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Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your CV and Covering Letter

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 05:56:55 GMT

If you're one of the people who have been forced to look for a new job this year, you're not alone. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the employment rate, not just here in Australia, but worldwide. With so many people looking for so few jobs, having the right CV and Covering Letter to get your foot through that first door is crucial. Nowadays, hundreds, if not thousands of applications can be received for a single role, of which fewer than 10 will make it to interview.

However, before we get into the nitty gritty, let's answer two pretty fundamental questions; what is a CV and what's the difference between and CV and a Resume? CV stands for Curriculum Vitae, which is Latin for 'course of life' and that's why a CV should be a more comprehensive document focussing on your professional history, education, skills and achievements, whereas a Resume (French for 'summary') is a one page, concise overview of your previous roles, skills and education. In Australia, the term is used interchangeably, however in some countries, typically those in North America and Europe they are considered very differently and so if you're applying overseas you should do your research to make sure you are using the proper document and term. A Covering Letter is a letter than accompanies a CV introducing yourself and briefly summarising why you feel you're the best candidate for the job.

So now you've written your CV and Covering Letter, how can you make sure you're one of the ones to get that call for an interview? Well first of all you need to make sure you avoid these five crucial mistakes:

1. FAILURE TO TAILOR YOUR CV AND COVERING LETTER

We all know applying for jobs is hard work, in fact it's a full-time job in itself, or at least it should be if you're going to do it right. Simply sending a generic CV and Covering Letter out for each application just won't cut it and they can be spotted a mile off. As a HR Professional who has reviewed hundreds of CVs, these are the ones I bin first. Every CV and Covering Letter needs to be tailored to every application so the specifics of the role are addressed in your CV, the tone of the advertisement is matched in your Covering Letter and the cultural alignment between you and the organisation can be demonstrated.

2. HAVING SPELLING MISTAKES AND POOR GRAMMAR

We all make mistakes, today we're even told that making mistakes are good, that we'll learn from them - WRONG! Your CV and Covering Letter is the one place you can't afford to make a mistake. Worse still is when your sentences don't make sense and your grammar is incorrect. To a recruiter or future employer spelling mistakes shows a lack of attention to detail which in turn reads as a lack of care or interest in the role. Simply asking a friend to read over your CV and Covering Letter with a fresh pair of eyes will help to spot those mistakes or you can use platforms like Grammarly to help you.

3. POOR FORMATTING OF YOUR CV AND COVERING LETTER

The most important thing when presenting your CV and Covering Letter is to make it easy and appealing to read. Unless you're applying for a creative design role, your CV should not be a work of art, however, neither should it be paragraph upon paragraph of writing. Both of which make it difficult to read and find the pertinent information and nowadays recruiters simply don't have time to search through your CV to find out if you can do the job. You need to present the information clearly and concisely using a combination of short paragraphs and dot points. Also don't assume recruiters will read between the lines, you need to spell it out for them because many hiring managers are a) not familiar with the role they are recruiting for and will simply compare your CV with the Job Description or b) too busy to read between the lines and work out if you can do the job or not.

4. HAVING GAPS IN TIME IN YOUR CV

If you took a year off to travel or took a career break to 'find yourself' or care for a loved one, be honest and say that's what you did, otherwise the recruiter may well take a wild guess and chances are, it won't be a good one. I've always been very clear on my CV that for a few years I was a stay at home mum, I've nothing to hide and it ensures my CV makes sense and goes a long way to explaining why I made the career choices I've made.

5. EVIDENCE TO BACK UP WHAT YOU SAY

Ensure that everything you write in your CV and Covering Letter is the truth and you actually did it. When writing your CV, think about whether you can talk to it in an interview. Chances are that nowadays you'll be asked some behavioural type questions when you get to the interview so ensure you're thinking of this for everything you write. Think about how you would explain it and talk to it as you write it. Don't forget to write about your achievements just as much as your duties, this will add credibility and authenticity to your CV and Covering Letter.

OVER TO YOU.....

Writing a CV and Covering Letter is not something we do all the time and it can be a daunting process, but you don't have to do it alone. If you need some advice and guidance, let me help you.

What is DISC ADVANCED Behavioural Assessment?

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 05:56:55 GMT

Ever wondered why some people you work with or hang out with really annoy you, why they take so long to do something or go so fast they constantly make mistakes, yet other people just seem to get you and know what makes you tick? Well that's because we all have different behavioural styles, both naturally to us (nature PLUS nurture) and an adjusted style that we 'put on' every day when we go to work or hang out with friends.

But how can we tell what our own style is and learn how to read, accommodate and work with other styles that may be very different to ours?

DISC ADVANCED® is a behavioural assessment tool to identify our main behavioural styles to facilitate interaction with people and to prepare us to manage and communicate more effectively.

DISC is an acronym that stands for the four main behavioural styles - Dominance , Influence , Steadiness and Compliance

People with mostly D-style behaviours tend to be confident, fast paced and place an emphasis on accomplishing results over their relationships with people.

People with mostly I-style behaviours tend to be more open and dynamic and place a greater emphasis on their relationships and influencing others.

People with mostly S-style behaviours tend to be dependable and place emphasis on cooperation and sincerity.

People with mostly C-style behaviours tend to place emphasis on quality, accuracy, expertise and competency.

It provides a common language we can use to better understand ourselves and those we interact with and then use this knowledge to understand our preferred work environment and improve our working relationships.

How DISC ADVANCED® Can Help You

DISC ADVANCED® raises self awareness to show you what motivates you or stresses you out, how you solve problems and how you respond to conflict. It teaches us how to improve communication and understand the dynamics between team members to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

For example, DISC ADVANCED® can help improve sales teams, as understanding and adapting to your customer's style is essential for connecting on a human level and understanding what's important to them.

Leaders can become more effective when they understand the natural preferred working style of their employees and other team members.

More junior staff will be able to gain more confidence by better understanding themselves, their peers and their manager.

Why You Should Use DISC ADVANCED®

Why do more people and companies choose DISC ADVANCED® over other behavioural type assessments?

It's simple really - it's one of the latest and most advanced behavioural assessments available. Many of Australia's leading businesses and universities use DISC ADVANCED® to better understand the behavioural style of their employees and teams. For individuals it allows them to better understand themselves and their preferred work environment.

DISC ADVANCED® assessments are distinguished by their practical approach, providing tips and strategies on how you can apply this newly acquired self-awareness of your natural behavioural style. Here are some of the other things that distinguish DISC ADVANCED®.

1. Reliability of Results

DISC ADVANCED® is difficult to cheat. There are mechanisms in the system that indicate unreliable results. Other assessments can be and often are, answered by the respondent in the way they believe the employer would like them answered.

2. More Style Combinations Identified

DISC ADVANCED® provides a more comprehensive understanding of your complete behavioural style and a much deeper understanding of your relationships by identifying interrelated behaviours, not simply the four main styles or a dozen or so combinations.

3. Action Plans

DISC ADVANCED® reports include comprehensive action plans so you have something concrete to work with when applying what you learn. Its a complete package. As well as individual assessments there are also team and pair assessment reports available.

4. Designed for the Workplace

Unlike a 'personality test', DISC ADVANCED® is designed for the workplace from the ground up. The assessment measures both the subconscious natural and the conscious adjusted behavioural styles. You can evaluate the impact of the work environment and potential job pressures on the person.

How to Get DISC ADVANCED® Assessed

How people build relationships has a massive influence on how happy, effective and productive they are. DISC ADVANCED® gives you a better understanding of your behaviour, communication, style of working and reactions. It is the ultimate 'mirror on the wall' that explains what everyone else can see - the image you present to the world of who you are. For organisations it ensures the right people are in the right teams at the right time to deliver the company's objectives and goals.

So how do you get DISC ADVANCED® assessed? Well its as simple as A, B, C:

A - as an accredited assessor contact me on the link below;

B - answer a few questions via an online link, which will take you about 10-15 minutes, and

C - receive a one-on-one de-brief to take you through the results, plus a copy of your report to keep.