experience

How important is it to use ‘I’ not ‘we’ on a CV?

October 22nd, 2010

Question: Everything I read about CVs says it’s important to say ‘I’ and not ‘we’, but I was only part of a team that achieved what we did. If I say ‘I’ all the way through, I won’t be being honest. How do I deal with this?

Should I include the number of people I manage on my CV?

October 19th, 2010

Question: I’ve been advised that I should include the number of people I managed in each job on my CV. This has varied wildly from job to job. Should I include this information, or leave it out?

That ‘tell me about yourself’ question

March 15th, 2010

Blog posting: One of the questions that unsettles interview candidates most is ‘Tell me about yourself’. I have no idea why this makes people so uncomfortable: the way I look at it, this is an absolute gift of a question.

Should my employment history be on the front page of my CV?

February 2nd, 2010

Question: My recruitment consultant says the only thing employers are interested in is my work experience, and this should always be on the front page of my CV (resume). Is he right?

Help! My skills are getting rusty!

November 30th, 2009

Question: I am a seven-year software development engineer and I’ve been out of work for a few weeks now. I love my work, and I have always been able to talk about it confidently, and develop on the hoof. A recruiter called me this morning to talk about an opportunity – luckily not a job that really suited – but I found myself tongue-tied because I couldn’t remember some of the most basic vocabulary from my industry. What’s happening?! Am I losing it?! And what can I do to stop it getting any worse?

How do I overcome ‘no experience, no job’?

November 19th, 2009

Question: I can’t get interviews (and if I get the interview then I don’t get the job) because I don’t have any experience. How can I break this cycle and show what I am capable of?

Will she agree to be my mentor?

November 6th, 2009

Question: I’m leaving my current organisation to take up a new job, and before I go I want to ask a director I’ve always admired if she will mentor me. I’m hesitant to do so, because I know she’s really busy, although we get on very well. How can I present this as an attractive idea rather than a burden?

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