Jobsearch Advice

Is your job hunting strategy missing the mark?

Find solutions with A Perfect CV´s

step-by-step guide to job seeking

Whether you’ve decided to take your career to the next level, or this is your first step on the career ladder, ticking all the boxes in your jobsearch can be hard work.

But help is at hand!

A Perfect CV offers a step-by-step guide to ensure finding a job is not as difficult as you might think. We provide Five Simple Steps to help you find the right job, write your CV and cover letter, create a first rate impression at interview, and tips on negotiating your salary.

Step 1 – Looking for the right job

The first step is to be clear about what type of job you are looking for. There are three main types of work to consider: temporary, contract or interim work - and whether you want a full-time or part-time role.

Temporary work offers benefits in terms of . . .

Flexibility - choosing when, where and for whom you work

Experience - enabling you to learn about different organisational cultures and market sectors without making a commitment

Learning – providing opportunities to develop new skills

Positioning – being well placed to get a foot in the door if a permanent position arises

Compatibility – a way for all parties to assess each other´s suitability for a permanent role

Work life balance - can fit work in and around social / family life

Disadvantage: Can be short-term and spasmodic

Contract / Interim work offers benefits in terms of . . .

Flexibility – the opportunity to choose the type of role, and when, where and for whom you work

Pay – often interim and contract work commands higher pay

Regular payments – generally payment is made weekly as opposed to monthly

Disadvantage: Can be spasmodic with unpaid breaks between assignments

Step 2 – Identify your marketable strengths

When you're doing something you like and are good at, work is far more interesting. Take time to think about your key skills and attributes and how you could use them at work.

A Perfect CV offers one-to-one Careers Guidance specifically to help you identify the roles and organisations best suited to you, and plan your career. You might like to work for a small, local business or a multinational corporate organisation. Which sector would suit you best, private, public or not-for-profit? Each has benefits and your consultant will help you to consider all the factors to enable you to make an informed career choice.

With expert advice and a clearer picture of what you're looking for, it's time to ensure that your CV's a good match to your target job.

Step 3 – How to write the perfect CV

To guarantee best results, your CV should reflect the full scope of your

strengths, competencies, personality traits and key results. The CV has to be explicitly informative, interesting and relevant to the job profile.

Your CV Resume must ...

get to the point of why you are the best candidate

highlight qualifications, skills, experience and personal style

demonstrate the benefits the employer will gain by hiring you

position you at the right level in the market, and set the right tone

gain credibility by substantiating exactly how you achieved results

present a confident, polished and professional image.

Which words to use on your CV

When writing your CV, sell yourself as much as possible by describing your experience positively and pro-actively. The following are examples:

Achieved

Created

Initiated

Determined

Organised

Streamlined

Improved

Generated

Managed

Completed

Shaped

Introduced

If you need help to write your CV, why not work one-to-one with a truly professional CV Writer - an expert in your career field. A Perfect CV´s writers are MBAs and LLBs with human resource / recruitment backgrounds - a unique combination of skills to ensure your CV is the best it can be. For more information, take Step Two to CV Writing Services »

Step 4 - How to write the perfect cover letter

The cover letter is a crucial part of the application process, often giving the first impression of an applicant and used by recruiters to quickly pre-screen and select the best candidates.

Your covering letter is the opportunity for you to summarise that you have the required skills and experience. Therefore, your letter must promote the skill-sets that are most appropriate to the role. The lettershould include a brief summary of your skills and most recent experience, and how these will enable you to contribute to the company.

Covering letters provide a great opportunity to show that you have thought properly about the job and have done some research. So, when explaining why you’re interested in the job role, try to show some knowledge of the company.

Remember, more than 90% of job application letters fail to make their mark! This is primarily due to poor page design, and an ability on the part of the writer to engage with and inform the reader.

A Perfect CV offers Six Key Steps to achiving better results . .

·       research the organisation - learn about their business

·       ensure the letter has a visually appealing presentation

·       match your skill sets, experience and key results to the job profile

·       give examples that demonstrate initiative, enthusiasm and results

·       make clear how your knowledge would benefit the company

·       give just sufficient detail to leave recruiters wanting to know more

If you prefer A Perfect CV to your interview opportunities by writing your cover letter, follow this link, attach your CV resume, provide details of the job advert, complete the secure Order Form ... and we will do the rest.

Step 5 – The perfect interview

Here is some advice that might make the difference between interview success and failure for applicants. Preparation is key as it builds confidence and self assuredness.

Good preparation includes researching the company to gain a good grasp of what the company does, what challenges it faces and what opportunities might be present. This information will enable you to enter into a meaningful conversation about the company and help you to determine if it is the right one for you.

Research the role. Often the company website advertise vacancies or give case studies on employees in key positions. Get to know the key skills required and be prepared to give examples of occasions when you have demonstrated those skills.

Find out what format the interview will take so that you can be prepared for the various combinations in terms of panels, presentations, tests (such as role plays or psychometric questionnaires).

Review sample interview questions and answers and carry out a mock interview by formulating and perfecting your own answers to potential questions.

Here are a few examples of interview questions . . .

How do you think you could add value to this company?

If we contacted one of your colleagues, what would they say about you?

Do you enjoy working within a stimulating, yet challenging environment?

It seems your company went into liquidation, which key factors caused this?

It appears you have held quite a number of jobs, why do you suppose this is?

Interview preparation will help you respond with conviction to the above and here are a few guiding principles . . .

• Listen carefully to questions - think through your respone before

• If you don´t understand the question ask for it to be repeated, then take your time and don´t panic!

• Before speaking, consider: "Is what I am about to say relevant and demonstrate my suitability for the role"

• Support and quantify what you say with a specific example

• Choose a topic that is easy to explain and for the interviewer to grasp

• Take the time to set the scene – we often assume that because we know what we are trying to communicate, the person we are speaking to understands the message. This is not always the case

• Provide a balanced answer (a) background situation, (b) what you actually did and (c) always end with a positive outcome

• Pause, measure your words carefully, be concise, avoid repetition, don´t be negative - keep light and bright - don't ever complain

• Always end on a positive note – you are paid for bottom line result and this is what recruiters notice during and after the interview

• Ensure your body language presents a positive and confident image, and to achieve this look directly at the interviewer(s), be enthusiastic and express a keen interest in the role.

A Perfect CV offers a 1-to-1 interview consultancy individually tailored to you, your career aspirations and the job you want.

Although interviewing is something of an art form, it is definitely one that can be learned or improved quite quickly. Your consultant is highly trained to stimulate your awareness of the skills and capabilities required, advise you how to think strategically and improve your all round presentation.

Like to learn more? For an initial consultation

call 0871 218 1005 (UK) or +34 965 771 175 (Spain) or send an email

Step 6 – Negotiating an offer

Congratulations! You’ve reached the salary discussion stage. The next step in salary negotiation is to research the remuneration package you expect, as well as the current market rates for the type of role.

The expected salary is likely to fall between your minimum and ideal salary. How do you ascertain what this is? Review similar job specs to benchmark what companies are currently offering and take the average.

An average of the salary for these jobs is probably a fair assessment of current market rates. However, if you’re especially qualified in your field and have a wealth of experience, you may well command higher than average market rates.

Whilst take-home salary is very important, other factors are worthy of consideration. For instance, working hours, holidays, health care, pension, stock options, gym membership, training, or flexible working options etc. Consider how much flexibility you’re willing to offer for any benefits, taking into account their monetary value.

You’re now at the stage where you know what you should be earning, and what room you have for negotiation. Your prospective employer is likely to have a figure in mind for your salary, but don’t accept or reject the first offer. Enquire whether there is flexibility on the salary dependent on the experience and skills of the applicant. Also, ask how often this salary is likely to be reviewed as taking a lower salary will be more acceptable if there will be regular reviews.

With the salary band stated by the employer, now is the time to start comparing it to your initial salary expectations. If the salary is below your expectation, you need to explain why this is – perhaps because you are already earning more than they are offering. If the package is around your expected salary, you may still want to negotiate. Explain that you may be worth more than market rates, due to your experience, knowledge or qualifications. In the event of receiving a better offer, you might like to discuss room for future growth in earnings and career development.

If the salary is not what you expected, and is not compensated by additional benefits, it is best to make this clear. If the employer cannot match your requirements, you’ll probably need to accept that the job wasn’t right for you. If you’ve done your homework, you should know what you’re worth and make sure you earn that in your next career move.

Like to learn more? For an initial consultation

call 0871 218 1005 (UK) or +34 965 771 175 (Spain) or send an email

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