We know applying for roles and going through a selection process can be nerve wracking, so we’ve listed some tips below that we hope you find helpful.
We really hope that you have a positive experience with Reading Borough Council. We would also love to hear your feedback, so please share this with us at recruitment@reading.gov.uk
A CV is a short, written summary
of your skills, achievements and experience. It’s a vital tool in your search
for a new job and properly prepared, your CV can be the deciding factor in
getting an interview.
A well-constructed CV is a
personal account of your career and professional achievements allowing your
potential new employer to see what you can bring to the team or company.
How to start
Gather useful information like:
The
job advert
The
job description
A
person specification
Company
details
Your
qualifications
Details
about your past employers
Details
about your past jobs or volunteering experience
Evidence
of training courses you’ve completed
You can use this information to
show how your skills and experience match what the employer wants. You should
tailor your CV to suit the job description and the company.
CV layout
There are different CV styles, so
use the one which best matches the stage you’re at in your life or career. The
main styles are:
Traditional CV or chronological CV – list your
work and education history, starting with the most recent
Skills based or targeted CV – focuses on your
job-related skills and personal qualities
Technical CV – used in professions like IT and
engineering and puts your industry-specific skills first followed by the other
information
Creative CV – used in creative and digital arts
and can link to an online portfolio, contain video or infographics, or include
digital tools that make you stand out from the crowd
Academic CV – generally longer than a
traditional or skills-based CV and often used for teaching and research careers
Your finished document should be
no more than 2 sides of A4 unless it’s an academic CV.
What to include
There are some things that you
need to put in your CV. You can change the order of these to suit your
situation and the type of CV layout you want to use.
Contact details
You’ll
need to include:
your
name at the top of your document – no need to add CV or curriculum vitae
your
full address and postcode
telephone
or mobile number – give the number you’re most likely to be available on during
the working day
email
address – always use a professional sounding email address
You can leave out details like
your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality. These are not required.
If you have a profile on a professional social media site like LinkedIn, you
can add a link to it on your CV.
Personal profile
This is a few short lines that
sum up who you are and what you hope to do. This is a great opportunity to grab
your audience, letting them know what you are capable of. Use it as a snap shot
of your achievements in your recent career history, or relevance to the role
you are applying for.
Your work experience history
Include work placements,
volunteering and any paid jobs you’ve held. You’ll need to give details of:
The
employer, with most recent first
The
title of the job
The
dates you worked
A
brief outline of what you did – usually 2 to 3 lines
Use active words to highlight
your strengths and skills for example, ‘organised’, ‘created’, ‘built’,
‘managed’ or ‘planned’. Try to give positive examples of your achievements
rather than just listing duties.
If you’ve had a lot of jobs, you
can use a skills-based CV to group them. This CV is also useful when you have
gaps in your work history. Give examples of skills you’ve developed during the
times you were out of work and how you got them.
If you’re applying for your first
job, you can focus on skills you’ve learned through projects, part-time work,
school work experience, internships, placements or volunteering.
Your education history
This section can be added after
your personal profile when you’re early on in your career or if you do not have
much work experience. Whatever order you choose, you’ll need to give:
the
names of your qualifications
the
school, college or university where you studied
the
dates you attended
Hobbies, interests or achievements
Use examples that show you have
skills that are relevant to the job. This section is useful if you do not have
much work experience.
References
Ensure that your referees are
relevant and have a clear understanding of your abilities Advise your referees
that you are including them on your CV. You can leave your references off your
CV to give to your potential employer once you are successful.
CV tips
Employers get lots of CVs to look
at and have to decide quickly who they are going to interview. Here are some
tips to make your CV stand out for all the right reasons.
When writing your CV remember:
Research
the company and the job before you start
Choose
a CV style that fits your situation or one that employers in that type of job
prefer
Use
clear lettering like Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri, size 11 or bigger –
always use the same style throughout
Use
headings, bullet points and spacing to break information up to make it easier
to read
Keep
it to 2 sides of A4
Be
clear and to the point
Match
the words you use to the keywords in the job description or advert
Get
someone else to read it to double check your spelling and grammar
Save
a copy, including a final pdf version for emailing
Always
send your CV with a cover letter/supporting statement
How to ace the interview
Interviews form a crucial part of
any recruitment process. It’s your chance to make a good impression and show
what you have to offer. You can also use it to help you decide if the job and
the company are right for you.
Preparation
Read
the job description and person specification carefully and be clear on the
skills and qualities the employer is looking for
Check
the company website to find out more about its products or services and their
plans for the future
Go
over your CV or application form and think about things the employer may ask
you about
Prepare
some examples that show you have the right skills, personal qualities and
experience
Practise
your timings on presentations and keep a back-up copy
Ask
someone you trust to practise answering questions
Write
down 2 or 3 questions you can ask at the end of your interview, that show
you’re enthusiastic about the job
Prepare
something suitable and comfortable to wear
Check
what time you need to arrive and the name of the person you need to see
Make
sure that you know how to get to where the interview is being held
If
you have a disability and need adjustments to make the interview accessible,
you can get advice from Scope on
how to ask for them
The STAR Method
Use the STAR method to plan
your answers to interview questions, it can also be used to show your skills
and experience on a CV or application form
STAR stands for:
Situation – the situation you had to deal with
Task – the task you were given to do
Action – the action you took
Result – what happened as a result of your
action and what you learned from the experience
You can use the STAR method to
structure the examples you give to questions, especially in interviews. You can
use it to highlight particular skills and qualities you have that the employer
is looking for. Keep examples short and to the point, but feel free to use
examples for home, work or volunteering. Try to get your points across in a conversational
way so as not to appear too rehearsed but be prepared to answer follow-up questions
about the examples you give.
Video Interviews
2020 has seen the rise of
video interviews, this interview style will be with us for the long term now,
so it is worth thinking about your approach. In advance of the meeting, make
sure you have the relevant links, log in to make sure it works without any
additional downloads. Think about your location, what behind you, and is the
lighting right. Remember to set your space in somewhere aware from distraction
and external noise.
At the interview
Before you go in:
Make
sure your phone’s turned off
Use
breathing techniques to calm yourself – try to remember, a few nerves are
normal
Smile
and greet your interviewer confidently
Ask
for some water if you need it
During the interview
In the interview, remember the
following:
Be
polite and use the right language and tone for a formal situation
Listen
carefully to questions and think before you begin your answers
If
you do not understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat it or explain
further
Use
the STAR method to answer questions about your skills, for instance talk about
the Situation you were in, the Task you had to do, the Action you took, and the
Result you achieved
Be
positive about your experiences – if you’ve faced difficult situations, show
what you learned from them
Tell
the truth – do not exaggerate or come across as over-confident
Ask
a couple of questions when you’re invited to do so – choose questions that make
you sound keen, like ‘What opportunities are there for training with your
company?’, rather than ones about pay or holidays at this stage
At
the end, thank the employer for their time and tell them that you are looking
forward to hearing from them
When
you leave the interview, try to write down some of the harder questions you
were asked – this can help you to prepare for future interviews.
After the interview
If you’re offered the job, let
the company know in good time whether you want to accept the offer. You can
also agree the start date and what to bring on the first day.
If you decide not to accept
the job, decline it politely, as you may want to work for them in the future.
If you do not get offered the
job:
Be
positive – this is a chance to learn from your experience
Ask
for feedback on your interview
Think
about the things that did not go so well and what you could do to improve next
time
Get
some interview practice – you could ask friends, family, colleagues or a
careers adviser to help
Types of interview questions
Employers use different types of
questions when interviewing. They may be:
Competency-based – the focus is on the things
you can do, so you’ll be asked to give examples to show you have the skills
needed for the job
Strengths-based – these explore what you enjoy
doing or do well and is used to check things like your practical or teamworking
skills, or how you work under pressure
Technical – for jobs in science, IT,
engineering, finance or law – they test your job-related knowledge and
understanding of work processes
Situational judgement – test how you would react
in typical work situations and check things like your ability to solve
problems, make decisions or work with others
Values-based – commonly used for health and care
jobs, particularly in the NHS, to confirm that you share the values and understand
the culture of the organisation
Motivational – these help an employer to see
what drives you and to make sure you’ll fit in with their company