Career Coach CV/Resume Writer by Rob Ridout

Great article on top skills  This list is great and as an experienced headhunter, I feel these skills are very important for anybody who is serious about considering growing their skill base especially when considering a move into a more senior role.  https://www.careers24.com/career-advice/career-growth/21-skills-you-need-to-earn-big-bucks-20160913? utm_source=Careers24&utm_medium=Content For a free assessment on your CV - robert@cvforlife.co.za or visit my website www.yourcvforlife.com Rob assists his clients as a career coach and CV/Resume writer. His business CVforLife based in Johannesburg offers  career coaching services and career counselling as well as CV and resume writing services .  #CareerCoach#CVwriter#ExecutiveCVwriter#Resumewriter#LinkedInwriter#Employability

The best cover letter I ever received and I read a lot of cover letters, was from a PA who wrote a brief article on herself in the format of a newspaper article. You just had to read it and had to meet this person. I’m not a big fan of the cover letter but a good cover letter such as this one can be a real eye-catcher. Cover letters are always going to be problematic, too many people try using the cover letter to say what they should actually say in the interview. And it seldom works.  Let’s first look at the purpose of the cover letter. This brief and I emphasis brief form of introduction should cover who you are and why you are seeking employment. The entire role of the cover letter is to invite the reader to explore your CV further. Almost like a good marketing bi-line attached to a brand that gently encourages the tired eyes of the HR manager to want to explore further. The challenge that you have when designing your cover letter is most certainly the huge amount of CV’s...

I am constantly asked questions about the interview and its many variations and complexities. This all too common topic has become a major fear factor for most candidates moving through the recruitment process. Actually, the interview is simply one party trying to understand if the other party can do the job or has the potential to do the job and most importantly is not enhancing the truth in any way.  An oversimplification I know.  In the defense of the interviewer, this screening process is a critical part of ensuring that the incorrect candidate is not hired. The candidate, however, moves into the interview process blissfully unaware of the interrogation that is about to follow and many times not well informed of the key issues around the company corporate culture and hidden key details that have not been included in the specification such as why the previous candidate left.  When I coach my clients I place massive emphasis on telling a story when you intervi...

Managing your interview time - emphasis on managing! by Rob Ridout Interviews article by Rob Ridout CV writer I get it! You don’t like interviews. Going to an interview can be almost like going on a blind date. Not quite sure what to expect and always in need of a plan B just in case the wheels come off - which it usually does. But most of us will go through our interviews with what we think is a perfect plan. However, once we are face to face with the interviewer, the gremlins start to emerge.  So lets highlight in my mind one of the most critical aspects of your interview - managing your time. When your recruiter or  HR manager arrange your interview, you will be allocated a time frame. This interview time is generally between 40 - 60 minutes depending on the level of the role. You may also get information about your interviewer as well as a specification. Although these other aspects are important, I want to focus just on managing your time.  Ef...

As LinkedIn continues to grow its database of user information workforce trends start to emerge that could add massive value to way stakeholders in the employment sector conceptualise products and services. I found this article to be very insightful and the trends that Jeff speaks highlights will surely start to shape what LinkedIn will look like in the future. An excellent read.  At the eighth-annual  Talent Connect  in Nashville, LinkedIn CEO  Jeff Weiner  shared his view on the most important trends impacting the global workforce. “There are really three themes that are worth calling out,” Weiner said. “AI and automation, the skills gap, and the rise of independent work.” Those three trends will transform the way employers hire, develop and retain talent. And it’s important for all professionals and companies to prepare for these trends to maximize the potential of the global workforce, Weiner said. https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/future-sk...

“You didn’t get the job”. Possibly the worst five words anybody can hear in 2009. And do you want to hear why? Not really. Nobody really wants to know why they didn’t get the job. The truth is that most regrets are often for very simple reasons which often originate as an initial concern at the CV screening stage by the hirer or recruiter. Trying to identify these recurring regret reasons either from a post-interview or pre-interview (where your CV is not shortlisted) is often a career-altering experience.  Recruiters and HR practitioners are actually trained to spot the negative before the positive when reading your CV – what a shock! Especially in 2009 as candidates have become desperate now to get work and will go to great lengths to lie in their CV’s and at interviews. This seems a bit of a poor way of representing recruiters and HR Practitioners but actually, it is very realistic, especially because most people hide their poor work experiences very carefully and then lie in ...