.gif)
Career Masterclass: CVs
Almost every job application begins with the production of a CV. Getting it right is vital to maximise your chances of landing your next job. We'll touch briefly on the basics of putting the document together before looking at some specific areas that, with a little thought or polish, could be the difference between landing and losing your next career opportunity.
The Basics
There's an awful lot of advice out there regarding the basic construction of a CV. We'll run through the key points very briefly here but for greater detail check out the Careers Basics section on theappointment.co.uk - the QR code below will also take you direct to the relevant section. So, the main points to bear in mind are:
- Keep it short - two sides of A4 is enough.
- Keep it professional - no unusual fonts, colours or backgrounds.
- Ensure it is in an emailable format - MS Word or similar.
- Use a nice, logical order - after your personal details should usually come work details, starting with the most recent job, then educational details and then references. Graduates or those without much work experience might choose to put education first.
- Explain any gaps in your work history.
- Make sure it is both honest and relevant to the role being advertised.
- Spellcheck it. Then spellcheck it again.
Generic or Specific?
You shouldn't think of your CV as a static document that, once written, can just be emailed out to all and sundry irrespective of the job. To really maximise the impact it has you're going to need at least two CVs, a generic one and a job-specific one. Both of these will require regular updating.
- Generic CV - you need to a have a document you can upload to searchable online CV banks. Your work history on this generic document should emphasise the strongest achievements of your career as you see them. Elements recruiters tend to like include leadership, change management, tenacity and P&L accountability. As your career develops make sure you keep these documents up-to-date - it's the only way to do yourself justice.
- Job-specific CV - if you can, you will increase your job prospects dramatically if you reformat your CV to reflect the requirements of a specific advertised vacancy. The more relevant the information you've included, the more attractive a candidate you will be to recruiters. This does NOT mean make false claims about your skills or experience. Instead think hard about the jobs you've performed and the skills they have required and bring qualities mentioned in the advert to the fore.
"Almost every job application begins with the production of a CV. Getting it right is vital to maximise your chances of landing your next job."
Sector Separation: Chefs and CVs
Chefs' applications are far less likely to be CV-driven - particularly in the earlier stages of their careers. A large percentage of chefs get new roles through other chefs or GMs they have worked with before. They are 'craft-based' people who work long hours in environments not commonly populated with PCs.
However, as they get more senior the need for a CV documenting their career progress to 'sell' them to prospective employers becomes more pronounced. Derren Strowger of specialist recruitment consultancy Hospitality and Leisure Recruitment outlines some best practice for chefs looking to put together a killer CV:
"Clients are most interested in the type of establishments chefs have worked in. When describing employment history, be as factual as possible: the number of rooms, stars, rosettes, restaurant & banqueting covers etc. If the potential employer does not know the property this will give them a good idea of the type and style of the chefs' employers and former employers. There can be a general tendency to over-elaborate when writing CVs."
Personal Statements
A little while back The Appointment and our good friends at inretail.co.uk undertook a little bit of research as to the value of the personal statement some people choose to include on their CVs. You know, they usually go like: "A highly motivated professional with extensive experience of blah, blah".
We asked some recruiters from across retail and hospitality for their professional opinions. There's not a great deal of love out there for them however the first quote in the 'pro' category is worth considering if you're thinking about a move abroad.
The case for including a personal statement:
- "I do think they have a place if someone is making a big career change - moving location or sector etc - as they can use it to explain what they're up to."
- "Done well, i.e. brief and succinct, they are fine. They need to give a flavour of the person."
The case against including a personal statement:
- "Often superfluous and filled with buzz words - rarely useful."
- "I don't read them when they're on a CV. They are usually quite generic."
- "Irrespective of content they always leave me liking the person a little less."