Critique my CV please

Mansize_tissue

Mansize_tissue

Mansize_tissue

Soldato
Joined
20 Mar 2007
Posts
3,095
Location
Norwich
Just out of uni, I'm looking for basically ANY full time work local to me (Norwich) that'll allow me to save up to go travelling early next year. So I've tried to put together a 'catch all' CV that I'll fire off to as many employers as possible.

Thoughts?

2 links in case 1 doesn't work:

Link 1

Link 2

Thanks in advance.
 
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the experience section seems a bit light. After spending close to 5 years at Tesco surely you have got more content you can add to this section ? A prospective employer might find it difficult to justify getting you in for an interview without really knowing what you skills and experience are.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
So I've tried to put together a 'catch all' CV that I'll fire off to as many employers as possible.
Click to expand...

That's probably your first issue right there. Even though you want to cast your net wide in the hope of securing a job, you still need to target it to prospective companies. A recruiter or hiring manager will suspect you have just lazily sent it off to scores of companies and bin it immediately. The climate is still very challenging at the moment and as such employers are very picky about who they hire.

I worked for a year before travelling and it is quite common after uni. I would go see a recruiter with your cv and tell them what you want to do. Say you want to increase your basic work skills and seek new challenges etc. I'd see it has an opportunity to dip your toes into a field you want to work in once you get back from travelling. I take it you don't want to carry on working at Tesco with a maths degree. Anyway, that is what I did and it worked out well.
 
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Your profile could be a little longer.

Talk about your aspirations for work (you can tailor this to each job you apply to if needs be) and how the skills you've learnt from university/experience will benefit your future employer.

You could also go into more detail about your degree, module choices for example.
 
Thanks for the replies. I understand the catch all approach might not be best, and certainly if applying directly to an employer I could tailor it appropriately.

What I meant to say was I intended to use this CV on an agency website (such as Reed or Hays, I don't know of many others) through which if I applied to a multitude of jobs, I wouldn't be limiting myself as to what sector I'd be looking at. If that makes sense...

Also regarding experience section, I tried to make this as concise as possible in an attempt to keep it under a page. Indeed I could expand, and even add 2 weeks at an engineering company I decided to omit because of space constraints, but this would push me onto 2 pages. Would this be the best option?

Dark Sun, I'll go into Reed's office in Norwich ASAP with my CV and see what they suggest. Thanks!
 
I have interests separate to skills. I'd incorporate skills into your work experience. Further, detail the modules you studied for your maths degree and any extra curricular activities? Play in a team? Member of a society? Did you have to do any presentations? Represent your uni at anything?

Maybe put something in interests to show your human side. Do you seek challenges and broaden your horizons outside of education and work? See you have powerlifting - that is a good start. Maybe you have taught yourself a language or skill? Hobbies such trekking, yoga, astronomy, making model aeroplanes...anything... Makes you sound far more interesting and unique.

Also, I'd change "Despite my job title I often to run the front-end of the store including checkouts, kiosk and self-serve tills, and consequently deal with any problems as they arise."

Remember, a CV should be positive and selling your best points. This sounds like you have a negative opinion of your current role. For every point think skills, responsibilities and achievements. What skills did I use and what did I achieve? Think leadership, management, deadlines, achieving targets, challenges etc.
 
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I'd go for two pages. Just make sure the key facts are on the front page. Your "personal statement" bit is very wishy-washy. Don't waffle about how you'll bend over for whoever's offering but finance would be nice too; instead talk about your key selling points, and give an idea of the kind of qualities you want in a job. That way they can read anything they like into it.

Expand the Tesco and degree sections. A 2:1 in Maths from a good uni is quite the selling point, big it up and pad it out. The job at Tesco shows you can knuckle down and get on with it, that's worth something in a fresh graduate so expand this section too.
 
Also "Working in a team has improved ability to build morale, however often I am in positions where I must work on my own, using my own judgement and initiative in order to complete a task." What?
 
Thanks again Dark Sun and Mr Jack, your comments are very much appreciated. I'm just in the process of redoing it with the adjustments you've suggested, hopefully it'll be an improvement! I'll be back shortly with version 2.
 
You shouldn't use 'I' at all in your CV and keep it to two pages if you can. Your degree and Tesco job should take at least half a page. You can pad it out with a techical profiency sub heading and add the usual computing skill etc; a good oppertunity to taylor it your application.

I can't open your files at work so can't really help.
 
Did you get honours with your degree?

Mixing skills and interest doesn't help an employer. He wants to know your core transferable skills first and foremost, then experience then everything else.
 
jms198 said:
You shouldn't use 'I' at all in your CV...
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Who told you that? I always write "I" on my CV. You want to avoid starting every last sentence with it, but avoiding it altogether just leads to weird convoluted language. You are, after all, telling them what you have done and what you have to offer.
 
Could you squash you GCSE section into something like like 10 A*-B Grades including A* Mathematics and A English Literature? It would give you more space to expand other sections.
 
Mr Jack said:
Who told you that? I always write "I" on my CV. You want to avoid starting every last sentence with it, but avoiding it altogether just leads to weird convoluted language. You are, after all, telling them what you have done and what you have to offer.
Click to expand...

"I often to run the front-end of the store including checkouts, kiosk and self-serve tills, and consequently deal with any problems as they arise."

"Tusted to work independently at the client interface; troubleshooting problems and providing exceptional customer service."

Makes no difference to me. It's not like you're talking about anyone else.
 
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