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Top Finance Job Tips when searching and applying for finance jobs and accountancy jobs

How to write your CV

Your curriculum vitae or CV is probably one of the most important parts of your job hunting process.

It is usually the first contact that you might have with a prospective employer and as such you must take great care in preparing it.

It must be crafted in such as way as to highlight your strengths and experience. To enable someone who has never met you before to get a really good idea of what you have to offer in comparison to other prospective candidates.

There are a number of ways to present your CV, however there are some standard pieces of information which you should include. These are:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Contact details (phone numbers including mobile if you have one)
  • Qualifications
  • Specific skills eg languages or special training
  • Member of industry bodies or associations
  • Personal interests
  • Experience
  • Current job role
  • The types of work that you have done, specifically highlighting areas that you think you have excelled at. If you have undertaken special roles, projects or achieved certain tasks or objectives.

Don’t waffle, keep it succinct summarise some of the older parts of your work experience, they may no longer be relevant.

Preparing for an interview

Generally, to be offered an interview you will have already sent your CV, so the interviewer will already be familiar with your background and experience. However this is the first time that they will have actually met you “in the flesh” so to speak.

So, it is important that you give the best impression of yourself.
Here are some tips that you might find useful in preparing for your interview.

Before the interview

  • Check the directions to the location of the interview and plan how you are going to get there. Do not leave this to the last minute.
  • Read through your CV to remind yourself of the detail and to make sure that it is up to date. If things have changed it is worthwhile updating it to make sure it is as accurate a reflection of your capabilities as possible.
  • Get a copy of the job description for the role you are applying for.
  • Read through your CV to make sure you can highlight the areas where your skills match those of the job description.
  • Do your research, make sure you know about the company and if possible the person you are going to see.
  • Make sure you know about the organisations products or services.
  • Find out who the key characters are that are involved.
  • Be aware of the key events in the organisations history.
  • Who are their competition and what makes that organisation your preferred choice?
  • Be interested in what they do, it will be very obvious to people if you are just going through the motions. If you are not interested in them don’t go.
  • Ring the prospective employer to make sure there are no issues about getting to their office or meeting place.
  • Check with them the dress code to ensure that you are appropriately attired.
  • Make sure you know what you want personally from the new job (not just in terms of salary or remuneration package). Also the type of organisation you want to work with. This is important and you need to have your thoughts clear on this.

The day of the Interview

  • Make sure you get a good nights sleep the night before the interview.
  • Dress appropriately.
  • Check your personal hygiene.
  • Ring ahead to make sure that there are no last minute changes to the interview schedule and to confirm that you have the right time and place and the name of the interviewer. You need to be able to ask for someone when you arrive at the interview.
  • Leave in plenty of time. The worst thing you can do for an interview is arrive late. The interviewer may very likely already have created a negative opinion of you before they have even met you.
  • Make sure you have the address of the place you are going to written down.
  • Take the contact details of the person you are going to meet just in case you are delayed, because then you can ring ahead and let them know.
  • Take a couple of extra copies of your CV with you just in case the interviewer has lost theirs or an extra person attends.

During the interview

Listen, then listen again. The most important thing is to listen to what is being said and be able to respond to questions accurately and in line with your preparation for the interview.

NEVER, EVER lie you will get caught out. Never ever lie.

Interviewers vary in their skill at interviewing people. If you feel that the interviewer needs some help to get the best out of you, then help them by answering their questions in such a way as to make it easy for them to follow up with another question.

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