Request A CV Review
Your CV has one primary objective- to secure you an interview

A client is likely to be reviewing your CV from a list of 4 or 5, or possibly more depending on the role. Your CV should present information about your skills and experience in such a way that a prospective client decides to request an interview with you to explore your suitability further.

Candidates often ask us for advice on the best way to present their CV. Although the points below can not cover all scenarios we would suggest a format similar to that shown below. Also, remember, your CV should ideally not exceed 4 pages, and may be less.

Personal details
Your name, address and contact info

Skills summary
Limit this to a small paragraph explaining what you do. Keep it simple, and mention points of interest, such as being Oracle Certified etc. For example:

“David is a senior Oracle Applications DBA with 10 years experience specialising in the installation, upgrade and support of the Oracle E-Business suite. As a Certified Oracle Professional he has worked in government, financial, telecoms and banking sectors with a wide exposure to all modules and many different business and technical environments.”

Employment History
List all positions over the last 3 – 4 yrs, with the latest role listed first. Spend more time explaining what you have been doing in your last couple of roles, and then spend a little less on previous roles. Remember, ideally your CV should be of 3 – 4 pages in length. Give the title of each role, a description of the responsibilities and bullet points for your achievements within it.

Education and Professional Qualifications/ Memberships
Again, list your most recent qualifications first. Generally speaking there is no need to list qualifications from school.

Also mention here if you have any language skills.

References
Confirm that references are available, although there is no need to mention them here.

Other points to consider:

A common question is “should I list hobbies/ interests?” There is probably no harm in mentioning them, but we have never had a client ask any questions about a candidate’s hobbies, or ask why none are listed!

If you are fluent in another language it is often worth preparing a CV in each language, as this will often help with client selection.

When laying out your CV, consider the following:

  • Font- Use a font that is easily read, and stick to one font only. Do not be tempted to use different fonts. Arial and Times Roman are recommended and 10 or 11 are ideal for sizes.
  • You may want to consider using a skills matrix at the beginning of the CV and detail your expertise on each module in either years or wording i.e.(excellent, good, average)
  • Ensure the CV is not too crowded and ensure that you use correct dates. When adding dates it is always helpful to state the amount of months worked for ease of reading i.e. (January 2007- June 2008- (18 months) this saves the client having to work out the duration. Always explain gaps in employment as well
  • Always mention any extensions you have had on different assignments. This can show you have done a good job and been an asset to the project/ client
  • If relevant, remember to include details of your right to work in the country for which you are applying, including details of work permit/ visa/ residency status etc.
  • It is essential you check both the spacing and do a thorough spell check; errors in your CV may lead a client to be concerned about errors in your work

 

As you can appreciate there are many other recommendations we can make however we have only included the main ones that should ensure your CV looks good and reads well.

An Apps IT Recruitment Consultant will be happy to help you with further advice on your CV presentation.
 
  • REC
  • Employment Business Regulations
  • Data Protection

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is the trade body that supports and represents the recruitment industry. Its membership is made up of over 8,000 recruitment agencies and businesses (corporate members) and 6,000 recruitment professionals (individual members).Apps IT is very pleased to be approved as a corporate member of REC.

REC has a range of objectives, and chief among them is raising recruitment standards across the industry, as well as helping individuals develop their careers  within recruitment.

These are two areas that Apps IT is firmly committed to. With this in mind we have recently embarked on a new initiative to help all Apps IT Recruitment Consultants achieve a REC qualification.

How does this benefit our candidates and clients? Not all recruitment companies are the same, and we want to ensure that when you deal with Apps IT you receive a service that stands out from the rest. Training and development of  our staff is one of the best ways we can stand ahead of our competitors. In fact,

we have increased our Training budget for 2009 in direct response to the changing economic environment.

By dealing with an Apps IT Recruitment Consultant who is REC qualified you can be sure that the person helping you is up to date with the latest developments in legislation and recruitment best practice, and so is best able to work with you whatever your needs may be.

 

The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 This important piece of legislation governs the conduct of the recruitment industry and establishes a framework of standards that clients, work-seekers and hirers can legally expect. This document is essential reading for any employment agency or employment business. In part the Regulations are a response to a number of high profile examples of illegal practice, including “gang-masters” and exploitation of foreign workers.

However, the Regulations have a wide reach and cover many aspects of the recruitment process, from the placing of advertisements through to the placing of candidates, the services an employment agency or business can offer, and certain aspects of the relationship between the employment agency or business and the client/ hirer.

We are pleased to confirm that our service adheres to the Regulations and aims to improve on them wherever possible.

Full details of the Regulations can be found on the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform website. If you have a specific question then please contact us here and we will do our best to help.

As a handler of personal information Apps IT has a number of legal obligations and responsibilities that we must observe and fulfil. We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office, which is the UK’s independent authority established to protect personal information.

Apps IT abides fully with the rules of the Information Commissioners Office, full details of which can be found on the ICO’s web site here

We employ the latest security on all data held on our secure server and all

 documentation we may hold, including advisory measures that are in addition to the minimum requirements.

Should you have any questions about how we hold our process your data then please contact a Director here