21st Century CVs + more…

Cliona Hillery

Careers Adviser Careers Advisory Service

7-9 Leinster Streetwww.tcd.ie/careers

Aim of the Seminar

At the end of this session you will have:

• an understanding of CV purpose and how recruiters view CVs.

• the information required to write an effective CV

• an ability to critically evaluate the content and visual impact of your own CV.

Sector overview - ICT

• Over 100,000 people directly employed

_ 25,000 in indigenous companies_ 75,000 in multinationals

• Exports worth over €70 billion per annum

_ 40% of national exports_ 5 of the top 10 exporters are tech

companies

• All of the top ten global tech companies have a significant presence in Ireland

Why Ireland?

1st Availability of skilled labour1st Flexibility and adaptability of workforce1st Investment incentives for foreign investors 1st Attitudes towards globalisation 2nd Openness to foreign investors and adaptability of companies 4th Corporate tax rate and real corporate taxes

Tech Salary Survey 2013

Where talent is needed

• Programming• Mobile technology• Gaming• Web development and

technologies• Cloud computing• Platform administration• Digital and creative media• Network maintenance• CRM• Project management

Overview - CVs

• Curriculum Vitae_ Purpose_ Tailoring your CV_ Layout_ Do’s and Don’ts

• Cover Letters_ Guidelines on writing

effective cover letters

What Makes a Good CV?

Purpose

Your purpose:To get an interview in order to get the job.

Selector’s purpose:To decide whether or not to interview you

Tailor your Application

• Tailor your application to clearly identify how you meet the organisation’s needs_ Knowing yourself_ Knowing what they want

• No one CV

Knowing Yourself (Self-Profile)

• To carry this out review activities:

_ Specific Achievements_ Current Responsibilities_ Course Work Projects_ Work Experience - including Voluntary Work_ Sports, Societies, Social Life

Then - What Skills have I gained?

College Time

Work Experience

Personal time

• Managing Money• Take a Risk• Speaking in

Societies• Being on a

Committee• Organising an Event

Academic Time

• Establishing Good • Customer Relations• Showing Reliability• Working Well with

others• Being Adaptable• Using Languages

• Helping Others• Catering for Others• Entertaining Others• Taking Initiative• Managing Time

• Writing Reports• Analysing Data• Researching information• Retaining Facts• Working to Deadline

“Self-Profile”

•Communication Skills•Financial Skills•Interpersonal Skills•Time Management Skills

Know the Organisation

N.B. “Organisations love to be loved.”

_ Ask if there is anything they can send you in writing about their organisation

_ Go to their website & read everything they have there “about us”

_ Go to the library & locate any newspaper articles or other information about the organisation

_ Ask your friends if they know anyone working there to whom you could talk

_ Become familiar with the organisation’s history, purpose, goals, values

Job Descriptions & Person Specifications

Job description or Job Role• Details the key duties and responsibilities of a post

Person Specification• Details the knowledge, skills and experience the

post holder will need to have and to what level they will need to have them in order to fulfil the key duties and responsibilities set out in the job description

Matching Process

Employers Requirements

Matching Process Candidate’s Evidence

Job advertJob description

Past experiences- study, work, extra-curricular

Person specificationHow you achieve things in life- skills, knowledge,

competencies

Research sector, organisation, media

articles, network

Weave research into structure and content of

CV & cover letter

• Havok Engineering has been at the cutting edge of innovation in game development for over a decade. We work cross platform, mainly on AAA titles, with top clients such as EA, Sony, Activision, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Bungie, Guerrilla, and DICE. We have a unique environment made up of talented, small, stable teams. We provide each of our engineers with an opportunity to make a real impact...

Havok Engineering

Havok - Internship

Requirements• Pending Bachelor/Master’s Degree in Computer

Science/Engineering/Mathematics • Strong C++ skills and project experience ( game

project experience beneficial) • Knowledge of 3D Mathematics, graphics or tools highly

desirable • Low level optimisation skills, experience in middleware

desirable • Strong communication skills/ability to work in a team

environment

Applications

• Please visit www.havok.com/careers or email your resume to jobs@havok.com. Please indicate that you are applying for the Software Engineer Internship.

CV Basics

Length Format Headings

Personal Details Career Objective (optional) Education & Qualifications Employment History Interests & Achievements Skills Profile References

International CVs

Personal Details

• Keep it short• Top of page• Date of birth - optional• Email address

• “A 4th Year Honours Computer Science student at Trinity College Dublin, with developed technical, problem solving, numerate and communication skills now seeking a challenging placement in an IT Consulting firm .”

• “A commercially aware and IT literate 4th year Computer Science student, undertaking a 5-year Masters degree programme, with highly developed problem solving, interpersonal and communication skills now looking for an internship as a software developer working on real world projects.”

Career Objective

Education & Qualifications

• Place most recent first• Profile your course and its relevance to the

job:_ Full Title e.g. BA Moderatorship and a Master in

Computer Science (MCS)_ Length & structure_ Relevant subjects taken_ Grades attained and awards_ Title of relevant Projects / Dissertations / Thesis_ Placements abroad

Education & Qualifications

2010 – to date BA (Mod) Computer Science (4 years) Key Subjects: Results:

2010 – to date Master in Computer Science (MCS) - 5 years (Currently undertaking this integrated Computer Science programme and will graduate

in 2015) Results (expected):

Employment History

Summer 2013Intern, BT

• Undertook a real world project during the summer researching an area of technology to find out how it worked and what capability it could yield to BT

• Responsible for setting the direction, building prototypes and demonstrating my findings. 

• This included Cloud Computing, Mobile OS, Hadoop, GIS and AJAX technologies.

Skills Profile

• IT – Confident IT user with strong working knowledge of multiple computer programmes, languages & applications including Microsoft Office, HTML, UNIX, & Visual Basic. Officer for the DUCSS (Computer Science Society at TCD)

• Project Management/Leadership – Instrumental in the organisation of a running club reunion held in Summer 2011. Took charge of the publicity for the event & single-handedly traced as many former members as was possible

• Communication Skills – Demonstrated oral and written communication skills in various work experiences and in publication of articles for Trinity News. Give grinds in Computer Studies to Leaving Certificate students

Other Skills

1. Problem-solving skills2. Teamwork3. Leadership potential4. Communication and interpersonal skills5. Analytical ability6. Initiative and Creativity7. Rounded Experience

Interests & Achievements

VoluntaryPublicity Officer, Amnesty

Arranged a publicity campaign. Gained experience in delegation, proofreading text, desktop publishing and working under pressure to meet deadlines

SportTreasurer, Boxing Club

Kept accounts for a committee of eight. Helped organise a campaign to extend membership of the club which resulted in twenty new members

Referees

• Get permission before you use someone as a referee

• Two referees are usually given

• Include one academic referee

• Include one referee from your work experience

• Achieved• Administered• Analysed• Built• Capable• Competent• Consistent• Controlled• Co-ordinated• Created• Designed

• Developed• Directed• Economical• Effective• Efficient• Engineered• Established• Expanded• Experienced• Guided• Improved

• Initiated• Instructed• Managed• Monitored• Organised• Participated• Positive• Processed• Productive• Proficient• Qualified

• Repaired• Sold• Specialised• Stable• Successful• Supervised• Trained• Versatile• Wide

Background

Useful Words – See Our Website!

Iportence of acruate speling and gramer

• What spelling mistakes say about you:_ You really cannot spell_ You are lazy – can’t be bothered doing a spell-

check_ You are inattentive to detail_ You are careless_ You do not really want the job

Summary – top ten CV sins

1. Typos

2. Putting the first last

3. Gaps

4. Sloppy formatting

5. Cluttered CV

6. Irrelevant information

7. Not tailoring your CV

8. Disorganised CV

9. Too long

10. Too basic

CV checklist

• Is the CV relevant to the position for which you are applying?

• Is the layout clear, concise, well presented and professional

• Can an employer see the relevant points at a glance?

• Have you emphasised your skills, experience and achievements?

• Is it free of spelling and grammatical errors?

• Does it paint a positive picture of you?

• Are you happy with this paper reflection of you?

Cover Letters

Three main sections:Introduce yourself

1. What brings you to write? Ad, contact, article? Your motivations to apply

2. Why this type of work? Why this organisation? What you offer

3. Evidence of key strengths (Analyse Job Description)

Address by name Show understanding of the position Crisp, clear, business English Summarise why you’re perfect for the job (showcase

your skills) Back up with evidence – reference experience Tailor to the employer Print on quality paper Sign with blue pen

Cover Letters – Key Points

Application Forms: A Summary

• Research the job and the employer• Identify the skills and qualities being

sought• Assess and record the evidence of

your skills• Match your skills and competencies

to those the employers are seeking• Read the application form

instructions carefully and follow them

• Answer every question

Recommended: attend a CAS Application Forms workshop

Careers Advisory Service, Trinity College Dublin7-9 South Leinster Street

LinkedIn Allows you to

Develop a professional online presence

Manage and build your network

Keep up to date with developments in industry sectors

Find out about career paths

Find jobs

Key Elements in Your Profile

A.Your Photograph

B.Your Headline

C.Your Summary

D.Keywords

E.Recommendations and Endorsements

Your Degree What Next?www.tcd.ie/Careers

• Overview

• Skills Gained

• Choose a Career • Profiling for Success

• Career Report on Gradireland.com

• My Prospects Career Planner on Prospects.co.uk

• What TCD Graduates Do

• Job Profiles

• Further Study

• Making Applications

• Vacancies

• Useful links

Other Job-Hunting Resources

Employer Presentations/Fairs Non-visiting Employers Applications Via The Web

Career Sites― www.gradireland.ie― www.prospects.ac.uk― http://www.gradcracker.com/― http://targetjobs.co.uk/

Company Sites _ www.firstderivatives.com/careers_ www.havok.com/careers_ http://careers.murex.com/_ http://careers.accenture.com/ie-en/Pages/index.aspx

Job Sites (prospects/target/gradireland too) • www.irishjobs.ie/graduates.asp• CAS website-(www.tcd.ie/vacancies)• http://dublinstartupjobs.com/• http://www.itshappeninghere.ie/• http://www.irishjobs.ie/Graduates.aspx• http://www.computerjobs.ie/ Useful websites: ― www.itshappeninghere.ie Career opportunities in Irish owned software

companies― www.software.ie Irish software companies ― www.irishdev.com/jobsindex.aspx Irish developer’s network of professional

software developers)― www.ibec.ie/ibec/internet.nsf/LookupPageLink/ISAWebsite Irish software

Association members― www.iei.ie ― www.ictireland.ie― Irish Computer Society www.ics.ie ― http://www.imca.ie/ Institute of Management Consultants

Other Job-Hunting Resources

User groups…

_ http://python.ie/ Python is a remarkably powerful dynamic programming language that is used in a wide variety of application domains. Python is often compared to Tcl, Perl, Ruby, Scheme or Java

_ Pubstandards http://pubstandards.ie/ Pub Standards Dublin is the largest monthly meetup of developers, designers, founders and people-who-like-to-build-stuff, in Ireland. It has been running in London and other cities since 2005, and in Dublin since August 2010

_ Engine Yard https://www.engineyard.com/ has been so supportive of local communities from Python Ireland, Ruby Ireland, Dublin NodeJS, Crafthou.se, and so on. If you are an organiser and looking for a free venue and free craft beer, poke Eamon Leonard and he'll help you

Also…

• http://www.fit.ie/ information advice and access to ‘in-demand’ skills, work experience and interview and CV development support

• http://ifso.ie/_ Join the fsfe-ie@ mailing list_ Attend monthly meetings_ Become a member_ Contact IFSO directly

• https://news.ycombinator.com/ Hacker News • http://www.isa-skillnet.com/• http://www.ictirelandskillnet.org/About_Us/2

For information on Further study in this area funded by the

Government

How The Careers Service Can Help!

• Website_ Your Degree What Next-Customised for your course_ Vacancies_ Online testing “Profiling for Success” & Gradireland Careers Report_ Online Work Experience % Internships Newsletter (NB Essay

Competition)_ Going Global _ Vault Career Insider

• Careers Information Centre_ Free publications including Target Work Experience

• Careers Events_ Careers week_ Training: CVs, Applications, Interviews, Practice video interviews _ Drop In CV Clinic every week_ Employer Presentations (Networking opportunity)

Resources

• CVs & Application web pages & ‘Careers Service Guide ’

www.tcd.ie/Careers/students/jobsearch/apply/• Gradireland.com

http://gradireland.com/careers-advice/cvs-and-applications

• Prospects.ac.uk www.prospects.ac.uk/cvs.htm

• Postgraduate CVs: www.vitae.ac.uk

• International CVs: Going Global www.tcd.ie/Careers/goinglobal/index.php

• LinkedIn “Grad Guide” on You Tube

• Media related CVs: Creative CV Guide

• Academic CVs www.tcd.ie/Careers/students/postgraduate/research/academic_cvs.php