CV makeover?

Benthosboy

Has anyone had their cv/covering letter "done" by one of these professional cv companies and secured a job as a result? I'm applying for lots of jobs at the moment without success so I'm wondering if my applications are up to the mark.

Thanks in advance.

Martyn.

sovereign

The best advice I was given regarding a CV is to do it yourself! You know yourself better than the professional cv companies. It is something that takes time and effort to get right, but to reflect your own skills in the best light you really are better doing it yourself.

jay_1978

Benthosboy wrote: »

Has anyone had their cv/covering letter "done" by one of these professional cv companies and secured a job as a result? I'm applying for lots of jobs at the moment without success so I'm wondering if my applications are up to the mark.

Thanks in advance.

Martyn.

I have had mine checked by a member of a course I am on and he said its top notch but you still don't get the replies, Its more to due with the amount of applications company's are getting at the moment I think

asc99c

A key point is to present yourself as an individual. Ideally the person reading it should remember something about who you are. A checklist of experience might get you through an automated filter but won't jump out at a human. Put that checklist in, but on the second page. The computer will definitely read that far, a person might not. Have a look at this CV article. The tips here might not work for every company, but I think following this would work well where I work.

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/ResumeRead.html

Wellery82

I'd be cautious of giving them money unless you really feel it will benefit you - most of the advice you want can be found for free on the net i would say.

A few fairly generic tips i would suggest, but the main thing is do something you are comfortable with, these are just my thoughts and as with any advice like this some will agree, some will not -

• Always explain what you have actually done yourself in your role- ie not "was part of a project that..." type answers, but specific examples in whatever industry you are.
• Is your employment listed most recent - oldest, with clear job titles there so anyone can see at a glance what you do?
• Stay away from generic skills sections on the CV- everyone says they are a great communicator or similar, try and show your skills by focusing on your responsibilities and achievements in your job
• Is it easy to see who you are and the type of work you are looking for straight away? Ideally this should scream out at someone straight away
• Keep it to two pages, most people won't want to read any more

diable

Its the personal statement on the first page thats the most imported, remember to highlight and repeat the keywords as a lot of recruitment companies will use software like Voyager to scan CV's within their databases.

Stepmum_2

No, I was tempted some time ago but then someone reminded me that my CV is MY marketing tool and there's only me who can sell myself! No one else can do it for you. This was enough to stop me paying out.

I think the problem at the moment is the amount of competiton. A couple of jobs that I've applied for (to get back into retail) where my skills / experience match the requirements, haven't even had a sniff - I'm told that because I've been in a different industry for a couple of years, employers are more interested in those who have current industry experience.

Good luck