Nowadays a CV has become an important tool of seeking a job or even finding a better one – if you are building a carreer. With a little effort, you can create a CV that will make you stand out from the other candidates. Here are some tips how to reshape your CV to make it an effective tool for your job-hunt.

1. Know who it’s for!

Be clear about who you are creating your CV for. Know what the role is, who the employer is, exactly what they are looking for. The more you can learn about your target, the better you can tailor your CV specifically for them.

2. Be short and relevant!

Keep your CV short and sharp. Put in relevant information only and use it to highlight the best bits of information about you. Make it a document which causes people to want more.

A beautifully designed and formatted paper CV can make a great impact if handed over in a meeting with prospective employers, recruiters and networking contacts. A shorter (one-page) CV can be more appropriate at industry events – such as conferences – when you might want to give only a brief overview of your career and stand-out achievements. And although a traditional CV and cover letter combination is still the standard job application method, the growing popularity of social networks has made a supplementary, online presence vital in many industries. So, don’t neglect your online presence!

3. Align your online and offline CVs!

Think about your online profile as well as your paper CV. A personal blog or online portfolio is a good way to provide extra information about your background and links to your work. Platforms such as LinkedIn also allow you to embed information via slideshare presentations, files, and multimedia content. These days people search online to find out about you and will expect to see a LinkedIn profile. This is also a great way to be headhunted and found directly by organisations so don’t miss out on this opportunity.

4. Be genuine!

Never lie in your CV. Be true to who you are and what you have done otherwise you risk being caught out and people can usually see through a made-up CV. Make sure that you really want this job and that you know you can do it!

5. Highlight your strengths!

Think about what you are good at and how you can articulate these things in your CV. Stick with your strengths and do not highlight what you feel you may be lacking, weak in or missing out on.

As you may know all too well by now, writing a resume with all the right keywords, the best information about yourself, and just enough exaggeration is already a major obstacle standing between you and an exciting new job. To make things worse, there’s a chance it’ll go unnoticed at the bottom of a recruiter‘s overloaded inbox. But it looks like one dude has come up with a brilliant solution for both of those problems: delivering his resume in a box of donuts. Really.

Lukas Yla, a 25-year-old Lithuanian marketing professional looking for work in San Francisco, said he’s already made 40 of the donut-resume deliveries to recruiters at area marketing agencies and tech firms by posing as a Postmates delivery person. On the outside, the packages look like a box of fancy donuts, which as you can imagine, is easily enough to get someone’s attention. On the inside, the recipient will find not just a few of the sugary dough rings, but Yla’s resume front and center. Genius, right?

Yla said it was “a bit odd” to pose as a delivery worker at first, but that the strategy is paying off. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he’s already landed several job interviews.

“I had 10 interviews so far and I haven’t delivered donuts to all the companies I admire and love what they’re doing yet,” he said. “Recruiters, marketing pros and people in general love this kind of approach, it’s something you didn’t expect, fun and out of the box.”

Yla said the intense competition for tech and marketing jobs in San Francisco compelled him to come up with a strategy to stand out.

“I was looking for the most direct way to reach decision makers at the companies,” he said via email. “I thought, that I might fail competing only on ‘resume’ level with other candidates that have work experience in San Francisco.”

Well, he’s certainly getting recruiters’ attention now, thanks to all those delicious donuts. We wish him the best of luck.

source: thrillist.com

Have you ever written a resume/CV in English? Here is a little help for you.

What your CV should include

Typically a CV contains several of the sections listed below:

– Name and contact details

– Personal statement (or profile)

– Skills

– Work history

– Achievements

– Education

– Interests and hobbies

– Referees.

Some sections of a CV are usually more important than others. For example:

– name and contact details are essential

– a personal statement or profile is optional

– listing your education is often essential

– the achievements section and interests and hobbies section are optional

The way you order these sections is usually as listed above.

Name and contact details

Include:

– first and last name (this should be in a large bolded font)

– phone number (preferably a landline and cellphone)

– email address

– physical postal address, including area code.

If you have an online work profile, such as LinkedIn, put it here as well.

Personal statement or profile

A personal statement gives the employer a little insight into who you are. It typically includes information such as:

– what you are currently doing for employment or education

– what it is about the job you are applying for that attracted you to it

– your reason for wanting to change jobs

– your career aspirations.

The personal statement is usually an employer’s first impression of who you are, so don’t be shy – sell yourself. Keep it concise – three or four sentences will usually do.

Skills

You can create a list of specific skills. For example:

– customer service

– sales and marketing

– machine operation.

– leadership

– teamwork

– confident and able communicator

Work history

Work history is usually given chronologically, which means you list your most recent job first and work back. Start by stating:

– when you held the position

– the job title/position

– the name of the employer

– where the job was located.

Beneath this, list the tasks you performed. You can also list any notable achievements.

Fresh out of school or college and in need of a job? We are all aware of the fact that not many jobs are advertised with complete beginners in mind. Nevertheless, one has to try one’s best to land a job and preferably one that, if not exactly your dream job, is at least decent. Here are a few tips to get started and make a good impression at your interview.

Writing your first CV

Employment history is obviously the section that can give a headache to school leavers. If you have no work experience at all, you can substitute this section for ’Personal Successes’ and describe your achievements and the skills required, for example voluntary work or sporting achievements, which show that you are capable of working hard. Taking a summer job as a student even if you don’t need the money will give you not only valuable insight into how workplaces are organised, but also something relevant to put on your CV.

If you manage to land an internship during the summer, consider yourself lucky, although sacrificing your last carefree summer might seem quite frustrating. However, an internship in the line of work you’re interested in has two things to offer: relevant work experience, on the one hand, and the opportunity to make contacts and find out about openings, on the other. Companies are more likely to hire someone after a successful internship than take a risk with a completely inexperienced person.

Make a good impression

Job interviews are often a negative experience for teens and young people due to nerves or mistakes. The good news is that interview skills can be learned and it’s worth practicing your answers to common interview questions in advance. Don’t forget that punctuality is very important when arriving and dressing up for an interview is expected. Naturally, you only need to wear a full suit if you apply for an office job, but it’s better not to show up in jeans and a T-shirt even for a summer camp job. It is also a good idea to ask a few job-related questions to show the interviewer that you’re interested in the position and the company.

Common interview questions

Tell me a little about yourself.

Be brief and focus on your skills, abilities and interests. This is definitely not the time to talk about your childhood, football trophies or the music you like. The interviewer is interested in what your plans are for the present and the future.

Why do you want to work for us?

This is your opportunity to talk about why you chose to apply for the job, why you think you’d fit in well and what you can offer to the company. And make sure you don’t say “because of the money.”

What extracurricular activities did you participate in?

This is the chance to show your personality, naturally, in a positive light. Therefore, pick extracurriculars that reflect your best traits and your interests.

Why should I hire you?

Don’t try to seem more experienced than you really are – making up things will just lead to trouble.

How has school prepared you for working at our company?

Talk about relevant classes, like IT, and courses that required you to do project work, do research and learn time management.

What are your salary expectations?

If you lack experience, it’s not easy to answer this question. Often employers offer only minimum wages to people fresh out of school, therefore it’s a good idea to ask around to find out how much people doing similar work actually earn.

Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor or teacher?

Here you’re not expected to go on a rant about a weird or annoying supervisor or teacher. Focus on differences in personality or working styles and how you can overcome these. Come up with an example of how you learned something from an unpleasant situation and how this experience helped you become more aware of the necessity of team work, for example.

Tell me about a major problem you recently handled.

Employers want to get a sense of your problem solving skills, so give an example of a problem, including information on how you resolved it. This could be, for example, a problem you encountered in working on a group project.

in need of – valamire szüksége van
nevertheless – ennek ellenére
to land a job – állást kapni
decent – rendes, megfelelő
employment history – előző munkahelyek
to give a headache to – fejfájást okoz valakinek
work experience – munkatapasztalat
to substitute – helyettesíteni
voluntary – önkéntes
to be capable of – képes valamire
insight into – rálátás
relevant – releváns, tárgyhoz tartozó
internship – szakmai gyakorlat
opening – üresedés
to hire – felvenni, alkalmazni
to take a risk – kockázatot vállalni
due to – valami következtében
it’s worth – megéri
in advance – előre
punctuality – pontosság
brief – rövid
to apply for – jelentkezni valamire
to fit in – belilleszkedni
extracurricular activities – iskolán kívüli elfoglaltság
therefore – emiatt, ebből következőleg
to make something up – kitalálni valamit (ami nem igaz)
time management – időbeosztás
salary expectations – kereseti elvárás
lack – hiány
minimum wages – minimálbér
to ask around – kérdezősködni, körbeérdeklődni
similar – hasonló
supervisor – munkafelügyelő
to go on a rant – dühöngeni
personality – személyiség
to overcome – legyőzni
unpleasant situation – kellemetlen helyzet
problem solving skills – problémamegoldó képesség
to encounter – találkozni

A JOB INTERVIEW – A PART-TIME JOB (a hanganyagot a cikk tetején találod)

Man: Hello, Maureen, nice to meet you.
Woman: Hello Mr. Radfield, nice to meet you.
Man: So you’re interested in working as a waitress. Why should I hire you?
Woman: I had a summer job as a waitress the past two years in our local café and I believe I did well. I put the owner, Mrs Fox down in the references section on my CV.
Man: How many hours would you like to work?
Woman: The position you advertised is an evening part-time job. I would be happy to work Monday to Friday.
Man: Restaurants are at their busiest Friday and Saturday nights. Could you do Saturdays?
Woman: I’m sure I can manage Saturdays during the summer but I’ll be at college starting from September. Is there any chance of swapping two workdays for Saturday? I’m sure you’ll understand that I also need to do some coursework and that would be impossible if I have to work 6 evenings out of 7.
Man: I’ll have to think this over. Now tell me about a major problem you recently handled.
Woman: Last year we had a difficult client who sent back a perfectly good pizza for some reason. I offered him a tea and a biscuit on the house while he was waiting for the new pizza. Luckily, that calmed him down, as I hoped.
Man: Did you ask the manager if you were allowed to offer anything on the house?
Woman: There was no time, he was just about to start shouting. But it turned out to be the right decision.

A JOB INTERVIEW – A FULL-TIME JOB 

Woman: Hello Jim, I’m glad you could come at such short notice.
Man: Hello Ms Diaz. Luckily, I was in town today – sorry I’m not dressed appropriately, I wasn’t expecting an interview. I’m completely aware of office dress codes.
Woman: No problem, I understand. After your internship last summer we were really glad to receive your application.
Man: I really enjoyed working here last year and now I have my degree I’m looking for a proper job.
Woman: Based on your previous experience we can offer you a full-time position starting the first of next month.
Man: I had a taste of how this company works last year. What are the responsibilities of this position?
Woman: For the month of August you’d be doing the same job as last year. You can take over during the month of September from Claire, the Finance Department secretary. You do remember her, don’t you? She’s going on maternity leave.
Man: Is overtime expected?
Woman: Not at all, except during the yearly budget review.
Man: I am definitely interested. Can I have some more details, please?

]]> https://www.5percangol.hu/business_english_tananyagok/uj-allas-uj-karrier/ Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:26:37 +0000 https://cmsteszt.5percangol.hu/uj-allas-uj-karrier/ Changing jobs, finding a new career

If you are not satisfied with your situation at your workplace you should quit a find something that is more suitable for you.

What are the reasons someone wants a change in his or her career?

–          you want to work for a biggerfirm
–          your department is not well established
–          it is far away from your home
–          your company is losing customers/money
–          rumoursof possible closure/bankruptcy/redundancy
–          bad relationship with your boss/colleagues
–          you don’t enjoy it any more
–          high stress level that is affecting your physical and mental health
–          you are unchallenged and need more responsibility
–          you want to earn more

Whether you’re looking for your very first job, switching careers or re-entering the job market, finding a job is not an easy task. How to get prepared for a job interview?

Revise your resume/CV:  before you start job hunting, make sure that your resume is as complete and as up-to-date as possible.

Get prepared for an introduction:When at an interview, the interviewer wants you to get relaxed, and speak about your accomplishments, why you want to work there and what your future goals are. The key is to keep it short – between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Memorize it, but don’t sound like a robot!

Make a list of work-related skills you’d like to learn:Your employer is interested in hearing about how you want to become a better employee.

Be computer literate:Most jobs require people who are computer literate and know how to operate different equipment, like fax machines, scanners, photocopiers.

Be communicative:Employers prefer to hire people who are able to express their thoughts efficiently both verbally and in written communication.

Research the company:Become familiar with the history of the company. When applying for a job, you should learn as much as you can about the company you want to work at.

suitable – megfelelő, testhezálló
reason – oka valaminek
firm – vállalat, cég
department – részleg, osztály
established – megalapozott
customer – kliens, vásárló, ügyfél
rumour – pletyka, szóbeszéd
possible – lehetséges
closure – bezárás
bankruptcy – csőd
redundancy – leépítés
relationship – kapcsolat
to affect – hatással lenni valamire
mental health – szellemi egészség
to be unchallenged – nincsenek kihívások számára
to get prepared for – valamire felkészülni
up-to-date – naprakész
accomplishment – eredmény
to memorize – memorizál
computer literate – ért a számítástechikához
to operate – kezelni, használni, működtetni
equipment – felszerelés, berendezés
to express – kifejezni
thought – gondolat
efficiently – hatékonyan
both … and … – mind … mind …
verbally – szóban
written communication – írásos kommunikáció
to be familiar with – otthonosnak lenni valamiben
to apply for a job – jelentkezni egy állásra