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This site is getting an increasing number of hits from people searching for advice on CVs and Cover Letters.

Please read my article on putting a CV / Resume together and comment if you agree or disagree with my advice.

In regards to cover letters, I will put my list of Do’s and Don’t’s below and add some links to examples of what I think are going to give you a better chance.

Do’s

• Always attach a cover letter to your CV or Resume
• Make sure you address it to the relevant person in the business
• Use key words from the advertisement in your letter
• Address both the Skills and Experience Requirements identified in the Ad
• Put the most convenient and accessible ways to contact you ie Mobile and Email
• Space it out and make it easy to read
• Differentiate between sending it to a recruiter or the company itself
• Make it one page
• Make it unique to you and what you can offer
• Include call to action – Request an Interview, Tell them you will call to follow up in 2-3 days
• Be confident

Don’t’s

• Make spelling mistakes
• Address it to a different role or company or person by mistake
• Send a generic cover letter
• Make it more than one page
• Include unnecessary filler such as “Please find my resume enclosed”
• Explain why the role will be good for you
• Waste the first paragraph with filler, make an impact so they keep reading

So here are some example templates I have put together;

Cover Letter No 1

Cover Letter No 2

Please tell me if there are any mistakes and email me any improved versions.

Thanks

Tim

Posted under Jobs

It’s pretty quiet on the jobs front, not many new roles but not a huge amount of candidates either. Last year we experienced and extraordinary December/January period where the recruitment process barely came to a stop as companies pushed to secure the best available talent even if it meant doing a reference check on New Year Eve.

So is January just going back to normal, just a slow start as people return to work and put out the fires and will start thinking about HR and recruitment in Feb/March?

I don’t have the answer, but I haven’t seen anything that points towards a great year for the job market. It will be much slower than last year and good candidates will still get good jobs and average candidates will have to work harder and wait longer to secure their next role.

We have seen more companies trying to recruit themselves through SEEK and print advertising in the past 3 months. This may continue but you need resources to do this and the success is more hit and miss than you would think. Remember to do those reference check guys.

Any feedback is most welcome.

Tim

Posted under Jobs, News, Retailers

As the employment market is softening i thought it was time to give a few candidate tips

Don’t create a black hole. Communication is a 2 way street. Both candidates and recruiters have a responsibility to keep the channel open. If your recruiter has left a message try to get back to them as soon as possible. Time is of the essence and the market doesn’t always wait. If a recruiter is following up with 3 or 4 candidates and you don’t respond in a reasonable time frame you may just miss out! You can always take the initiative and keep in regular contact to keep informed.

Discretion please. We understand it is not always a convenient time or place. Let us know a suitable time to call to speak with you or say you can call back in 10 minutes or an hour; but make sure you can commit to that. Alternatively send an SMS; most of you should have your recruiter’s mobile.

Watch the clock. We know your time is valuable – and ours is too! Keep your discussions focused. Be specific about why you are calling and the desired outcome whether that’s to arrange a time to meet or to have a more detailed conversation.

Hello, anyone there?   Your recruiter should inform you of the next steps and when they will be able to come back to you. If this hasn’t happened then make the call or send an email. It doesn’t hurt to remind them about the commitment they made to you. Remember you are in charge of your career.

Expectations. Everyone has an opinion about their worth and what the market is paying. Be open about your expectations in relation to salary and benefits. You don’t want to say one thing when you really want another as this could jeopardise negotiations further down the track. A good recruiter will be informative and should set you on the right path.

A fresh start. Before you start your new role try to take some time off; ideally a week will help you re-charge your batteries and allow you to get that well-deserved massage. It’s a good investment and you will be fresh and ready to go.

Any comments?

Tim

Posted under Jobs

Went to www.hitwise.com.au to see how my new blog site was doing in the ranking, haven’t made the Top 20 yet folks, whats the story!! Come on tell your friends, email my link, subscribe, make a comment, I’m feeling lonely here.

Anyway when I got over the disappointment I found some interesting stuff on the Hitwise Analysts Blog that relates to us here in FMCG land and the job world as well. Robin Goad – Research Director, Hitwise UK, is responsible for the two articles that interested me the most. Has the credit crunch killed ethical consumerism? follows the Hitwise philosophy that

“search behaviour is a great way of tracking consumer behaviour” Read More…

Posted under Marketing

I have just seen Michael Page’s 08/09 Salary & Employment Forecast. It is broken up by key profession so I will take a look at what it says about Sales and Marketing.

The report on Sales make the following positive comments on FMCG;

“The FMCG sector is performing strongly and is a highly competitive market. We are seeing strongest demand for business development executives, national account managers and category managers as companies strive to differentiate their product offerings.” Read More…

Posted under Jobs, News

I read between 50 to 100 CVs per day in my job, so I thought I would offer some advice to those job seekers out there who are having trouble getting interviews for the roles to which they feel they are suited. I am not astounded any more because I see the same mistakes repeated daily, but when I first started in the recruitment business I was flabbergasted that one of the most important documents in a person’s life was afforded such little care and attention. The CVs or resumes that I receive on a daily basis are riddled with spelling mistakes, poor grammar or are incomprehensible.

Here are a few of my favourite spelling mistakes.

• “SWAT Analysis” – What does the A stand for?
• “web sight” – looks good!
• “proffessional” – very

Below is my Top 10 Mistakes or areas where people let themselves down in the job market.

1. Spelling, Grammar and Typos.

There are no excuses, you have access to spelling checkers, grammar checkers and can ask friends, family and work colleagues to read over you resume. I am sure I will make mistakes in this blog, but it is nowhere near as important as the first impression a mistake will make on a gate-keeper like me or a potential employer. If you can pick up the errors I make here – you can proof-read your own CV!

A recent survey of employers found that 38% of would reject a resume based on finding the first spelling mistake, by two mistakes this was up to 64%. But you don’t need statistics to tell you that if you make a typo or a spelling error and send it through to an employer without noticing and correcting it, you’re in trouble. I think that you either aren’t smart enough to get help or too lazy to be bothered, reject pressed. Read More…

Posted under Jobs

Lately it seems like every job advertisement says …”FMCG experience an advantage”.

Companies that aren’t even in the FMCG industry want FMCG experience in their new hires. And because job seekers are constantly faced with this barrier they all want to work with FMCG to give themselves the best chance of securing those coveted roles.

What’s the fuss over FMCG and why does everyone want it?

First of all, what does FMCG really mean? It stands for fast moving consumer goods. We all agree on that but then the definition gets grey. Everyone has a slightly different interpretation, often depending on what industry they work in! Here’s how we’ll define it…when you walk down the aisle of your local supermarket and can pick the product off the shelf it’s classified as an FMCG.

But it’s still not that easy. Stationary manufactures could argue that they’re in grocery therefore they’re FMCG. Let’s compare the difference between a carton of milk and a pen. Milk is a high volume product that is restocked several times a day (hence the name fast moving); it has a short shelf life and is considered an essential…unless you’re lactose intolerant! Pens, on the other hand, are purchased occasionally, have a long-term expiry date and could be considered a luxury items. So milk is FMCG and a pen is a consumer good. For the purposes of this article, we’ll say that FMCG are any household essentials that are sold through the grocery channel. Read More…

Posted under Jobs

Keeping candidates in the loop. As part of the recruitment process one would think it’s a statement from Captain Obvious; yet why does it appear to be so difficult and why do candidates complain about recruiters not doing a good job of it?

It is no secret that candidates become frustrated when they do not receive frequent communication; let alone no communication! They send their resumes to recruiters and direct to organisations and don’t hear back. They fill out the forms they are asked to complete, receive that instant email that acknowledges their effort yet often don’t hear anything. It’s not just about the initial communication; it needs to be ongoing throughout the process. Let’s also not forget the benefit in communicating with candidates about other important points for example the format and content of their resume, providing information on what’s happening in the market and how they might best position themselves.

There is only one chance to make a good first impression. That’s the traditional advice given to job seekers. But recruiters and organisations should also pay attention to this excellent adage. Here’s why.

The job market has turned on its head. Gone are the days when recruiters or employers could pick and choose from seemingly unlimited job seekers desperate to get that job or work for “X” organisation. A buoyant market with high employment rates and a continuing skills shortage have seen candidates gain more control in the recruitment process. High-skilled candidates can be selective. It is common to have recruiters chasing potential candidates and for the candidates to be considering several roles. They have the luxury of choice as to who they want to deal with. The first impression the candidate has of the recruiter or organisation can play a major role in their decision to engage, or not to engage. Read More…

Posted under Jobs