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Construction CV

Get Your Construction CV Right

Construction CV

With the recent revival in commercial construction projects around the country, construction professionals should be updating their CVs in anticipation of new opportunities for site engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers and other similar disciplines.

 

With over 10 years’ experience in recruiting for the construction industry here are some CV tips for those looking for a change.

 

Don’t be a slave to the 2 page CV

Construction professionals with over 10 years’ experience will more than likely need more room to describe duties in detail (e.g. not all project managers do the same thing) and also relevant projects. If you are applying to a company specialising in refurbishment works, you’ll naturally want to mention any similar projects you have been involved in. If this takes 2.5 or 3 pages it’s not an issue once you are being consistently relevant in the CV.

 

Explain gaps

Some construction candidates leave out 6 month or year-long gaps which they feel are irrelevant; however a brief explanation is generally helpful to an employer reviewing the document. For example a year travelling in Australia with some labouring on building sites can indicate to an employer that you understand the industry from another angle and are willing to “get your hands dirty” in a role.

 

Avoid cross-referencing

We often receive CVs where a candidate has one section as a career history and another separate section with a list of projects, sometimes not labelled by time frame or employer.

Prospective employers have to cross reference and go back and forth in the CV to get the full context. A better approach would be to briefly list these projects along with the employer and your duties in the employment section. This makes it much easier for a recruiter or employer to understand your experience quickly and coherently.

 

Employer names may need context

Engineers and Project Managers coming back to Ireland from Australia or the Middle East may have companies named but not identified or explained as a contractor, client, design company and so on. A busy employer might not want to take the time to look up the company so it’s advisable to include even one or two brief lines on the type of company, scale and typical projects.

 

E.g. “ABC Ltd is a Queensland based mechanical and electrical installation contractor specialising in healthcare projects”. This is the type of information which might tip a CV slightly over 2 pages but is well worth it.

 

 

Attention to detail

This is an old one but still comes up. In recent months one of our clients flatly rejected a CV for a contracts administration position because there were 2 typos in the CV. Make sure you check spelling and basic grammar in the CV.

 

Richard Walsh is happy to speak to construction professionals at all levels about CVs, jobs and other topics of interest – rwalsh@sigmar.ie

Posted by Richard Walsh, Manager Technical Recruitment on 4 December 2017

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Refining Your CV

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 The CV is the key that opens the doors of opportunity, and like many (if not all keys) they have to be a perfect fit in order to turn the lock.In simpler terms, this badly explained metaphor demonstrates that like keys and locks, you will need a CV tailored to a particular job in order for it benefit your application. Admittedly a mistake I made when talking my first steps in the industry, was to fill my CV with every award, accolade, and skill I’d obtained in my life in order to appear like the most impressive candidate possible. I had moderate success with this approach, however, as I started to work towards specific roles within the industry, I realised the importance of keeping my CV focused and specific to a particular field.There are many different blogs, videos and online classes that tap into the field of CV writing. We here at Sigmar Recruitment receive many thousands of CV’s every day and it can be the difference between being invited for an interview or missing out on the shortlist of candidates. Here are some key points to include in your CV PresentationA little attention to the presentation side goes a long way. Nobody wants to look at a plain black and white Times New Roman Word Document CV. Your CV is your business passport, your personal brand that you’re selling to potential employers. Adding a dash of colour and flair to your CV will help add a more personalised, professional look. Of course, this is still a formal document, so don’t go for the full Andy Warhol, however, even so much as changing the colour of the headings will breathe life into your CV. Blue, dark brown, olive green and beige work particularly as it will help keep your CV professional whilst drawing attention to key areas of information. IntroKeep your introduction focused, short and relevant. Potential employers will be sifting through a number of CV’s searching for specific information that is applicable to role, so make sure you include your main profession, key skills, and brief examples of work. You have the rest of your CV to list your varied skillset, so try to focus on specialities and the core of your work. There will be time to dive deeper into your backstory when you make it to the interview stage, but for now, keep your intro short and sweet. Imagine your writing text for a billboard that advertises your business. You’re going to want to include all the key points that sell you to clients. X . I have been interested in creating content since I was 9 years old, and it started when I used to edit images and videos on my iPad. I used to create marketing tools for my friends, like memes, YouTube videos and photos and eventually decided to focus on a career in marketing. I am proficient in a number of content creation tools, such as Adobe, Final Cut, Canva and Office and have been able to utilise these skills in a number of assignments for clients in music, clothing, and events management. I work well in a team but am also capable of setting my own goals and completing tasks within a given timeframe ✓. Passionate and experienced digital marketer, specialising in both audio and visual content creation using Adobe, MacOS and Office. Competent, adaptable, and focused, I have worked for a number of clients in a wide range of industries, such as clothing, music, events, and businesses. Work ExperienceWhen I first started to apply for more specific industry positions, the first thing I did when tailoring my CV to certain roles was to include only work experience I felt was relevant. This proved to be my downfall, as in leaving out parts of my professional career, the naked eye would assume I was simply out of work and not doing anything for lengthy periods of time. Try and include all of your previous work experience in your CV and explain any gaps i.e., if you took a year out or went traveling. If your previous jobs were in an industry different to that which you are applying for, list various roles, responsibilities and acquired skills that are transferrable.In the case of myself, I had worked a number of roles in hospitality and catering before I started to focus more on a career marketing and content development. Now pouring the perfect flat white isn’t that important when it comes to designing and executing marketing strategies, however, skills such as time management, brand awareness, consistency and building brand awareness are some of the necessary skills needed in marketing and were therefore, noteworthy References When selecting candidates for interview, Employers will often research the applicants further, so the best way to steer them in a direction that benefits you is to provide contact information for work references. This can be anybody that you have worked with, or for, in a professional capacity, though its advisable to provide details for Senior Management, such as Managers, Directors or Executives (after obtaining permission to do so) rather than listing your friends. This will help remove the illusion of bias.Also, a reference from a family member will not be relevant in the eyes of an employer. Common knowledge, but important none the less. Hobbies and InterestsMake sure to include a short list of the things you like to do outside of work, be it socialising, or holidays or what you like to do in your downtime. Of course, a CV is a formal document and the more professional you come across the better, however, you are not a robot. You are a human being; you are ALLOWED to have interests outside of work. A short list of 4-5 hobbies will help get your personality across to your employer and show that you will bring passion and positivity to your place of work. Other ExperienceThis is where you are able to list any further experiences that will aid in your application. The Presidents Award, Travelling or any other notable accomplishments can help you standout as a person who is looking to enrich their mind or go out of there way to help others. Employers will likely entertain candidates who have have a certain zest for life and bring a positive attitude and mindset to the work environment.

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Would Your CV Make the Naughty or Nice List?

Would Your CV Make the Naughty or Nice List?

If you’re job seeking this holiday season it's important to make sure your CV ends up on the hiring managers nice list and not their naughty list. In order to do this here are some top tips to follow...   Good Structure Good CV structure is so important and it’s the first thing that the person reading your CV will notice. A good structure will have the following: Work history and education arranged separately according to date and in chronological order. Keep education and work history in separate sections of the CV. No borders, tables or strange fonts and pictures/images. The document is in word format and not PDF format. The formatting is uniform and consistent. If there are bullet points, they are all the same style and alignment.   Details The more detail you give about your work history the easier it is for a recruiter/hiring manager to understand your experience and know if you are suited to a particular role. Job seekers often put just one word to describe their duties and when you consider the competition out there this just isn’t enough detail to stand out so make sure to give as much detail wherever you can - but don't give so much detail that it becomes waffle (see below).   Achievements and Extra Curriculars Including what you’ve achieved in your professional career like awards and certificates are very impressive to hiring managers. However, they don’t always have to be job related awards, they can be personal achievements too e.g. completed a marathon, raised money for charity, served on a community or student committee etc. It’s good to show on your CV that you’re outgoing and achieve goals in your personal life as well as work. Also, if you are passionate about your hobbies include this on your CV. Hobbies will help you to stand out to a hiring manager. Charity work and sports are acceptable, but don’t put down hobbies for the sake of it, because this will make you stand out for the wrong reason. Leave out things like “I enjoy walking” or “watching Netflix series”. A good CV will use that space for something more relevant.     You Don’t Know What You Want Whether you’re a graduate or have years of work experience, you shouldn’t apply for jobs for the sake of it. When it comes to job seeking, you need to be specific and apply for jobs that you are qualified to do and that you have an interest in. You can’t just apply for jobs in one batch and hope for the best. Know what you want and demonstrate your interest in your CV. A hiring manager can always tell when someone applied without any real interest.   Too Much Waffle Now that you know what you want, the next thing is to portray that to the hiring manager, but the problem is you undersold yourself by sharing the wrong information about your experience. Hiring managers appreciate stats, facts and figures on a CV and will instantly lose interest in an application if there is too much waffle. It’s a common mistake to make, but it is one that can obliterate your chances of getting the job. To make your CV and/or cover letter more concise, why not include some stats on what you’ve achieved? It depends on your industry, but information that will impress a hiring manager are things like sales figures, marketing statistics or facts about your accomplishments in your previous roles.   Not Matching Your Qualifications/Experience to The Job This is another critical mistake. When you are applying for a job you need to show the hiring manager that you are the perfect match for the job. You do this by specifically stating all the relevant experience and qualifications you have that match the job description. When a hiring manager sees this, it will make their job easier because they will clearly see how you tick all their boxes. If you have been applying for jobs with the same CV, it might be time to rethink that approach and tailor your CV to each job specifically.   Job seeking isn’t easy, but we hope this blog will help anyone searching for a new job this Christmas. If you need help with your CV why not get in touch with us and one of our recruitment consultants can put you on the right track. Best of luck and happy Christamas! Click here to see our opening hours this Christmas