In today’s competitive jobs marketing, making the right first impression is crucial. FK International has all the advice you need from how to format your CV to essential interview skills.
Ask Us for Advice
Making the right first impression with prospective employers is critical. Your CV should be clear, concise, easy to read and stimulate interest. To make writing your CV a little bit easier for you, we have prepared a CV Template for you, which you can download for free here.
CV Guidelines
Length
A CV should be no longer than 2-3 pages. Be concise when summarising your skills, use bullet points and avoid lengthy paragraphs. Think of your CV as a personal brochure or a 20 second interview. Don’t overfill it with unimportant information, just the best bits.
Content & Layout
- Keep your layout simple – Avoid coloured paper or type, unusual fonts, photographs
- Keep presentation consistent
- Use bullet points
- Spelling / grammatical errors are inexcusable! (Don’t solely rely on spell check, ask someone with good attention to detail to proof your CV carefully)
- Don’t use lengthy paragraphs to outline your prior experience
- Don’t highlight irrelevant skills or achievements
Include the following
Personal Details
- Include name, address, mobile number and email address
- Education and Professional Qualifications
- In reverse chronological order detail your academic background. Highlight grades and any specific achievements
Work Experience
- In reverse chronological order detail your work experience to date. Highlight your title, company name, commencement and completion dates
- Detail, in bullet point format, the main responsibilities and achievements of each role
- Include any specialist or project experience that you may have
- Ensure that your transferable skills are easily identifiable
- Don’t omit roles or leave unexplained gaps in your career timeline
- Specific Skills / Languages / Systems experience
- Include relevant details if appropriate
Other Details
- Interests: Keep this short (you can use it to highlight any non-work-related achievements)
- References: There is no need to state specific referees on your CV. Instead, state that references are available on request
Interview Advice
Be Prepared & Do Your Research
In today’s competitive jobs market being properly prepared for an interview is crucial.
Interviews can sometimes be a daunting prospect. The best way to overcome this is to be fully prepared and well briefed on the job and the company you are interviewing for.
Your FK Consultant will ensure that you are fully familiar with the company and position that you are interviewing for. He/ she will provide you with expert knowledge including details of the working environment, company culture and employer expectations.
In addition, research the company and its industry sector in as much detail as you can. Visit the company website and also utilise search engines to gain any other key information. By bringing these elements together, you should have a good grounding on the company’s business and culture in advance of your interview.
At the Interview:
Do
- Arrive on time or slightly earlier if possible
- Introduce yourself courteously with a firm handshake
- Express yourself clearly
- Smile during the interview
- Be confident when demonstrating how your experience can benefit the company
- For every responsibility/requirement on the job specification, have at least one example of relevant experience or a transferable skill
- Construct your answers carefully
- Show willingness to learn and progress
- Be assertive without being aggressive
- Don’t ask too many questions at first round interview stage; reserve them for the second meeting
- Switch off your mobile phone
Don’t
- Don’t be late
- Don’t leave preparation to the last minute or be unprepared
- Don’t answer questions with a “Yes” or “No”. Expand whenever possible
- Don’t lie – Answer all questions truthfully and honestly
- Don’t over emphasise salary expectations. Salary should never be discussed in the first interview unless the prospective employer brings it up; getting the job at this stage should be the priority – salary negotiations will follow
- Don’t say negative things about previous employers
- Don’t speak over the interviewer
Your FK consultant will brief you in detail and provide advice beforehand so that you are fully prepared on what questions to expect and the style of interview.