UK Style CVs and Resumes

Last night we had the first of the “UK Style CVs and Resumes” workshops. If you missed it don’t panic, there are a few others scheduled and you can always drop into one of the lunchtime CV workshops to pick up tips. You can also get your CV checked by a careers adviser in one of our Quick Query sessions but we would expect you, where practical, to have attended one of our workshops first.

For non University readers

Having analysed the viewing statistics on this blog I recognise that nearly a third of visitors are external to Royal Holloway, University of London.  We have had over 16,000 hits in the past few months of which over 70% have originated from the campus network.

A Spring in your step

Welcome back!

I hope you all had a good break over Christmas.

The Spring term is off to a flying start with a great programme of events from the careers service. If you go to the booking page of this blog you can now sign up for some of the events specific to international students. This term we are continuing to run sessions on marketing yourself through CVs but also sessions on UK Interview style and technique. There is a session on building up your personal networking from a distance as well as finding work in India and China for students returning home. This term we are also going to pilot online careers advice – you may have noticed the Meebo box on the blog although I’m not sure that’s the application we will use for this. Details to follow!

International students studying Psychology or in the Arts will be able to attend sessions about career choice and job hunting techniques relating to those sectors. I will blog more about those in the next few weeks.

So what else is happening?

In addition to the international student events, the careers service has a large programme of activities ranging from mock assessment centres to careers in medicine and law. The full programme can be found here.  Employers attending the campus include Chatteris who provide opportunities in Hong Kong, Ernst & Young, Proctor & Gamble, KPMG, Weber Shandwick, Research in Motion and Capital IQ.

This term is short but the careers service has packed a lot in with many evenings having options of different careers related events taking place.

Remember that places at many of these events are limited and you need to book in advance to attend them. International student specific events can be booked here but all others must be booked in person at the careers centre.

Events tomorrow: Make me employable!

Careers Centre, Friday 14 November, 2.30pm – 3.30pm  Just turn up!

The days when your academic degree was enough to land you a job are over.  Nowadays employers look for a whole range of skills, from teamwork to commercial awareness, in addition to your degree. Your time at University can help you with that. There are many easy to access opportunities for you. Come along to the careers centre at 2.30pm to find out more!

Event Today: UK Style CVs and Resumes – the last one!

This is the last UK Style CVs and Resumes workshop taking place in the Autumn term. You must book using the instructions here . One to one CV advice is available by booking a quick query through the careers centre directly.

Are you a finalist? A first year? Most people need CVs at different stages in their life.  Come to this workshop to explore the principles behind effective CVs in the UK.

Location: HLT2   5.00pm – 6.00pm

To receive a copy of this presentation and a sample graduate level CV email here with “Presentation 03″ in the subject box. College email accounts only.

Events Today: UK CVs and Resumes

Careers Centre 1.00pm – 2.00pm  This session is fully booked.

Another session is scheduled – see Booking for information.

CV style can vary from country to country. Come along to this workshop to find out how to sell yourself effectively for the UK employment market.  If you have not managed to get to one you should attend one of the other CV workshops available here If you want your CV checked please book yourself into a Quick Query session – details here.

Event Today: UK Style CVs and Resumes

Careers Centre 1.00pm – 2.00pm   This workshop is fully booked.

CV style can vary from country to country. Come along to this workshop to find out how to sell yourself effectively for the UK employment market.

The CV can still be an important part of the recruitment process. The type of CV you need for graduate level work can be very different from one for part-time or vacation positions. In this session you will learn the basic principles of effective CVs, how they may be presented and some typical errors made by international candidates.

Those attending today can receive the full presentation and a sample CV by email. Details will be provided during the session.

The UK Style CV and Resume session on 28 October is also now completely fully booked.

The next available UK Style CVs and Resumes will take place on November 4 at 5.00pm in HLT2. We have increased capacity for this session so please book by emailing here with “CV” in the subject box.

For information about how to prepare a CV click here.  All students can have their CVs checked by booking a Quick Query appointment in the careers centre.

Events Today: Job Hunting in the UK

HLT2 2.00pm – 3.30pm

This is aimed at first year undergraduates who may be seeking work in the UK. Anybody may attend. The session will cover an overview of your entitlement to work, how to market yourself and finding suitable vacancies.

Copies of the presentation are available by emailing here with Presentation02 in the subject box. Only emails from rhul.ac.uk address will be accepted.

Does the Europass pass?

The Europass is an attempt to create employment documents that can easily be tranferred for use throughout Europe.  Europass has been established by the Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 December 2004 on a single transparency framework for qualifications and competences. This is also closely linked to the Bologna Declaration which aims to create more transparency of academic qualifications.

The Europass package includes a standardised CV, language competency certificate and academic qualification certificates. Together these documents are meant to provide sufficient information to use for job applications througout the EU.  Some employers may be enthusiastic about taking a Europass CV and if requested you can create your own one here. You can view examples of the Europass CV here.

However….

The style of the Europass CV probably does not portray the type and level of information used for applying for jobs in the UK. I understand the style is effective in France and Germany but you may want to check when applying to other countries.

The key area where the Europass fails to market effectively in the UK is the low attention to skills gained. UK employers are very keen on understanding what transferable or specialist skills you may have and their selection process is usually based on you satisfying their skills, or competency, framework.

If you consider the Europass CV here and ones used in UK recruitment you will see that the Europass is essentially entirely factual – it covers what you’ve done and who you are.  In the UK we want also to see what you’ve gained from your experiences. For more details about how to write a UK CV click here or drop into the careers centre.

The layout of the Europass CV is also a possible hindrance. When an employer only has a short amount of time to consider your CV it is important to get as much relevent information on the front page as possible – if they don’t like the front page they may not look at the second! The Europass CV does not have that flexibility.

In short…

If you are applying for jobs in continental Europe it may well be advantageous to have a Europass CV. However if you are applying for positions in the UK you need to make sure it is tailored to the job and reflects both your abilities and the employer’s needs.

One-to-One CV advice is available Monday – Thursday (11am – 12pm; 2pm – 4pm) in the careers centre. You need to book an appointment on the day you wish to attend. We also provide regular CV workshops during lunchtime and we would encourage you to attend one before seeking one-to-one advice where possible.  Details of these can be found here.