CV Advise

CV Writing Tips
A great CV is the key to getting the perfect job for you. Both employers and recruiters within the industry can receive 100’s of CV’s for every vacancy they advertise. Time can be tight for these professionals, so it is important that your CV stands out from the rest. You should use your CV to showcase your strengths and to sell your background to the reader, demonstrating that you are the right person for that particular job.
As a jobseeker, you may find these guidelines helpful if you are wondering how to structure you CV and what to include in it:

Contact details: Make certain that your contact details are easy to spot. They should be at the top of the first page of your CV. Include:
· Name
· Home address
· Email address
· Telephone number

Education: Detail the educational establishments at which you have studied including the attendance dates, in chronological order with the most recent first. You should include any relevant industry modules, projects or dissertation work you have completed.

Work experience: List your most recent first. This makes it easier for the reader to see if you have the right experience and whether have gained it recently. Put your other jobs after your current role in reverse chronological order. You should include:
· Name of the employer
· Job title
· Responsibilities
· Achievements gained

Interests: Employers will be particularly interested in activities which have developed your leadership and team-working skills. You should also mention here any volunteer work you have done.

References: It is best practice to give two employment references, one from your recent employer and one from your place of study. Include address, telephone number and email address.

Availability: It is a good idea to mention the notice period required by your current employer.



Further Tips
It is important that you are proud of your CV. After all, if it is effective, it is going to open doors for you. Below are some more handy hints to help improve your chances of getting a great job:

Tailor your CV to the vacancy: Read the advert or job specification closely and tailor your CV to the vacancy. If your experience matches keywords in the job advert, make sure they feature prominently on your CV and or covering letter. Make it very obvious to the reader what you have done, when you did it and where, in a simple and concise manner.

Less is more: Ensure your CV is easy on the eye and that it is a maximum of two A4 sides long. There should be plenty of open space in your CV. By using bullet points and good formatting to ensure that your CV is not too wordy.

Do not repeat yourself: If you repeat yourself in your CV, it will look like you are padding it out or that you have nothing much to say.

Do not make silly spelling mistakes: Either get a friend you trust or your Recruiter to check it over for you.

How to Write a Cover Letter
You may have a brilliant CV, but submitting a poor cover letter with your application can pretty much ruin your chances of getting a great job.
Your cover letter can sometimes be the only opportunity you get to tell the employer exactly why your CV is worth a read and why YOU are the perfect person for that job.
Here are a few handy hints to ensure your cover letter stands out from the rest:


Research the company/pharmaceutical industry: By doing your research you are actively demonstrating to the employer that you are serious about this job. During your research, it is a good idea to focus on the following:
· What is the organisation’s mission and values? Do you believe in it?
· What are the organisation’s target market?
· What is the history of the employer?

These are all questions which will be useful when preparing for your interview also.
Analyse the job description: Keep an eye out for the key competencies and experience necessary for the role – do you fit the criteria?

Personalise your cover letter: It is vital that throughout the letter you align your accomplishments and achievements with the criteria of the job. You need to assure the reader that you are a great match!

Keep it brief and to the point: Don’t extend the letter to more than 1 A4 page. Think about using bullet points and highlighting to make important points stand out.

Check, check and check again: Submitting a cover letter that is littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors will ensure it goes straight in the bin. Use a spell checker AND get a trusted friend, or a recruiter to check it over for you.

Not sure how to structure your cover letter? Here’s how…

Include your address in the top right-hand corner.

Address the reader: ‘Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss…’ Always address the letter to the decision maker in charge of the pharmaceutical role. If you are unsure who it is, the HR department will always help you.

Paragraph 1: Clearly state your intention to apply for the job, including any references numbers you have been given. If you are not applying for any specific job, and simply inquiring, ask if the company has any relevant openings at present and then state why you would like to work for that company.

Paragraph 2: Outline your qualifications and experience and then match them to the requirements of the job you are applying for (these will be found in the job description). Go on to demonstrate your motivation and enthusiasm to help the company achieve their goals within the industry. This is where the research you conducted about the company will come in handy. Impress the employer and show off your research here!

Paragraph 3: It is a good idea to end with a positive statement here. Then go on to
direct the reader to your enclosed CV and inform them of your availability for interview. Finally, thank the reader for their time and consideration and welcome them to get in touch to discuss the job in more detail.

Conclude with:
· ‘Yours Sincerely’ – if you have addressed the letter to the named contact
· ‘Yours Faithfully’ – if you have used ‘Dear Sir/Madam’

LinkedIn is one of the best tools you can use to help you find that dream job. LinkedIn is a business networking site which was launched in May 2003 with only 300 users. Since then it has seen unprecedented growth with 50,000,000 users in October 2009, and 1,400 new users each day. It is essentially your chance to showcase your strengths, thus encouraging not only the right people, but also the right opportunities to come to you. The best way to do this is to create a great profile. Below are some tips to help you do so:

Linked In Profile Tips

Upload a picture: Make this a professional headshot – nothing inappropriate!

Summary: Write this in the mindset of a prospective employer. It might be best to write this in Microsoft Word first so that you can easily cut, paste and edit – this might also help you to organize your thoughts. When writing the summary it might be useful for you to keep in mind the following: If someone were introducing you to another person, what would you want this person to know about you and why? Mention the following:
· Who are you currently? What company do you work for and what makes them special?
· What have you accomplished? Pick 3-5 things – they can be regarding jobs, education, and honours.
· Goals that you would like to achieve in the future.
· In the specialties section, list any trade or skill which you think you have learnt with some ability.

Descriptions about past jobs: This will help viewers understand where you come from in more depth than your summary will.
· Treat this as your online CV – the easiest way to complete this section is to cut and paste sections of your CV, to ensure it includes a good number of keywords.
· Use bullet points.
· Include any contract work, non-profit assignments, or any other work experience.

Education: Start at Secondary and Undergraduate education. You can also list vocational education or any courses you have attended.

Have more than 30 contacts: This shows viewers of your profile that you are professional and that you know how to network. Also, by increasing the number of people you are connected to, you increase the likelihood of people viewing your profile.

Recommendations: Sometimes, what other people write about you is more valuable that what you write about yourself. A good way to get recommendations is to recommend other people. Recommendations don’t necessarily have to come from people who work above you.

Customise your URL: This will help your profile rank higher on Google and make it easier for people to find you. Your LinkedIn URL should appear as “http://linkedin.com/in/yourfullname.” To do this, go to your profile and click “edit” and then next to where it says “public profile,” click “edit” again. At the top, you’ll want to click “edit” one more time next to “your public profile URL,” and then type in your full name, without spacing, and click “set address.” If the unique URL is taken, then try using a period between your first and last name or use your middle initial.

Top Tips
· Make sure your profile is completely grammatically correct and that each section is complete.
· Flood your profile with lots of keywords relevant to the industry you work in.
· Frequently update your status with useful content, where possible including a link back to the company website.
· Actively comment on Linked In discussion forums – this gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and knowledge of relevant industries. These discussion forums are essentially a 24/7 networking event.

The Best CV Buzzwords
There are a number ‘feel good’ buzzwords or phrases that you should use on your CV or application to help make your CV or application form for that great job sparkle.
The following competencies and associated keywords may help you when putting together a CV or application form:

TeamworkAdvised, co-operated, counselled, facilitated, guided, managed, negotiated, participated, presented, supervised.

Problem-solving Implemented, Improved, instigated, interpreted, initiated, inspired, introduced, investigated, account for, resolved, executed.

Taking the InitiativeCreated, designed, developed, devised, directed, established, formulated, innovated, motivated, negotiated, organised, originated, lead, innovation, instigate.

Coping with routineConscientious, consistent, controlled, coped, dealt with, efficient, managed, performed, meticulous, participated.

AchievementsAccomplished, achieved, co-ordinated, created, developed, formulated, revitalised, recommended.