Quest4Work

by Brian Simms 

Should I include salary information on my CV?

No.  If a prospective employer specially requires to know this information, you should ask yourself why?  In some cases, unscrupulous employers do so in order to attract the prospective employees that will accept the least money.  In other words, they will filter out the people who earn the most and focus on getting the job done on the cheap.

Should I include my reason for leaving each job?

Not on your CV or covering letter.  However, many application forms do ask this and so you should answer this with care.  The way you answer this question will affect your chances of being short-listed for an interview.  However, you should not lie as you can be caught out sooner or later.

Should I send a photo with my application?

Not unless your personal looks is important for you to carry out your job.  Unfortunately, some employers will use photographs to discriminate against some candidates.

Should I include references in my CV?

No.  Bear in mind that you may be sending off quite a few applications for jobs.  If your referees are contacted every time you send off an application for a job, they will soon get tired of this.  It is far better to allow the employer to contact your referees after you have been to the interview or better still, after you have been selected for the job ’subject to satisfactory references’.

Should I include my hobbies and interests in my CV?

Absolutely.  However, be careful that you do not give them the vague impression that your activities will take up so much time that you are unable to perform your job well.  Also, if you do include hobbies and interests, make sure that they give a balanced, and positive, impression.  For example, cover something from the following five areas but don’t use the headings though:

• Physical activity (i.e. walking, canoeing, cycling, mountaineering, swimming, jogging)
• Mental agility (i.e. reading, crosswords, logic problems, sudoku, chess)
• Creativeness (i.e. painting, drawing, writing, digital video production, diy, photography)
• Awareness (i.e. current affairs, genealogy, archaeology)
• Membership (i.e. Church, Parents and Teachers Association, School Governor, Magistrate, Women’s Institute)

Should I include my date of birth in my CV?

No.  Although it is now illegal in the UK to discriminate against age, there is no need to encourage employers to do so.  However, some jobs do require that you are within certain age groups and are exempt (i.e. HM Forces, Police etc.).  In these cases, they will require you to complete an application form rather than accept a CV.

Should I include driving licence information?

Only if the job you are applying for requires you to drive a company vehicle.

About the author:  Brian Simms is a freelance ICT and Jobsearch Tutor and has written a number of articles, white papers and produced a variety of vocational learning materials. 

by Clint Cora

As a former national sales manager in the pharmaceutical industry, I’ve seen my share of resumes from interested applicants for pharmaceutical sales jobs over the years.  Of course, I’ve also used resumes of different types for my own career.

Sometimes, I see resumes where job seekers have already included specific names of individuals as their references, usually near the end of the documents.  On many other resumes, a brief statement such as ‘References to be supplied upon request’ is used rather than listing actual references names.  Which way is better?

Well, at first glance, many people would think that those who have already listed specific references have made their resumes more complete and saves time for the reviewers.  However, from my twenty years of corporate experience, I would consider the ‘References to be supplied upon request’ method to be much more flexible.

Different job applications, especially for different types of positions, may result in different ideal references.  You may want to tailor your references to each specific company and position you apply for.   This way, you can better match specific reference names to the positions.  

Also, a particular reference may not have turned out to be the best one for you for one job application so at least you will have the flexibility to change references if you have others who could do a better job for you for other future job applications.

Leaving references to be supplied as requested just gives you that flexibility of choosing to use the best ones at the time they are requested.   You can then tailor your references to each job application that comes up.

Ideal references include previous supervisors and colleagues from past employment assuming that you got along well with them.

Other possible references include people you worked with in other activities besides official employment (an example is a fund raising event).  

If you did some industry networking, important contacts you met may also serve as references if you have built up a good rapport with them, especially if they happen to work for the same company that you are applying to.  Finally, past customers or clients from previous jobs make excellent references as well.

About the Author: Clint Cora is the author of the book “How To Get A Dream Job In Pharmaceutical Sales - Direct Inside Advice and Guidance from a Sales Manager”.  He had a very successful fourteen year career as a pharmaceutical sales representative, sales trainer, product marketing manager and a national sales manager.  More information about pharmaceutical sales careers can be found at http://www.GetPharmaceuticalSalesJob.com 

Source: http://www.isnare.com

by Fenick Jean

This whole thing about writing resumes has totally gone insane.  Crafting a resume is quite simple. Simply be yourself, do not use funky colors, and sell your qualifications. Here are the top 10 resume writing tips to ending your job search and landing you a job.

1. To begin, top off everything with your name. Be proud of your name since that’s what you’re actually selling to the interviewers.

2. In some cases, but not always, employment professionals recommend listing the type of position sought. Meanwhile, others say this is limiting, and that you should keep the options open.

3. Some employment experts recommend your qualifications be placed high and above. List your job qualifications concisely, careful not to be too obvious by exaggerating your qualifications.

4. Sell the real you and your actual qualifications. Providing misleading information about yourself could lead to potential jobs that would be wrong for you and the employer.

5. When the appropriate time comes, use action verbs. Avoid putting your reader or interviewer to sleep. Don’t overdue it.

6. There’s no substitute for honest. At all cost, never ever lie on your resume. A single deception could get you booted from the list of candidates for the job and in extreme cases; you can get fired when the truth is discovered long after you were hired.

7. Simply be honest but don’t over brag. Lightly brag about true accomplishments without sounding line an egomaniac. Remember, employers undoubtedly are reviewing other resumes in which your competitors are unafraid to applaud themselves. Don’t give the competitors the edge because of dishonesty and too much bragging.

8. When it comes to education, list major schooling first and avoid far-away basics, such as elementary schools. Very few employers, unless they’re relatives, care about those early years in school. Some experts recommend education be listed toward the end, especially if you haven’t had much schooling or training for the job your applying for.

9. If you’ve earned a few awards or recognitions, be sure to include their details. In some cases, this could prove the difference in getting an interview.

10. Finally, when adding references to your resume, only add those references that may help you get the job. Do not include your old friend Tommy whom you haven’t seen in many years and have no clue about the job you’re applying for. Before you add someone as a reference, call them and acknowledge them ahead or after.

About the Author: Fenick Jean is a Radiologic Technologist and runs a personal web site at http://www.superhaitian.com . He also enjoys reading and writing about daily news and credit related topics at http://www.oprah-debt-diet.com . Find more resume writing articles at http://www.corporatemanual.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com