Looking for a job? Andrew Smyth, a recruitment consultant with Careers Register is here to help with Oxygen.ie's guide to CV writing...

Even in the greatest of economic climates, it's a big deal when you start a new job. In an economy like this, it's immense. Not only do you want to make a first-rate impression with your new employer, you also want to reaffirm in their minds that they made the right decision when deciding to hire you.

If I’m honest it’s a very overwhelming but exciting experience to go through and I’m sure everybody can somewhat relate to the severe apprehension that runs through your veins when starting.

The last few years haven’t been easy on anybody trying to find employment, but thankfully the recruitment industry is beginning to see some sizable changes and shifts in the employment market, which gives some hope to those out there struggling to secure a job.

But before you even land that job, you have the forbidding interview process that we all know too well, and in turn the only way you will get that interview is by having an impeccable CV.

I’m sure we're all aware that first impressions on a CV are crucial. Most hiring managers and recruiters like myself spend no more than 1 minute scanning a CV so here are some precious tips for jobseekers and candidates to take on-board when sending a CV into a company or recruitment agency.

According to research badly presented and written CVs are more of a turn-off to almost three quarters of employers than a candidate showing up late, wearing inappropriate clothes or even swearing in an interview, so listen up people.

The most irritating mistakes I’ve recently noticed include: misspelling key details such as the employer’s name or job title, grammatical errors, including irrelevant information and nearly all recruiters have reported seeing inappropriate personal email addresses. Be smart and get somebody to read over your CV.

An article I read recently states that one-third of hiring managers said on average they spend 60 seconds or less looking at a CV when first reviewing an application.

I know this to be somewhat true, I used to work with a guy a couple of years ago in America who screened CVs at the rate of 30 seconds with a holler (to himself) of "NEXT" as he hurled each 'unsuccessful' applicant's CV into the bin, and then followed with a scream of “BOOM” as it crashed into the bin. Very funny to watch but again proving my point that people don’t have any patience for bad CV’s.

A CV which caught my eye recently was entitled 'Stand out from the crowd'.  Titles like this will always win over the person who’s screening CV’s and nine times out of ten they will give it a bit more attention than the other run of the mill CV’s. So while you should always be professional and concise with the writing of your CV, try to be eye-catching and different, and don't forget always to read your CV for any typos that spellcheck might miss!

Here are some of the most common typos that CVs are likely to contain:

• Candidates claiming to have “worked in a busty office”
• People looking for “a job as a manger”
• Jobseekers after a position in “pubic relations”
• Candidates often claim to be “a good leeder”
• Many have been trained in “fist aid” rather than first aid.
• Candidates “attended collage”
• Or went to “a very good skool”
• Spelling “their” instead of “there”

Here are some Valuable CV writing tips to contemplate:

1. Use a direct style: Use blunt, short words. Most CVs are scanned, not read, be specific.
2. Looks: Have it looking like a middle-aged man’s apartment. Nice and tidy.
3. Objective: Be direct; your objective is the job you’re applying for, don’t waffle.
4. Results: Not responsibilities or experience — but what responsibilities and experience helped you accomplish results.
5. Bullets: 3 or 4 results per job, use bullet point format when you can.
6. Grades: put down your Leaving Cert results, even if it was ten years ago.
7. Promotions: If your role changes, highlight that as two jobs.
8. Themes: Whether you care about customer service or Banking, tell a consistent story from job to job.
9. Anything you did that showed initiative or passion in your life, be it work or otherwise.
10. Customization: Tailor your CV and cover letter to the job your applying for. Otherwise it will look boring to the employer because of a lack of specific interest and enthusiasm. 

And some pitfalls to look out for when writing your CV: 

1. Job Flitting: Stints at two or more employers of less than one year.
2. List of generic skills: Just show what you actually accomplished at each job.
3. Typos or misspellings: Spell-check! Spell check! Spell check!
4. Photos: My favorite was of a candidate in tennis whites with a racket.
5. “Proven”: As in “proven leadership.” We all still have something to prove.
6. Printed CVs: Email a Word document, web page or PDF.
7. Lies: Do not lie on your CV, you will be found out.
8. Don’t get Personal: It’s a CV not a letter to Oprah Winfrey.
9. Sarcasm: Sounds obvious but it happens.
10. What you hated about your last job: Don’t discuss bad experiences about previous jobs.

Finally, have full faith in yourself and your achievements. Write about your qualifications and skills in a clean and confident style and you should be fine. Best of luck! 

www.careersregister.ie