Planning a career path can be an exciting yet daunting task. National Careers Week offers a dedicated time to delve into career opportunities, recognise personal potential, and set realistic goals for the future.
What is National Careers Week?
National Careers Week celebrates and explores the array of career options available. It aims to empower individuals, particularly students and young adults, by providing resources, guidance, and insights into different professions.
When is National Careers Week?
National Careers Week occurs annually during the first week of March. It’s a week full of events, workshops, and seminars aimed at illuminating the world of work and potential career paths.
Event History
National Careers Week was established to meet the need for comprehensive career guidance and education. As the job market evolved, it became clear that individuals required more resources and support to navigate their careers successfully. This led to the creation of a week dedicated to career exploration and guidance.
As an employer, there are numerous ways to support National Careers Week. A good starting point is ensuring a solid understanding of government training and employment schemes available to your business and local community.
During National Careers Week, we aim to share tips on how job seekers can enhance their CVs and stand out to hiring managers.
Personal Details
Hiring managers don’t need to know your date of birth. Excluding your age allows hiring managers to focus on your skills, work experience and qualifications that make you a suitable candidate. It also shows your awareness of best practices for job applications.
The only details you need to include are name, email address, phone number and a general location.
Introduction
Introductory paragraphs are short statements that outline your top skills and qualifications, significant accomplishments and goals for the job post. Hiring managers use this statement to decide if you’re a suitable candidate before reading the rest of the CV. Consider limiting it to two or three sentences highlighting qualifications that match those on the job description.
Photos
Most hiring managers use an Applicant Tracking system (ATS) to scan through CVs and identify candidates with specific qualifications. Photographs aren’t ATS-friendly, so they may distort the scanning process and negatively affect your selection as a potential candidate.
Photos may also lead to unconscious bias or discrimination. They also take up space on the CV, which you can use to include more relevant information.
Hiring managers may prefer CVs that are one – two pages long, so excluding a photo can help you limit your document.
Factual information
Ensure all information regarding previous employment, qualifications, and skills is accurate. Hiring managers often conduct checks, and dishonesty may lead to dismissal from consideration.
Hiring managers can be flexible and may consider a candidate with the right attitude even if they don’t meet all of the desired job requirements.
Relevance
Focus on including relevant work experiences to demonstrate suitability for the role. Avoid clichés and aim for originality to capture the attention of hiring managers.
Formatting
Use a professional font and keep the font size regular throughout.
Consider using bullet points to highlight your experience and skills, this makes it easier for hiring managers to read them
Spell Check
A CV without grammatical errors shows your attention to details and written communication skills.
Consider using grammar checking and editing tools to help identify any spelling errors. Make sure you proof-read.
By adhering to these tips, you can enhance your CV and increase your chances of standing out during National Careers Week and beyond.
