Originally Posted by mush_dad

Also,

Put a summary section at the top with a brief outline of what a great guy you are finishing with a handful of bullet points outlining your key (transferrable) skills and abilties. E.g.

• In depth understanding of customer service and delivery
• Clear logical thinker with an aptitude for the Creative solution
• Clear, concise and effective communication skills
• Credibility, maturity and influence with staff and management at all levels. A rolled sleeves" approach. Drive, energy and enthusiasm with a "can do" attitude.

In good old Arrse fashion,

Agreed, but....

Not all sectors of industry would expect to see these sorts of personal statements, or give them any form of attention. After all, they are always self serving and often repetetive. They nearly always include trite phrases such as "good communicator, team worker, results driven" etc, when the reality would be "my colleagues barely speak to me because we have rowed so much, my BO and halitosis could stun my colleagues if we were ever in the same room and I need a new job because I keep cocking up here".

It is well worth doing the reseach to see what the practice is in your chosen field.

There was a long thread on the subject here

CV Template

Lots of good advice on this thread and lots on the thread link

Personally, I am not a big fan of 'translating' I think it makes you look too much like a smartarse, giving the perception that you trying to hoodwink a thick civvy or even somehow ashamed of your service history. I am sure anyone would have three quarters of an idea what a Regimental Signals Instructor actual did from those three words and if the CV explains it then so much the better. Instructing is definately not the same as lecturing, lecturing means something very different.

If you were an RSI then state it but explain what it involved and as the Duke says above, don't just list the duties of the role list your achievements in it.

Get a civvy mate who knows nothing about the Army to read it before you use it. If anything confuses him/her, change it or get rid. Also, see if you have any friends who are in/know someone in an HR department, get their advice - it may start a conversation that leads to employment. As others have said, tailor your CV to the job spec (don't put in too much other stuff, no matter how impressive, if it's not relevant - you'll confuse the HR assistant doing the initial sift) and remember that your CV is a work in progress until you snuff it so keep doing things and keep it updated. Also, check your online presence to see if the incident with the goat made Facebook or some other internet septic tank - it's the first check that HR creatures do and it's amazing what they turn up when checking to see if you really did win that double VC and the Nobel Peace Prize.

FF makes a great point about your online presence

I always thought Facebook was a double edged sword, some of the others above may clarify but I understand for a lot of jobs now a Facebook search is often carried out.

Would reccomend LinkedIN though, very useful

Don't forget two vital additions.

1) Unless asked otherwise, always send a well constructed covering letter. This should cover, where you saw the advertised job, why you are suitable for the advertised role and when you are available for interview.

2) Your CV and covering letter are for getting you to interview, not for getting the job.

Interview technique is critical and that's what gets you employed. Good advice for you so far here, but don't get too tied up with the CV thing, although, as has been said, it has to be laid out correctly, and faultless in spelling and grammar.

Your CV and covering letter have one purpose - to get you to a job interview. Without getting an interview, you can't get a job. From the CV point of view:

1) Make sure its neat, tidy and free from error. Scruffy CV = scruffy mind = in the bin.
2) Tailor the CV to highlight how your skills are appropriate for the job. Don't lie, just make sure your most pertinent skills are prominent.
3) Reinforce with covering letter - this should complement your CV, not recycle information from it.

Never, ever send off a bog standard CV and covering letter. If you haven't put the effort into them to show me your qualities, I won't put the effort into interviewing you.

Both in the CV and in the interview, a company is asking two questions:

A) Will this person fit into the present group of employees?
B) Does this person have a set of skills that will help the company work better?

Answer both those question well and you should be on course to get a job.

Wordsmith

Originally Posted by meridian

FF makes a great point about your online presence

I always thought Facebook was a double edged sword, some of the others above may clarify but I understand for a lot of jobs now a Facebook search is often carried out.

Would reccomend LinkedIN though, very useful

Would have to agree with Meridian about LinkedIN a very good tool!!

This might sound superficial but my experience tells me that a well designed layout allows your CV to stand out from the crowd, don't go mad but making it look a bit different to the default Word formatting is worth the effort

Always use a clear font and ALWAYS use the best quality paper, it does help stand out a bit more. Don't use coloured paper White or Ivory I have found is the best.

Just tell em you were a squaddie.

You're entitled to the job you know.

In fact, with your experience most employers will make you a manager straight away. £40k a year for doing the same job you did in the army.

At least that's what I heard.

D_L