How to write a Blooming Good Resume (CV)
How to apply for that Blooming Good job!
Blooming Good Jobs (www.bloominggoodjobs.com) is a top internet
resource for horticultural jobs and jobs in agriculture with an
online vacancy list that is updated daily. Here the company
lists the way to get the ideal job... and it applies to every
industry. Read on:
Never send a CV without a cover letter!! This will provide you
with the ideal opportunity to introduce yourself in a few short
paragraphs. The cover letter will be used to briefly outline
your skills, qualifications, experience and availability aimed
at enticing the employer to read your CV. A good start is to
know about the company you're applying to. To be able to compile
a targeted cover letter you will need to know about the company,
including: their products, history and their culture.
Personalising your covering letter in line with the company
you're applying to will show your interest in the job.
As with a CV, accentuate on the positive aspects of your
experience - do not make any negative comments with regards to
past employers/jobs etc. Concentrate on highlighting your main
selling points. By attracting the reader's attention in the
cover letter you stand an increased chance of having your CV
read. Ensure that your CV is up to date, is honest and correct
and is informative but concise. If possible, why not rewrite it
with the job application in mind?
How do you write a CV?
Your CV is a personal sales-pitch aimed towards securing you an
interview. Did you know that the majority of candidates fail
early on in the recruitment process because of their CV? It
takes too long to read, lists non-essential information and does
not reflect their main selling points.
Please find below a few useful pointers for writing a CV:
How many pages should a CV be? Generally, most CVs should be no
more than 2-3 pages in length - this can vary within different
levels of experience. How do I tackle gaps in employment? At
some point, most people will face unemployment, redundancy and
various other reasons for gaps in employment. The first (and
most important) thing to remember is - DON'T PANIC! If you are
going to compile your own CV and you have gaps of a few months
in your CV - don't lie; consider listing just the years. You
will, however, need to detail specific dates in your application
form. Where do I include personal information? A common mistake
to make with your CV is to list all your personal information:
height, weight, place of birth etc. This information is
irrelevant and will take up much-needed room for other, more
relevant information. It is a good idea to include your date of
birth, nationality, marital status and if you hold a driving
licence at the bottom of the CV - not at the top! What makes a
good CV? Keep it simple, uncluttered and in an easy-to-read font
(on plain white A4 paper) Keep it free from unnecessary details
(e.g.: don't write lines upon lines for your interests!) Keep it
free from spelling/grammatical errors - maybe ask someone to
proof read it Check your personal details - sound obvious but it
does happen (wrong phone number etc) If you have a job spec -
match your CV to this to ensure you have included relevant
skills ...but what should my CV include? Education details - you
don't need to include all your qualifications from 10 years ago.
State your most recent qualification(s) and briefly cover older,
less relevant ones Work experience: most recent first and go
backwards Key skills/areas of expertise: such as IT skills or
languages Extra-curricular activities if relevant to job being
applied for!! It would be ideal to include your mobile telephone
number. There is a good chance you could miss a call if not at
home. Also, and again, this sounds obvious - make sure you have
a professional message on your answer phone - you never know who
could call! When emailing your CV, please take your email
address into consideration. We regularly see CVs with email
addresses along the lines of "lovedoctor@emailaddress.com" or
"sexylady123@sillyemail.co.uk" - this will not help present a
professional reflection of you. Consider obtaining a free email
account from Hotmail or Yahoo and keep job application emails
separate from personal email. If you are sending your CV by
post, ensure you use an A4 envelope and do not fold your CV - by
the time it gets to it's destination it could look a mess. Don't
forget - having a CV designed professionally is far more
beneficial than compiling your own so contact us today to
discuss how we can help. CV writing mistakes: Spelling mistakes:
It is a proven fact that around 50% of CVs contain spelling
mistakes. This easy mistake will make you seem careless and
could also distract the reader's attention from the content. It
may be worth considering asking a family member or a friend to
read your CV and check for mistakes.
Jargon: When writing your CV you may believe that using
industry-specific jargon is a good idea and that the person
reading your CV will understand it but using acronyms without
explaining them can be confusing to the reader and may deter
someone who is not familiar with them.
Qualifications: A common mistake in a CV is to detail all your
academic history - even from 10-20 years ago whilst also listing
all your grades! This is not necessary. On a graduate CV or
someone with limited employment history it may be useful but for
others, just briefly cover your qualifications - detail your
most recent achievement and list older ones. If you have vast
employment experience spanning many years, the chances are a
recruiter will not even read your qualifications.
Employment: When compiling your employment history there is no
need to provide the address of your employer - all you need is
the company name, your job title and the date you started work
and finished work with them. The you can talk about your duties
and achievements in each position.
Hobbies: Your CV is a personal sales tool. Any available space
on a CV is limited and you want to use it to sell your skills
and experience effectively. Everyone likes reading, listening to
music, keeping fit and socialising with friends, so unless you
have done something special - and relevant to the job you are
applying for - leave it out!
Too many pages: All too often, employers will receive CVs that
are too long! A good CV should be no more than around 2-3 pages
(for graduate or more executive positions this may vary). The
more there is to read, the less likely it is that all your
skills and qualities will be noticed. Try to decipher between
what information is relevant to the job you're applying for and
what is not.
Unnecessary information: As stressed in the facts above - when
compiling your CV, try to keep all the information relevant to
the job you are applying for. Unnecessary information will take
up much needed space which can otherwise be utilised for other,
more important reasons to help persuade the reader to continue
with your application.
Another common mistake people make when writing their CV is
including their reason behind leaving previous jobs. Examples of
these can be, "I got bored" or "I didn't get on with the
manager". Obviously, this is not necessary, will make you look
negative and will decrease your chances of being included on the
shortlist.
Of course, if you are looking for that ideal job in
horticulture, agriculture, floristry or landscaping then log on
to www.bloominggoodjobs.com or www.gardencentrejobs.com