Total CVs

AlecEiffel

Hi all.

Currently job hunting as I will be redundant as of 31 Dec. I put my CV on Total Jobs as well as numerous other sites. Now with Total Jobs I get a free CV review from Total CVs - who are quite obviously affiliated/owned by Total Jobs. Unsurprisingly they have advised that my CV can be approved by them for a fee.

Now has anyone here used them? Are they worth the cash considering free advice is available all over the place? As part of my redundancy package I attended a CV/job seeking course run by RightManagement which I thought was great.

Total CV gave me a couple of bits of free advice - obviously to entice me in further, but they went against what RightManagement told us on our course.

Obviously every CV is different but I am feeling this is just a money grab. But then again I don't want to miss out!!

Thanks all.

Daedalus

All but the most hindered job seekers should be able to create a strong CV on their own. If you take a professional CV to another CV professional they will likely tweak again. There is no one 'perfect' CV, it is subjective.

1)Use the internet, find examples of layouts.
2) Use the internet, find examples of good ways of phrasing your skills.
3) Apply for jobs.

No luck? Repeat the steps.

MadelinesMum

I would just ignore them - Total CVs are probably just after making money from you. Have another read through your CV and check everything looks good, then do as Daedalus says and do a bit of online research. You can also read books on the subject - I think a good one is called "Brilliant CVs". You could always ask at you library if you don't want to buy one.
Good luck.

AlecEiffel

Yeah I thought as much. My CV at the mo is a combination of what RightManagement advised, what various websites advise, a book my mate had, and the opinion of my wife who sees a lot of CVs through her work (though a different industry).

I'll give it a miss - plus their prices range from £60 - £160, plus you can add on extras :think:

Thanks to you both.

robin_banks

A rip-off to say the least.

Register with agencies, they'll create their own versions of your cv anyway.

Good luck with your job hunting.

AlecEiffel

Thanks v much. Yeah I'm registered with some local agencies, some online ones, and have sent my CV to one that specialises in my role. Fingers crossed in the new year something shall come up before too long.

alsyp

I am a time served recruiter so let me clear up a few things:

A) Recruiters WILL NOT make you a CV. Dream on
Having a professional CV is like wearing the correct shirt/tie combo on interview. A must.
C) Fair enough, you don't need a smart CV to beat ATS systems and wow recruiters if you want a job in Tesco but if you want a serious job then look a serious candidate.

PS Lastly, stop offering crap advice!
PPS Does this look like a bad service total-cvs.co.uk/testimonials or right-cv.co.uk/testimonials

funnycase

There are always this kind of letters sending to my mailbox. I'm just fed up with it.Everybody should make his CV himeself. This is the first thing he needs to do well then he can be qualified for the job.

saintjammyswine

alsyp wrote: »

I am a time served recruiter so let me clear up a few things:

A) Recruiters WILL NOT make you a CV. Dream on
They will present an edited version of your own in their own format removing your personal details so yes, they do.


Having a professional CV is like wearing the correct shirt/tie combo on interview. A must.
But you dont need to pay for one. A must not.


C) Fair enough, you don't need a smart CV to beat ATS systems and wow recruiters if you want a job in Tesco but if you want a serious job then look a serious candidate.
How come so many people get these serious jobs without having to pay a ridiculous fee already?

PS Lastly, stop offering crap advice!
Pot. Kettle.


PPS Does this look like a bad service total-cvs.co.uk/testimonials or right-cv.co.uk/testimonials

No, it looks like you work for them and are spamming this site with fake praise.

gb12345

saintjammyswine wrote: »

How come so many people get these serious jobs without having to pay a ridiculous fee already?

Totally agree - I have worked in IT and Consulting for 15 years as a contractor, so I am regularly looking for new positions.

When I was made redundant from a long-term permanent job before going contracting I had a free CV review with my employers HR department and they helped me format my CV (had basically been with the same employer since leaving school).

Since then I have kept my CV up to date and changed the format to allow for applying for international jobs, but I have never paid anyone to review/update my CV. I regularly get comments from agencies/employers that my CV stands out as being individual.

It is just a unnecessary service that recruitment companies offer to generate a bit more income.

adamsphillips

The free advice given by Total CVs is a boiler-plated email sent out a day or two after you submit your CV to make it seem as though someone real has looked at your CV.

I was recommended by a friend and tried it. I noticed that the reply was identical to his reply so I submitted a second, completely artificial CV written entirely in latin, with black text on a black background. They replieda couple of days later with exactly the same reply as we have all had previously.

So I phoned them and asked them specifically three times if a real person had looked at my CV and was told three times, yes, absolutely it was a real person.

Perhaps they really do have CV writing skills but it's very expensive. My advice would be to find a good template that you like, sharp, clean and easy to read. Then look at job postings for the types of jobs you want and use the keywords and main points to start filling out your own CV.

It's not worth wasting a few hundred pounds right when you could do with that money.