The Inbetweener: my CV has holes, help me out here!
Our columnist, who's studying but keen to get back into banking, returns with another article. If you haven't read her first one, please click here.
When I entered full-time work back in 2001, I was told that the fastest way to climb the career ladder is to move diagonally from one firm to another: don't stay in one place too long or else you will start to rot.
Right now, I would do anything to be rotting away in a job, if it meant gainful employment.
I look at my CV and it's a little patchy to say the least. Ok, it's not that bad, and the gaps are perfectly explainable, but being given the chance to justify things on paper has proven difficult.
My longest stint is just under five years, which is a good run, but since 2006, the most I have stayed anywhere is about 18 months. Unfortunately, if I remain jobless this year, I may also reach the 18-month mark of unemployment. Talk about a massive hole in my CV!
Wise words from recruiters?!
On the odd occasion I have received good advice from recruiters. Now before you get all upset, yes, there is a small handful of recruiters who are actually competent. I don't mean the used car salesman types who go on the morning shows and have been talking up the job market since late 2008. No. Some of the headhunters I've met actually care about their firm's reputation.
A recruiter once questioned me as to why I worked for only six months at a particular firm. I explained that it was a contract role and I was hired between two restructurings. His advice was that after indicating the time I had worked at each place, I should highlight that it was contract work, especially for the shorter tenures.
I have also been suspiciously queried as to why I once left a large bank for a specialized boutique. To me, my reasons were simple: I wanted to diversify my experience, so I moved from a smaller city to a job in the big smoke. Now in my CV, when I name the employer, I also mention the city where I worked.
How to make it obvious that I'm studying
For those who, like me, have returned to full-time study, do you indicate this fact in your CV, or just in your cover letter? And what do potential employers look at first, the resume or the cover letter?
I currently state my academic enrollment in the first few lines of my cover letter, but I am unsure how to incorporate it into my CV. Do I mention the name of my university, followed by the dates, and then underneath a list of what I do?
I think most people know what university study entails, but how do you actually make it sound interesting? Does it go at the top of the CV, or as recruiters suggest, at the bottom with your "educational background"? The later doesn't immediately help to explain your employment gap when someone first reads the resume.
Please enlighten me regarding the above suggestions by recruiters, as I am about to send off another resume. If I find out that I should have put my current studies at the start of my CV, I will take back all the nice things I said about recruiters.
Are you a candidate based in Australia? Would you like to write an anonymous column for eFinancialCareers giving an honest perspective on your experiences in the job market?
Please email: apac.editor@efinancialcareers.com
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