Mini CV Writing & Interview Prep Session
Mini CV Writing & Interview Prep Session
This evening I will be giving a class to an International Group based in New Zealand in collaboration with Emily Rogers from @expatparentingabroad as part of a bonus challenge she has been running aimed at Expat Families looking to or having made the move abroad.
Tonight I’ll be using the content from two of my most popular blogs – How to Beat the ATS and How to Ace your Next Interview. Here’s a sneak peak at what is to come:
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
I have lost count of the number of times I have been told, “I feel like nobody ever actually reads my CV.” The unfortunate reality is that this is more than likely true, and my response is always met with shock and a sense of despair.
There are at least two possible reasons for this. Firstly, you have 6 seconds in which to capture your reader’s attention and lure them to read on. If they don’t get the ‘thrills’ within the first section or two they won’t read your CV.
Secondly, it is estimated that nowadays up to 99% of all large companies and even small entrepreneurial companies are using ATS systems, The Applicant Tracking System, which filters out the best CVs to be shown to the hiring managers. Yes, technology is taking over the recruitment process and may well have done so without us noticing over the past 5 years!
There are, of course, many advantages for recruiters, especially those who attract large numbers of candidates. It saves them trawling through hundreds of applications, the majority of which are unsuitable. However, it does leave candidates with yet another CV writing dilemma – how to ensure your CV will beat the challenge of the ATS.
If you use Linked In regularly and apply for positions which require you to fill out an online form you will have been making applications through an ATS, without even knowing it. If you are redirected to a portal into which you must sign in, such as Success Factors or Taleo (to name only a couple!) then, once again, you have been using an ATS. This means that it is highly likely that not one human being has actually looked at your CV, instead the ATS system has ranked your CV in comparison with the Job Description and put you on a percentage scale.
There are a couple of issues at play here. Primarily, many of the most suitable candidates do not apply for positions because they feel that they do not 100% meet the criteria on the Job Description and therefore feel they may immediately be discounted by the ATS.
This is a conundrum…and true…you may be immediately discounted by the ATS, however if you go through the Job Description and see it as a ‘Wish List’ rather than a set of formal requirements does that change things?
Try to ascertain which of the requirements are absolutely necessary for the position, use your judgement and assume that approximately 75% of the requirements must be met. This means that you can still be considered, even if you don’t meet all the criteria. As I said in last week’s blog, if you apply for positions for which you are 100% qualified, you have aimed too low and there leaves no scope for growth in that position.
The next thing to consider is an extension to what we discussed in the past two weeks on the blog – Key Words. Your CV must ooze your desired position/ field and match the keywords you find in the desired Job Description. (See here for last week’s blog post on Linked In Success).
Parsing
If you now start to look up articles on How to Beat the ATS you will come across the word ‘parsing’ a lot. What is parsing? In this sense, parsing means to take the information from your CV and change it to a different format. The ATS will change it into its preferred format to show to the recruiters. This is the biggest hurdle to jump.
Have you ever tried to change a PDF document into a Word format? What happens? The format jumps around, Gs become 9s and it generally becomes unreadable. Well, this is more or less what happens when an ATS parses your document – unless of course you have ‘optimized’ it!
How do you optimize your CV for ATS I hear you ask?
One of the main things I tell all my clients is: If you can, avoid uploading your CV in PDF format, as the ATS find it easier to deal with Word or Text documents.
There is also some belief that we can move from the 2 pages max rule to submission of a longer CV. However, beware…some ATS systems consider this to be ‘word stuffing’ which will detect overused key words and ultimately end in your CV being rejected!
Here are some tips from Job Scan:
“Here’s our simplest advice for how to beat ATS:
• Carefully tailor your resume to the job description every single time you apply.
• Optimize for ATS search and ranking algorithms by matching your resume keywords to the job description
• Use both the long-form and acronym version of keywords (e.g. “Master of Business Administration (MBA)” or “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)”) for maximum searchability
• Use a chronological or hybrid resume format (avoid the functional resume format)
• Don’t use tables or columns as they often cause major parsing errors
• Use a traditional resume font like Helvetica, Garamond, or Georgia
• Don’t use headers or footers as the information might get lost or cause a parsing error
• Use standard resume section headings like “Work Experience” rather than being cute or clever (“Where I’ve Been”)
• Save your file as a .docx if possible”
If you follow this link they also have a checking tool where you can upload the text of your CV vs the text of your Job Description to check for a match.
For more useful articles on ATS systems and your CV check these out:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ats-bots-12-rules-get-your-resume-past-bot-army-actual-carrie-sampson/
https://hbr.org/2019/05/you-dont-need-to-meet-every-qualification-to-apply-for-a-job
If all this CV writing information is mind boggling don’t panic! Get in touch for a free consultation and CV Health Check.
How to Ace Your Next Interview
One client worried about not being offered a job after being headhunted, a friend worried about whether the tattoo on her hand might have swung it in the wrong direction for her. Having returned from more than a quarter of a century overseas and not having done a job interview for most of that time, another friend has done six in a noticeably short space of time. So why are they not getting jobs?
It’s difficult to tell people why things are not going in their favour – they’ve done so extraordinarily well to get this far – their CV and Cover Letter have impressed their target audience, they have had their LinkedIn profiles scrutinized, the online application has met all the essential criteria and they have made it through to interview. The feeling of pride for getting this far is short lived, however. It’s all too easy to overanalyze and worry about each little thing which can then affect your performance in the next interview. Try not to let that happen, there are many reasons why you might not have been successful, most of which are not personal. Also remember it is perfectly acceptable to ask for feedback when you receive the news about not having been successful, not doing so will mean you can’t be as prepared for your next interview.
At this point in time, we are starting to emerge, once again, from a series of lockdowns related to the Coronavirus pandemic. The labour market has been in turmoil and still is. It means that there is a great deal more competition for roles and those who are successful enough to get to the interview stage mean that they are competing with others who are equally as driven, hungry for success and qualified as you. Bear in mind, that sometimes you are just pipped at the post because of current circumstances, not because of something personal.
What can we do to increase our odds?
1. Question Prep: Prepare a list of possible questions that you could be asked and rehearse your responses – the list of questions will be rich and varied and depend upon your field/ position/ location etc. Don’t skip this step, despite it sounding like a cliché, even in preparing for these questions, if you are asked something a bit left field you should be more prepared than you would have been.
Here are a few examples:
· Tell us a bit about you
· Can you walk us through your CV?
· What are you attracted to in this position?
· What do you want to work for XXX?
· What makes you the best person for this role?
· Why do you want to leave your current role?
· What have been the high and low points of your career?
· What is your long-term career plan? What does your 5- and 10-year plans look like?
· If you were to come into this role – what changes would you make within the first 1 month, 3 months and 6 months?
· How would you describe your leadership style?
· What are your strengths and weaknesses?
· Tell me about a time you had to juggle multiple high-priority tasks. How did you handle it?
· Given the events of the past year and the current situation what is your predicted outlook for the industry?
· What do you think the industry could be doing better now to help reinstate its importance in a post pandemic world?
· What does excellent service mean to you?
· What are your salary expectations?
· What are your expectations from us as an employer?
2. Research the Company: Research the company and the position you have applied for. Really understand what makes them tick – what are their core values, mission, and vision? What has been in the press about the company? What can you find out that will make you stand out as somebody who really knows their stuff?
I remember having an interview to do a summer job at a castle in Scotland 20 years ago; I didn’t know anything about the history of Scotland, but I stood outside the castle before my interview and read all the story boards around the place and managed to memorise some dates. I was asked in the interview to tell them something about the history surrounding the castle and I was able to answer the question – which in turn probably got me the job…but it was a fluke! Make sure you know exactly what you are talking about!
3. Research your Interviewers: If you know who will be interviewing you, take some time to research them, their roles, and their career paths. Link In with them and show that you are interested. You’ll feel like you know them a bit better and that will positively impact your rapport in the interview.
4. Video Interview Tips: If you are doing a Video Interview online here are some mini tips to think about:
• Try to have a clear background behind you – not too cluttered and nothing that will take the attention away from you;
• Check your signal, microphone, and camera in advance;
• Make sure you are familiar with the technology they are using for the interview and that you have everything to hand on time;
• If possible, ensure you have no distractions at the time of interview – although that is easier said than done;
• Try to reduce sound pollution around you;
• Sit face on to the camera and sit up straight with an open posture – don’t sit side on;
• Although it is tempting to be distracted by yourself on camera, try to continue to make eye contact with your interviewer(s).
5. Interview Personal Presentation Tips:
• This one is important, no matter what level of position you are applying for try to dress as smartly as possible. Clean, well ironed clothes, polished shoes, clean hair, and nails etc. First impressions will always mean something – the way you look is an outward projection of your character and prospective employers will always appreciate that you have made an effort;
• Think about your body language. Sit up straight, don’t slump, don’t cross your legs or fidget. Use your hands to gesticulate, avoid the need to fold your arms. Make eye contact.
• Take your queues from your interviewers – if they reach out to shake hands, then do so. Watch their body language and try to be as open as possible. If they are very formal, your behaviour should mimic that.
6. Role Play & Visualise Success: I know that ‘role play’ comes with many connotations and it puts people off, but practicing your interview skills end to end and visualizing a positive outcome can have great successes. Ask a friend to help you.
7. Listen and Don’t Talk too much: Nerves can sometimes make us babble. Try to breathe calmly and listen carefully. Only answer the questions you are being asked. Sometimes over describing won’t go in your favour and you could end up talking yourself out of a job.
8. Create your 100 Day Plan: If you are applying for a higher-level position, it makes good sense to prepare a 100-day plan of things you would hope to achieve on starting your new role. Even if they never see it, having it in your mind will prove useful when answering your questions. If you get through to the next round of interviews, it is very possible that you will need this in presentation format so the more research you do the better.
9. Create a Career Portfolio: I am used to managing teachers and trainers. My biggest piece of advice for them is to create and continually enhance a personal career portfolio which showcases the high points. Take this opportunity to demonstrate using tangible items, what you have achieved in your career. This could be positive reviews and feedback from customers, clients, and colleagues – a thank you message for example. This could be certificates and training you have completed. This could be photographs of you going about your work or awards you have received. This is a visual representation of you and what you stand for and in a world where concentration spans are ever diminishing and people are becoming more and more visual, this could be just what your audience are looking for.
10. Prepare Questions to Ask: One of the biggest let downs at interview is when candidates don’t ask pertinent questions about the company, the role, the strategy. It can make you look like you are not really motivated. Don’t ask questions about money, benefits and things that make you look as if you are only interested in yourself – you mustn’t appear to be desperate. This is your chance to show how enthusiastic you are about getting this job and what you would need to know to be able to get stuck in quickly. Try to use the information you have learned during the interview to ask further questions.
If you would like to discuss your next interview, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I would be happy to go through the above with you and make sure you are as prepared as you can be. Good Luck!
In this evening’s session we will be talking about how to write your ‘Elevator Pitch’ personal statement and what to think about when writing your career achievements for your CV. We’ll talk about skill matching and other important factors to consider in your job search. Get in touch for more information!