After your four year degree, you would think that getting a job is easy. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Indeed, putting together a graduate CV is often the hardest kind. Having a good CV is crucial for you to get a job and move into the full-time workforce.
Employment history may be quite limited for those who have just finished a degree. Some graduates may have only worked during the summer if at all. Others may have worked in part-time jobs such as in the local newsagents which is far from what they may have studied in college.
CVs are used to demonstrate your capability for a job, and if you haven’t got any experience what can you list on it?
Start small. Begin by listing your name, address and contact details at the top of the page. Surprisingly, this is something that many people forget to include. Rushing to get a CV done in a hurry may mean that little yet crucial details can be left out.
Graduate jobs are catered to people who have, of course, just finished their degree. Thankfully, companies are aware of this when advertising jobs and will adapt their standards accordingly. Don't let a lack of experience on your CV put you off.
So, the next step is to put it together in a professional manner. List your experience in an inviting manner and sell yourself as a viable candidate.
Split your information into two parts. The first of which is a record of work experience to date. This can be any kind of experience at any level. The second is your skillset. Sell yourself as a potential employee and invite them to get to know you.
If you have little experience, documenting your skills is a good way to illustrate your ability and it will fill up your CV. This can be a hard thing to do well, but once you master it, it will reflect amazingly on you.
Essentially, you can list previous jobs and list what you learned in them. For example, you could list that you worked as a sales assistant and describe your responsibilities. Then, you could say that you developed communicative skills through greeting customers and dealing with their queries. Do this a number of times to bulk up your CV.
This being said, it’s better to keep your CV to a minimum of one page if you have little work experience.
The layout of your CV is the final thing to perfect. After you’ve listed your name, address and number, begin with a profile. In two short paragraphs, summarise yourself. Mention that you are a recent graduate with experience in X, Y and Z.
Add your degree or qualification and then finish the second paragraph explaining what type of job you’re looking for. Catering this to the job description. After this, add six skills you possess.
Outline your work experience after this. Finally, you can finish off with some of your hobbies and interests. If you have any that will stand to you as a person, list them first. Check out our handy guide here of including hobbies and interests in CVs.
At one stage or another, you may find yourself in a situation where you are not working. There are many reasons for gaps in your CV. It could be a voluntary step away from the workforce or perhaps you lost your job. Whatever the reason may be, you may have to explain it to potential employers. It’s not an easy thing to do per se, and failing to do it well could actually cost you a job.
Firstly, if you’ve been in employment for a number of years, there is no need to list every position you’ve held. It’s perfectly acceptable to scale the detail back a little. This is a good way to conceal a few gaps in your CV.
When listing the dates of your previous employment, you can omit the month of some and only show the year. This will keep gaps to a minimum on your CV. You can do the same for your reasons for leaving previous positions. This way you will be able to keep your CV on track and concise.
If you have a significant gap in employment, there are better places to address it then in the middle of your CV. For example, you could use your cover letter to explain a gap in your CV. Use it to highlight how the position you are going for is perfect to get you back into the workforce.
Like any information on your CV, honesty is the most important policy. This is no different for employment gaps. Unfortunately, this means that leaving it out completely is not an option. Also, embellishing the details will not stand to you either. This being said, sometimes discretion with gaps is best. You don’t need to go into every detail of it, but it does need to be added.
Similarly, if you try to extend dates in previous roles to hide gaps, you could easily be called out on it. All it would take would be a call to a previous employer to verify your time there.
If a gap in your employment history is out of your hands, like due to restrictions as a result of COVID-19, for example, be proactive with your time. Take the opportunity to start an online course, seek professional mentoring or even volunteer.
If it’s not possible to take up something like this, try to demonstrate how you have used your own talents. For example, start a blog. Having any of these on your CV or in your cover letter during an employment gap will stand to you and set you apart from others.
Positivity is key for employment gaps. Don’t apologise for them. Instead of focusing on the fact you couldn’t find a job or you wanted to re-focus your career path, change your phrasing slightly to make it seem optimistic. Using experiences like this as a learning curve is essential. Show them that you have evolved as a person from these experiences.
Finally, being prepared for the inevitable questions on this topic is essential if you manage to score an interview. Make sure that you won’t be caught off guard by having your answer ready in advance.
When preparing for the interview, research the company and prove that although you may have been unemployed for a while, you can still keep up with the working world.
Once you've handled gaps in employment, tackle the issue of hobbies and interests. Check out our handy guide here!
Creating a CV should have around six sections. However, there are a number of optional sections that some don’t include. One such section is that of hobbies and interests. Many people don’t include it purely because they don’t know if they should or if it’s relevant. Others may struggle to nail down what their hobbies actually are.
However, providing your hobbies and interests on your CV can give hiring managers a greater insight into your personality and who you are. Hiring managers are trained to be nosy, so providing them with more information about you will make them want to meet you.
Listing your qualifications and work experience will help the employers understand your capability as a worker, while your hobbies and interests have a number of benefits on their own.
First of all, it will allow your CV to stand out among others. You may have the same qualifications and skillset as other candidates and your hobbies may be just the thing to put you ahead. It will help your CV to seem more individual.
Depending on your hobbies and interests, listing them may help you to demonstrate skills relevant to the role. Your interests may assist you in the job. For example, if you’re interested in history, this may help you as a company archivist.
You will be able to show you are voluntary and community focused through these interests. For example, you may have used your interest in sports to teach children how to play. This will help you impress the employer and you will show that you’re a good person to hire.
If nothing else, listing your hobbies on your CV will give you something else to talk about in your interview. This, again, will help you stand out among others and will give you more of an edge as a candidate.
This all being said, hobbies and interests on a CV is an incredibly subjective area. Some employers see it as an essential part of an application. This is because it can give them a better understanding of you as a candidate.
However, others may not see it this way. Some will only consider your hobbies if they are having trouble deciding between two or so candidates. As well as this, company culture could come into play and they may want to see if you’re the right fit.
Generally speaking, most employers will only be looking for your hobbies if they’re relevant to the job advertised. As well as this, they may only consider them if you’ve ticked all of the other boxes.
If you decide to include hobbies and interests in your CV, do not let them take precedence over other elements such as work experience, education or skills. The best place for them is at the end of your CV.
In terms of what hobbies are best to include, you may not always have one relevant to the role you’re applying for. Regardless of this, they may just be able to demonstrate what you’re capable of and what skills could be transformed into workforce tasks.
If you don’t have a hobby that you think is interesting, it could be best to leave it out. For example, going to the cinema will very rarely add to your application and may make it seem cliché. It’s better to not include them than to include them for the sake of it.
Making the perfect CV is the first step to getting your dream job. It is a craft that, when done well, can have amazing results. Putting time and effort into your CV is well worth it.
CVs have two objectives. The first is to inform the employer about your work experience, education and job skills. Convincing them you are the best candidate for the job is the second.
There are a number of requirements for a good CV. It’s important for it to be both informative and persuasive. Ensure that you highlight the abilities, skills and work experience you have that are relevant to the job.
Use the information that will set you aside from other candidates to your advantage. However, make sure to present them in a well-structured yet concise document. Remember, you want your CV to get you an interview.
A CV that is considered “good” will have a number of characteristics. First of all, it will be clear, short and targeted to the job description as well as well written and well presented. Next, highlight your strong points relevant to the job. Highlight the relevant work experience and achievements and useful aspects of your previous education and training.
Your CV can include 6 different sections. These are personal details, educational details, employment history, additional information (optional), interests and activities (optional) and references.
Personal details include your name, address, phone number, nationality and optional marital status. Educational details such as the schools or colleges you attended and the dates, examination results/qualifications are necessary. However, if you have a Primary Degree, you don’t need to list your Leaving Certificate results.
Employment history should include your previous employments listed in chronological order including employer’s name and address and dates you worked there. Detail the positions held, the duties and responsibilities you undertook. Try to portray yourself as a high achiever by listing any job-related achievements.
Additional information is optional but it can provide the employer with a better understanding of you as a candidate for the job. You could include the likes of computer literacy levels or keyboard skills. If you have a driving licence or own a car, mentioning this could help your application. If you speak any languages, list them.
Hobbies and interests are an optional addition to your CV that some opt for and others don’t. If you chose to add them, you can list your sporting interests or achievements, voluntary work or local community involvement, physical and cultural activities, and club or society memberships.
References will allow others to vouch for your competence and character. Two references are recommended from the likes of a previous employer, college lecturer or school principal. When obtaining a reference, you must ask the permission of your referee first. Include their name, title, postal address and telephone number. At the end of your CV, you should suggest references from your current employer only be furnished upon request.
Once you’ve covered these sections, you need to focus on the presentation of the CV. Do not use more than 2 A4 sheets with 1-inch margins. If you’re printing it out, make sure it’s high quality. Make sure spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct. However, don’t stress about fancy covers or binding.
There are a few key points to remember. Keep your CV simple and easy to read. You must use information that is completely truthful and original. Avoid hard to understand jargon. Don’t indicate your desired salary on your CV. Finally, make sure to be positive! For example, outline the benefits of what you learned in a course that you may not have completed.
When you’re happy in your job, the last thing you’re going to be thinking about is your CV. However, we find ourselves in a world where very few things are certain. Because of this, it’s important to have your CV on your mind.
Indeed, the best time to write a CV is when you don’t necessarily need one.
By this we mean if you’re working at a job you like, you will be able to create your CV at your leisure. You can then take time to review it and make sure it's perfect.
You may not need to use it for a while or at all but having it prepared and ready to go is an excellent backup plan. So, where do you start?
Step one is to review your current CV, regardless of how outdated it may be. Start by adding your most recent job and what it entails. Think of the likes of your responsibilities or achievements that may impress a future employer.
After you’ve listed these achievements and duties, your CV may be quite long. If it’s over two pages, it’s time to give it a clean-up. Starting at the oldest entries, delete the least important information and work your way up.
When you’ve weeded out the least important information, now it’s time for a complete check-over. Check out the spellings and grammar and re-read it over again.
Cover letters are another important part of the initial job-hunting process. Be sure to brush up on how to write a good one.
It’s a good idea to prepare three different types and have them filed for when you need to use them. One can be in response to a job advertisement, one could be for introducing yourself and the last one could be a speculative letter to a company.
Cover letters can easily be forgotten when applying for a job, so having them ready to go means that you’ll just need to make a few minor tweaks before you send them off with your CV.
Step two is being ready to job hunt. Having a list of both target recruiters and companies you think you’d fit in ready to go is a great way to prepare.
After you’ve decided on this, it’s time to think of the interviews. Generally speaking, most companies will welcome you into their buildings for an interview. This way they can actually meet you, as well as allowing you to get a feel for the place.
However, this type of interview is somewhat impossible at the moment. Telephone interviews are not a new phenomenon but are certainly rising in popularity. However, video calls are a relatively new style of interview that has been incredibly popular during the pandemic.
Make sure you’re up to speed with how to use video calling software, as you wouldn’t want to be caught out when/if you do have a job interview.
Aside from this, make sure to brush up on your general interview skills. Just because you’re not meeting your potential employers in person doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your best to impress them.
Check out our post here about how to nail your CV!
We’re very excited to announce that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will be giving a briefing to all Virtual Recruitment Expo attendees and exhibitors at 2:30pm on our Agenda Stage. Mr. Varadkar will touch on topics related to the Government’s plans for jobs in 2021 and obstacles they aim to tackle for employers and employees as Ireland continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us from 10am on Saturday, 21st November at our online careers fair. Speak with employers, apply for new job opportunities, get career guidance and attend interactive live webinars. Register for FREE ADMISSION today!
As we enter the winter months, the days are getting shorter and the temperature’s dropping. Cabin fever and dark days now accompany the COVID climate as we battle through the next few weeks of lockdown. Christmas will bring a glimmer of hope socially, but many workers and businesses are eager to learn more about the long term plans for 2021. As the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Mr. Leo Varadkar will discuss plans for job creation and employment for 2021 at Virtual Recruitment Expo.
The Tánaiste will touch on topics such as wage supports for hard-hit industries, tax breaks, broadband development plan, tech companies presence in Ireland, industry opportunities, working from home and more. During these unprecedented times there’s currently no certainty as the world learns to live with and eventually contain this virus. However, we look forward to a guide and framework for the new year from Mr. Varadkar on November 21st.
This talk will take place at 2:30pm on our Agenda Stage. This is one of the three virtual stages available for attendees. The other two are Google Digital Garage and the Employers Stage. Don’t forget to sign-up, create your profile and log in on 21st November to attend these webinars.
