1. You never know when the dream job might arise and you want to be ready to apply for it, TODAY!
2. You would be amazed by how your skills and experience change month by month, make sure your CV represents ALL you can do.
3. A regular CV review helps you see yourself as you really are, helping you focus on your goals and select career development opportunities.
4. We are not in a world where we have a "job for life" anymore; make sure that if you get the redundancy letter you are ready to be the first on the desk for a new job.
5. If you don't know how great you are, how do you expect your boss to know; updating your CV is the perfect preparation for your annual appraisal.
If you'd like your CV reviewed or would like to work with a specialist to improve it, then contact us at spinningcareers@gmail.com
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Sunday, 27 March 2011
What your online presence says about you
You will no doubt have read or heard this weekend how social network pressure on ING has changed their policy on banker bonuses.
You might cheer at this, you might despair; but either I'm sure you have realised how much power in our 'real' lives our social network presence has.
And with power must come caution!
Ask yourself a few questions:
1. Do you think about what current and future employers, colleagues or clients might think of you if they saw a summary of your Facebook statuses?
2. Would you be happy for your mum or kids to read your tweets?
3. Do you project a positive impression of yourself online? Is this positive in both your social and professional life?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it would be advisable to consider what and how you share in the future. Don't let one comment on a Facebook profile, out of context, get between you and your next promotion, job or contract.
You might cheer at this, you might despair; but either I'm sure you have realised how much power in our 'real' lives our social network presence has.
And with power must come caution!
Ask yourself a few questions:
1. Do you think about what current and future employers, colleagues or clients might think of you if they saw a summary of your Facebook statuses?
2. Would you be happy for your mum or kids to read your tweets?
3. Do you project a positive impression of yourself online? Is this positive in both your social and professional life?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it would be advisable to consider what and how you share in the future. Don't let one comment on a Facebook profile, out of context, get between you and your next promotion, job or contract.
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Why would I need another cv?
The simple answer is ... You Might Not!
But if, like me, you have a range of skills and therefore a number of different opportunities which you could turn your hand to, you should have a number if CVs which demonstrate yourself appropriately.
Let me use myself as an example.
In my pre-motherhood life I worked as a civil engineer, project manager, programme manager, risk analyst, risk manager, value manager, facilitator, workshop organiser, mentor and coach, business owner, academic, lecturer, author, and probably a few more I can't remember.
I had at least four versions of my CV; each was accurate, up to date, factually correct and truthful; but each focussed on a different area of my expertise. I never knew what opportunity might arise which I would want to apply for, I wanted to be ready. So I had a general project management one which showed my breadth of skills and detailed my experience in this field. I had a value and risk management one which detailed my workshop facilitation and procedure experience. I had a version for my work at universities and writing papers and books, this was much more brief about my professional projects but detailed about my writing and presenting skills. Then there was the business and people management version which was for possible roles in a business management context.
I know the concept of multiple CVs might be terrifying, but at the least you should have one version for use if applying for s new role in your current employers organisation and another if a great opportunity elsewhere arose.
But if, like me, you have a range of skills and therefore a number of different opportunities which you could turn your hand to, you should have a number if CVs which demonstrate yourself appropriately.
Let me use myself as an example.
In my pre-motherhood life I worked as a civil engineer, project manager, programme manager, risk analyst, risk manager, value manager, facilitator, workshop organiser, mentor and coach, business owner, academic, lecturer, author, and probably a few more I can't remember.
I had at least four versions of my CV; each was accurate, up to date, factually correct and truthful; but each focussed on a different area of my expertise. I never knew what opportunity might arise which I would want to apply for, I wanted to be ready. So I had a general project management one which showed my breadth of skills and detailed my experience in this field. I had a value and risk management one which detailed my workshop facilitation and procedure experience. I had a version for my work at universities and writing papers and books, this was much more brief about my professional projects but detailed about my writing and presenting skills. Then there was the business and people management version which was for possible roles in a business management context.
I know the concept of multiple CVs might be terrifying, but at the least you should have one version for use if applying for s new role in your current employers organisation and another if a great opportunity elsewhere arose.
Monday, 17 January 2011
What's a CV for anyway?
What's a cv for anyway?
It is very simple, your CV is your promotional material, an advert for yourself. After reading your CV a potential employer should WANT to interview you.
It is a clear, straightforward document that tells your potential employer the important things about you including:
- full name
- postal address
- email address
- telephone number
- age
- marital status
- executive summary: one paragraph synopsis tailored for job sought
- education and qualifications in reverse order including dates and grades
- work history including role, company worked for and responsibilities
- referee names and addresses
But a CV is not just about providing information about you, it is a document to sell you.
To do this a CV needs to be:
- up to date
- clear and easy to navigate
- accurate and honest
- achievement based
- skills focussed
- relevant for the job sought
The worst CVs are vague, incomplete, contain holes in dates, raise more questions than they answer, dishonest.
Employers are used to reading CVs; make sure yours shows you at your best and stands out from the rest.
For help writing your CV contact spinningcareers@gmail.com
It is very simple, your CV is your promotional material, an advert for yourself. After reading your CV a potential employer should WANT to interview you.
It is a clear, straightforward document that tells your potential employer the important things about you including:
- full name
- postal address
- email address
- telephone number
- age
- marital status
- executive summary: one paragraph synopsis tailored for job sought
- education and qualifications in reverse order including dates and grades
- work history including role, company worked for and responsibilities
- referee names and addresses
But a CV is not just about providing information about you, it is a document to sell you.
To do this a CV needs to be:
- up to date
- clear and easy to navigate
- accurate and honest
- achievement based
- skills focussed
- relevant for the job sought
The worst CVs are vague, incomplete, contain holes in dates, raise more questions than they answer, dishonest.
Employers are used to reading CVs; make sure yours shows you at your best and stands out from the rest.
For help writing your CV contact spinningcareers@gmail.com
Friday, 14 January 2011
Parents: how you can help your child apply for university
The last blog post provided some tips for writing the university application personal statement. This is the number one fear for most UCAS applicants, and their parents, but it's only one part of quite a long process through which parents have a key role to play. This post will break down the process into understandable chunks, focussing on the parental role at each stage.
Stage One: Deciding whether university is right for your child
This is, to my mind, the most important stage and one that is often over looked. University is not right for everyone, and for many it will be right after a year or two out of education but not now. As a parent it is all too easy to get caught up in the flow of applying for university places, but the most valuable thing you can do is to talk to your child about how they see their future and help them make the right decision for them.
Stage Two: Selecting the right course for study
So we assume that university is the right way forward for your child. Now comes the part which is easy for some, particularly those following a vocation such as medicine dentistry, engineering or law, but hard for many. Which course to study? Is there a natural interest, in which case it is well worth purusing that. Is there a subject in which your child excels, perhaps that is the obvious route. More likely though is that you and your child will feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of courses available and what they offer. UCAS publish every course at every university, this is the data you will need. It is well worth meeting with a careers advisor either within or outside school at this time and allowing them to help your child to work through the various options that their A-level options lead to.
Stage Three: Shortlisting upto five universities for application
This stage depends to a large extent on stage two, after all you can only go to a university to study film and media if the university offers that course. Once you know which universities offer your course try to write a few lists along the following lines:
- campus or non-campus universities;
- city or town based;
- large or small; within an hour, two hours, or more from home;
- offering halls of residence or not;
- lots of sports/music/drama/clubbing etc activities or not
I was clear when I applied; I didn't want to be too close to home, I wanted to be in a city and I wanted to be able to play my flute in bands. This really did help narrow my choice of universities from over 100 to about 10.
Once you have a shortlist of say 10 I would recommend visiting them. There is no better way to get a feel for a place than visiting, it let's you see where it is in it's town/city, let's you see the students there and allows you to be less daunted if/when you are called for interview. As a parent this is your job; driving or accompanying your child around the country and helping them experience the different universities.
Stage Four: UCAS form and personal statement
The last blog post provides lots of tips on writing the personal statement, and the UCAS form is pretty self explanatory. As a parent it is tempting to want to fill in the form for your child, but please resist the urge. This is a job only the applicant can do, it needs to be their thoughts, their feelings, their desires and their words. Of course you might well be chief checker and editor and no doubt will be making sure it all gets written on time, but let the content be your childs.
Stage Five: Interviews
Not every university will interview every applicant. Some students will be interviewed by every course, some by none; and it is difficult to know which bracket your child will fall into. However it is worth planning for an interview and the first thing that means is you taking your child for a shopping trip to get a smart outfit, a suit or similar. The second thing you can do is to help your child know what they wrote in their personal statement so that it is second nature to them, they can expect to be questioned on what they wrote. The third thing you can do is to reassure your child; interviews are a two way street, helping the course determine if the applicant is right and helping the applicant decide if this is where they would like to spend the next 3 or 4 years.
Stage Six: Selecting preferred course
At the end of all this your child will hopefully have a number of university offers on the table. They may well be asking for different grades, or maybe not. And now it is all down to your child to select which they would like to go to, which did they feel most comfortable at when they visited, which is asking for the most achievable grades, which is the one they want to attend.
It is not easy helping your child think about leaving home and going to university, it is a stressful time for everyone; but by supporting your child and helping them when they want, it can be an amazing experience upon which you embark on the next phase of their life together.
Stage One: Deciding whether university is right for your child
This is, to my mind, the most important stage and one that is often over looked. University is not right for everyone, and for many it will be right after a year or two out of education but not now. As a parent it is all too easy to get caught up in the flow of applying for university places, but the most valuable thing you can do is to talk to your child about how they see their future and help them make the right decision for them.
Stage Two: Selecting the right course for study
So we assume that university is the right way forward for your child. Now comes the part which is easy for some, particularly those following a vocation such as medicine dentistry, engineering or law, but hard for many. Which course to study? Is there a natural interest, in which case it is well worth purusing that. Is there a subject in which your child excels, perhaps that is the obvious route. More likely though is that you and your child will feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of courses available and what they offer. UCAS publish every course at every university, this is the data you will need. It is well worth meeting with a careers advisor either within or outside school at this time and allowing them to help your child to work through the various options that their A-level options lead to.
Stage Three: Shortlisting upto five universities for application
This stage depends to a large extent on stage two, after all you can only go to a university to study film and media if the university offers that course. Once you know which universities offer your course try to write a few lists along the following lines:
- campus or non-campus universities;
- city or town based;
- large or small; within an hour, two hours, or more from home;
- offering halls of residence or not;
- lots of sports/music/drama/clubbing etc activities or not
I was clear when I applied; I didn't want to be too close to home, I wanted to be in a city and I wanted to be able to play my flute in bands. This really did help narrow my choice of universities from over 100 to about 10.
Once you have a shortlist of say 10 I would recommend visiting them. There is no better way to get a feel for a place than visiting, it let's you see where it is in it's town/city, let's you see the students there and allows you to be less daunted if/when you are called for interview. As a parent this is your job; driving or accompanying your child around the country and helping them experience the different universities.
Stage Four: UCAS form and personal statement
The last blog post provides lots of tips on writing the personal statement, and the UCAS form is pretty self explanatory. As a parent it is tempting to want to fill in the form for your child, but please resist the urge. This is a job only the applicant can do, it needs to be their thoughts, their feelings, their desires and their words. Of course you might well be chief checker and editor and no doubt will be making sure it all gets written on time, but let the content be your childs.
Stage Five: Interviews
Not every university will interview every applicant. Some students will be interviewed by every course, some by none; and it is difficult to know which bracket your child will fall into. However it is worth planning for an interview and the first thing that means is you taking your child for a shopping trip to get a smart outfit, a suit or similar. The second thing you can do is to help your child know what they wrote in their personal statement so that it is second nature to them, they can expect to be questioned on what they wrote. The third thing you can do is to reassure your child; interviews are a two way street, helping the course determine if the applicant is right and helping the applicant decide if this is where they would like to spend the next 3 or 4 years.
Stage Six: Selecting preferred course
At the end of all this your child will hopefully have a number of university offers on the table. They may well be asking for different grades, or maybe not. And now it is all down to your child to select which they would like to go to, which did they feel most comfortable at when they visited, which is asking for the most achievable grades, which is the one they want to attend.
It is not easy helping your child think about leaving home and going to university, it is a stressful time for everyone; but by supporting your child and helping them when they want, it can be an amazing experience upon which you embark on the next phase of their life together.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Personal Statement Writing
If you want to study for a degree at university then you are going to need to write a personal statement for your UCAS form. We know this fills you with dread, the idea of filling a piece of paper with a statement about yourself; but fear not, help is on hand.
The applicants advice book provided by UCAS click here reminds you that your personal statement is "your opportunity to tell universities and colleges about your suitability for the course that you hope to study. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment, and above all, ensure that you stand out from the crowd."
There are three important things to remember when writing your personal statement:
1. It is your work - UCAS and Universities check the statements against databases for plagarism.
2. It is about you - the universities want to know about you; what you want to study and why, where you want to study and why, what experience you have that will help in your studies, what you like to do in your free time and why, and your goal from your university studies.
3. It will form the basis for any interviews you are asked to attend - then it will be obvious if you have not be involved in writing your personal statement.
When we help people write personal statements we take a paragraph breakdown approach. This makes it easier to focus on the content, ensures nothing is missed out, and in the end ensures the statement provides what is needed for the readers. The paragraph breakdown we use is as follows:
P1 - what you want to study and why you are interested in that
P2 - what you have done that relates to your course subject
P3 - details of your work experience
P4 - details of your school experiences
P5 - your outside school interests focussing on responsibilities held
P6 - focus on your goal of studying at university and a closing statement
We hope that this short article will start to remove some of the fear associated with writing personal statements. If you think some professional input would be valuable then please email spinningcareers@gmail.com who are happy to help you in the writing process.
Good luck with your application and future studies.
The applicants advice book provided by UCAS click here reminds you that your personal statement is "your opportunity to tell universities and colleges about your suitability for the course that you hope to study. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment, and above all, ensure that you stand out from the crowd."
There are three important things to remember when writing your personal statement:
1. It is your work - UCAS and Universities check the statements against databases for plagarism.
2. It is about you - the universities want to know about you; what you want to study and why, where you want to study and why, what experience you have that will help in your studies, what you like to do in your free time and why, and your goal from your university studies.
3. It will form the basis for any interviews you are asked to attend - then it will be obvious if you have not be involved in writing your personal statement.
When we help people write personal statements we take a paragraph breakdown approach. This makes it easier to focus on the content, ensures nothing is missed out, and in the end ensures the statement provides what is needed for the readers. The paragraph breakdown we use is as follows:
P1 - what you want to study and why you are interested in that
P2 - what you have done that relates to your course subject
P3 - details of your work experience
P4 - details of your school experiences
P5 - your outside school interests focussing on responsibilities held
P6 - focus on your goal of studying at university and a closing statement
We hope that this short article will start to remove some of the fear associated with writing personal statements. If you think some professional input would be valuable then please email spinningcareers@gmail.com who are happy to help you in the writing process.
Good luck with your application and future studies.
Monday, 10 January 2011
So that's enough study, time for a job....
You might be 16, 18, 21 or older; perhaps you've got some qualifications you want to use, perhaps not. What you do know is that you've had enough studying and want to get a job, so where do you go from here?
Well the first thing of course is to see what qualifications you have and what use they can be for an employer. Write them down, with the grades and put them to one side.
Next you need to think about your skills. What are you good at?
are you a sportsman?
a social organiser?
quiet and good at concentrating?
or confident and excellent with people?
do you like to have your DVDs in alphabetical order?
can you fix your computer problems without thinking twice?
these are all skills, valuable skills which can be applied to the work environment.
The next thing is to write down what you love to do in life.
a job is something you will do for more hours a week than your social life will take up, make sure you enjoy it. be clear about whether a quiet office would be better for you than a noisy call centre; or whether working outside would make you happier than being in a warehouse.
Now you have three lists:
1 - your qualifications
2 - your skills
3 - your passions
put those together and you have the basis for a CV, a covering letter and an application form; everything you could need to apply for a job.
want to know more, want some help? contact spinningcareers@gmail.com
Well the first thing of course is to see what qualifications you have and what use they can be for an employer. Write them down, with the grades and put them to one side.
Next you need to think about your skills. What are you good at?
are you a sportsman?
a social organiser?
quiet and good at concentrating?
or confident and excellent with people?
do you like to have your DVDs in alphabetical order?
can you fix your computer problems without thinking twice?
these are all skills, valuable skills which can be applied to the work environment.
The next thing is to write down what you love to do in life.
a job is something you will do for more hours a week than your social life will take up, make sure you enjoy it. be clear about whether a quiet office would be better for you than a noisy call centre; or whether working outside would make you happier than being in a warehouse.
Now you have three lists:
1 - your qualifications
2 - your skills
3 - your passions
put those together and you have the basis for a CV, a covering letter and an application form; everything you could need to apply for a job.
want to know more, want some help? contact spinningcareers@gmail.com
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