Please critique my CV

ferien_uk2011

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

I feel sorry for you though, it will be hard to read all the comments when you come back on tomorrow.

Agreed, but hopefully the advice is something we can all use!

dugdale_2

Here's something for you to work on

John Smith

1 High Street, London SW1 1AA

Tel 0111 111111 Mobile 0111 111112

JohnSmith@hotmail.com

Profile
A highly experienced customer care operative with proven organisational and leadership skills who thrives on being part of a productive team. Comfortable at communicating with both internal and external customers face to face, telephone or in writing and experienced at chairing meetings at management level. Possesses strong IT skills including Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook in addition to possessing hands-on experience of Mail Merge.
_________________________________________________________________________
Career History:

XXXXXX Customer Care Sept 2008-present
Originally employed as a member of the admin team but shortly after commencing the role was promoted to the communications team.

Key duties include
• Liaising with various departments to ensure that all new projects are fully understood
• Working with the Operations Manager to create new processes
• Chairing meetings to ensure the leadership teams are fully appraised of issues and new projects
• Maintaining internal databases to ensure product information is both up to date and accurate
• Organising Children in Need for the department – converting the call centre into a Children in Need donation line
• Contacting customers to ensure their re-branding is going smoothly
• Supervising the Admin team’s holidays and rotas, logging of errors and training out new processes


XXXXXX Job Title January 2008 – Sept 2008
Working in the warehouse, going to exhibitions, banking and customer service including debt reconciliation and banking.

Key duties include:
• Taking phone calls from customers in regards to product information, requesting catalogues, placing orders and raising problems
• Processing orders via telephone, fax, email and post
• Ordering goods through SAGE
• Reconciling BACs remittances and cheques for banking
• Setting up accounts for new and existing customers
• Representing the organisation at trade exhibitions
• Developing Mail Merge systems to enable quicker letter writing
• Chasing outstanding payments
• Proof Reading of Catalogues


XXXXXX Job Title April 2007 – December 2007
Initially employed to work in the Admin department before earning a promotion to the role of Meetings Administrator.

Key duties included:
• Supporting the Meetings Officers in producing documentation as a result of creditors meetings
o Creation of documentation for onward transmission to multiple parties
o Updating of the internal IT system as well as the physical file
• Ensuring that votes are entered onto the system with high level accuracy
• Quality checking the IT and physical file to make sure all relevant documentation is present and correct
• Ensuring the team has all the resources it needs to do its job
• Updating creditors on meeting outcomes and dividends

_________________________________________________________________________

Education/Qualifications:

NEBOSH Credit
8 GCSEs including English and Mathematics
Any “in house” training courses
_________________________________________________________________________


Additional Information

Health Excellent (non smoker) just excellent if you smoke
Driving licence Full, clean UK licence held for X years
Language skills Basic German

________________________________________________________________________

References: Available on request

pinkmoo

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

I noticed some changes in tense too.
I feel sorry for you though, it will be hard to read all the comments when you come back on tomorrow.

Confused why it would be hard to read? Am I missing something?

Just want to thank everyone for their advice and help. I didn't post it on here to have everyone say ooh that's fab no need to change it, I wanted honest opinions and I'm happy to say that I've had some great constructive criticism!!

Thanks Everyone - :T:T:T

LondonDiva

I would strongly suggest you rejig using dugdale's template - change the focus so it's more factual and less about you.

I would also review, review and review the spelling and grammer each time you make a chage. I've just appointed this week and whittled down from the 152 applicants in 3 days on things as apparently trivial as one you used in your current cv - GCSE’s.

bristol_pilot

dugdale's template is excellent. I only have one quibble - I would not put 'non-smoker' on a CV as chances are that someone in the recruitment team is a 60 a day chain smoker.

getmore4less

Key Duties as Communication Coordinator:
• Liaising with departments across the business to ensure all new projects are communicated to Customer Care and trained out
• Working with the Operations Manager to create new processes
• Chairing meetings to ensure the leadership teams are fully appraised of issues and new projects
• Organising Children in Need for the department – we turn the call centre into a Children in Need donation line.
• Organising Christmas briefings and engagement for the Customer Care department
• Maintaining databases of information to ensure product information is up to date and accurate
• Contacting Opticians Branches to ensure their re-branding is going smoothly
• Maintaining spreadsheets of information and “What’s coming up”
• Ad Hoc Admin duties such as mailing customers, and helping the Admin Team when they’ve been busy
• Supervising the Admin team’s holidays and rotas, logging of errors and training out new processes


For me the problem is related items are not together to represent workflow. an almoast look like they are spread out to make it look more than it is.

eg something like

• Working with the Operations Manager to create new processes
• Chairing meetings to ensure the leadership teams are fully appraised of issues and new projects
* developing training programs for new processes
• Liaising with departments across the business to ensure all new projects are communicated to Customer Care and trained out

It might be better to put all the proceess development and training as a single/double bullet if you can fill out others with other key activities/acheivments.

Similar in the other job keep all the finance related activities together

DCFC79

I actually thought hobbies and interests were to be included on a cv based on me including them on past cv's and no 1 else mentioning why have you included it on there

Mr_Smith_3

"I enjoy spending time with my friends"
That really doesn't need to go in!

"I am a fast learner, with a positive manner and am enthusiastic. I am reliable and flexible and a team player and have great communication skills, both written and oral. I am very organised and can adapt to changes quickly. I can pick up new systems and computer programmes very quickly. I have a full clean driving license and own transport"
I... Full stop. I... Full stop... I... Full stop. I... Full stop. Read it again - it really doesn't read well. Fix it

You've got some really strong skills/responsibilities bullet pointed in your job roles, so delete the junk like "Communicating via e-mail and telephone" and make sure they're in order of most important/skilful to least if they're not already :j

Your GCSE grades may be better than mine, but they're not great. Remove the grades, and just put
GCSE Qualifications in:
English
Maths
Science
etc

"Interests
I enjoy watching films, going out for drives and reading – I can get lost for hours in a book. I enjoy going on holiday and experiencing new cultures, I enjoy spending time with family and friends."
Does an employer need to know this (this question goes out to my fellow forum members)?

jobbingmusician

[QUOTE=pinkmoo;43575910


Profile:
I enjoy new challenges and learning new things. I am a sociable person and I enjoy spending time with my friends and new people. I enjoy broadening my mind and trying new things.

Key Skills:
I am a fast learner, with a positive manner, and am enthusiastic. I am reliable and flexible and a team player and have great communication skills, both written and oral. I am very organised and can adapt to changes quickly. I can pick up new systems and computer programmes very quickly.
I have a full clean driving licence and own transport


Career History:

XXXXXX Customer Care Sept 2008-present
Working in both the Admin Team and Communications. I have enjoyed my time with XXXXXX immensely. I first started as a member of the Admin Team, however my manager decided I would be an ideal candidate for the Communication Role. I was successful in gaining the role and have developed my skills further and been given more and more responsibility, including some supervisory [STRIKE]tasks of a small team.[/STRIKE] responsibilities.
Key Duties as Communication Coordinator:
• Liaising with departments across the business to ensure all new projects are communicated to Customer Care and trained out ????
• Working with the Operations Manager to create new processes
• Chairing meetings to ensure the leadership teams are fully appraised of issues and new projects
• Organising Children in Need for the department – we turn the call centre into a Children in Need donation line.
• Organising Christmas briefings and engagement for the Customer Care department
• Maintaining databases of information to ensure product information is up to date and accurate
• Contacting Opticians' Branches to ensure their re-branding is going smoothly
• Maintaining spreadsheets of information and “What’s coming up”
• Ad Hoc Admin duties such as mailing customers, and helping the Admin Team [STRIKE]when they’ve been busy[/STRIKE] to manage their workload (sounds more senior )
• Supervising the Admin team’s holidays and rotas, logging of errors and training out new processes This phrase is obviously local to your company!


XXXXX January 2008 – Sept 2008 – Temping Role
Working in the warehouse, going to exhibitions, banking and customer service including debt reconciliation and banking.
Key Duties:
• Taking phone calls from customers in regards to product information, requesting catalogues, placing orders and raising problems
• Processing orders via telephone, fax, email and post
• Ordering goods in using SAGE
• Warehouse duties
• Reconciling BACs remittances and Cheques for banking – including allocation[STRIKE] them [/STRIKE]to the correct customer account.
• Setting up new accounts for new and existing customers
• [STRIKE]Going on[/STRIKE] Attending exhibitions to market the company and products
• [STRIKE]Checking information on mailing lists to ensure the details are correct[/STRIKE] Proof reading mailing lists
• Using an in-house system for processing orders and checking order status etc
• Liaising with the head office in France via email and telephone If you communicated in French, stress this here.
• Developing Mail Merge systems to enable quicker letter writing
• Chasing outstanding payments
• Proof Reading Catalogue



XXXXt April 2007 – December 2007 – (Redundancy)
During my time at XXXXX I worked in the general Admin department, and then was promoted to Meetings Administrator with more responsibility. My duties included:
• Supporting the Meetings Officers in producing timely ‘post-meeting documentation’ as a result of the meeting of creditors:
o < ensure bullet markings in consistent format. Preparing multiple sets of documentation for onward transmission to multiple parties
o Updating of the internal IT system as well as the physical file
• Ensuring that votes are entered onto the system with high level accuracy
• Quality checking the IT and physical file to make sure all relevant documentation is present and correct
• Ensuring the team has all the resources it needs to do its job (stationery; printers etc)
• Updating creditors on meeting outcomes and dividends
• Communicating via e-mail and telephone
• Working as an integral part of the Meetings Team, responding to additional duties as required


Education/Qualifications:
NEBOSH Credit

GCSE’s
English - B
Maths - C
Science - CC
R.E - C
German - B
History - B
Food Technology - D

Interests
I enjoy watching films, going out for drives and reading – I can get lost for hours in a book. I enjoy going on holiday and experiencing new cultures, I enjoy spending time with family and friends.

References: Available on request

Thanks In Advance:beer:[/QUOTE]

Comments in red. Make sure you find the little commas and full stops

Naf

OK: keep what you're saying simple and concise, but make sure it really sells what you were doing.

I worked in a McDonalds for a while; I could quite easily avoid including this on my CV and work a few dates to plug the gap with something else; that can backfire. I could write something like this:

McDonalds; Counter Food Server
Responsibilities included: taking orders on the till, assembling food to order, food preparation, cleaning.

Or I could embellish it:

McDonalds Restaurant: Customer Care Assistant

Customer service skills including ensuring satisfaction, counter service and customer interaction.
Cleaning duties.
Working as a team and being flexible to perform multiple job roles.
Individual initiative while working alone.
Product monitoring.

This is completely justified, and an employer isn't going to think you're trying to stretch the truth, they will recognise that you're selling the benefits you learned from the job that are transferable between jobs/industries. 'Product monitoring' actually just means I was throwing burgers out when they had sat in the heat chute too long, but I'm showing I've thought about the actual process and how I can apply the same across different jobs.