This time of year students and matriculants are keeping their eyes open for job opportunities. Or maybe you are job hunting for a career change or better opportunity in the career market, but when last did you check your social media profile?
Review your Facebook and other profiles with a critical eye and remove all of the following:
* Everything with racial, religious and/or political references. This includes comments on other people’s posts.
* Posts with spelling and language mistakes or bad language.
* Photo’s where you or your friends are not sober or in a compromised position.
* Photos that show too much of your body
* Anything that you are not ready to explain to a potential employer.
Do not lock your profile as this may also be viewed as suspicious.
Remove anything that could compromise your job-seeking chances
Before they offer you a job, employers will research you, to see if you will fit in with the team, have
discretion, are self-aware, have impulse control and pay attention to detail (yes, the spelling!).
* What you can do (skills, knowledge and experience)
* What you have done before (experience)
* Are you qualified / certified to do what you say you can do? (academic and other qualifications)
* At what level of seniority you can perform – Can you lead? Can you be held accountable? Are you the boss, or a worker?
* Do you have reliable and contactable references
* Whether you have a valid driver’s license
* Your computer and software skills
* Your religious beliefs and affiliations
* Your sexual preferences, children, pets and marital status
* Your age (they will deduce that from you ID number / CV)
* Unsubstantiated claims – eg. that you are trustworthy and honest
You must adjust your CV for a specific job – use the same words as the advert / job description in your CV, as recruiters use Bots to scan for fit.
Give your full name and accurate contact detail at the top.
Indicate clearly what your ‘trade’ or profession is – it an be mechani, car guard, waiter – provided it it accurate
Give key words of your skills and experience and reflect what is in the job specifications of the employer.
* Outcomes driven
* Patient and kindhearted
* Precise and accurate
* Passionate about ECD
* Communicator and mediator
* Meticulous
* Academic curiosity
* Continuous growth and learning* Give a short summary of ‘what you are about’.
* Do not write trustworthy, honest and punctual. Those are expected of any employee!
* Again – speak to what is needed in the position and what is true of you. Natural leader. Mentor and coach. Project manager. Advanced technical skills etc are good examples of specific attributes.
Academic record:
* Indicate all formal education that you have.
* Give the correct name of the qualification (B Degree, Diploma, Certifiate etc)
* Indicate the institution/school/university/college.
* Indicate the date obtained.
* Attach the certificates with marks to the appllication
* No spelling errors
What you have done:
* Present your work experience from your current position and work backwards to where you started.
* Indicate the employer as well as the position that you held.
* Indicate promotions at the same employer as separate lines, at it gives an indication of your progress in your job
* Do not leave gaps – if your were unemployed at some point – indicate it.
Concluding
* You may add additional relevant information about yourself – eg. if you have a drone licence, are a qualified chef, expert welder of anything that is interting or oustanding but not necessarily related to the job.
More tips:
Adjust your CV to speak to an advertisement or job specification – use the same words, as appropriate.
* Proofread and proofread and proofread your CV! Spelling and grammar errors send a message that you are not good with detail and may not be suitable to communicate with clients. It means that you need someone to check your work.
* Inform your references that you have nominated them as referenes and that they may be contacted. They must be contactable. You can also provide their email addresses.
* Make it very clear if you did not complete qualification or are in the process to obtain one.
* Indicate if any qualification are no longer valid.
