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CV help!

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I need a kick start, so all advice appreciated. Below are a few bits that will probably help. I figure I'd use the template in Microsoft Word and adapt it. I think it's more the "about me" statement that I need help with, obviously qualifications etc are pretty easy to list.

Important parts are in bold.

I had to start work at 14 to fuel my habit. He's big, black and hung like a stallion; but more on that later. I am currently studying Economics and Business Studies (Nuffield), Informations and Communications Technology, Biology and General Studies. I particularly enjoy the management area of business and wish to develop a deeper understanding of what makes a good manager. I feel that working with other people brings out the best in me and I want to take that further into helping people achieve their ambitions.

I am highly enthusiastic and that is a trait that shows when I work in a team. A recent group presentation on pricing strategies proved that I can work both independently to gather information as well as cooperate well with others. I am confident and easy going, which means I find it easy to meet new people and build relationships, allowing me to have developed good communication skills.

I have extremely good keyboard skills, proven by the high quality of the presentations I have produced using Microsoft PowerPoint. I have also designed and created a website to allow me to share my hobby with others; www.geocities.com/katiecass2003 as it is something that is very important to me.

I have been working as a shop assistant at the Equestrian Clearance Warehouse for over 3 years and have overcome my fair share of challenges. I am willing to push myself to the limits and am highly committed to achieving both my short and long term goals. I deal with customers, many of whom I know on a first name basis as well as stocking shelves and keeping the shop and storeroom in order. Working with customers on a regular basis proves to me that I want to work with people. 3 years of experience means that I have a working knowledge of equestrian needs and I am able to advise any customer in need of help. To keep my knowledge up to date I regularly research the latest products and ideas, showing my initiative and thoroughness in providing the best service possible.

I enjoy socialising with friends and colleagues as well as reading, one of my favourite authors being Terry Goodkind, a fantasy author. I am currently taking part in the gold Duke of Edinburgh award with teammates from my school. This requires determination, grit and a lot of perseverance, but it is highly enjoyable and worth every moment. I have applied to become a member of St John Ambulance having completed a first aid course with them a year ago. I feel that first aid training is a valuable skill for anybody, particularly as a horse rider. I also help on a voluntary basis at local horse shows as a steward when I am not competing; I believe that you can only reap what you are willing to put in.

I have owned my horse (and my habit) for almost two years and spend the majority of my spare time with him, or working to pay for him and the competitions we partake in. I compete regularly throughout the summer mainly in showing and “best of breed” classes, as Daffy is a Welsh Cob. Presentation is extremely important, and I always strive to achieve perfection. I usually ride 5 times a week, winter and summer with regular lessons as I am highly committed to getting the best out of my horse and myself.

Horse riding shows that I am willing to put high amounts of work in, that I can think quickly and act when required. It has encouraged me to maintain a positive attitude throughout anything I’ve ever been through and this has built up my confidence to a high level. I am able to walk into a room of one hundred people and give a presentation, to make decisions under pressure and to seize any opportunity. When I set my mind to something, the sky is my limit.

Bit risque at the start I know, but I got offered all 4 places I applied for, so can't have been too bad. Unless I was applying for a job with Lloyds TSB, I wouldn't dream of writing such a thing for an application. :p

I just finished the expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, so I could probably use that for motivation and stamina etc - it was damn hard in parts.

Don't know my grades yet, but have two conditional places at Bradford University for Business Management - the 3 and 4 (1 year work experience) year courses, needing 200 and 220 UCAS points respectively.

Whilst I did apply for the ST.J.A, they never got back to me, so I'm in the process of finding somewhere else to volunteer. Got the forms for the police force volunteers, but considering a local nursing home.

My current job (which I'm trying to leave due to lack of job security) is officially sales assistant, however I supervise the shop, work the till, do stock control, update the website, have trained 4 members of staff, I'm trained in fitting and use of equipment, packaging goods for mail order, and I deal with all aspects of customer service, including telesales. But not one of those piss annoying sales person that rings everybody up - I just answer the phone. ;) At the end of August I will have had 4 years experience at this job, and also have "a working knowledge of equestrian needs", not that it's relevent to any job I'd apply for.

Oh, and I'm damn good at making up presentations on the spot. Speaking from experience :blush:

Jobs I want to apply for; Part time at WHSmith, just as a Sales Assistant. Full time at JD Sports as an Assistant Manager - no management experience necessary for this, which is good as technically I only have supervisory experience.

And one thing about the qualifications - how would you list them? In order of importance (ie English and Maths before Art), in order of grades (either getting better or getting worse) or in alphabetical order?


All help appreciated :thumb:

Edited to say, that website is shite. I should, and will, update it this week.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The skill of writing a CV comes from cramming all the important (and relevant) info into as little space as possible. Potential employers don't want to have to wade through masses of text, and they don't want to know all about you, they just want to know if you can do the job or not.

    You've got 4 years experience in retail, so if you're applying for a retail job, this is your main asset, and you need to big this up. Everything else is much less important.

    Qualifications are not really that important, in the scheme of things. For GCSEs I always just put something like:

    10 GSCEs, grades A* - C including English (grade) and Maths (grade)

    rather than list them all. They want to know that you're literate, numerate, and generally educated. A levels and degrees you can list with grades, as long as you don't have 200.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd send a traditional cv (personal details/education/work experience/achievements/qualifications/hobbies etc) with a covering note where you can summarise (ie. 2 paragraphs) what you have have achieved, revelant info to the vacancy, basically selling yourself.

    I would drop anything like your first two sentences and wouldn't bother mentioning your website as it is far from professional and not even finished and if someone took the effort to check it out would probably be disapointed. (No offence!)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In the covering letter, it's important to tell the reader what you can bring to the position. There's a danger that you can just mention all of your experience and achievements, and come across as arrogant (not to mention just being a drawn out version of your CV), rather than telling the employer how you could benefit their company, and what skills you could bring to the role.

    In your CV, I would recommend that you don't put too much emphasis on your education. There's a tendency for new school/college/uni leavers to base their whole application on the fact that they have certain qualifications. And there's a tendency among employers to say "so what, what experience have you got?" I would suggest that they go behind relevent work experience and extra-curricular activities. At the end of the day, most people have 10 A-C grades at GCSE. Mention it, don't make a big deal out of it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote:
    The skill of writing a CV comes from cramming all the important (and relevant) info into as little space as possible. Potential employers don't want to have to wade through masses of text, and they don't want to know all about you, they just want to know if you can do the job or not.

    :yes:

    What you've said above may be brilliant but think about an employer with 100+ applications sat on their desk - they want something they can glance at to give them a good idea of who you are and what your main achievements are. Use clear subheadings in bold to highlight things like 'Retail experience', 'Interests' etc. Then in the covering letter you can really sell yourself.

    It's worth adapting your CV a bit for each job - like Kaffrin said, bring the most relevant stuff to the top/take less relevant stuff out etc.

    We've got lots of articles that should help you in this section on applications.

    Good luck!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jobs I want to apply for; Part time at WHSmith, just as a Sales Assistant. Full time at JD Sports as an Assistant Manager
    tbh it wont make the slightest bit of difference how you write your cv because both of these jobs will see you filling in an application form to get them. just pop into your local branches and ask for one. you may have left it a bit late if youre after a summer job though...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    While the CV seems good, I think it's a bit overloaded. It needs to be simple and concise. Use bullet points where you can, as they really help you to compress all the information.

    To be honest, if W.H.Smith's are hiring, just a vaguely decent CV is going to get an interview. It'll be the face-to-face that decides who gets the job.
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