want to read, as they can usually see when candidates try to do this.

If you are the right match for the business, you should find the tests relatively straightforward.

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