Employing staff

[Jason87]

Just seen this post, well done mate, it will definitely help me out.

I'd just like to add a tip for people.

Make sure you have your Facebook etc set to private, or have content on there that is ok for employers to see.

The reason I say this is because I was looking a placement for my course and got a few interviews. I felt the interview was going fine and then he happened to give me a bit of "free advice". Employers are now going as far to check potential employees profiles.

He had previously searched before the interview, using my e-mail address provided. My profile picture was me doing the V sign with a bottle of bud in the other hand - not a good image. He was unable to view the rest of my profile as it was private, but apparently he was wanting to see what I was like outside the interview.

I was not happy that he had done this as I feel what I do on Facebook is none of his business and would not affect how I would have worked for the company. Needless to say, I thanked him for his advice and changed it anyway.

 

[Spectre]

Just seen this post, well done mate, it will definitely help me out.

I'd just like to add a tip for people.

Make sure you have your Facebook etc set to private, or have content on there that is ok for employers to see.

The reason I say this is because I was looking a placement for my course and got a few interviews. I felt the interview was going fine and then he happened to give me a bit of "free advice". Employers are now going as far to check potential employees profiles.

He had previously searched before the interview, using my e-mail address provided. My profile picture was me doing the V sign with a bottle of bud in the other hand - not a good image. He was unable to view the rest of my profile as it was private, but apparently he was wanting to see what I was like outside the interview.

I was not happy that he had done this as I feel what I do on Facebook is none of his business and would not affect how I would have worked for the company. Needless to say, I thanked him for his advice and changed it anyway.

Or change your profile to something very suitable in the hope that they do find it.

 

[Jason87]

Or change your profile to something very suitable in the hope that they do find it.

I could have, but in my opinion it is none of their business what I have on my Facebook, as it is a private way to communicate with friends/family, not employers.

Although I do understand that employers will do anything to get more information on you to narrow down the amount of candidates they have.

 

[Spectre]

I could have, but in my opinion it is none of their business what I have on my Facebook, as it is a private way to communicate with friends/family, not employers.

Although I do understand that employers will do anything to get more information on you to narrow down the amount of candidates they have.

It didn't have to be your real FB account, I meant create a false one for CV purposes.

 

[Lainie]

im ALWAYS truthful and honest and just be myself. i dont lie at interviews or forums or anywhere else. i never kid on to be something or someone im not. im very happy being me.

 

[snapman]

@stihl... C.V. 'wise', does this ring true?

Words that Sabotage Your CV!

Creating a winning CV is a feat of strategy involving focus, wording, design and content selection. To achieve a career marketing document that wins interviews, all areas of the strategy must be spot-on and consciously used in the most effective manner. One of the most common mistakes job candidates make when writing their CVs is not paying attention to strategy and word selection.

There are actually words that can have a detrimental impact on the effectiveness of the CV. When most job candidates write them, they don't consider word choice because they are primarily worried about getting down the basic information. Wording is critical and the wrong one can sabotage your CV.


The average agent and/or hiring manager sees hundreds of CVs from qualified candidates. CVs begin to look and sound the same to them. Here are some words and phrases to avoid:

Soft-skill descriptions

Job seekers feel they need to communicate their soft-skills to the employer because they believe they are the traits that make them unique, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Soft-skills are so common that recruiters pay no attention to them.

Phrases to avoid or severely limit:

- Excellent communication skills
- Strong work ethic
- Personable presenter
- Detail-oriented

Do not bore the reader to tears with these trite, overused and tired phrases. After all, no one will write that he/she takes long lunches, is lazy and argues a lot with peers. Hence, it is much more effective to write a description that is action-based and demonstrates these abilities rather than just laying claim to them. For example, rather than just stating you are an "excellent presenter," you could say "Developed and presented 50+ multi-media presentations to prospects resulting in 35 new accounts, totalling £300,000 in new revenues."

Age, health, appearance

Many seasoned job seekers are facing that scary time warp known as pre-retirement and fear age discrimination. They feel they can counter this perceived hurdle by giving a description of their age or health. But this can be death to a CV.

Phrases to avoid:

- Youthful
- Athletic
- Fit
- Healthy
- Mature

Additionally, unless specifically requested, there is no need to include personal details such as date of birth, marital status or whether you have children. This information is typically used to exclude candidates from consideration in the hiring process rather than include them. Unless the employer specifically asks, keep this information confidential.

Passive voice

Many people write in the passive voice because that is how we've been taught "formally" in school composition. The problem with the passive voice, however, is that it is just that passive! A CV needs to have punch and sparkle and communicate an active, aggressive candidate. Passive does not accomplish that.

Indicators of the passive voice:

- Responsible for
- Duties included
- Served as
- Actions encompassed

Rather than saying "Responsible for management of three direct reports" change it up to "Managed 3 direct reports." It is a shorter, more direct mode of writing and adds impact to the way the CV reads. On the flip side, whilst action verbs are great, don't overdo it.

I have actually seen:

- Smashed numbers through the roof'
- 'Electrified sales team to produce...'
- 'Pushed close rate by 10 per cent'


Take your time

A CV is a marketing document for your career just as a brochure is a marketing document for a product or service. Companies put careful thought and consideration into each and every word that goes into marketing copy and you should do the same in your CV. These words stand in your place with the employer and need to showcase you in a powerful way. In a perfect world, these things would not matter, but in the reality of job search today, they matter a great deal. Be wise - stop and give some thought to the words you choose.

Source

 

[chronoman]

I always found when i was looking for job as production supervisor the companies i thought i did well with (Lexmark for one) i never got a second interview.
the ones i thought i mucked up i ended getting 3 interviews with.
I used to try and go in confident with some and never worked for me.lol
Great post though

 

[RAB - P]

moved sticky to Useful Information (Stickies)