At this time of year, many businesses take on additional staff to handle seasonal demand above and beyond their usual level of trade. This equates to great news for many jobseekers looking to increase their income at an expensive time of year and gain some key experience to boost their CV along the way.
This week’s blog looks at how to feature temporary work on your CV to bolster your confidence, employability and get your CV on to the recruiter’s ‘yes’ pile. By highlighting three of the issues I’ve heard my customers raise about featuring temporary work on their CV, I can show you how to turn concerns around and use your experience gained through temporary roles to your advantage.
“Temporary work will make me appear flaky and uncommitted.”
In fact, if portrayed in the right way, temporary work can demonstrate the polar opposite of these negative traits. Taking on a temporary contract requires the jobholder to show resilience, flexibility and a total willingness to be thrown in at the deep end and run with whatever needs to be done.
CV Tip: Use your CV to describe how you committed to get quickly up to speed within a busy and challenging environment, and how you became an asset to your team by carrying out assigned tasks to the required standard in line with demanding deadlines. Outline the skills you applied to make sure you were successful in the role (quick to learn, flexible, calm under pressure), as these are all valuable competencies that can strengthen your employability.
“Recruiters will wonder why I didn’t seek, or wasn’t offered, a longer contract or permanent role.”
Recruiters are more accepting than you think; after all, they know the job market better than most. Temporary and zero-hours contracts are increasingly common, giving employers the flexibility they need to take on additional staff without incurring unnecessary costs.
Your willingness to take on temporary assignments in line with businesses’ seasonal demands demonstrates versatility and a positive attitude to your own employment.
CV Tip: State clearly that you were employed on a short-term contract basis to meet seasonal business needs. Outline any ways in which you grew your role beyond the initial requirements, for example by taking on extra shifts and tasks. This will show you are willing to go the extra mile and that you have the appetite for progression.
“I was only there a short while, what can I say on my CV?”
You can learn a lot in a short time, and anyone who has undertaken a temporary contract will remember the steep learning curve that comes with the territory. Thrown in at the deep end, the pressure to survive and make a difference often gives you no option but to swim rather than sink.
Whether you worked on a temporary or permanent basis, chances are that many aspects of the role would have been the same.
CV Tip: Consider what a permanent member of the team would say on their CV and then select the aspects (I suspect there will be many!) that apply to you. In addition, the pressure and challenges of the peak period during which you were employed, will mean there are probably a number of bonus responsibilities and achievements you can include.
“Too many temporary roles will make my CV way too long.”
If you have maintained your own employment through a series of temporary contracts, this can be used as evidence of your personal determination and ability to adapt to the environment and job market. Being flexible in the face of change is an attractive trait to many employers.
The fact that a series of businesses have offered you employment earmarks you as someone who other employers have seen as worthy of employment, which can be reassuring.
CV Tip: If you do have a lot of short-term contracts on your CV, you can make the recruiter’s life easier by grouping them together, placing like-with-like roles to avoid repetition. Ordering your experiences in a sensible structure will make it easier for the recruiter to assimilate them and understand the value you can bring to the role.
What next?
If you are currently employed in a temporary seasonal role, I can imagine that you have been working hard. Make sure you use your time off from the rush, rush, rush of work to recuperate; me-time is extremely important when you are giving a role your all.
Then, once it’s over and things are calmer, take some time to collect your thoughts and update your CV. After all, how you present your experience is as important as gaining your experience.
With a two-page limit, careful planning is essential to optimise your use of space.
Imagine you have some sand, pebbles and rocks to put in a jar. If you put the sand and the pebbles in first, you will never manage to cram in the rocks, they simply won’t fit. The sand and pebbles will have occupied valuable space where the rocks should be placed to promote your key skills and experience.
If you think of the rocks as the really important messages that you must
deliver on your CV, then these simply must go in first, on page one. Prioritise your key messages according to what the recruiter needs to know – other information is just white noise.
Pebbles, representing important information, should go in next, fitting around your rocks.
Finally, you can pour the sand, representing the minor details, over the
top, seeing where it can squeeze and fit between the gaps.
Four ways to work your two page CV to show the recruiter that you rock:
1. Jot down a shortlist of the projects, skills and achievements that will rock the recruiter’s boat. Use these as the focal points for your targeted CV.
2. Customise your layout to work each opportunity – bring the most important and relevant sections to the forefront. If you need to sell yourself on education, one particular job, a key project or even experiences outside the workplace, then make sure it is up there on page one.
3. Add a Key Skills section which speaks the recruiter’s language in terms of keywords. Allow them to tick, tick, tick off the job requirements and place your CV in their yes pile.
4. Ditch the unnecessary details. Information overload can detract from the value of what you are saying. Pick your important messages and make sure they shine through. We admit, it can be hard to let go of achievements from your earlier work history, but if the recruiter isn’t going to be interested, then what is the point of including them?
Consider your CV not as an expense but as a means to raise your game, your profile, your confidence and your salary.
Here are seven reasons why investing your time, effort and hard-earned money in a great CV will pay dividends:
1. A GREAT CV creates the right mindset
A professionally written CV really does put you in the right frame of mind for your job search. If you look good on paper, you’ll feel good about yourself, about your skills, your experience and what you have achieved. If your head is in the right place, and you feel confident and upbeat about your offering and your prospects, you’ll give out a positive vibe. As they say, self-confidence will get you more dates than simply being attractive – self-confidence IS attractive.
2. A GREAT CV reduces the legwork in your job search
A targeted, well-written and attractively presented CV will reduce the legwork in your job search. You could continue to use your old CV, apply to hundreds of job adverts and, sure, at some point, you may get a response. Maybe in a month, maybe in a year… who knows? If you’d rather get results now and save yourself hours and hours of precious time, then a professionally written CV is worth the investment.
3. A GREAT CV puffs up your chest with pride
Customers often say to me, ‘I didn’t realise how much I had actually achieved, until I saw it all written out on paper’. Writing a great CV gives me a warm feeling but, more importantly, it gives the individual concerned pride in their accomplishments to date. Week to week, year to year, there may be certain projects or challenges that give you a sense of achievement, but it’s not often you get to review all of your career highlights in one go. It’s a revelation!
4. A GREAT CV flexes your employability muscle
If you put forward the best possible representation of your professional self, you can truly test what the market thinks you are worth. A confident summary will position you in the recruiter’s mind – if you recognise your own value, then others will consider you as someone who can command respect and a salary commensurate with what they know they can offer. Test it out and see just how strong you are.
5. A GREAT CV creates a buzz of excitement
A great CV can give impetus to your job search – you’ll be excited about it, you’ll want to share it and let people know what you have to offer.
If you have targeted your new CV to meet the requirements of a particular opportunity, your excitement will spread to your recruiter, who will be thrilled that you have made it easy for them to put forward a suitable candidate for their latest vacancy.
If you use your new CV as the basis to update your LinkedIn profile, your professional network will suddenly become aware of your skills and experience. They may think they know you already, but a professionally written CV can uncover new insights and present you in a new light. Once they are fully aware of what you have to offer, the next time a relevant opportunity arises, they are more likely to think of you.
6. A GREAT CV offers a firm footing for the future
Whether you are just starting out or making a considered move from one role to another, your first step forward can be everything. Get that first job right and everything can roll from there. A new job can offer extensive learning opportunities (both on-the-job and through formal training), a chance to build and leverage a strong professional network and even develop prospects you never imagined you’d have.
A compelling CV is vital to secure that ideal job. It’s worth the effort to write one as the rewards could be beyond your wildest imaginings. If you put out a lacklustre CV, chances are that you’ll secure a lacklustre job. You are worth more than that. So go all out and choose the best version of your future with a first class CV.
7. A GREAT CV increases confidence, helping you to stand tall
I’ve said it before, but this is worth repeating as it really is true, if you feel confident, you will stand straighter. If you stand straighter, you’ll stand head and shoulders above other applicants.
If you think you are nearly there with your CV, then well done – we know it’s not easy!
Why not use these 25 questions as a simple sanity checklist to shape your final edit?
Have you written your CV with your target audience’s needs in mind?
Do the format, layout, content and key messages reflect the interests and mindset of the person likely to read it?
Who does your CV say you are? Ask a friend without disclosing your aspired identity.
Is it clear what your objective is in submitting the CV?
Can your target audience easily spot what your main selling points and experience are?
Is your CV attention-grabbing, reflecting the short amount of time the recruiter has to consider it?
Is the most important and relevant information for this particular opportunity there on the first page?
Does your experience section clearly identify the value you can bring through tangible results and quantifiable achievements, rather than dull descriptions of duties?
Does your CV represent YOUR achievements, or are you hiding behind what you did as a team?
Are your accountabilities and deliverables factual, concise and clear for each of your roles?
Are you confident discussing each point at interview?
Does your CV talk the recruiter’s language in terms of keywords?
Are there any mistakes in your spelling, grammar or punctuation?
Is it an easy read, both in terms of skim reading and reading it in-depth?
Does it contain any irrelevant information?
Does your content flow?
Are there any inconsistencies that don’t add up?
Do all your dates stack up?
Are there any information gaps that leave readers guessing?
Are any gaps explained in a concise and factual way?
Is your tone confident or are there any doubting demons lurking on your two pages?
It is two pages, right?!
Is the formatting consistent and appealing, making your CV easy to read?
Are there any layout inconsistencies that will distract the reader from your key messages?
Is your file saved in a format that the recruiter can open?
If you’ve answered yes to all of these questions, it sounds like you’ve done a great job!
The Association of Graduate Recruiter’s (AGR) annual summer survey 2013 has recently reported that graduates are facing ever greater competition for jobs, with leading UK employers now receiving 85 applications for each advertised job.
Stephen Isherwood, AGR’s new Chief Executive advises graduates to ‘be competitive and strategic in your approach to applications – and keep persevering.’
So how should you best apply this advice to your graduate CV?
To help you to put these recommendations into practice, I’ve put together a comprehensive, section-by-section guide to building your graduate CV.
Our graduate CV writing packagesare also a very competitively-priced option if you decide you’d rather hire a professional.
Name and Contact Details
Avoid writing “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of your CV – it is obvious to employers what the document is, therefore you won’t need to state the obvious. Instead replace this with your name in a larger font. This will help the recruiter to remember it. Your personal contact details should follow this before going into the main body of your CV.
Headline
Using a headline at the top of your graduate CV is a good tactic to position yourself as a strong candidate in the reader’s mind. Before the profile, state clearly your professional moniker; an overarching description that confirms to the reader from the outset that it is worth their while to continue reading your CV. Example headlines could read along the lines of Business Graduate, Aspiring Business Analyst or Graduate Researcher. One simple way to position yourself as a ‘fit’ for the role is to describe yourself in the terms used by your target employer.
Profile
Include a targeted, concise and well-written profile to illustrate your skills, experience and future potential to prospective employers. This paragraph should sum you up as an individual, detailing what you have to offer and what motivates you within your chosen career. Your profile should make it easy for employers to see what your main selling points and experience are.
Employers are looking for graduates with the potential to succeed within their organisation, given the right training and opportunities to shine. With this in mind, your CV profile needs to highlight your potential to become a valued employee, using the solid foundation you have already achieved through academic achievements, key competencies and transferable skills.
Objective
Outline in one or two lines your objective for applying to the target organisation in the context of your overall career ambitions, skills and experience.
Education
As a new or recent graduate, your focus to date will have been primarily your education and so you will not be expected to have an extensive work history. Therefore, unless you have been employed in a relevant role since graduating, it is advisable to detail your academic history and qualifications directly after your profile section.
List your university, years of attendance, degree title and relevant modules. If you haven’t yet graduated, indicate when you are due to finish the course.
Summarise older qualifications in a similar manner, however, avoid listing GCSE subjects and grades; it is sufficient to indicate that you have, for example, 9 GCSEs including Mathematics and English.
Leave off any irrelevant awards and achievements. Listing everything can make candidates seem immature, and also leaving some things off gives you new information to add at an interview.
Key Skills
You can consider using a Key Skills section on your CV, either immediately after Education or after Experience. The Key Skills should use snappy two to three word bullets, and describe the transferable business skills (e.g. Quantitative Research or Report Writing), rather than soft skills (e.g. Communication Skills), that you can bring to your target employer. Ideally, these should reflect the skills outlined in the target job advert, description and person specification.
This section, which can be skim-read very easily, is a godsend to the recruiter who needs to quickly locate the words that enable them to tick, tick, tick the boxes.
Work Experience
This section can be used to outline all paid or unpaid work experience which may be of interest to a potential employer. You can break your experience down into relevant and other work experience, with your most pertinent experience featuring first on page one of your CV.
Recruiters are keen to understand what drives you to pursue your chosen career. Demonstrate your motivation by detailing any experience which has developed and used the skills pertinent to your desired job. Relevant work placements, research projects and general employment can be used to show recruiters what you have to offer and entice them to find out more.
You can use general work experience to illustrate transferable skills of interest to your target employer, even if these are not directly relevant to your chosen field. For each role, use key achievements to illustrate key competencies such as customer service, teamwork, communication and interpersonal skills, organisation, time management and the ability to learn quickly and work hard.
Your graduate CV will be more compelling if you can evidence your claims with specific examples of what you did and the benefits of your actions. Talk about what you achieved rather than your team as a whole. Make your statements SMART wherever possible – Specific, Measurable, Action Orientated, Realistic and Time-Based – detailing for example the amount of money you saved, the number of clients you served, over what specific time period and with what benefit to the organisation as a whole. For instance, it’s easy to state you have experience in sales, but employers will take more note if you say you were responsible for a 10 per cent growth in overall sales over a six-month period.
Although it is important to document any work experience you do have, don’t worry too much about a lack of employment experience. As a graduate you are not expected to have worked extensively and your focus to date will have been your academic studies. What you need to draw out is your employability – how have you used your initiative; examples of successfully handling pressurised or difficult situations; dependability; and your ability to adapt and react to changing environments.
Additional Information
An additional information section can be used to outline skills, experience and memberships not covered elsewhere in the CV. Languages, IT skills, professional memberships and relevant extra-curricular interests can all be covered in this section.
Cover Letter
Always send your CV with a tailored covering letter explaining why you are applying for the role. Without a covering letter, your CV may end up straight in the bin. At a basic level, your cover letter is a courteous and polite introduction to your CV. A good cover letter will show that you have researched and understood the role you are applying for and that you have an idea about how the company operates and its vision for the future. By doing your homework, you can make your cover letter come alive by showing your enthusiasm, motivation and positive attitude.
Graduate CVs – Hints and Tips
Your CV is your personal sales brochure – it should be easy to read, interesting, and memorable.
Tailor your CV and cover letter to each position you apply for, so your documents are relevant to each job and interesting to each target employer.
Your most relevant experience, qualifications and skills must feature on page one of your CV.
Use well-defined sections to make your CV easier to read and understand.
Graduate CVs should be between one and two pages in length.
Avoid including irrelevant details such as your height, weight, date of birth, gender, marital status, primary school education, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.
Check, check and check again for spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Use black type and an easily legible simple font like Arial, Tahoma or Verdana.
Although most applications are now by email, if you do need to print your CV, use high quality 100gsm white or off-white paper.
Print a copy of your CV. Now turn your printed version over, so the text faces down onto your desk or table. Now think about what your CV should be saying about you. Turn your CV over and imagine you are a recruiter, giving your CV a cursory once-over to decide whether you are a good match for their recruitment requirements.
Are you making it easy for them? In the space of a few seconds, can you pull out the keywords from your CV that will signify a strong match to your target job?
If not, then here are a few strategies which can make all the difference.
Headline and Profile
Your headline and profile are of key importance to position yourself in the reader’s mind.
Using a headline at the top of your CV is a good tactic to say confidently who you are. Before the profile, state clearly your professional moniker; an overarching description that confirms to the reader from the outset that it is worth their while to continue reading your CV.
The headline is becoming a more popular feature on CVs, both on and off-line. LinkedIn, for example, asks its users to add a headline to their online profile, giving examples such as: Experienced Transportation Executive, Web Designer and Information Architect and Visionary Entrepreneur and Investor.
Don’t feel compelled to define yourself by your current job title, especially if it is too specific, simply bizarre or may even be unrecognisable to the recruiter.
One approach to writing a headline is to take an objective look at what you have achieved over your career to date and use this insight to define yourself. If you’ve worked in roles as a receptionist, office administrator and clerical officer (in the days when that was a popular job title,) you could consider describing yourself as an Office Support Professional, for example.
Avoid tongue-in-cheek descriptions like ‘Technical Evangelist’ or ‘Director of First Impressions’– the reader may not take them in the spirit intended and just think you have an overinflated ego.
One simple way to position yourself as a ‘fit’ for the role is to describe yourself in the terms used by your target employer. If they are seeking a Business Development Manager, but your current role is actually Head of New Sales, I don’t see it as a problem to describe your role using their language. You can reflect their terminology in your headline and profile and reference your actual job title in your Experience section.
Key Skills
I recommend using a Key Skills section immediately after the Profile, incorporating snappy two to three word bullets which describe the transferable business skills (New Business Development, for example), rather than soft skills (Communication Skills), you can bring to your target employer.
Ideally these should reflect the skills outlined in the target job advert, description and person specification.
This section which can be skim-read very easily is a godsend to the recruiter who needs to quickly locate the words that enable them to tick, tick, tick the boxes.
Experience/Employment Sections
Highlight your relevant experience, the experience that best matches the requirements of the target job, on page one of your CV. You can call it out in a Relevant Experience section, with Other Experience to follow. This tactic can make all the difference to whether your CV gets through the initial screening process.
If any of your job titles have been very specialised or specific to your organisation, consider using a more generic and recognisable job title in its place on your CV. Many recruiters are scanning CVs using specialist software which picks up on certain keywords, so it is important to reference those keywords.
If your CV could speak, it should be saying, “YES! I AM your perfect match. Pick ME! Pick ME!” Just give it the right language, tone and fluency of delivery and let it talk your way into an interview.
Written by Lis McGuire
Lis McGuire is a professional CV writer at Giraffe CVs. She has 15 years of experience gained delivering interview-winning CVs and cover letters for professionals at all levels, helping individuals to stand out from the crowd in a highly competitive job market. You can find her on Google+, Twitter and Facebook.
In fact, if portrayed in the right way, temporary work can demonstrate the polar opposite of these negative traits. Taking on a temporary contract requires the jobholder to show resilience, flexibility and a total willingness to be thrown in at the deep end and run with whatever needs to be done.
Recruiters are more accepting than you think; after all, they know the job market better than most. Temporary and zero-hours contracts are increasingly common, giving employers the flexibility they need to take on additional staff without incurring unnecessary costs.
You can learn a lot in a short time, and anyone who has undertaken a temporary contract will remember the steep learning curve that comes with the territory. Thrown in at the deep end, the pressure to survive and make a difference often gives you no option but to swim rather than sink. 
If you have maintained your own employment through a series of temporary contracts, this can be used as evidence of your personal determination and ability to adapt to the environment and job market. Being flexible in the face of change is an attractive trait to many employers. 
