CV and cover letter clinic: ask the experts
You may put hours or days of toil into your CV and cover letter, but when they land in a recruiter’s inbox, the recruiter is likely to spend mere seconds looking at them before they decide to hit reply or delete.
In a highly competitive job market, in which the majority of hires are made internally, it is more vital than ever that your CV and cover letter stand out from the crowd. But knowing what your recruiter is looking for, and communicating why you’re the best candidate for the job is no easy task.
Google’s former head of HR Laszlo Bock has reviewed tens of thousands of CVs over the years and says he sees the same mistakes made over and over again. “Hiring managers don’t need to compromise on quality. All it takes is one small mistake and a manager will reject an otherwise interesting candidate,” he writes.
If you’re struggling to make a start on your CV or cover letter, or you are not getting any responses to applications, then join our live chat on Wednesday 24 May from 1pm to 2.30pm for expert advice. We’ll be talking about:
How to ensure your CV and cover letter get you noticed.
What to include in a CV and cover letter – and what to leave out.
Choosing the appropriate format, style and tone.
Common CV and cover letter mistakes.
The panel
Sarah Archer is a qualified career coach, and founder of CareerTree. She specialises in helping people change career to find work they love, and regularly advises clients on creating CVs and cover letters.
Margaret Buj is an interview coach who specialises in helping professionals build confidence, get hired and promoted. She also has 12 years of recruitment experience and is the author of Land That Job
Lydia Fairman is an HR and resourcing specialist, who owns recruitment consultancy, Fairman Consulting. She offers free CV advice, interview guidance and writes careers blogs to help job seekers stand out and succeed. She also works with a variety of clients and is currently consulting for Network Rail.
Andrew Fennell is the director of StandOut CV, a London-based CV writing service. Fennell previously worked as a senior recruitment consultant across multiple industries.
Jon Gregory is a job search, application and interview specialist, also experienced in business re-organisation and recruitment. He’s the author of Winning That Job, editor of win-that-job.com and provides advice and services to students, graduates and professional career-builders.
Hannah Morton Hedges has 15 years experience as a careers adviser and now runs Momentum Careers Advice. Prior to this she gained experience as an in-house recruiter for a variety of blue-chip companies.
Victoria McLean is an award-winning career expert and the founder of CityCV.co.uk. With 20 years’ experience in CV writing and interview coaching in the UK and abroad, she was a former head hunter and recruitment manager for two of the world’s largest banks.
The Q&A takes place in the comments section below this article. Taking part is easier than ever: you can create a free Guardian account, or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profiles to comment. Alternatively, you can tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to sarah.shearman@theguardian.com who can post them for you.
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