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How to Write a Winning CV. Lucy Hawkins, Careers Adviser #careersbeyondprofit. Download this PPT to open documents & read slide notes!. You are an employer and have 10 seconds to look at this CV... What do you pick up?. Let’s try that again. What do you pick up now?. Learning Outcomes. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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How to Write a Winning CV
Lucy Hawkins, Careers Adviser
#careersbeyondprofit
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You are an employer and have 10 seconds to look at this CV... What do you pick up?
Curriculum Vitae:Ellie Sanders Adress: 2 Saltash Way Saltash Cornwall PE12 Z28 Telephone: 07785 314529 Email: [email protected] Education 2010 – 2013 St Peter’s College, University of Oxford, English Language & Literature 2002 – 2009 Saltash School, Cornwall
A levels: Engrish Literature A* Geography A* French A AS level: Mathematics A
GCSEs: Mathematics – A* English Language – A* English Literature – A* Science – A*A* French – A* Geography – A* Sociology – A* Deign & Technology – A*
Work Experience Jan –May 2010: Bar staff, Spice Cocktail lounge, Al’s Cafe (part-time casual work) Duties included: Washing up, serving patrons, calling time, using till, signing rota Often involved unsociable hours and difficult working conditions 2007-2009: Waitress, Silver Spoons catering (part-time casual work) Outside catering company serving weddings, corporate events and functions Silver service trained Worked as part of a team with large turnover of members Sept-Jan 2009: Administrative Assistant, Cornwall Hospice (temporary full time work) Duties included: Filing, record keeping, computer usage, telephone skills and typing Part of a team supporting the running of this important hospice. Unpaid experience 2011- Present: Student Hubs Liaison Officer, Oxford Poverty Action Group (voluntary role) Monthly meetings with local council and other local charitable groups 2011-2012: Entz Officer, Oxford Aid to Haiti (voluntary role) Worked with JCR Entz Officers to put on a full termcard each term Ran the Oxford Haiti Challenge, managing three difficult team members Jan-June 2010: Volunteer Intern, Oxfam GB (voluntary role) Administrative support Interests: Travel, hockey, reading, cooking and socialising Referees Ms Alex Hargreaves UK Poverty Officer Oxfam GB Oxfam House Oxford
Prof. Gillian Murphy Tutor St Peter’s College New Inn Hall Street
Let’s try that again.What do you pick up now?
Ellie Sanders
St Peter’s College, Oxford, OX1 3BJ (until 27 June) 2 Saltash Way, Saltash, Cornwall, PE12 Z28 (from 27 June)
07785 314529 [email protected]
Final year Oxford student with charity experience, administration and event management skills and a passion for fighting poverty.
Education 2010 – 2013 University of Oxford, BA (Hons) English Language & Literature Ensuring 12 essays of 3,000 words each submitted on time each term Received college prize for outstanding first year exam results 2002 – 2009 Saltash School, Cornwall
A levels: English Literature A, Geography A, French A, AS level: Mathematics A GCSEs: 5 A*, 3 A, 1 B
Relevant Experience 2011- Present Student Hubs Liaison Officer, Oxford Poverty Action Group (elected role)
Ensure attendance at monthly meetings between local campaigners Representing Oxford Hub (student volunteering body) to share best practice Brokered successful collaborations between two charities and Oxford Hub
2011-2012 Entertainments Officer, Oxford Aid to Haiti (voluntary role) Planned time to commit ten hours a week for a year to this student organisation Designed and delivered a full programme of awareness-raising events in Oxford Led Oxford Haiti Fundraising Challenge, raising £5000 by engaging 80 students Jan-June 2010 Volunteer Intern, Oxfam GB (voluntary role) Developed awareness of organisational management and policy structures Delivered accurate record keeping and data-entry for the UK Poverty team Given responsibility to field telephone enquiries, praised for professionalism Sept-Jan 2009 Administrative Assistant, Cornwall Hospice (temporary full time work) Learnt good administrative practice including record keeping and file management Developed good working relationships in a short period of time Additional Experience
Jan –May 2010 Bar staff, Spice Cocktail lounge, Al’s Cafe (part-time casual work) 2007-2009 Waitress, Silver Spoons catering (part-time casual work)
Managing time to work an average of 10 hours/week outside of study Developed excellent customer service, communication and problem-solving skills
Skills & Activities Travel Independently travelled around Europe in Summer 2009 using work exchanges IT Skills Confident user of Microsoft Office, CMS systems, Mac and PC, basic HTML Sport Keen hockey player, on St Peter’s College team throughout time at college Referees Ms Alex Hargreaves, UK Poverty Officer, Oxfam GB - 01865 438721 – [email protected] Prof. Gillian Murphy, Tutor, St Peter’s College - 01867 652781 [email protected]
Learning Outcomes
• Understanding of the function of a CV• Knowledge of how to enhance CV
functionality• Understanding of recruiter use of a CV• Awareness of common problems in CVs for
‘beyond profit’ routes
Q: What is a CV for?A: To get you the interview
Q: How does it do that?A: Shows that you meet criteria, gives no reason to deselect you
Preparing a CV
• Make a list of what you’ve got:Exams, qualifications, work experience, internships, wider reading, hobbies and interests, awards, positions of responsibility, jobs, voluntary work, personal responsibilities, travel, committee work, memberships, projects, dissertations….
• Consider what the reader is looking for• Select evidence from your list that matches...
Matching evidence
They want? My evidence?Relevant degree
Relevant experienceCommunication skills
Creative / problem solving skillsInfluencing skills
People leadershipFlexibility
Organisational awarenessKnowledge of the issues
Technological skillsLanguage skills
Qualification, relevant papers
Developed as above / wider reading
Jobs, internships, extra-curricular, charity work, travel, academic activities= give tangible examples of how you’ve developed these
List skills, give skill level – if necessary explain acquisition
Headings
NameContact detailsNationality/work permit statusPersonal profile?Career objective?Education QualificationsWork experienceEmployment historyRelevant experience[Insert field] experiencePositions of responsibilityResearch experienceOther experienceInterests & activities
IT skillsTechniquesLanguage skillsAdditional SkillsAchievementsScholarshipsAwardsPublicationsPresentationsPostersConferencesProjectsCourses / TrainingProfessional developmentReferees
Top 5 CV tips
1) Tailoring• A relevant CV has to be tailored to what
they’re looking for• Base this on the selection criteria, but also use
the job description, published lists of organisational values and wider research where possible
Top 5 CV tips
2) Action language – not job description, but what you:• developed
‘Gained understanding of...’‘Improved awareness of...’
• were responsible for‘Ensured that...’ ‘Represented the group at...’‘Managed the systems for...’
• achieved‘Increased society membership...’ ‘Initiated new projects in...’
Top 5 CV tips
3) Specificity• Numbers and details add real power to a CV• Don’t worry if you raised ‘only’ £50, what was
the target?• Describe your role accurately and fully
– ‘Part of a team’ – did you lead or make tea?• Avoid generic process descriptions
– ‘Spent 3 months writing reports’ – How many? Successful?
Top 5 CV tips
4) CredibilityCan you
• …summarise each role?• …describe why you did each activity/job?• …show how your past leads up to this
application• …demonstrate all cited skills if asked?• …confirm everything comfortably?
Top 5 CV tips
5) Presentation• Always check for typos, consistent grammar• Consistent tenses• Simple, clear and scannable layout• Use links where they add value• 1 or 2 pages – but full pages• Covering letter/email – clear and concise• Do the 10 second test – and the 1 minute too
1 minute test
Use Ellie’s second CVYou’ve done the first sift – now to decide on a short list of candidates.• Mark Ellie’s CV against the
criteria – in 60 seconds• What advice would you
give Ellie ?
Ellie Sanders
St Peter’s College, Oxford, OX1 3BJ (until 27 June) 2 Saltash Way, Saltash, Cornwall, PE12 Z28 (from 27 June)
07785 314529 [email protected]
Final year Oxford student with charity experience, administration and event management skills and a passion for fighting poverty.
Education 2010 – 2013 University of Oxford, BA (Hons) English Language & Literature Ensuring 12 essays of 3,000 words each submitted on time each term Received college prize for outstanding first year exam results 2002 – 2009 Saltash School, Cornwall
A levels: English Literature A, Geography A, French A, AS level: Mathematics A GCSEs: 5 A*, 3 A, 1 B
Relevant Experience 2011- Present Student Hubs Liaison Officer, Oxford Poverty Action Group (elected role)
Ensure attendance at monthly meetings between local campaigners Representing Oxford Hub (student volunteering body) to share best practice Brokered successful collaborations between two charities and Oxford Hub
2011-2012 Entertainments Officer, Oxford Aid to Haiti (voluntary role) Planned time to commit ten hours a week for a year to this student organisation Designed and delivered a full programme of awareness-raising events in Oxford Led Oxford Haiti Fundraising Challenge, raising £5000 by engaging 80 students Jan-June 2010 Volunteer Intern, Oxfam GB (voluntary role) Developed awareness of organisational management and policy structures Delivered accurate record keeping and data-entry for the UK Poverty team Given responsibility to field telephone enquiries, praised for professionalism Sept-Jan 2009 Administrative Assistant, Cornwall Hospice (temporary full time work) Learnt good administrative practice including record keeping and file management Developed good working relationships in a short period of time Additional Experience
Jan –May 2010 Bar staff, Spice Cocktail lounge, Al’s Cafe (part-time casual work) 2007-2009 Waitress, Silver Spoons catering (part-time casual work)
Managing time to work an average of 10 hours/week outside of study Developed excellent customer service, communication and problem-solving skills
Skills & Activities Travel Independently travelled around Europe in Summer 2009 using work exchanges IT Skills Confident user of Microsoft Office, CMS systems, Mac and PC, basic HTML Sport Keen hockey player, on St Peter’s College team throughout time at college Referees Ms Alex Hargreaves, UK Poverty Officer, Oxfam GB - 01865 438721 – [email protected] Prof. Gillian Murphy, Tutor, St Peter’s College - 01867 652781 [email protected]
1 minute CV test: You have 60 seconds to tick which of the following selection criteria
you are confident Ellie meets, based on her 1 page CV
CRITERIA Tick?
2.1 degree minimum or greater
Results orientated
Great team player
Positive mindset to help solve problems
Understanding of UK poverty issues
Ability to adapt to changing workload
Confident taking own initiative when necessary
Planning and organisation skills
Excellent written and oral communication
Accuracy and attention to detail
Prioritisation and time management skills
Confident user of Microsoft Access
Ability to update web pages using CMS system
Top 5 mistakes on‘beyond profit’ CVs
• Don’t de-emphasis something unpaid!• Be aware of what their concerns might be
(adaptability, approachability, realism, empathy etc.) and head them off
• Use the subheadings that work for you:• Positions of responsibility• Relevant experience• Charity experience
Further resources
• More PDF guides available on our website CVs, Visual/Video/Infographic CVs, Skills-basedAcademic CVs, Consulting CV etc
• See a Careers AdviserFor CV reviews and any other advice
• Employer-led application sessions• GoingGlobal – for international CVs advice
www.careers.ox.ac.uk/careersbeyondprofit 01865 274646
Q&A#careersbeyondprofit
