This is the time of the year when school leavers decide on their next stage in life. Some will go onto college, some will travel the world, while others will look for employment. As part of the process of leaving, Year 11 students are given advice and guidance on having a great CV to hand into businesses. Having looked at hundreds on CV's in the past, and then deciding on who to ring up, my advice is to keep it simple. Include the correct contact details such as your current mobile number, make sure your date of birth is shown, then we can work out how old you are and new working rules means the company has to check you have a right to work in the UK. It should be typed and presented correctly, handwritten CV's are a complete non starter. Keep it to one or two A4 pages, you can expand into further details during the interview conversation. Don't lie, you will be found out and easily dismissed because of this. Most importantly, be prepared to answer an unknown number. If you don't, the recruitment manager might just move onto the next person.
First impressions are very important if you make it to the interview stage. Time keeping is a must, arrive 10/15 minutes early. Be confident and think of it as having a conversation with somebody on the bus. The person sat on the other side of the desk once had their first interview, so they know how you feel. Dressing smart and looking neat and tidy is a must. I've mentioned this before, but it is one of my favourite stories, I once waited for over an hour for someone to show up for a interview, I found out afterwards that they went to the wrong store in a completely different town!
