How to write a CV with no experience

How to write a CV with no experience Securing that first step on the career ladder after graduating can feel like an impossible task. Graduates often find themselves stuck in limbo when they realise most roles require at least some experience. But in order to get that experience in the first place, they need a job. A  total catch 22 situation.  Andrew Fennell, Director at StandoutCV explains why it’s not actually as impossible as it seems. You probably already have way more experience than you realise! And if you don’t, you don’t need to wait to secure an employed role in order to gain some. The trick to writing a CV with no experience is getting creative and finding or gaining transferable skills and experiences which will make you a fantastic entry-level hire. With that said, here’s how to write a CV with no experience: Lead with a personal statement Most graduate-level jobs receive hundreds of applications. Realistically, recruiters are unlikely to read your whole CV unless you make it through to the shortlist. At first, they’ll simply be scanning through and making a quick yes or no decision. But guess what? You can actually use this to your advantage by really making the top of your CV count. A great way to do this is by writing a powerful personal profile which seamlessly persuades recruiters that they’d be mad not to hire you. As a guide, aim for 8-15 lines of punchy, persuasive text which provides an insight into your skills, experiences, education and career motives. It’s best to research the role you’re applying and tailor your personal statement to match what the organisation is looking for in a candidate. Include your highest, most relevant qualifications, going into more detail about specific assignments or projects if they’re relevant to the role. You should also include any relevant work experience-placements, volunteering, personal projects and freelance work all count. You also need to talk about the type of role you’re looking for and why. This is your chance to show your passion and motivation for the industry you’re hoping to be a part of. Add plenty of detail in your education As a student or recent grad, you might not have much work experience but you do have plenty to brag about in terms of education. So, while a more experienced candidate may keep their education section brief, you should showcase your skills and talents be adding plenty of detail. As well as including the institution, qualification, dates and grade, shout out about relevant topics or modules studied, projects and assignments completed, as well as impressive exam results. Remember to quantify your grades if you achieved 90% in an exam, now’s your time to brag about it! Highlight transferable skills Think you’ve got no relevant skills for the role you’re applying to? Think again. During your time studying, on placement, whilst working part-time student jobs or undertaking extra-curricular activities, you’re bound to have picked up a ton. If you’ve completed a degree, you’ve completed numerous essays, handled multiple headlines, managed your time effectively and shown the ability to learn and take in new processes and information at speed these are all valuable transferable skills! Did you undertake a placement or internship during your studies? Have a think about your responsibilities and the skills you picked up by undertaking them. The same goes for personal projects. For example, if you run your own website, have a YouTube channel or write a blog, you’re bound to have some fantastic technical skills. Just make sure to include an example of when you used the skill instead of just noting it down.  For example: Teamwork: Worked in a group of 4 to develop a marketing strategy for a local business as part of final year Marketing Management module. By delegating responsibilities and working to individual strengths, achieved a high grade of 88%. Writing: By running own personal blog, has a proven ability to research and write thought-provoking pieces in a creative way with immaculate spelling and grammar. Writing several 5,000+ word assignments with an average mark of 79% has further strengthened written communication abilities. Take a vocational course If you feel that you’re lacking crucial skills for your target jobs, why not show some initiative and learn for yourself? While academic qualifications have their place, vocational qualifications win when it comes to proving you’re capable of doing a job. The internet is literally bursting with free (or reasonably priced) vocational courses. Course providers will differ from industry to industry, but if you’re struggling to find one, it’s worth checking out sites like Udemy and Alison If you prefer to learn in person, why not check out your local college and see what’s on offer? And you don’t necessarily need to take a course to learn new skills just get yourself a nice new notepad for some motivation and get online! Whether it’s by watching YouTube videos or seminars or simply reading industry blogs and papers, the internet makes it easy to pick up new skills and knowledge.

Student Blog Finding a grad job in the UK as an EU student University of Manchester Careers Blog

Student Blog Finding a grad job in the UK as an EU student University of Manchester Careers Blog Written by Ioana Pintilie, Final Year Psychology Student and Careers Service Blogger Securing a graduate job in the UK is challenging to begin with â€" for an EU student it could be even worse. As an EU final year student who came to the UK to study and with the ambition to work, this is how I overcame some typical challenges: Fear of failure The issue: To state the obvious, university in the UK is expensive. Because of this, it makes sense to feel a great deal of anxiety when talking to friends from your home country who somehow managed to get an enjoyable, well-paid job, by applying from the comfort of their own bedrooms, with half of your effort and a fraction of the cost.   Meanwhile, you are in your term-time bedroom in accommodation you share with strangers, juggling dissertation work, coursework, possibly a part-time job, money management, socialising, family pressures and job applications â€" and all of that in your second language, chances are! So, obviously, you start to wonder â€" was coming here even worth it? Did I just waste tons of money and got myself into debt to end up just about as well-off as my friends? What to do? First of all, remind yourself of the good things you were fortunate enough to experience whilst studying abroad â€" the people you would have otherwise been unlikely to meet, the places you’ve seen, the opportunities you enjoyed, and all the different cultures you’ve encountered. Second of all, you’ve taken the initiative to go far away from family, friends and familiar places, you understood all the legal requirements, achieved academic results, virtually looked after yourself for the first time in your life, worked twice as hard as your peers â€" and all of that in your second language! This is not only something that not everyone can achieve, but it also demonstrates skills that employers everywhere are looking for â€" willingness to take a challenge, responsibility, adaptability, ability to work well under stress, efficient money management, an independent mindset and a desire to learn. Take the time to remind yourself of all that and be confident â€" you are am azing! The competition-prejudice combo The issue: If you were blessed enough to have a name that is commonly used in English or at least easy to pronounce, I truly envy you! My name, although common in my home country, has never failed to bring about puzzled grimaces on the face of any British person that tried to read it. At first it annoyed me, later it amused me, and now I am no longer trying to correct mispronunciations. However, it can also bring about an implication when looking for employment: are employers prejudiced against foreign applicants? Maybe I am overthinking it, but to me it always felt that on top of the already-competitive UK job market, I am faced with additional difficulty that is directly caused by my EU citizenship. This is because at the screening stage, employers can and will be as fussy as they want to be and they can “skip” your CV as soon as they come across the faintest hint of doubt. What to do? I decided to become more selective in the employers I send my CV to. That is not to negate the advice of applying in as many places as you can, but do make sure you know exactly what you value in a company you work for and do your research. Check the company’s website â€" what do they take pride in? Check the company’s LinkedIn â€" how many non-English names can you find in their employee list? If you are invited to an interview and the interviewer is prejudiced â€" would you really want to work there? Know your own worth, keep searching and trust that once you encounter the right people, it will all work out. Oh, and don’t forget to embrace your EU background â€" you carry an extra language, a different perspective, insight into a non-UK market, not to mention all sorts of quirks that together build brand YOU. What am I doing with my life? The issue: Okay, you’ve had a plan that you were relying on and for some reason it didn’t work out. You are now about to finish uni and you have no plans for the upcoming summer, let alone the coming year. While your mates are preparing to relax, you either panic or feel your mood decrease by the day. You feel stuck and the prospect of having to give up plans and just travel back to your home country is looming. What to do? Take things one step at a time. The final few weeks of uni are quite crucial for your degree and it’s important to make sure you go through this challenging time well-prepared. After all, it’s not like the whole story has to end here, but merely the chapter called “uni”. As my mum often tells me, “What’s yours is already out there, waiting for you to get to it”. Maybe you just don’t know everything yet. Take some time off to try out something new. Reconsider postgrad study. Go see a new country. Take up a new hobby. Do something you’ve always wanted to do but never had a chance to. The upcoming summer is likely to be the only thing that’s separating you form, well…adulthood. Make the most of it and remember: very few people actually have everything sorted out. But that is because things are just about to sort themselves out. Have confidence and see where life takes you next. All Careers advice Student blogs career planning EU student blogger working in the UK

The Two Sides of Setting Up an International Remote Team

The Two Sides of Setting Up an International Remote Team Setting up  the perfect  team for your business has many considerations but they have changed dramatically throughout the years. Setting up  the perfect  team for your business has many considerations but they have changed dramatically throughout the years. Back in the day, when hiring, a persons location is a big consideration. Does he live within the area? Will she be able to move for the job? While bigger companies still have these traditional concerns in mind, smaller companies are now getting more location-blind and tech savvy. These days you can have a stellar team who are all in different parts of the world, but works just as well, if not better than a physical team. Lets talk about the benefits and detriments of setting up a remote team.   It is cheaper, but it paying online has its hazards.  You can definitely get the right people for less if you hire from other countries. Since remote workers are usually competitive for projects, they can bring down their rates. You just have to make sure that you are hiring a person for his skills and not his price. Also, paying online can be both expensive and dangerous if not done through the right portals. Do your research. You can send money abroad through many online payment portals. Check for great security and affordable international transfer fees. One apprehension that people have towards hiring remote team members is that they are not able to supervise them physically. It has been found that remote workers are much more productive than physical workers. This is because they are forced to manage their time more wisely and because there are many productivity apps that you can set up so that all of you are aligned, no matter what timezone you are in. Another two sided argument that business owners consider is that hiring remote workers can be difficult due to cultural differences. While there might be things that you dont understand from them, you have to remember that there will always be a thing or two that you can learn from them. The more  important thing to remember when hiring is not culture, its communication skills. Work ethics can be learned and trained, as long as language is not a problem. Like everything else, there are good things and bad things about hiring remote members for your business. You need to do your research and ask around from both sides. Dont automatically discount the idea because you are uncomfortable with it or havent tried it. As we move into a new era, explore the different ways of conducting business! It might just work for you! Working in a remote team or hired one? How is it? Let us know @mscareergirl or in the comments below!

How to Identify and Hire Collaborative Employees CareerMetis.com

How to Identify and Hire Collaborative Employees Bringing on new employees is rarely a walk in the park as far as the amount of preparation and post-interview reflection analysis required is concerned.Certain companies attempt to dodge the post-interview analysis process by simply going with the hiring manager’s gut instinct on who would be a good fit. While that route may work in rare instances, it’s not a sound strategy to rely on if you’re looking to consistently find the best fit for your company.evalNot properly vetting prospective employees beyond skill level is a tremendously risky move as it opens the door to red flags that aren’t apparent on the surface level, but could expose themselves in the future.In order for companies to effectively dissect the potential in prospective employees, they have to be aware of not only the qualities to look out for but also the best way to identify said qualities.Knowing When and How To CollaborateThe ability to get along and work well with others has been ingrained in most people from a very young age.Whether it was through a team sport or a group activity, it’s a fairly standard part of the socialization process. There is a clear distinction between being forced to work in a collaborative environment and thriving in a professional environment. The latter is a quality that should be sought after when looking for a new employee.Employers understand that people thrive in collaborative settings to varying degrees, but each job will have different expectations in terms of what they expect in terms of collaboration.If you feel that you’re somebody who thrives off of only working alone, and a company passes up on the opportunity to hire you, that doesn’t mean you are unqualified to do the actual work. It just means that you might be better off seeking out positions that don’t require as much of a collaborative effort.From an employer’s perspective, it can be difficult to identify those who seem to be more preoccupied with personal career growth while sh owing a complete lack of regard for the growth of a company’s value.evalHowever, being able to do so plays a big part in finding the best fit for your company. There’s a good chance that most candidates will inherently value their personal career growth over the growth of their company.This does not mean they won’t thrive in a collaborative environment. What you want to look out for as an employer is someone who demonstrates a strong balance of pride in their career trajectory as well as a willingness to lend assistance to others even if it might not fall under their responsibility.A good way to gauge if they are a true team player is to inquire about an instance where they worked on a group project or assignment where one person was not pulling their weight and how they handled that situation.If they truly were concerned with how it would impact their team, they would nip the issue in the bud as soon as possible by reporting it to someone in management and ensuring that the l oose ends were tied up by pulling the extra weight. It’s also perfectly okay to reach out for help when feeling overwhelmed in order to prevent the issue from festering and impacting your entire team. evalAccording to Matt Edstrom, CMO of GoodLife Home Loans“An employee feeling overwhelmed can have a ripple effect, as a superior, it is equally important to reach out and help if they notice an employee feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work they have.” You obviously can’t sustain having to constantly pull extra weight without burning out but having to occasionally carry others’ weight is just a harsh reality of working in environments where collaboration is necessary.In those rare instances where you have to pull the extra weight, upper management will typically notice and reward you for it while those who consistently put that extra weight on others will likely find themselves out of a job in the near future.Demonstrating Strong Sense of IndependenceMost people know the importance of collaboration in the workplace, but some take that idea to such an extreme that they completely devalue the ability to work independently.Most employees hear the word balance a lot throughout your career and for good reason. There are extremes for every quality, including working too hard which will inevitably lead to various degrees of burnout. Finding someone who can work alongside other people while also taking the initiative to work independently is the key to finding the most desirable candidates.As an employer, look out for the candidates that emphasize their ability to self-motivatethemselves and work under minimal supervision. Those employees will be less likely to waste upper management’s time by constantly shadowing them.The correlation between those who are self-motivated and those that handle stress well is incredibly strong. Those who are self-motivated and work well autonomously tend to have a system in place in terms of prioritization.Asking the candi date how they’ve handled multiple urgent tasks on their plates simultaneously is a great way to get insight on their prioritization process, as well as being able to identify if they can still be productive when facing stress.Ambitious Tendencies Indicate Work EthicAmbition in a prospective employee is a very advantageous quality as it is a strong indicator of a person’s ability to identify problems and remedy them. The drive that stems from true ambition is the reason why ambitious people are more likely to problem-solve and think critically.evalA sense of apathy about one’s future goals is a red flag, as it could indicate that they may not possess the motivation to maintain a strong work ethic in the long run. This does not mean that you need to have a clearly defined path set for yourself. Many people need exposure to various professional opportunities before deciding where they want to commit their future career arc.Even being ambitious about growing in a general sense in an industry is a good indicator that the candidate will be tenacious when it comes to working hard enough to earn recognition from those who work around and above them.A good way to identify if the ambition is genuine and free of any red flags is by paying attention to whether or not the candidate gives ex-colleagues their fair share of the credit.If employees are only tooting their own horn and taking credit for every good thing that happened at their last company, it can be interpreted as the candidate trying to trick the interviewers into believing they are more ambitious than they actually are.An ambitious person will have naturally been selected to be a part of a wide variety of projects, and when prompted in an interview would show zero hesitancy towards giving proper credit where it is due. evalConclusionThe ability to pinpoint desirable qualities in a potential hire has no exact method to follow and the amount of qualities to keep an eye out for is quite hefty.For the sake o f practicality, I highly advise focusing on the desirable qualities that match up best with what the particular position demands. What qualities are considered the most essential will differ depending on who you ask.I’ve always found the ability to strike that balance of being a strong collaborator and a driven, independent worker to be a good indicator of possessing other desirable traits such as enthusiasm and passion. The sooner one is able to truly demonstrate those values, the sooner the hiring team will feel confident bringing them on.