CV Help please?

heretolearn_2

He shouldn't criticise his current employer/role.

Don't repeat CV info in the letter. It only needs to be short and again it's a chance for him to stand out.

Actually, just having a letter that is decently written, is enough to make him stand out these days!

State what role he is applying for.

summarise how he meets their requirements as listed in the advert - briefly - especially odd bits not included in the CV.

Say something about the new firm if he can, about why he would like to work there/in that role. Difficult if it's not a promotion/obvious move, but simply saying 'ready for new challenges' or something similar is ok.

Should be on what he can do for them rather than what he wants, without sounding arrogant.

gibson123

Just tell the truth - he has heard that the company is a good employer and would love to work for them.

Savvy_Sue

aliasojo wrote: »

Btw do people not list their date of birth anymore?

It's not necessary.

Dunroamin wrote: »

DOB is optional these days.

always was optional, of course, but these days, age discrimination is outlawed, so it should be completely irrelevant as a selection factor, therefore no point giving it. And while it's not that difficult to work out someone's approximate age from the dates they were at school / the number of years they've been working, you don't want to make it easy to work out. What you want to do it make it easy for the employer to tick off what they're looking for ... skills, experience, qualifications etc.

LittleVoice

heretolearn wrote: »

summarise how he meets their requirements as listed in the advert - briefly - especially odd bits not included in the CV.

The CV needs to be customised for the specific job. If the "odd bits" are relevant, they should go on the CV. However the key points should be spelled out in the covering letter too to encourage the recruiter to continue reading.

Be aware too that, like reading a newspaper backwards from the sports pages, some will look at the CV first before reading the covering letter.

Mackton12

Cover letter: Please find enclosed a copy of my CV, point out one or two of the most relavant points on it, for that job, elaborating slightly about acievements/ stuff, not previously stated. Letter should be brief.

I wouldn't put age, marital status, anything like that on a CV, not relevant, employer can work out roughly how old you are if they want by looking at dates you were at school, work etc. Also they may have a pre set idea of the sort of person they want, if you put age it might be immediately apparent to them that you're not like that person, without them reading further and giving you a chance. Have previously trained and worked as careers adviser.:p

westv

heretolearn wrote: »

No one cares which school he went to so don't waste the space on that.

You'd think so and I don't have that info on my CV but I've been surprised at how many agencies have asked me for it - even though I left school over 30 years ago!

westv

Dunroamin wrote: »

Have you had a look at writing a skills based CV which is a much more up to date format than the traditional chronological format?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=skills+based+cv&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnt&tbs=ctr:countryUK%7CcountryGB&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&sa=

I've heard that recruitment agencies hate skills based CVs. No idea if that is true or not though.

jobbingmusician

I start all my cover letters the same way (they take ages to write, but I always get an interview!)

In preparing this statement, I have taken each point outlined in the person specification, and outlined briefly how I meet the specification for this post.

I then copy and paste their person specification, and address each and every point in it from my own career and experience.

(By the way, your husband wants to move job in order to broaden his experience and work for this fine company B, doesn't he? )

aliasojo

jobbingmusician wrote: »

(By the way, your husband wants to move job in order to broaden his experience and work for this fine company B, doesn't he? )

Not really, it's exactly the same job in exactly the same area.

princessdon

What industry is he in?

For eg if it was IT then projects and skills sets are a good idea to have as a separate entity on the CV

I also like key acheivements.

Eg ISO, Upgraded XX to YY platform for ZZZ users etc.

It can also be an idea to have more than 1 CV. Eg A baisc 2 page and more detailed 3-4 page, or a management one and technical one.

My OH would ask the agency / company if they wanted the long or short version and TBH 90% wanted the longer one, so breaking the usual 2 page rule, but these were for senior management roles.

If you let us know the industry we may be able to advise more.