With the demands as high as ever for qualified staff it’s a great time to be entering into the hair and beauty industry. New businesses are opening all the time along with new opportunities emerging that just a few years ago didn’t exist. As a specialised recruitment consultant positioned in between the employer and employee, I see daily the expectations of the employer and the subtle differences in winning and losing the job.
I always like to explain to job seekers in this way… Your CV is what you have done in the past and your interview is what you’re going to do in the future. Gather your work together in a professional manner for your CV but remember that employers don’t just grade you on the content (which is of course is really important as without the relevant qualifications they more than likely won’t continue reading your CV), but what’s just as important are your other skills and personal qualities that you have developed throughout your life.
Employers view a CV as a good way of accessing an individual that they haven’t yet met. Your CV is not only a snapshot of your working life but it’s also your first introduction to your potential employer. So, it’s so important to put effort into creating one that sells you, your experience, your strengths, abilities and skills.
Here’s a few tips:
Presentation – A well-presented CV that is clearly written with good structure and grammar shows that you care about the finer details that many people overlook.
The basics – ensure your CV includes your contact details – Name, Address, Telephone, Email, personal web pages and/or LinkedIn profile. Make sure your email address is business appropriate! If you don’t have a LinkedIn account its worthwhile creating one. It’s a very powerful tool where companies can find you.
Personal Profile or Objective – Outline your education, your career direction and experience so far. It’s a short paragraph to emphasis your skills and future career goals
Education & Further Training – Include exact dates, qualifications and results achieved. Don’t forget the small courses. Developing your skills through further training will increase your job opportunities!
Career History – Record all your work experience – even if you think your previous work experience is not relevant to the job you are applying to! There are unrelated areas of your life that displays skills you can carry over, such as being committed to a project and seeing them through, sales ability, leadership skills, organisation skills and work ethic etc.
Hobbies – add personality to a CV and can demonstrate skills to the role, especially if they include social and community activity.
Two references – are sufficient ie: Previous employers, tutor, mentor or coach. It’s good to ask permission beforehand.
For those of you who are now ready to create a new CV or update your existing one, the beautifuljobs free CV builder not only takes away the difficulties but helps you create a professionally designed one, step by step. You’ll get an interactive online CV with photo galleries to showcase your work that can also be printed and used as a traditional CV. You can start yours here
