Writing a CV/Resumé

[mikeymike]

KennyR, stick your CV online, just snip off or fake unnecessary (for us to read) personal details.

Or even stick your CV online like I do anyway.  The only thing I don't have on there is my address, mainly because I would be willing to move for the job anyway.

[mikeymike]

Hobbies, interests, Any extra-curricular stuff you've done (Air/Army cadets that sort of thing).

If you're going for an IT job, talk about your skills.  I have a 'summary of my skills' section of my CV that covers other little bits of info not covered by my employment history (without digressing).

Everyone has a time of their CV looking very small.  Just be glad your CV isn't overly large and you're trying to work out what not to include.  That's more difficult than making as much as possible out of very little, believe me :-)

Job hunting is hard work.  One thing you should take into account for the future - don't burn bridges.  Keep as many friendly acquaintances as possible, because they may be able to recommend you for a job in the future.

[mikeymike]

2) Personal Profile
HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?

KennyR, I've been on both sides of the interview table, I've seen a lot of CVs and I've never seen a section in one like that.

"Personal statements" are definitely optional extras as well.

If your CV still needs padding out when you're done with every other section, have a think about adding a personal statement of some sort.

Example:

CV of someone I know

[mikeymike]

Another thing - if you've ever done work experience, put it down!  Employment history (work experience)!

[mikeymike]

See, it's this skill I lack totally - how to pluck positive things out of less positive.

Well I have some bad news for you.  It's a skill you need or you'll never get anywhere (assuming you want a decent career that reflects the effort you put into your qualifications).

If you don't think positive you'll end up stuck in a dead-end job.  As someone said earlier about attitude being easily derived from how a CV is written.

And don't think "well I'm #OOPS#ed", know that you have to do something about it.  No ifs, no buts.  Failure is not an option.

On the geek scale, I'm probably halfway up the scale.  But one of the things I most want to keep improving are my people skills.  It is so bloody important.  And I'm speaking from experience.  I'm not a 'veteran', but I've certainly had a few experiences that tell me this.

Failing a computing degree. I did manage to get a fairly feeble HNC out of it, but that should have only taken one year and I stretched it out to three. I should have realised earlier that I just wasn't interested in it, but sh*t happens...

Yeah, well, I would have probably screwed up a computing degree had I gone for it.  My programming skills suck.  But I still have a lot to offer in the field of computing.

I'm too independent and too opinionated, really. I don't have any leadership qualities but at the same time I don't take authority well.

Most of my old work friends might have described themselves like that, yet I've worked with them on projects before we became friends and worked together perfectly well.  I like to think I'm independent, and I'm quite opinionated, but it is experience that showed me I can work in a group easily.  Taking authority well is always a thorny issue.  Annoying/crap authority no-one takes well.  Decent forms of authority shouldn't even be noticed as such, as in, the authority figure(s) form (in a non-obstructive way) part of the machine that makes it better.

so went and did it differently myself, usually doubling effort all over the place.

People skills and maturity.  If you're open to picking them up along the way, they're easy to pick up.

I don't have anything near as eye-catching as hobbies. Basically, right now I spend most of my time on IRC and this forum, watching DVDs on rare occassions, and playing old Playstation games when I'm bored. I read, but not fiction. That's it.

How about a bit of web design work on the side, maintaining your own website, helping out with bug tracking for a particular product, maintaining your own server, taking windy walks (:-)), GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE ONCE IN A WHILE, cycling, just something!  And if you still say no, then switch off your computer and GO SOMEWHERE!

No. None whatsoever.

Not even McDonalds?

I really don't know what to do about that. I've lost contact with my lecturers and couldn't ask to put them down as references by the time I realised I needed any. Family members aren't usable as references, either.

Say hello to the same situation as pretty much everyone else  out of university.  Now go call your lecturer(s) and ask them nicely! :-)  Get someone you know, anyone, aunt, uncle, whomever to write a personal reference for you.

Thanks, that's a good idea. My bluff will be called if they request though (or I'll have to make an emergency trip to the uni to see what I can find, not much I guess).

I've never been asked for references.  But contact details are a good thing to list.

I'll tell them what I told you: local jobs in this area are extremely hard to find, and I'm not willing to move country. After a year of this I'll have to chalk off my degree, it'll be useless by then.

No it won't, you're older than the green guys just out of uni.  But the longer you spend out of work, the less attractive it'll look.  And sodding move country if you can't find work.  Unless you want to live on benefit for the rest of your life.  And you'll find that to be effort well-wasted as well.

Definitely not. But my reasons for wanting a job are to pay off student loans and get some money in. I don't have any major ambitions related to work or social life.

Think up some decent reasons before going for interview.  And work can be quite rewarding, as well as the money.

says me, self-employed :-)

I don't. I've also done nothing extra-curricular remotely worth noting.

What exactly have you done with your life?

[mikeymike]

KennyR wrote:

Mikeymike wrote:
If you don't think positive you'll end up stuck in a dead-end job. As someone said earlier about attitude being easily derived from how a CV is written.

Well, as long as it's well paid, I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

Yeah, well wait till you get there.  And assuming that a dead-end job is going to be a generally nice one is a bad assumption.

I'm not ambitious - especially not in the field of careers. A lot of people view a career as a life. I view it as an annoying but necessary thing to have to do to be allowed to get on with my life as I see fit.

That's because you have no experience of it.  A career is a significant part of your life, and you'll want to enjoy a significant part of your life.

Not even McDonalds?

No.

Well first things first.  Get yourself an unskilled job to put on your CV, then apply for skilled jobs.  If you can't find yourself an unskilled job either, you'll have to move to another country.

Now go call your lecturer(s) and ask them nicely! Get someone you know, anyone, aunt, uncle, whomever to write a personal reference for you.

Here's where the problems begin. Most of my lecturers left the university even before I took the final exam. (Through most of the final two years we got one rather overworked lecturer doing most stuff with us). If these lecturers don't answer to their email addresses, I really have no idea how to contact them.

There's an interesting adventure for you.

And as I said, references from personal aquaintances are useless.

Says you, who hasn't ever applied for posting a job vacancy before :-)

That, at least, is something all CV writing guides seem to agree on.

They're wrong.  A personal acquaintance might be an ex work colleague for example.

But the longer you spend out of work, the less attractive it'll look. And sodding move country if you can't find work.

I've put a lot of thought into this over the last few months and I've decided I don't want to move. My family is here and I have really nothing without my family.

Don't tell me: you went to university just around the corner from home.  /me shakes head.

I really doubt any raw school/uni leaver is going to find decent work in Scotland.  You can visit your family at weekends.  All part of life.

Unless you want to live on benefit for the rest of your life.

Nothing to do with want, I can't stay on benefit. Not unless I intentionally cripple myself for disability or something. Or win the lottery (which is unlikely because I don't buy tickets).

You'd be surprised the number of people who can and do claim benefit for pretty much life.

What exactly have you done with your life?

Nothing.

Well I guess that's what it comes down to, what do you want your epitaph to be: Lazy bastard, who spent his life on the Internet, and didn't experience anything for himself.

Seriously reconsider how you're going to live your life before asking how to write a CV.

[mikeymike]

Look KennyR... With your ability to look miserably upon life, I suggest you get something in customer services... maybe get a job at the Job Center?

Yep, there are also plenty of telephone sales/customer service jobs to simply disappear into.

[mikeymike]

Whoever admins that server seriously needs to learn how to configure a http server properly :-)

about the CV - overuse of italics don't you think?  I'd at least make something not italic :-)