Here at CitiSector we’ve been all about the mince pies and mulled wine over the festive season but whilst we’ve had one eye on the Christmas buffet and a glass of Prosecco in hand, we’re now looking towards 2017 and all the potential that the New Year can bring.

So what is at the top of your ‘to do’ list in 2017? Are you finally going to get around to applying for that new job? You’ve been talking about it for ages, probably thinking about it for even longer but that means spending several painful hours bringing your CV up to date. Never fear because we have a few pointers to set you on the way to CV perfection.

• First things first, let’s start at the very top with your profile. Blow your trumpet here, declare who you are, highlight your achievements and clearly state your area of expertise. Make them want to read on.
• Keep it concise! It’s a little known fact that nobody in the history of the world has ever read the third page of a CV. There are simply not enough hours in the day and a long CV is more likely to be off putting than attention grabbing. Most employers will spend only a few seconds scanning a CV so make it easy for them to put you in the ‘yes’ pile by using bullet points.
• With brevity in mind, a quick space saving tip is to use the header and footer for information such as your email address and telephone number.
• Don’t forget to list any relevant training and qualifications that you have, chronologically and with dates.
• While we’re on the subject of relevance always tailor your CV to the job you’re applying for. This may mean having more than one version but employers will be able to spot a generic CV a mile off. Use this opportunity to be memorable and convince them that you’ve not only done your homework but your unique skills make you the perfect person for that particular role.
• Pay close attention to the details. Make sure your employment dates are correct and easy to read and always get someone to proof read what you’ve written. That individual will preferably have a propensity for OCD and will pay eagle eyed attention to any spelling and grammar mishaps.
• Use action verbs that are appropriate to the job you’re applying for. For example…… 1. Facilitated corporate events. 2. Created a database of contacts. 3. Evaluated tender documents for errors. This helps your potential employer visualise you doing the job. However be wary of using buzzwords particularly if they don’t accurately describe who you are and what you can do.
• Most importantly, DO NOT LIE. Be honest and true to who you are, a fabulous human being with infinite potential. At this point you may have already surpassed several career milestones so be proud of yourself and make sure all those achievements are accounted for boldly and concisely.

So set down that champagne flute, take out the recycling and polish that trumpet because it’s time to get seriously succinct about exactly what makes you the best person for the job.

We’re really looking forward to reading your CV’s in 2017 and would like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Love it or loathe it social media has become an intrinsic part of life. We’re all aware of the pitfalls, once something has been posted and seen it cannot be un-seen but how aware are you of the many benefits of being actively ‘social’, especially when it comes to job hunting?

While its common knowledge that social media has become a place for employers to vet potential candidates, it’s also a lucrative hunting ground for job seekers too. From researching new information relevant to your industry to making connections with the people who could transform your career; it’s the place where you can showcase who you are and what you can do.

There is literally nothing to lose and everything to gain so hold onto your hashtags as I guide you through an overview of some of the best platforms you should be launching yourself from, metaphorically speaking of course.

Let’s start with the world’s largest professional networking site, LinkedIn. Hands up if you have ever heard yourself uttering any of the following……

“Oh I don’t know about LinkedIn, I get invites all the time but I just ignore them.”

“It’s just for bosses isn’t it?”

Long gone are the days when it was the exclusive natural habitat of bosses and executives and with 467 million users (source LinkedIn) and counting LinkedIn has become the place to show your face if you are interested in being gainfully employed.

Think about it from this point of view, before LinkedIn your CV spent most of its existence languishing in solitary confinement permanently consigned to the depths of your hard drive. It would remain un-seen for months or years at a time by anyone in a position to advance your career. Occasionally you’d get wind of a new position so you’d dig it out only to discover a document so woefully out of date, (last time you applied for a job Times Roman was the font du jour) that you would then need to spend the better part of a day updating and re-formatting the entire thing. Having a profile on LinkedIn means that you are available 24/7 for opportunities to find you. It’s incredibly easy to set up and ensures that your CV will always look beautifully formatted.

An additional aspect of LinkedIn I love is that it gives you the opportunity to vet your potential new boss and colleagues by checking out their profiles. Imagine being able to walk into that interview having already had the chance to familiarise yourself with the person you may end up working for and with.

The great thing about LinkedIn is that you have complete control over your profile, allowing you to create an online document listing your many achievements. It’s a place where you get to present your professional persona which is in contrast with the next platform we’d like to talk about, Facebook.

As we know it’s more common than ever for bosses to use social media to do background checks on potential employees so naturally we should be mindful of what we reveal about ourselves on Facebook. The flip side of this is that it’s also giving you the opportunity to demonstrate how social media savvy you are. So posting intelligently here can only win you brownie points.

There is one particular aspect of FB though that we think is invaluable in the job hunting process and that is the amount of useful information to be found on a company’s page.

A great social media manager will ensure that their company’s business page is literally jam packed with essential and relevant company news. These pages can contain what I like to refer to as the ‘Campbell’s condensed goldmine of job related research’. Granted that doesn’t make for an intelligible acronym, catchy slogans aside though you can use these pages to arm yourself pre-interview with invaluable company information.

Similarly Twitter can also be a great place for research however some people can be put off by the fast paced nature of incoming Tweets. We have a top tip though to help with the onslaught which will help you organise and streamline the information that you want to see……

So you’ve picked a user name and created an account, you’ve started following people and very quickly find yourself being bombarded and overwhelmed with information. At this point many of us have thrown our hands in the air and sworn never to look at Twitter again. Do not despair though because there is a way to organise this vast bubbling cauldron of information and that is by creating Twitter Lists.

Lists allow you to group together the tweets of the people and companies that are relevant to you. It means you have your own curated content all in one easily accessible place that is free of irrelevant clutter.

Here’s how to set up Lists from your PC:

• Click on the little cog icon (to the left of the follow button)
• Click on ‘add or remove from lists’ then ‘create list’ and give it a name.

If you’re creating Lists on your mobile the process is slightly different:

• Go to the profile of the person or organisation you want to add to a list
• Click on the 3 vertical dots and ‘Add to List'
• In the top right hand corner of the profile you want to add to a list click on the 3 vertical dots and click on ‘Add to list’.
• Click on the plus sign to create a new list.

Your Lists will appear at the top of your profile page allowing you to keep right on top of all that fast paced information. In addition, each time you add someone to a list that person (or company) will be notified bringing you directly to their attention.

Now you know how to disseminate all that information the next need to know piece of Twitter info is that it’s an amazingly easy place to network. Being on Twitter means you can contact literally anyone. From asking Stephen Fry what he had for breakfast this morning to tweeting a marriage proposal to Prince Harry. If you can contact these people then you can contact anyone so use this platform to make the connections that will lead to that perfect position.

Esentially the message I’d like to convey here is that social media is your very useful friend when it comes to job hunting. Used wisely it can open up infinite opportunities and give you access to vast amounts of useful information which can lead to finding that perfect job.

This has been by no means an exhaustive list of the platforms out there but these are my personal favourites. I’d love to hear what you think and if you have social media top tips of your own that you’d like to share.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get social.

Facebook   

Twitter   

LinkedIn