writing a CV

zaksmum

My O/H is applying for jobs as he will soon be made redundant.

He applied online for one which required all the skills he has and seemed perfect for him, in the environment he's worked all his life in.

As he's not applied for jobs in over 40 years, things have changed somewhat! he gave his name, address, age, experience and skills in the online box on the application form marked personal details. The ad said they would contact applicants only if they seemed right for the job.

They just emailed to say they are interested in finding out more about him, but that he needs to attach his CV.

Now, we do of course know what a CV is, but O/H left school - with no qualifications - in 1965, and has worked without a break since, in only two jobs, the current one being for nearly 40 years.

So what does he put on a CV? Obviously name and address details, but they already have these, and they have his experience too.

The job is for specialist heavy plant driving, which O/H has done all his life, so no problems there. It's just what they expect a CV to contain...and how do you "attach" it, for God's sake????

Any advice would be welcomed!!

smirkyguy

As far as attaching the CV is concerned they may want you to send them a CV through the website. Most sites have an 'Apply for this job' or 'Attach CV' button - when you click on it you'll be asked to select the CV you want to use for the application. This will be stored somewhere on your PC.

If you're not using a job website then they may just want you to email it to them directly. Create a new email and then use the 'attach file' option to add the CV to the email. If you need help with this let us know. Of course, you'll need to create the CV first!

Regarding the CV itself, you're going to get lots of advice on here about what to put, what format to use etc etc. I won't get into that as it can be very confusing for the person asking and there isn't one 'sure fire' method to use. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another.

Good luck though..and feel free to send me a message if you want further help. :beer:

zaksmum

thanks smirkyguy. I just checked microsoft works, and they have a CV template, called a resume.

I used that - O/h is useless at spelling - to do a practice CV, but it starts with OBJECTIVE. Does that mean the job being applied for?

You can delete the tips bit, so I just put the job title he's applying for. Then it goes on to have a heading for qualifications/education - do I just leave that bit out as he has no qualifications at all and left school at 15?

He can drive this specialist plant brilliantly but as regards education, in common with many at that time, he had only the most basic.

I've put down relevant experience, which is indeed impressive, but do I then put something about personal qualities and present position, i.e. duties involved?

Thanks so much for helping, I'm no good at all this stuff!!

orangeslimes

The objective bit is not compulsory
I think education bit is probably irrelevant to your husband - and what you should put first is details of his experience from his most recent job.
I think his education is unimportant. Don't follow the template if it doesn't fit - put details of his employment first- and include his duties/personal qualities (but briefly highlighting the most important points)
If he holds special driving licences/training certificates that you need for this sort of job you could list them (i presume there are some?)

zaksmum

Thanks orangeslimes.

I've done a rough draft of a CV with the details of his experience in his current job, no point in going back prior to this as he's had this job nearly 40 years.

And I've listed the driving licences relevant to the job he's applying for, too.

what exactly DOES objective mean?

If I've done the CV on Microsoft Works, how can I get it from there to an email?

Sorry to seem stupid, but I'm a bit of a novice here.

moneysavingmackem

hi, i found this site really useful
http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/writecv/

KT1985

I would probably copy it in its entirety into Wordpad and save it as a .rtf (rich text document) onto your desktop. (alternatively copy it into MS Word and save as a .doc file) Then, open your e-mail client. If it is outlook, open a new document, write a 'covering note' and then attach the .rtf file/.doc file to the e-mail using the paperclip icon. If it is a web based service then do the above, and ten look for anything that says 'add attachments' or similar, the cick 'browse' and find it on the desktop. Upload and attach the file, and then send the mail.

That either helps or means nothing

sharkie

just to look at these as examples
http://www.markpalmer.fsnet.co.uk/cv2.html
http://www.expatengineer.net/cv.nsf/v/js82355
http://www.oil-offshore-marine.com/show_cv.php?id=90470
http://www.wetwelder.com/jimfiles/jimframe.htm

samr_2

zaksmum wrote: »

If I've done the CV on Microsoft Works, how can I get it from there to an email?

Sorry to seem stupid, but I'm a bit of a novice here.

Thought I'd just add a bit more to KT's explanation...

Employers may not be able to open Microsoft Works files so it's better to save it in a different format before sending.
When you save the CV, choose File | SaveAs
You should get a dialog box with the last option being 'Save As Type'. If you click on the currently selected type (works document *.wps) it should give you some more options. Hopefully you'll have a Microsoft Word *.doc option which you can select. (don't choose *.docx). If you don't have the *.doc option, go for *.rtf
It might be an idea to save it with a different name too, so you can differentiate between the versions.

Once you have done this, check the layout is still ok.


Make sure you know where you have saved the document to. (Desktop or MyDocuments is usually easiest.)

When you've created a new email, you will (hopefully) have a paperclip/attach icon at the top. If you press that, it will bring up a box showing the various files on your pc. You need to navigate to where the CV is and select it. (Make sure it's not the *.wps version you are uploading.)

Hope that helps.

zaksmum

Well, my head was buzzing with all that technical stuff!! But thanks all of you for the help.

I did get the CV done but it was on microsoft works...my computer doesn't seem to have Wordpad or notepad or even just Word. Anyway the employer emailed to say they, as samr said, couldn't open the CV in that format.

They suggested I type a copy out and then post it to them, so that's what I did.

Looks like there's no way I would be able to send a CV any other way if I only have Microsoft Works.

And I do have to say that it seems silly for a man of 58 with no qualifications or schooling beyond the age of 15, and only one job lasting 40 years, to have to do a CV at all!! There's precious little to put on it part from his specialist plant driving licences and experience.

Thanks so much for the assistance though.

seemasfriend

Hi Zaksmum

I will have my fingers crossed for your OH. I know from experience how difficult in can be applying for jobs after 15+ years.

If the worst happens and he is unsuccessful, dont despair he appears to have many years of sound experience. I would be happy to help with the CV content and format if you pm me. I have recruited 100s of staff over the years and spent the past 10 years helping people find work.

Good luck to you both - he is lucky to have an OH who has pulled out all the stops to help him.