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 Brian Simms 

We all know that, before we can even hope to get a job, we must first select the prospective employer and apply for a job. Therefore, this is the most vital stage of the whole process. All too often people make a half-hearted attempt at making the application which results in it ending up in the employers waste basket!

If you follow these simple tips, your application will stand more chance of being seen and therefore more chance of being short-listed for an interview:

• Do not leave the application until the last minute as it will be obvious to the employer. Why should they want someone who leaves important tasks until the last minute? Instead, do a rough draft of the application as soon as you can – don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. Leave this draft for a couple of hours or even a day if possible. The second time round, you will spot glaring mistakes and find it easier to improve upon the letter.

• If you are sending a CV and covering letter, make sure the covering letter is not just repeating what is on your CV. Pick important bits from the Job description /advertisement and use these points to show the employer that you have these skills/experiences/qualifications. Say what you can do for the employer or explain how your experiences reflect mirror what the job advertisement is looking for.

• If your CV has a personal profile and/or key skills included, make sure they mirror the job advert (if applicable). Remember, you may slightly exaggerate the skills you have but do not lie in your application - you will get caught out. The consequences are that you will either mess up the interview or after being in the job for a while, you could get dismissed from the job.

• Show the prospective employer that you are the right person for the job by taking more care of your application. This will be the first thing they see of you. Treat it like an advertisement as you are selling something valuable to them – YOU! They are looking to buy your services and they obviously want some value for money.

• If sending by normal mail, allow plenty of time for it arrive. Always send them by first class post whenever possible as this can create a positive impression upon the employer.

Don’t just complete one application and wait for a positive response from the employer before applying for another job.  Applying for jobs is a ‘numbers game’.  The more applications you send out, the more chances you have of getting to an interview and a job.

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 Francois Botha

If you are searching for a new career or are trying to decide what major to take up in college, you will need to learn a bit about what type of jobs are available. The best way to do this is by finding career descriptions in the fields that you are most interested. If you think that it is difficult to find career descriptions you are way off base. The fact of the matter is that if you put a little bit of time forth you should be able to find career descriptions sooner than you ever thought possible.

One of the best places to search for career descriptions is online. When you use the internet to search for career descriptions you will find everything that you need within a matter of minutes. Even if you are searching for descriptions of careers that are not common, if you rely on the internet you will always find what you are in need of. The fact of the matter is that career descriptions are all over the internet; it is up to you to find them.

Also, if you are in college a career counselor can help you out. They can give you career descriptions on anything that you are interested in. This is a great option because they can also answer any questions that you may have.

Finally, there are many books that are meant to help people find careers. If you buy one of these books you will have plenty of information at your fingertips in no time at all.

Overall, career descriptions are what you need in order to make a good decision about your future job. If you know what different careers are all about, you should not run into any problems when you are trying to determine what you want to do.

Use every resource that is available so that you can find plenty of career descriptions.

About the Author: Francois is an experienced writer of many http://www.career-descriptions.co.uk/complete-list-of-careers.htm and http://www.career-descriptions.co.uk articles and newsletters for many popular job websites.

Source: http://www.isnare.com