(Originally published in The Guardian UK by Clare Whitmell)

We are commonly asked whether it is worth paying someone to write your CV. If you decide you want to work with a professional, here are some tips to get the best from the process.

In a recent live Q&A, on switching between the public and private sectors, one of the panelists said: "Getting someone else to write your CV for you, especially a CV writing business, is a mistake. I would always want to see how you describe yourself, rather than someone else do it for you. Professionally-written CVs look generic and sterile and do not create a good impression with the reader."

In my view, the belief that the individual is the best person to write their own CV is not always true. Although many people can write their own CVs, and do it well, others struggle with a variety of problems; such as incorrect English, not knowing how to structure a CV and not knowing how to best highlight their most relevant strengths.

Through in-depth consultation, a professional CV writer can help identify the key achievements and skills necessary for a particular role or sector, cut out unnecessary or irrelevant details, and pinpoint what makes the individual stand out. This level of objectivity is one of the major benefits in working with a professional writer. It's often difficult to be able to stand back from your own career history to assess what's relevant or not, or to choose the most appropriate qualities.

If you do choose to work with a professional, here are some tips for working with a CV writer:

Be prepared to invest your time

You'll probably need to answer an in-depth email questionnaire or be interviewed before any writing actually starts. The more information you can give your CV writer to work with, the better, so the promise of a quick turnaround time isn't always going to result in the best possible CV. Take the time to think about your career aims, your past achievements, and the value you bring, before you start the whole process.

Your CV will probably be used as a springboard for questions at interview, so you need to make sure you feel happy with the way it's written and with the choice of words. Being involved in the writing process means your CV sounds authentic.

Look for experience in your field

Ask for a CV writer who has industry experience in your sector. HR professionals and recruiters with relevant experience can also have valuable insights into what companies are looking for.

Choose a professional writer

The Australian CV-writing market is not regulated as in the USA, where the letters CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) indicate that the writer is a trained professional. This means you'll need to do some research and shop around to find someone with the appropriate writing skills. Look for someone who's prepared to take the time to unearth your core accomplishments, choose exactly the right words for maximum impact and who understands what and where to edit.

Keep an eye on the extras

Most professional CV writers will happily make edits to your CV, although often within a specific time-frame. Some offer other benefits too, such as ongoing support or follow-ups and interview coaching, so always ask.

CV Pro is a proudly Australian company. We believe all who live in this great country should be afforded a fair-go. There is no place for discrimination in the workplace or in our civil society as a whole.

We believe valuing people of all ages, genders, sexuality, physical abilities and ethnicity is an Australian trait. We believe all Australians deserve the freedom to marry the person they love, and to have their relationships recognised with the same dignity and legal protections as their neighbours, friends and family. We encourage all Australians to support the ‘yes’ vote and to return their survey form in the post.

You wrote your CV. You wrote the cover letter. You applied for the job vacancy and now you wait. Waiting...it's a hard place to be when you want action in your job search.

Want to increase your chances of getting an interview? Make sure you have not overlooked the 10 Reasons You Are Not Getting Interviews;

1. Spelling or grammar errors in your CV or cover letter - Make sure to use spell check, proofread, read aloud, and have someone else review it. Your first impression will generally impact your chances of an interview.
   
   
2. Not using an appropriate CV format - Use the most appropriate CV or resume format to reflect your experience and skills. Decide if the chronological, functional, or combination format is best for you. Is it in a format that is suitable for recruitment software systems? (read about ATS compliance here)
   
   
3. Too embellished - Your CV and cover letter should flow and be understandable. Don't get too technical, use flowery language, or stretch the truth with your experience and skills. If you were interviewed, could you substantiate the facts you present? The employer may well be thinking "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
   
   
4. Wrong name or company in the cover letter - It might be convenient to apply for multiple positions and use a similar cover letter. Did you remember to change the inside address and name? The employer will NOT be impressed if you slip up on this detail.
   
   
5. Unqualified - Yes, there is the "hope" factor or "give me a break" factor, but most employers are looking for applicants who have the skills. An employer may not be interested in spending time, resources and money to train you. Find a way to get the training and reapply when have it.
   
   
6. Overqualified - The question a potential employer is asking is, how long will he/she stay? Employers cannot afford to hire and rehire in the short term. Would you be satisfied with the position? It's probably best for both parties to avoid a lose-lose situation.
   
   
7. Wrong job targeted - Can you really do the job? Be realistic. If you are really out of your league, do not expect a reply.
   
   
8. No openings today - No means "no," but consider a follow-up call down the road. If you send an unsolicited CV to a company, they have no obligation to respond. Openings could occur in the future. Instead, focus on companies that are actively seeking new employees.
   
   
9. Not being available - Since you included your phone number and email, make sure you can be contacted. If you leave for a week’s holiday in Bali, can you return a call or email? Will you sound focused and professional?
   
   
10. Lack of follow up - Want the interview? Make a call to human resources after the application deadline or after a week of applying. What is the interviewing process? Is the employer extending the application deadline? Are they currently reviewing applications? What is the projected timeline for interviewing? Obtaining additional information that can help you move on with your job search and indicate your interest in position. Remember to be polite and say thank you. Rude applicants don’t get interviews!

During the typical job interview, you'll get many interview questions. But do you really understand what the interviewer needs to know? What does it take to get you hired?

Most candidates have no idea why an interviewer asks a particular question, they often tend to think it's a competition to outwit the interviewer.

The reality is that employers have neither the time nor inclination to play games with you, especially when hiring. Your interviewer is not trying to outguess you -- he's trying to assess your answers to six key questions:

Do You Have the Skills to Do the Job?

The employer must first determine whether you have the necessary hard skills for the position, e.g., the programming knowledge for a database administration job or the accounting skills to be a Finance Manager. By really probing into what the candidate has done in the past, an interviewer can tap into hard skills.

But the interviewer is also looking for key soft skills you'll need to succeed in the job and organisation, such as the ability to work well in teams or the basic intelligence to work things out with some basic training.

Do You Fit?

Every organisation's first thought is about fit in a certain job, department or team. That means the interviewer is trying to pinpoint not only whether you match up well with both the company's and department's activities but also whether you'll complement the talents of your potential colleagues.

Do You Understand the Company and What It Does?

If the organisation fits well with your career aspirations, you'll naturally be motivated to do good work there - and stay more than a month or two. Most employers don't want someone to take the position just because it's a job and it fits their skills, they want them to be excited about the company’s mission and what they do.

How Do You Stack Up Against the Competition?

You're being evaluated in relation to other candidates for the job. In other words, this test is graded on a curve. So, the interviewer will constantly be comparing your performance with that of the other candidates'.

Do You Have the Right Mindset for the Job and Company?

Most employers are always looking for someone who has a can-do type of attitude, they want someone who wants to be challenged and is internally motivated to do well.

Employers can't train for this essential trait, but they can hire for it and if they don't, they'll end up with a lower-performing employee.

Do You Want the Job?

Most employers know better than to believe everyone they interview actually wants the position being offered. They understand some candidates are exploring their options, while others might be using an interview with a company they don't care about just to hone their interview skills.

So, you must prove you really want the job. At CV Pro, we use the ditch-digger analogy; "Many of us can dig ditches, but few are willing to - and even fewer want to."

But of course, to get the interview in the first place, you’ll need an excellent, relevant CV and cover letter that will get an interviewer’s attention enough to want to spend an hour of their valuable time with you in an interview. Not getting interviews? Contact us now to review your current CV in line with the types of jobs you’re applying for.

The term branding has long been associated with companies, but today almost every individual has a personal brand. Your CV or resume is just a part of it. Not many of us have consciously cultivated these brands, but they still exist. A digital footprint is the sum of your social media presences, comments on blogs and other websites as well as links to you by others.

The question is no longer IF you have a personal brand, but if you choose to guide and cultivate it or to let others define it on your behalf.

So how do you start building your awesome personal brand?

Start thinking of yourself as a brand

What do you wish for people to associate with you when they think of your name? Is there a certain subject matter in which you want to be perceived as an expert or are there general qualities you want linked to your brand? Once you understand how you wish your brand to be perceived, you can start to be much more strategic about your personal brand. A strong personal brand can yield tremendous ROI whether you are working with an organisation or leading one.

Audit your online presence

You can’t mould perception without first understanding the current status. In other words, Google yourself and set-up alerts for your name on a regular basis. Have a fairly common name? Consider using your middle initial or middle name to differentiate. Cultivating a strong personal brand is just as much about being responsive to what is being said as it is about creating intellectual property.

Secure a personal website

Having a personal website for yourself is one of the best ways to rank for your name on the search engines. It doesn’t need to be robust. It can be a simple 2-3-page site with your resume, link to your social platforms, and a brief bio. You can always expand on the website with time.

CV Pro can build these for you…we can reserve your domain name, organise web hosting and create a simple beautiful site for you on a market-leading content management system (CMS)

Find ways to produce value

We’ve all been there. Someone in your network posts something utterly mundane or ridiculous, and you wonder what compelled them to do so? A medium is not a substitute for a message. Find ways to add value to your audience by creating or curating content that’s in line with your brand.

Be purposeful in what you share

Every tweet you send, every status update you make, every picture you share, contributes to your personal brand. It is an amalgamation of multiple daily actions. Once you understand how you wish your brand to be perceived, you can start to be much more strategic about your personal brand.

Associate with other strong brands

Your personal brand is strengthened or weakened by your connection to other brands. Find and leverage strong brands which can elevate your own personal brand. Start with the these three; companies, university/school and colleagues. Which school did you attend? Are there groups you can join? An alumni newsletter you can contribute to? What hidden opportunities are available within your company which you have yet to tap? Consider submitting a guest post to the company blog or look at other digital assets you can connect to your brand.

Reinvent

A strong personal brand is dependent on a strong narrative. In other words, what’s your story? Take a second to think of celebrities you know who have a strong personal brand. They all have a very clear story and a consistent brand. If you have multiple passions or areas of interest, a narrative becomes even more crucial so there can be unified theme. If you need help defining your story, talk to CV Pro…we’ve built hundreds of personal brands over the years!

Most importantly, remember that a strong personal brand should be ubiquitous and ever evolving. It’s not cast in stone, it should evolve as your life and career evolves.

People seeking work often take a break around the holidays — which is exactly why some experts say it’s a great time to find a job.

From mid-December to mid/late January in Australia and New Zealand, almost everyone, the employed and unemployed alike, take off for the beach. While those with a job go on holidays, those without work often take a respite from the incessant and draining job search, often believing that employers aren’t hiring until the following year.

But because so many temporarily drop out of the job search, this time of year could be a great time to double your job seeking efforts. Many employers tell us that they get only 20% of the normal responses to their job ads over this time of year. With less competition, that means you are much more likely to be considered for interviews than at other times of the year.

Another reason it could be a better time than most to look for work is that companies might have “use it or lose it” budgets, meaning they have a certain amount of money that won’t show up next year if they don’t spend it this year. That may spur a number of organisations to hire before the year’s up. Many companies also often start big projects at the beginning of the year so they’re looking for staff now.

But while some believe it to be a great time to look for a job, some career counselors question whether this time of year is any better than others. “I wouldn’t say it’s the best time, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad time,” says one. “It’s a little quieter now, so people who might never have time to answer the phone now can.”

Career counselors strongly suggest never giving up in the job search, even around the holidays. But inevitably, seekers will either be fatigued with looking by the end of the year or will simply think it’s not a good time to contact potential employers. “Remember – a lot of people aren’t going to be around this time of year,” says another counsellor. “But you might get an interview or go out for a cup of coffee because things are quieter around the office.”

So don’t look at this time of the year as a break — because you may get an unexpected holiday gift in the form of a new job.

Now is an excellent time of the year to contact CV Pro and get your CV up to date! Maybe a new CV would be an excellent Christmas present for yourself!

Most people who have been employed by a single organisation for a few years probably haven’t kept their CV or resume up to date, and if you’re not planning on searching for a new job anytime soon, you might think this is perfectly fine. Unfortunately, it’s not.


In fact, a polished CV or resume (and LinkedIn profile!) can be almost as valuable to you now as when you’re in the middle of a job search. Here’s why;

 1. Conferences, Articles and the Media
Speaking at conferences, contributing articles to publications, or giving quotes to the media as an expert in your field are all excellent ways to grow yourself professionally without leaving your current job. But when you pitch yourself to the media or conference organisers, you’re going to have to be able to adequately present your experience and credentials. By keeping your CV and LinkedIn profile updated, you can send them off without blinking an eye.

 2. Award Nominations
Usually if you are going to be nominated for an award, you’ll be asked for a copy of your CV for the awards panel to review. If you have to scramble to fix up your resume, it probably won’t represent you as well as it should. By having your LinkedIn profile and CV no more than a month old, you avoid selling yourself short.

3. Freelance or Collaborative Work
Even if you’re not looking for a new full-time job, you may decide you want to pick up some freelance work or collaborate with someone on a side project. and if a great opportunity lands in front of you, you’ll be happier and more confident if you aren’t rushing to get your CV up to speed. Don’t find yourself in a pinch. Keep an updated file of your CV or resume somewhere it’s easy to find.

4. Head-hunters and Recruiters
Just because you’re not looking for a new job doesn’t mean someone else isn’t looking for someone exactly like you. Recruiters, head-hunters or people looking to collaborate on projects are often actively keeping an eye out for the perfect fit. If they call you up asking for your resume - or come across your three-year-old LinkedIn profile - they’re unlikely to be impressed. But if they see an up-to-date document or profile detailing all of the impressive things you’ve done recently? They might just extend you an offer that you’d have a hard time turning down.

 5. Promotions and Internal Applications
Even if you are enjoying your job at your current company and have no plans to leave, you may eventually be ready for a more senior position. Even though your manager has first-hand experience of your incredible work, the powers-that-be who are making the hiring decision may still want to see it all on paper. By having an updated CV on hand, you’ll be able to get your application submitted in a timely manner, showing off your experience, work ethic, and enthusiasm for the new position.

 6. Unexpected Retrenchment or Redundancy
Unfortunately, no matter how much you love your job or how good you are at it, a situation may arise where you get retrenched or let go. If that does happen, you’re going to have enough to think about without adding updating your ancient CV into the mix. Do yourself a favour and regularly update your job search credentials even when you’re not looking for a job. By keeping your details current, you’re just a cover letter away from re-joining the job market
 
The best part of all of this? If CV Pro created your CV, we’ll update it for only a fraction of its original cost. Many of our clients have a standing annual review with us. You can too…call us and ask us how.

There are many companies and individuals now offering resume writing services. Prices can range anywhere from $50 to $2000 depending on the package of services available, experience and reputation and of course the quality of work. Like everything in life, you do get what you pay for!

At CV Pro we get many recommendations from past happy clients. If you trust the friend who recommended you that’s great, but remember, your friend almost certainly will be in a different type of job, different industry and have a different work history. If you wish; question the CV writer;

1. Have they written CVs or resumes for that type of work before? If a CV writer has never written a CV for an accountant before, they may struggle!
   
   
2. What is the resume writer's background? Have they been in HR? Have they worked as a recruiter? We have come across CV writers who have never been either, indeed have never been part of a recruitment process! How could they know what to include or not?
   
   
3. Qualifications? There are many so called Master Resume Writers diplomas available online, especially out of the USA. They are dubious at best. We always recommend academic qualifications and REAL recruitment experience over suspect on-line Diplomas.
   
   
4. Pricing. You get what you pay for like everything in life. As a general rule the more you pay the better quality end result you will get. Remember, there is no point cutting costs if the CV you receive won’t get you interviews!
   
   
5. ATS compliance – Can the resume writer guarantee this? Can they provide you with an ATS compliance test report? If your CV is not compliant it may not able to be found in recruiters’ databases. You can read more about ATS compliance HERE.
   
   

At CV Pro, we are always happy to have these discussions with you. Call us now to discuss how we can help you get that next job!

ATS is the acronym for Applicant Tracking Systems, also known as Candidate Management Systems, Recruitment Software and Applicant Processing Systems (amongst others). An ATS is the software that you upload your CV or resume to when you apply for a job. An ATS will also typically ask you for some contact details and may ask sets of pre-screening questions as well.

When you upload your CV or resume to an ATS, it is typically 'parsed' into the system. Parsing means your CV is read, pulled-apart and important information such as your work history, qualifications, keywords and contact details etc are recognised and stored appropriately in its candidate database.

Once your details are saved in the database, recruiters and HR people can then easily search it to find suitable candidates for jobs (both current and future) that they are seeking to fill. The important point here is that these systems often don't have the "fuzzy logic" than human recruiters use. If your CV is not formatted appropriately, the ATS may not be able to read the correct sections, allocate content correctly or even recognise contact details. Things that can upset ATS platforms include graphics, tables, bullet points and watermarks.

ATS compliance means that a CV will be parsed correctly by the majority of ATS systems and its content will be allocated correctly within the database. If a CV is not ATS compliant it may not be found in the system. Your CV may look fabulous, but if a recruiter can't find it, it's useless!

How does CV Pro ensure ATS compliance? CV Pro has access to the major ATS platforms used in Australia and New Zealand. These include PageUp, Taleo, Scout, Peoplestreme, Bullhorn, Capterra, PrevueAPS and Acendre. Our CV formats have been tested thoroughly in all these systems. Our formats have been fine-tuned so that we now know that content will be parsed and CV content allocated correctly in the databases of these systems.

Ask yourself; how critical is it that my CV can be found in recruitment databases? Is your CV or resume ATS-compliant?

Here at CV Pro we are always getting calls from customers wanting their CVs urgently...either completely new ones or their current ones updated!

There are two common reasons; they've seen a job advert with closing date only a day or so away or they've been called by a headhunter who wants their CV urgently.

Like everything we do in life, a calm, considered and less-panicked approach will generally lead to a better result. At CV Pro we will always deliver a high quality result, but that might sometimes mean re-prioritising other work that we have on. That's why we will often charge a priority fee to deliver your new CV in a short time frame.

We recently heard of a customer, approached by a recruiter who was under time-pressure to fill a role (contingent recruiters only get paid when they fill a role, so time is critical). In the two days it took her to get her CV together and to him, he had floated other candidates;' CVs in to his client and filled the role. Our customer missed the opportunity by not having her CV up to date!

Talk to us about updating your CV before you need it! Keep it up to date and ready! Don't miss the opportunity!