How to Present Long Career Histories

Some of my clients come to me with a cv which is pages long and can't see any way of cutting down their career history so it fits nicely on to one or two pages.

I can see their dilemma - they may have had a series of jobs (too many to mention in full detail) but still need to list them on their cv so it doesn't appear as if they have any 'career gaps'. There is a simple solution to this.

Your recent career history is the most relevant and certainly the past 10 years is the most crucial and this is where the emphasis should lie.

Any jobs longer than 10 years ago can be listed under a heading 'Consolidated Early Career History'. List the name of the company, your title and the dates. Type them in as a list. Then do one or two short paragraphs that emcompasses what you have done in that period of your career. This saves space on your cv but gives the reader a sense of what you have done previously.

It works a treat, especially if you have taken up temporary positions or backward steps! It is unlikely that a company will want to delve so far back into your career that you are scratching your head to think of what you actually did in each role.

As always, if you need a hand with this, just get in touch!

When you get sick and tired of being sick and tired you'll change

That's a great quote by Andrew Matthews and one that I often hear from my clients. When people ask me what I do for a living and I reply a Career Coach, they often say they are sick of what they do and are looking for another job. But in reality, they often are not. It's what they'd like to do, but they haven't done anything about it yet.

When clients come to me I know they have got to the point where they want to change. Want to find another job and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get there.

Sometimes people are moving away from pain, and sometimes towards pleasure. What I mean by that is - some jobs have got so bad that they have to move away for their own sanity, security or well-being. Others on the other hand, may have just gained a qualification and have seen a promotion that they want to apply for and are moving towards a long-term career goal because they want to. They would probably be quite happy in their present position, but something bigger, better, brighter, shinier has come up and they want it!

My job as a coach is to find out what is the motivation for hiring me - moving away from pain or towards pleasure? Either way its a positive start and that's the only hard thing about taking the first step. The rest is easy....

Are you moving away from pain or towards pleasure?

New Look!

It's been a while since I blogged and since that time not only have I been having tremendous success with my clients (!) but I've also had a new makeover! Not me personally, but my whole brand so it ties together nicely with Twitter, Linkedin etc. etc.

Having thought about my own 'branding' it reminds me of advice that I always give my clients about thinking before they write on social media websites. Your profile and activity is so visible these days and potential employers are savvy enough to check you out either via Google or one of the numerous other sites available. Have a look at www.yasni.co.uk and see just how much information that can be amassed about you in just one website! You can also use this site for finding long lost friends etc. - I have used it several times to get back in touch with people!

Come back soon for more helpful information to get you into the career of your choice!

Achievement lead c.v.'s

This is part 2 of my last blog. You should now have a list of how you have contributed over and above your normal duties and therefore have a list of your 'achievements'.

Here's some suggested on wording. Bear in mind the people read left to right, so the first words have to grab their attention!

Exceeded targets by 20%+ during the last 6 months
Streamlined the payroll system resulting in cost savings of 10%
Increased turnover during 2009 by 15% through....
Designed and wrote a successful training programme delivered to 4000 employees in 2008
Voted 'Student of the Year' for 2008

I'm sure you get a flavour of how to describe your achievements to the best effect. Words like Directed - Supervised - Coordinated - Delivered are all "doing" words and show that you are pro-active. Employers like pro-active people, so if you are one of them, shout about it!

Need help writing your c.v.? - don't hesitate to contact me - christine@high10.co.uk

Achievement lead c.v.'s

Employers these days want to know that they are getting real value for money. They want people who will go the extra mile and really make a contribution to their bottom line.

I am sure there are many things you are proud of in your careeer so far, so get them down on your c.v. as achievements and let the prospective employer know what an asset you are going to be!

Take a minute and jot down two or three things (for each job you have done) where you have 'achieved' over and above your day-to-day duties. Have you done something that has added profit to the bottom line? Have you sold much more than your targets? Have you given exemplary customer service, and been recognised for it? Have you streamlined a system?

Write it all down and then come back in a couple of days to see how to put this in the body of your c.v.

Till then,

Christine - Your Career Coach

What comes first? The date, the title, the company?

I have seen many c.v.'s written and have read much on the subject, but my favourite way of detailing Career Experience is as follows:

left hand side -The Company Name
left hand side (underneath) -Your Title
far right hand side - Dates of service

Anything you want to make an impact with - put on the l.h.s. so people see that first. If you have worked for a large corporation (one that everyone would know), put that first to impress!

Or perhaps your title was the most impressive (and relates most to the job you are applying for). If that is the case, then put your title first, and your company name underneath.

The date (in my opinion) should always be on the far right hand side as this is something that is important, but when did a date ever grab anyone's attention?

If you follow the rule that anything you want to impress with, should go on the left hand side, then you won't go far wrong.

And lastly but not least, always start with your most recent work first and work chronologically backwards! It might be very interesting that you had a part-time job whilst at school, but if you are over 20 then I'm sure you've got more recent experience to grab their attention with!

Need further c.v. advice - contact me (I don't bite) - christine@high10.co.uk

Career Coaching/CV Writing Offer

For the month of July, I'm offering a fantastic package to get your c.v. looking professional and a coaching session to get your career on track.

This package would normally cost £150, but for the month of July you can book for a special price of £75 which includes:

A 1-1 coaching session (40-60 minutes) to ascertain where your career track is heading and what you need to do to get there

A professional bespoke c.v. guaranteed to open doors

Interested? Contact me at christine@high10.co.uk to discuss your requirements.