What Does It Take To Get A Job?

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by paiktis22
for extracuricular activities u put sh!t like

music theater cinema literature stuff like that (things that u actually DO of course)

if you play a musical instrument yyou can put that too

if you go mountain climbing (which I doubt - who does) put that in

that sort of stuff

Is this stuff important? I haven't got any extraciricular stuff listed on my CV. Is that a mistake or do managers usually ignore this stuff?

[Timexwatch]

PH:

This is what Britan gets for putting so many young Uni students on the dole instead of making them get jobs

[Urban Ranger]

Re: What Does It Take To Get A Job?

Nevermind.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Tingkai
Is this stuff important? I haven't got any extraciricular stuff listed on my CV. Is that a mistake or do managers usually ignore this stuff?

The conventional wisdom is this stuff is not important but it can help if it shows you in a positive light.

[ravagon]

The only point I'd add is to reinforce something Paiktis noted.
Don't try and tell them everything. Many aspects of your qualifications, particularly relating to thesis/research work are explained more effectively in person. Be brief and give a summary rather than going into too many details. Leave yourself room to elaborate during an interview.
Maybe tone down the IT bit too. Leave out the adjectives. Phrases like "highly" qualified are very subjective anyway and, even though truthful, it's the sort of phrase that may be used by somebody trying to embellish their resumes.

Similarly for interests/activities - Most of those you've noted can be summed with single words - swimming, vehicle maintainance, bowling, etc.
Treat your CV a bit like an advertisement - you're paying for it by the letter.

[MikeH]

I'm still not liking that header. I like to see the address written line by line. Might just be me. I think it's an improvement though.

I like the education and experience sections a lot more, you still have to proof read them so no comments on those yet. Except one major one, you have a section titled experience and later on you have Skills and Experience.

Driving license in skills not other interests? I think it'd be better not to put anything in than put car maintenance as an interest.

I would ditch travelling round the country to see friends as an other interest. The music one is good though.

You might want to think about some of the language and make it slightly less stilted. It's quite hard to read sometimes and feels uncomfortable and sometimes you start sentences halfway though eg.

· Principally general laboratory duties such as preparatory work and equipment maintenance.

What you mean is:

My responsibilities were principally general laboratory duties such as preparatory work and equipment maintenance.

I also assisted in clinical trials unit involved with respiratory function work, maintaining equipment and ensuring equipment was accurate and was used to appropriate guidelines for trial.

(notice the tense change, you are talking about a job in the past why are you using present tense?)

[MikeH]

Originally posted by ravagon
The only point I'd add is to reinforce something Paiktis noted.
Don't try and tell them everything. Many aspects of your qualifications, particularly relating to thesis/research work are explained more effectively in person. Be brief and give a summary rather than going into too many details. Leave yourself room to elaborate during an interview.
Maybe tone down the IT bit to. Leave out the adjectives. Phrases like "highly" qualified are very subjective anyway and, even though truthful, it's the sort of phrase that may be used by somebody trying to embellish their chances.

Similarly for interests/activities - Most of those you've noted can be summed with single words - swimming, vehicle maintainance, bowling, etc.
Treat your CV a bit like an advertisement - you're paying for it by the letter.

Yep. I think I tried to say that yesterday.

[ravagon]

Originally posted by MikeH
maintaining equipment and ensuring equipment was accurate

I'd use the word calibration in there too somewhere, I think.
The tense used shouldn't really matter as long as its consistent throughout.

[MikeH]

Well yes but I'd say constistently in the past would be best.

I was copying his text, I don't know enough about what he was doing to change the technical details.

[Roland]

For some reason I can't download your cv file. Anyway, a bit of unorthodox advice: If your problem is with self confidence (and the quote about the old job sounded whiny) or self advertising, you might try writing a cv or letter after 2-4 beers.

As I hate the blah in cvs, filings, projects etc, I have done that a couple of times. Just make sure to check the content (and the spelling) when sober.

[Kropotkin]

So you have to be sober to get a job nowadays? Oh, what have the world turned in to!?

[moomin]

You know, only writing when drunk would explain so much about the little nuggets of wisdom you see fit to share with us here, Roland.

Perhaps you should follow your own recommendation and go over it with the edit erasor when you're sober, however occasionally that may happen?

[Roland]

You just managed to be even more lame assed than your usual parrot lines.

[moomin]

And I bet you'll be sorry you wrote that once you sober up!

[Roland]

Give it up, darling. If you manage to put together a halfway decent troll let me know.