One of my pet hates when helping clients in their job search is the distinct lack of transparency regarding salaries.  Job advertisements invariably invite you to click the "Apply Now" button and you're expected to upload a targeted CV, cover letter and perhaps answer detailed competency questions - all before you even know whether the job is in your salary range.

Another of my pet hates is when employers ask you to specify your salary expectations.  Why?  Is it so that they can save money if your expectation is lower than theirs?

To compound it further, candidates then expend considerable effort preparing for interviews where they are still kept in the dark on salary level.  Certainly in the UK, it's not considered de rigueur to raise the important issue of salary during the first interview; it's something you discuss at second interview or, worse, you wait until they make an offer.  So you could go to a huge amount of time and effort only to learn, ultimately, that the salary is not even in your ball park.

In my opinion, this lack of transparency contributes to pay inequality - especially since there is a general consensus that women often underestimate their value and ask for less than men. 

So, instead of the government pushing for audits to establish disparities in remuneration, why don't they push for transparency in job advertisements with salary levels being disclosed at all levels?  If they could just do this simple thing, which would take no effort at all, it would save candidates, recruiters and employers from wasting time reviewing applications and conducting interviews when they're all on different pages anyway.

Salary transparency... let's have more of it please.

Barbara Patrick, Professional CV Writer and Career Coach
Compelling CVs, Berkshire, UK
Tel: 0118 988 7628

Always happy to talk.

<a href="[profile_url]?rel=Compelling_CVs">Google</a>

This means you need to take stock of your current position, decide where you want to be, then create some goals and milestones to help you achieve your aim.

Carrying forward old and irrelevant job history usually won't bring success.  Instead, take a blank sheet of paper and start brainstorming about where you are today in terms of knowledge and skills, and where you where to be.

Working from scratch, list all your hard and soft skills.  Then list your achievements and the value you have delivered in previous roles.  This could include increased efficiencies, profits, sales, brand awareness, functionality, etc.  If you're short on ideas, browse LinkedIn for job vacancies and member profiles, which will help give you some inspiration about skills, terminology and how to present your achievements.  You're not just trying to create a list of duties; you want to create a list of value-added achievements.  Employers need to know what makes you better than the other candidates; why they should employ you.

Be honest with yourself.  It's no good saying you've got excellent interpersonal skills if no-one in your office enjoys working with you or if you don't enjoy working as part of a team.  If you're a square peg, you'll never fit into a round hole, however much you kid yourself.

This process will almost always identify skills gaps.  These could be technical or perhaps lack of knowledge about team leadership or business methods.  Whatever gaps you identify, try to plug them.  Research the internet for training courses - many of which are free or very cheap - then sign up.  Don't overdo it and take too much on at once.  Bite-sized training over a period of time will deliver better results.

A word of warning...

Don't quit until you've got all your ducks in a row.  You're always more employable when you're in work.  So stay focussed on your existing job while you get your career move in place, and make sure you leave on good terms and with a glowing references and testimonials.

We're always happy to chat and we're around over much of the Christmas break, so give us a call if you need help.

Whether you're a business owner or a manager, it's never easy to have to let your staff go.  It's even more difficult if they've been loyal and hardworking members of your team and you've grown to like and respect them.  They may even have become family friends.

But there is something you CAN do to ease the situation and to help them prepare for their job search in what is currently an extremely difficult job market... 

You can provide them with Outplacement Support.

Staff will undoubtedly be anxious about losing their jobs.  They may be angry or shocked at the prospect of being out of work, they may think it's a personal (as opposed to a business) decision and their self-esteem may hit an all-time low.

They may feel aggrieved because they perceive the "survivors" as being less experienced or less competent and therefore feel that they have been unfairly singled out for redundancy.

They'll very likely be extremely worried about how they can meet their financial commitments and support their families.

If they've been in work or in the same job for some time, they may be completely out of touch with today's job market and not know how to go about updating their CVs, write cover letters or cope with the online recruitment revolution.

Whilst employees may be highly adept within their existing role, they may have developed skills gaps which will further hinder their progress in the job market. 

The last thing you want is for your former employees to feel overwhelmed and worthless which could result in depression and poor health.

If you use Loft Resumes or any other form of creative formatting, please let us know what impact it had on your job applications.  We'd love to know whether it worked for you.

If you keep sending off the same CV for every job advertisement, you're unlikely to meet with success.

Read and analyse the job advertisement, see what key skills and experience they are seeking, and make sure that your CV is a good match - not just through interpretation but in exact words and phrases.

Although your CV still needs to make sense and read well, it needs to be specifically targetted to match each job vacancy advertisement.

If the job ad specifies Advanced Excel, make sure you include those exact words in your CV - remember you need to actually be advanced in Excel - no BS please...

If the advertisement specifies that they want someone with excellent organisational skills, then include those skills on your CV.

Prioritise your skills on your CV to match the priorities of the job advertisement.

Start off with one good CV.  Save this as the Master.  Then copy, edit and save each adaptation under a new file name.  This takes a little time  but it really pays dividends.

The same applies to cover letters.  These should "match" the job advertisement.  Don't just rehash your CV, address the advertisement - identify with their requirements - be the perfect match.  Tell them what excites you about the role, why you're interested, what you could bring to the role but make sure you're letter isn't all "me, me, me".  Talk about the company and how you think you would fit in and contribute to their goals.  It helps to check out their website and to read the advertisement fully before responding.

Good luck with your job search!  Get in touch if you need help.

Last year, when my daughter was still at university, she took on 2 weeks unpaid work experience in digital marketing.  It wasn't the most exciting of jobs but she did it to the best of her ability.  Consequently, the company paid her to stay on longer.  (Incidentally, this work experience was obtained via a post on LinkedIn - a powerful platform for job seekers.)

This year, following completion of her degree, the same company offered her a permanent employment contract.  The work this year is more interesting, carries more responsibility and is giving her a good grounding in digital marketing, PPC and SEO.

Clear evidence that unpaid work experience can lead to paid employment!

All forms of work experience have value but it helps if you can gain "relevant" experience in the field that you ultimately wish to work in.  If you want to work in marketing, then try to get work experience in marketing.  Likewise, accounting and so forth.  Relevant experience will count for more. - not always but usually.

I'm not saying that car washing, leaflet dropping and other forms of casual work are worthless... they're not.  They demonstrate a sound work ethic which is highly sought after in the job market.  But if you can combine your work ethic with relevant experience, you will likely gain more relevant skills and knowledge and enjoy greater success.

Work experience can also include volunteering.  Whilst the latter is generally perceived as supporting worthwhile causes, most charities have accounting, marketing and administration functions so can still provide you with "relevant" skills.

Good luck!
 
Give us a call if you need help with your CV or any other aspect of your job search.

If you thought it was difficult condensing your CV into 2 pages, how about condensing it into 140 characters?  Impossible, you might think, but the recent phenomenon of #twesume might just be the answer you're seeking.

By posting your skills and availability on Twitter and including the hashtag #twesume, you may just attract employers and recruiters.  Basically, you post a short tweet about your availability and your skills, include a link to your LinkedIn profile or your online CV. You can even link it to a short video on YouTube or a short clip on Vine.  The options are endless.

You'll need to include the hashtag #twesume and, of course, you'll still need a strong CV and LinkedIn profile, but tweeting your resume certainly can't do any harm.

So log into Twitter today and check out #twesume. 

And don't forget to let us know if you'd like some help compiling your CV or LinkedIn profile.

Good luck in your job search!

by Barbara Patrick
Professional CV Writer
Compelling CVs
Reading, Berkshire

I had a long conversation recently with a chap who isn't happy in his current role and intends to quit his job - even though he doesn't have a new job to go to.  I urged him not to.

And earlier this year I had a CV client who is a shining star but wasn't enjoying their job and quit, without having anything else lined up.  They're currently unemployed.

As anyone will tell you, jobs are no longer two-a-penny.  So, unless you're extremely lucky and you're in the right place at the right time, it could take you some time to find something else.  We all have financial obligations to meet and it would be reckless to make yourself unemployed before you have something better to go to.

Furthermore, being unemployed can often put you in a weaker position when negotiating your salary package for your new role, with employers offering you a lower package than you could normally command.

If you're not happy in your current role, you'll need a career plan.

• Assess your current situation.  What is it that's irritating you?  Could anything be done to rectify it?  If it's a grievance with a colleague or boss, could it be addressed via your employer's grievance procedure? (All UK employers should have one)
  
• If it can't be sorted, try not to be emotional or to make knee-jerk decisions.  Your head must rule your heart.  Grit your teeth and continue to do what you're paid to do to the best of your ability.  At some stage you'll probably need a reference from your current employer, so bear that in mind.
• Try to stay cheerful. Don't let your mood or negativity come to the fore as it will affect your colleagues, create bad feelings around you and make the workplace unpleasant for everyone.
  
• Try to engage in pleasurable activities outside of work and perhaps during your lunch breaks. Reflecting on these during working hours will help keep you sane.
• Get your ducks in a row.  Decide on the type of role you want to apply for and start searching the market.
• Update your CV and LinkedIn Profile so you're ready to roll when you see the job of your dreams.  We'd be happy to help you with this.
• Don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire!  In your frustration, you may want to accept any old job just to get out of your current situation.  If you do this, you'll be back to square one in the very near future, so take your time and try to hold out for the right role.
• Don't confide your feelings to anyone at work and that includes clients and advisors.
• When it's time to move on, give full notice and stay committed to the job during your notice period.
• Always leave on good terms effecting a full handover to your successor and training them if necessary.

Give us a call if you want to have an informal chat about your future career.


Barbara Patrick
Professional CV Writer
Compelling CVs
Reading, Berkshire

It was National Careers Week a few weeks ago.  Considering that my business is careers-based, I would have expected a big push on Twitter and other forms of media but I didn't notice any particular song and dance.  What I did notice, however, was an article on how our National Careers Service, which was launched a year ago, is failing young people.  You can read the article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21144825

I came across a short video yesterday about how to write your first CV, coincidentally produced by the National Careers Service.  I doubt that the advice given in the video, and the sample CV provided, will do little to help job seekers secure an interview.  The formatting is poor, there was no mention of targetting the CV, no section for skills and achievements and no mention of keyword matching and ATS. They advised that you include skills and achievements in the profile or in the hobbies/interests sections.  Nonsense!  They did, however, fare a little better on their cover letter advice.  You can watch the video here: http://vimeo.com/60555694 but I don't recommend you follow their advice, so do exercise caution!

From time to time I look at what other CV writers (my competitors) are offering and, while there are undoubtedly some good, professional providers out there, there are also some who should be given a wide berth.  But how can a jobseeker know who to trust or what to believe? 

Jobseekers are often vulnerable and they don't know whether they're getting good advice or bad.  It's certainly difficult.  But here's a brief list of things to look out for.

1. Avoid CV writers who don't talk with you before you commit. You need to talk with the CV writer who will actually be interviewing you and writing your CV.  You need to trust them to give you their time and attention, to ask lots of questions and to really take an interest in you - not just as another fee-paying client but as a real person with individual needs and aspirations.
2. Upload/download CV writing services can be risky.  If the content of your CV is poor, then reformatting is not going to improve your chances of success.  Your CV might look nicer, but the content will still be poor and will fail to get you interviews.  Unless you're absolutely certain that the content is good, then don't use a reformatting service.
3. Many companies offer to review your CV for free and then inevitably follow up with advice that you should pay them to rewrite your CV.  Effectively, you're being "baited" by the free offer and then they'll want you to sign up with them for a paid CV writing service.  There's nothing wrong with that in principle; it's how business is often done.  But when you reach the "lure" stage, follow my advice in "1" above.  You might also want to read my earlier blog on Free CV Reviews, which you can read by clicking this link: Compelling CV's Article on Free CV Reviews
4. You get what you pay for:  If someone is charging £15, £25, £35 for your CV then, really... what quality of service are you expecting?  Why do they put such a low value on their service?  At those prices, how can they make a living?  How much time will they spend interviewing you and writing your CV?  How many drafts/re-writes?  Or will they just be copying and pasting generic "fluff" into your new "templated" CV?  And speaking of templates, you can read our reasons for NOT using templates here: Why we don't use templates
   
5. Having your CV professionally written is an investment in your future. It will impact on your ability to get interviews and it will affect your earning power.  Therefore you shouldn't skimp on price where there's a risk of jeopardising quality.  If the CV writer doesn't place a realistic value on their service, I suggest you avoid them like the plague.
6. Are they interested in your aspirations?  Do they want to know what job you're applying for?  Have they asked to read the job advertisement?  If they don't know where you're headed, how can they help you to get there?
   
7. Many CV writing companies farm out your CV to freelancers.  Again, nothing wrong with that except you do need to speak to the actual writer and establish a rapport with them before you commit.
   
8. Avoid friends who offer to write your CV for you.  I heard recently of a friend's son being asked to help create a CV for someone, purely because he was good on a computer!
9. I'm personally suspicious of CV writers who only have a mobile telephone number.
   
10. Are the CV writer's testimonials genuine?  Anyone can write fabulous testimonials for their own website and I've seen one CV writer who offers financial incentives to gain testimonials, which rather undermines the process!  So, try to establish whether testimonials have been provided on an independent third-party site, where they are more likely to be genuine.
    

There are many pitfalls to seeking CV writing and advice.  So you need to exercise caution, ask lots of questions, be able to talk to the person who will write your CV (before you commit), bear in mind that you'll get what you pay for, and then trust your instinct. 

Good luck in your job search and don't hesitate to contact us.  We're always happy to talk.
<rel=author>
Barbara Patrick
Professional CV Writer
Compelling CVs
Tel: 0118 988 7628

Sometimes it's good to blow your own trumpet especially if you have something to celebrate.

FreeIndex, perhaps the UK's leading online business directory, has awarded us a "Highly Recommended" ribbon for our CV writing service and they're ranking us #6.  Quite an achievement.

We have received 30 customer testimonials and have scored full marks.  In fact, as we write this, we've just received our 31st testimonial, again scoring full marks and we know there are some more in the pipeline, based on feedback we're receiving from clients we're currently working with.

Anyone can write fictitious testimonials on their own website and I have to say I've sometimes seen testimonials that were so incredulous that they actually dissuaded me from using a supplier!  That's why I usually direct clients to a third-party, independent review site.  I feel it adds more credibility if they can say what they like.

All of the independent reviews can be seen on our testimonial page, together with additional testimonials that didn't come via the online directory site.

We're obviously getting it right so we'll continue the good work; doing the best for all of our clients and helping them achieve their goals.

Of course, none of this could have been achieved without the support of our lovely clients, so I'd like to extend to all of them a big THANK YOU.

I exhibited at Bracknell Careers Fair last week. It was hosted by Bracknell & Wokingham College and organised by Bracknell Job Centre.  The event was very well organised and promoted, and the college facilities were excellent.  I'd never been to the College before and I was really impressed.

Whilst I was hopeful that the event would be well attended, I was totally unprepared for the influx of visitors that rushed into the exhibition hall when the doors opened at 10am.  It almost seemed like the Harrods Sale with customers rushing in to grab the best bargains. Amazing.

From just a few minutes after 10am until after the exhibition officially ended at 4pm, I had a constant stream of job seekers all wanting their CVs reviewed.  Visitors waited patiently in the queue which at times was 8-10 deep.  It was relentless and way exceeded what I'd been expecting.

While the Government constantly talk about people who don't want to work, the people I spoke to all desperately wanted to get into work and they welcomed any advice I could give.  They came from a range of ages, backgrounds and disciplines, from school leavers to executives, and they all had a story to tell.  I just wish I'd had more time to spend with each of them.

Out of all the CVs I reviewed, however, only a small handful were reasonably well prepared.  So there's clearly a need out there for more education on employability and job seeking skills. 

I'm working on it!

When I write a CV or Cover Letter for a client, I generally like to see the job description or the type of job for which they're applying.  This is usually provided in the form of URL links to vacancies posted on online job boards.

More often than not, the job posting gives some details of the skills required and the type of person they are seeking but the location might simply state "London" (big place) and quite often there is often no indication of salary.   So for a fairly senior "sounding" job role, the salary cold be £15k or £45k - or some other figure.  You're basically left in the dark.  This is particularly prevalent when agencies have posted the job vacancies.

So, armed with this appalling lack of information, you are expected to take a leap of faith, click "Apply Now" and upload your CV and personal details into the ethernet, quite often applying for a job that doesn't meet your salary expectations or that has an impossible commute.  Worse, you may never receive an acknowledgement or find out who the employer is, and we often hear that the job vacancy don't even exist!

Why can't there be a "Full Details" button that actually states:

• the size of company - number of employees
• the type of company - industry sector, private, public, international, family business, etc
• a clearer indication of location - eg Camden, Hammersmith as opposed to "London" - so you can properly consider the commuting time and cost
• details of salary range - so you don't waste your time
  

I acknowledge that this doesn't apply to all job postings, but I do come across it far too often.

Does the "Apply Now" button fill you with despair?  Having to divulge so much personal information based on so little knowledge...  it's tough out there...

There is an abundance of free CV templates (aka Resume Templates) available online and many companies who sell templated CVs.

We never use CV templates because every client is unique and "one size" CV templates aren't suitable. 

Rather like the story of Cinderella, where all the ladies were trying to force their foot into the tiny glass slipper so that the prince would choose them, it simply doesn't work.  It's far better that the slipper is designed to fit the foot!

We firmly believe that it is the CONTENT of a CV that is important.  Whilst a CV template may provide some useful headings, you are still left with the problem of creating the content.

Whereas "Education" may feature highly on one client's CV, it may hardly feature at all on another's. This is because a client may have many years' experience where their education is totally irrelevant to the role or industry they are applying to.

Likewise, "Hobbies and Interests" may be totally irrelevant and omitted from one client's CV but included in another where they bring transferable skills such as leadership.

After content, keywords (to match Applicant Tracking Software Systems) and relevance are important too.  CV templates can't assist with these either, except by suggesting useful headings.

Because our clients all have different experiences, achievements, skills and personalities, we build their CVs from scratch, focussing on their individual strengths. This is much easier to achieve through avoiding the use of CV templates.

Ultimately, our CVs are beautifully formatted and you would be forgiven for thinking that we use CV templates; we do not.  What we do use is a particular "style" and "layout" that works extremely well for our clients, as our client testimonials bear out.

If you've read through our site you'll already know the importance of making an instant impression with your CV.  Recruiters spend very little time reading your CV (if they read it at all).  They need to pick up key points - fast - and that means scanning for keywords.

The Ladders recently undertook an eye tracking survey to see just how much time recruiters spent looking at your CV, and also detecting "hot" areas on the CVs.

After you've read it, you might want to get in touch with us for help with your CV and/or LinkedIn profile.  Our CV writing service includes the incorporation of key words to match the job description and person specification, together with clear formatting to make your CV attractive and easy to read.

There's an old saying... There's no such thing as a free lunch...

When I first started writing professional CVs some years ago, I noticed that many CV writers offered free CV reviews and I wondered whether I should be doing the same. 

Many friends and business associates suggested that if we offered free CV reviews, we could then entice clients to sign up to a fully paid CV writing service; therein lay my dilemma...

I didn't feel it was ethical to offer something for "free" when there was an underlying ulterior motive to up-sell.  OK, so they don't have to buy, but going on a fishing expedition to bait potential clients in the hope that they'll bite just isn't for me.

One of our early CV clients, a senior sales manager, submitted her "Compelling CV" to two well-established CV writing services for free CV reviews - simply to reassure herself that her CV was indeed compelling.  She received prompt feedback from both CV writing service providers, which she passed on to me. Here's what happened.

One made 2 modest recommendations for improvement (one of which was to remove an apostrophe from the abbreviation KPIs), and went on to offer to rewrite her CV for c£350. 

The other sent a detailed "report" which made many recommendations about layout, fonts, bullet points, etc - all of which we had already implemented!  Clearly they had not even read her CV, but had simply sent a standard response that unsurprisingly included an offer to rewrite her CV for a price in excess of £300. 

Happy with the CV that we had written for her, our client didn't avail herself of either offer.  She went on to secure a suitable role - a good outcome for both of us.

In fact Compelling CVs does offer a comprehensive CV review service but the reality is that we're running a business and providing a quality service.  So, yes, we really do read your CV and yes, we give honest and valuable feedback and suggestions on where it falls short and how it can be improved.  Occasionally, we've waived the cost and told clients that they have a very strong CV and don't need our help.  But when we do undertake a CV review, we feel it's only fair to charge for our service based both on quality and time spent.

If you'd like a little more information about our CV Review Service, please click here.

Whilst many hobbies are interesting, you need to assess whether your hobbies add to your character and/or provide added value for a potential employer.

If you are running the local kids football club, or you coach tennis at the weekends, volunteer as a leader for Duke of Edinburgh Awards or Chair the local Women's Institute, then you will probably have amassed a considerable number of transferable skills that you can apply in the workplace.

Let's look at running.  If you go for a quick run after work every evening, that shows a degree of commitment.  However, if you have a gruelling training schedule and you are planning to run the London and New York Marathons next year then, hey, that's really something special.  It illustrates commitment, ambition, determination and perseverance - which could all be valuable to a potential employer.  And if you are doing it to support a worthwhile cause, better still!

Coastal walking is another interesting one.  Do you just enjoy occasional walks at the seaside or are you executing a lifetime ambition to walk the entire UK coastline to raise funds for your favourite charity?

Do you attend personal fitness classes as a social activity or do you have a goal to lose 3 stones and climb Mt Kilimanjaro?

Think hard about your hobbies, how they affect your character and how they can translate into worthwhile attributes that will add to your employability.  If you have little or no work experience, then these transferable skills become even more important.

If your interests are solely partying and drinking to excess, then these are probably best left off your CV unless you are applying to become a holiday representative for the 18-30s club where the ability to party is a pre-requisite!

If you really can't see the value in your hobbies, then an employer is unlikely to see them either.  So perhaps you should leave them off your CV entirely.

This is an area which we always explore with our CV clients.  What we discover is often amazing and heart-lifting - which helps make what we do so worthwhile.

I'm sure we've all heard of jobseekers who've sent off 100+ job applications and not received a single response...  If you're submitting zillions of job applications and getting nowhere, then you need to sit back and take a hard look at what you're doing wrong.

• Are you sending the same generic CV for every application?
• Are you applying for jobs for which you're not a good match - perhaps you lack relevant experience?
• Are you using a scattergun approach, applying for every job you see?

These approaches rarely work. Recruiters, and particularly online job sites, use Applicant Tracking Systems or Software, "ATS" to match your CV against the vacancy you're applying for. If your CV doesn't contain a high percentage of the keywords determined by the recruiter or hirer, your application will simply be bypassed.

So you need to prepare one high quality "master" CV - perhaps with the help of a professional CV writer. Then you need to tweak it to "word match" each job you apply for, incorporating matching key words and rearranging or reprioritising your skills, so they are a better match for each job.  You probably ought to amend each personal statement too.  In essence, if you apply for 5 jobs, you should have approx 6 versions of your CV - one master and five amended CVs each one specifically targeted to each vacancy.

All of this takes time, but it's well worth the effort as it will improve the number of keyword matches, and therefore give you better odds of being invited to interview.

Even the local Job Centres have recognised the importance of keyword and skills matching, and they are in the process of rolling out their new jobs site where you can upload 5 different versions of your CV.

With computer software largely controlling the recruitment process, you need to play the game.