Demo Course 1 Finding The Career For You
Facts and figures on searching for a job
84 per cent of companies use social media to find candidates.
The average time spent looking at a CV is 6 seconds.
On average, 80 per cent of job vacancies are never advertised.
Almost 50 per cent of CVs are discarded because they are longer than 2 pages.
40 per cent of interviewers agree that not smiling in an interview can cost you the job.
Stats from (topcv.co.uk)
If you are looking to change careers
The CV should not revolve entirely around your experience, more the transferable skills for the new career you are looking to get into.
In the employment section briefly outline your experience and only mention the experience where you acquired key skills for your new career.
Relate any key words from your past experience to that of the job specification for your new job.
Focus less on the duties and more on the transferable skills.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new” Socrates
Making your CV stand out/key advice
Be sure to include a key achievements section with each job or any work employment you have been in.
Keep it simple and easy to read- maximum 2 sizes of font and 2 font types.
The CV is not only about you- understand either your desired career or a job description and be sure to link information to this as much as possible.
What is the right length of CV?
You want to aim to have a maximum of 2 pages for your CV.
Having a CV of this length allows the employer to digest your information without it being over the top and exhaustive.
Using your direct network
This is a great way to start to your job searching process. This is the preferential way to secure a job, because all of the process is in your control and you can take full ownership of the outcomes.
Who do you know?
Think about the people who you have had interaction with throughout your professional life or education.
Get them to make introductions to people that they know who are relevant for the industry you are looking to get into.
Not only are you looking for recommendations, but you can also ask for some valuable advice on what you need to do to ensure you are marketing yourself in the right way.
The thing you already know, is that they are closely linked to the industry you want to get into.
Face to face interview preparation
Look at the profile of the people/person who are/is interviewing you on LinkedIn.
Look at their backgrounds and experience. Look into;
- What routes they have gone through to get into their current position?
- The education/courses they have experience in, and how this may be similar to your journey.
- If there is a good topic of discussion that you can see from their profile. For example, what are their hobbies, what groups are they following, who are the mutual connections you have etc.
How to make a good impression?
Be likable when you are in the interview. This is doing the basic things such as being open and responsive.
Be curious when you are engaging in conversation. When the interviewer is speaking, be interested in what they are talking about.
Do the basics like giving the interviewer eye contact, and smile and nod when they say something important or interesting.
Make sure you have good body posture and you are not slouching. Speak clearly and positively about things you have done without seeming arrogant.
Your first week in the job
Build meaningful relationships
Whilst in working hours, and in the office, it is a great opportunity to have business related conversations with the people around you.
Learning from others will help you, and your peers will appreciate you are taking out the time to understand more about them and the business.
Perceptions on people are made very quickly, so why not have people think of you as someone who is willing to learn and wants to better themselves.
Work out of core hours and build knowledge
There is plenty of material online and books which can help you in elevating your knowledge.
Make your job your passion. If you are passionate about something you make it your objective to become as skilled as possible.
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life”- Charles Darwin