Recognising your skills & writing an effective CV
Sarah BlackfordAcademic & science career specialist
www.biosciencecareers.org www.sebiology.org
Recognising your skills & writing an effective CV
Note to Slideshare viewers: Make sure to refer to my blog for
examples of CVs and covering letters +++www.biosciencecareers.org
What do employers want?
Specific Research Knowledge & Skills • Academic Research (universities, research institutes, government)• Research in Industry/Business (technology, bioindustry, policy
think tanks, media)• Scientific services (clinical sciences, specialist industries)• Associated commercial careers (technology transfer, patent agent,
data management, regulatory affairs, marketing)• Communication (publishing – editorial, commissioning, production
- press officer, outreach, medical writer)• Teaching (university, schools)• Administrative/Development work • Self Employment/Consultancy work• Something completely different ....Finance, project mgt ?
Non-Academic Knowledge & Skills
SKILLS
Technical SkillsCommunication
Analytical/ResearchWillingness to learn
Problem solvingFlexibility
Specific knowledgeProject managementTeamworkOrganisational InterpersonalLeadership
What do you have to offer?
What have you gained from your research experience?
Specific research knowledge Research/Technical skills and techniques Teaching/supervising ?Funding and independent activities ?
Communication skills: presenting, writing, negotiating, building relationshipsManagement skills: managing time, projects, resources, people Problem-solving skills: designing, conducting experiments, troubleshootingResearch skills: critical analysis of literature, data, conceptual thinkingFund-raising: seeking and preparing funding applicationsSelf-motivation: self-starter, able to keep going under pressureMulti-tasking: able to organise your research, teaching, administrationNetworking: collaboration with other groups (within and outside of your discipline/department), industry, conferencing, organising seminars
How do you sell yourself effectively to employers?
Your CV
Is NOT your biography It is your personal prospectus
The Perfect CV will not get you the jobIt will - Help you to get an Interview
Marketing Yourself ‘on Paper’
Successful CVs:
Identify and Address the EMPLOYER’S Needs Give Evidence of RELEVANT Skills and Qualities Present a Professional Cohesive Image Convey Enthusiasm and Commitment Don’t Undersell
The “Perfect” CV Key Elements
Concise Communication Clearly Demonstrates Ability to Produce Results For Your Potential Employer Motivated to Meet You
How Long Will an Employer Spend Reading Your CV?
20-30 Seconds
What do employers want from applicants?
Targeted Applications: Awareness of Skills Required - Matched to
your Evidence of Skills you Possess Explain your Interest and Motivation
Fully and Correctly Completed Applications Evidence which Sets you Above the Average
Marketing yourself in a CV
Successful Applications: Identify and address the EMPLOYER’S needs Give evidence of RELEVANT skills and qualities Present a professional cohesive image Convey enthusiasm and commitment
CV Action Verbs Describe what you have DONE
•Achieved•Assessed•Completed•Created•Coordinated•Demonstrated•Developed•Elected•Expressed
•Initiated•Investigated•Led•Organised•Prepared•Produced•Selected•Supervised•Tested
AGCAS 2009
Preparing An Effective CVIt Should:
– Be Clear and Concise– Set Out Why You Think You are the Right Person for
the Job– Show What You can Offer the Employer
Basic Rules– It Must Look Good– Allocate Space Strictly in Relation to the Importance
of the Information– Be Easy to Read and Follow– Always Send a Covering Letter
Preparing An Effective CV
How long does it take to prepare?
Preparing a CVPut Strongest Statement at the Top Keep Sentences and Paragraphs Short Use Indented and Bulleted Statements Use Simple Terms Use Quantities and Amounts
Preparing a CVAvoid/ Leave Out
JargonSelf-Serving EvaluationsHobbies Unless they Contribute to Job Target“I”
What should you include in your CV• Personal Details
(including social media/website)• ?Career Goal/Key capabilities• Education • Work History• Skills and competencies• ?Publications, Conferences,
Professional Memberships, Interests• Referees
Personal detailsYour name - the title of your CVContact information (address, phone, email)Photo? Only mandatory in some countriesSocial media extends your profile(e.g. Researchgate for academic jobs;LinkedIn for business/industry jobs;Twitter for communication jobs)
Career goal/capabilities
Optional. Advise to use as follows: 1) If you can satisfy the vast majority of the job requirements, and more and you want to make sure you write this prominently on your CV so it can be seen easily.2) If you are not sending a CV, e.g. when attending a careers fair.
Education
Place this Section first if you are a PhD student.– Include your current PhD details - write the title
of your thesis, supervisor and description of your project for an academic CV; for other posts make the information more general).
– Then place information about your master’s degree and undergraduate degree after this.
– You can include other training in this section if it is relevant to the post.
Work History
Place this Section first if you are a postdoctoral/early career researcher/fellow.– Include your current post with details of your
project aims and description for academic posts. – Add in previous research posts in reverse
chronological order including internships.– Depending on the seniority of an academic post,
you may need to add in considerable detail.– For non academic posts this section can be
shorter and less detailed.
Skills & CompetenciesFor most jobs this will be the most important section of your CV as it demonstrates your skills and personal attributes.– Include 3 – 4 subtitles according to the skills
specified in the job description: Eg. Research & Technical; Communication;
Teaching & Public Engagement Teamworking & collaboration; Project management; Organisational & Planning.– Provide evidence of these skills taken from your
experiences (work, education, personal).
Publications & Conferences• Cite your publications in the body of your CV if you
only have one or two. If you have a long list (lucky you ) you can add an appendix and refer to them on page 1 of your CV (eg ‘See Appendix on page 3 for list of publications and conference presentations). This will keep the main part of your CV at 2 pages in length.
• For non-academic non-research jobs you may need to exclude your publications and simply refer to the fact that you have published papers from your researcher work, showing evidence of your output and success.
Awards, membership, Interests
• Depends on the job: you need to decide whether and how to display these in your CV.
• Eg they could be evidence of positions of responsibility, achievement, motivation, desire for success, working towards a goal.
• As a rule, only include interests if they add to your personal profile and show evidence of skills such as teamworking, leadership, achievement.
• Can depend on the country: www.totaljobs.co.uk
Referees• Try to choose referees who will give different perspectives
of you.• If you’re able, tell your referees what you are applying for
and even remind them in the type of key experiences and skills you have.
• You can choose to say ‘Referees available on request’ especially if sending your CV to a recruitment company. It means your referees won’t receive too many requests during your job-seeking ventures.
• Sometimes you can include a letter of recommendation with your CV
Top 10 CV Mistakes
1. Too Long 2. Disorganised 3. Untargeted/generic4. Misspellings, Typing Errors, Poor Grammar 5. Too Many Irrelevancies 6. Too Sparse – Gaps?7. Misdirected 8. Not Oriented for Results 9. Tries Too Hard 10. Overwritten
Types of CV Format
• CHRONOLOGICAL• TARGETED• SKILLS
CHRONOLOGICAL CVsTypes of CV Format• A Good Starting Point for your Basic
CV• List Your Work Experience and
Education by Reverse Date• Communicates that you are
Experienced and Established in One Career Area
TARGETED CVs• Organises Information According to the
Knowledge and Experience needed for The Job
• Focuses on a Clear, Specific Job Target: E.g. ACADEMIC CV
• Lists Appropriate Capabilities and Supporting Accomplishments
SKILLS CVs• Organises Information According to the
Skills required for the Job• Skills can be Transferred from one
career to another new one• Use when you have little or no
experience of this career area
Covering Letters
Covering letters should include:
What you are applying for and where you saw the advert
Why you are applying – refer to research group/company
Highlight your Key Points Matching Skills and Experience
Confident Conclusion Availability for Interview
This is where you shouldWrite your address and
DateEmployer’s name andAddress here written outAs it appears in the Advert
Job Title
Dear Sir/Madam (or their name as it appears in the ad),
I am applying for the post of XXXX which I saw advertised in the Journal/Newspaper/website on (date). Explain what you are doing now (e.g establish yourself as a postgraduate/postdoctoral) keen to develop a career in XXXX.
Use this paragraph to explain why you are interested in the job and the key skills or experience that you have which make you suitable. Don’t be modest!! Match up the most important skills wanted in the advert to those that you have.
The 3rd paragraph is to explain your suitability and to say why you are interested in this company, course, job etc. So find out about them but use your own words.
Finish on a positive note – e.g. I hope you will consider me for this post and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully/ Yours sincerely,
Signature
Name
Dear Professor Lake,
I am a post-doctoral researcher currently working in Professor Bean’s research group at the University of Montpellier. I am very interested in the research you are conducting, in particular your recently published work on day/night temperatures affecting fish circadian clocks temperature. My work is based around the temperature compensation of the Arabidopsis circadian clock in which we have found that it is a useful probe for the circadian clock.
My contract will be finishing in 6 months’ time and I am keen to pursue my interest in circadian rhythms but within animal systems. I am using similar molecular and biochemical techniques as you use in your lab and I have a thorough background knowledge of circadian clocks and related biochemical processes. If you are planning to take on any new researchers this year I would be very interested in being considered for a post with you to continue my research interests but in a different model system.
Please find my CV attached where you will see I have published consistently during my postdoctoral research following completion of my PhD in 2005. I have presented my work at international conferences and have also had some teaching experience.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Tim Webster
SUMMARYApplying for jobs is a MATCHING processYou need to know the JOB LANDSCAPEFind out about EMPLOYERS – who are they,
what are they offering? Be aware of YOU – who are you, what do you
have to offer? You have to SELL yourself to the employerYour CV is a DYNAMIC document that needs to
be targeted to every application.The aim of your CV is to get you to INTERVIEW
ACTION PLANNINGPrepare and plan aheadReview the job marketUse job sites, social media, networkingKeep your CV up to dateUse it as a record and basic document and adapt
it to different jobsTry to fill any skill gaps you have identified
For more information go to: http://www.biosciencecareers.org/p/cvs.html
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www.sebiology.org
Recognising your skills & writing an effective CV
Sarah BlackfordAcademic & science career specialist
www.biosciencecareers.org www.sebiology.org