uktemps - temporary and part time jobs

We've teamed up with Abintegro to help you with your ultimate goal: securing their dream job. By offering CV Reviews, CV Templates and Professional CV Writing Services, CV Checker helps job seekers with their most important sales brochure, their CV. For Free advice scroll down or visit our advice section

CV Tips

Do

• Succinct sentences are easy to scan, especially given many recruiters have just 10 seconds to read it.
• Use standard typefaces such as Arial, 11 or 12 points.
• Check and re-check spelling do not rely on spell checker.
• Ensure your personal details are printed by all printers not in the header/footer.
• Dates and employment should be easily found and consistent.
• Lead with achievements, use active verbs and positive language.
• Follow up all claims with proven examples, be quantitative as well as qualitative.
• Use email addresses where referees are abroad.
• Include awards or recognition received for work well done, together with professional memberships and relevant training.
• Keep your CV honest, factual and to two pages.
• Ensure every line sells you at your best.
• Prioritise relevant content.
• Ensure you send your CV with a covering letter ideally to a named individual.
• Take ownership and use words such as Determined, Implemented, Created, Devised, Coordinated, Conceived.
• Include figures ie number of staff you managed or budget size.
• Focus on what you have to offer the employer rather than listing what you have done.
• Ask trusted colleagues and friends if this is an accurate representation of you.
• Seek feedback if you are not achieving any interviews and if you feel your CV is not reflecting you at your best seek external advice.

Don't

• Date your CV.
• Put your irrelevant personal details first ie date of birth and nationality.
• Mention Salaries.
• It is not necessary to put reason for leaving.
• Include negative or irrelevant information.
• Lie.
• Use Reverse Chronological format if you have many gaps between employment.
• Put education first if its 10 years out of date.
• List every employer if you have been working since the seventies.
• Allocate the same space to all positions, prioritise the content.
• Quote unsubstantiated superlatives.
• Modify your CV for every application unless you have a foolproof method of remembering to whom you sent which edition.

Interview Advice

These are our free Interview Tips, which you can use on your own website. Please ensure that you credit CV Checker and put in a link in to our website.

Do

• Check you have read the job advertisement and description if sent before your interview.
• Ensure you meet the requirements and you have a positive answer for any areas you do not fully meet.
• Research the company products, staff, culture, clients and competitors.
• Ensure you know the correct name of your interviewer and job title.
• Be sure you know the interview procedure; some companies have one-to-one interviews; panel interviews; assessment centres; psychometric testing.
• View a map and plan your journey in advance, allowing for delayed trains and accidents.
• Have your CV, references and any additional information requested, to hand.
• Conservative dress is preferred but check with the culture of the office too - wear smart attire and ensure your shoes are shiny and well kept.
• Layout your clothing the day before.
• Read over your CV and make sure you know it back to front.
• Focus on your achievements when asked interview questions and portray every response in a positive way.
• Do not interrupt your interviewer and give a steady handshake when entering.
• Prepare model answers for any tricky questions you believe they may ask you.
• Prepare your own questions in advance, which might include - What is the department business plan for the next 1 or 5 years? What challenges do you foresee and how do you plan to overcome these? What challenges do you envisage in this role?
• Unless prompted do not ask what the salary/benefits will be if this is the first interview.
• You could ask if there are any areas they would like further clarification on at the end - just to be able to have a second opportunity if necessary.
• Ask the follow up procedure; when you should expect to hear; 2nd or 3rd interviews etc if you are unclear and would like to know.

Second Opportunities

If you feel upon reflection you could have answered a question in a better way or failed to get an important achievement across, why not follow up with a letter thanking the interviewer for their time and reiterate your suitability for the post.

Unsuccessful

If you are unsuccessful in your interview, it is worth a call to request feedback - whilst they are very busy they might oblige and offer you some valuable tips as to where you could have improved.

Successful

Great you have secured a job offer, however, before rushing to resign it is worth requesting and receiving your offer officially by post.