Thursday, May 28, 2020

Career change CV template

Career change CV template by Michael Cheary And now for something completely different…If you’ve been in an industry for a long time and you’re looking for a fresher direction, trying something new could be the perfect move. But what happens if you’re unsure how to communicate that desire for change on your CV?To help prove that your previous positions neednt be a hindrance, weve put together our career change CV template. Career change CV Template Email address: Please enter a valid email addressmessage here By clicking Submit, you accept our Terms & Conditions and consent to receive emails and career related topics. See our Privacy policy for details. Continue without submitting Download Career change CV TemplatePersonal statementAlways start your CV with a personal statement tailored to the role in question.In terms of structure, consciously try and answer the following questions: Who are you? What do you have to offer? What are you aiming for in your career?Although you should also mention the reasons for your career change in your cover letter, your personal statement should be used to reaffirm your desire. Wherever possible, quantify the achievements which seem most transferable to the industry you’re looking to move into.In terms of length, four or five lines are more than enough.How to write a personal statementPersonal statement examplesPersonal statement: dos and don’tsSkillsRather than focusing on your work experience, you may choose to place precedence on your skills and/or major achievements before talking about p revious positions.Once again, try to provide examples that are applicable to the role in question, which you have picked up in other jobs.For example, adaptability, management skills, problem solving, presentation and interpersonal skills, are all desirable qualities to have, no matter what the industry.Skills based CV templateWhat are transferable skills?Hard Skills vs. Soft SkillsEmployment historyFor most roles, successfully demonstrating your experience and achievements in previous positions is essential. And, although you may not think it would be the case, this point is just as pertinent when it comes to a change of career direction.Write in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent jobs coming at the top.It’s not necessary to include all of your experience in your CV, especially if you’ve held a number of junior positions which don’t highlight any of the essential skills required for this role. Therefore, it’s to be expected that you’ll scale down the detail .Finally, rather than concentrating on daily duties, try and emphasise your accomplishments wherever possible, or any other skills you picked up which may help you in the position you’re applying for.For those looking for a career change, these could be anything from showing how you’ve hit targets and core KPIs, through to any times you’ve implemented or learned something new, and recognition you’ve received for doing your job well.EducationEducation should be included from GCSE (or equivalent) level on. Write in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent events coming at the top.State the number of qualifications achieved and general grades you received (Maths and English at the very least).Include your degree classification, A level/IB (or equivalent) results and any other higher education diplomas if you have them. Use particular course modules you’ve undertaken to demonstrate your wider knowledge of the subject which may be relevant to the role you’re applying for.Even if your qualifications don’t seem relevant, they’re probably still worth including. At the very least you can demonstrate to a future employer your passion for learning a subject in more depth.Which parts of my education should I include in my CV?Hobbies InterestsA Hobbies and Interests section is optional. However, if you lack any notable work experience in a particular field, this section can be a great way of getting your personality and suitability for the industry across.Ask yourself: Will they help you get the job? Finally, make sure you’re happy to expand upon your interests during your interview if called upon.Hobbies and interests: Should I include them in my CV?Six extracurricular activities to add to your CVReferencesUnless asked directly in the job posting, making references available on request is fine.However, always make sure you do have credible references. Close family friends, teachers, or career councillors are all good options, and most are usual ly happy to help.How to get a referenceCharacter reference templateNeed more CV advice?It takes an employer just seven seconds to save or reject a job applicant’s CV. This means creating a succinct CV is absolutely vital if you want to land that all-important interview. To find out how to make your CV stand out from the crowd, buy James Reed’s new book: The 7 Second CV: How to Land the Interview.Ready to start working on your cover letter? Download our career change cover letter template nowStill searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs now  Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. CV templates CVs

Monday, May 25, 2020

9 Ways to Eliminate HR Bias with Artificial Intelligence

9 Ways to Eliminate HR Bias with Artificial Intelligence Many discussions have been held on the role of artificial intelligence in HR. HR professionals and thought leaders say that it will accelerate economic growth in the coming few years. By adopting this technology, HR managers and recruiters are becoming more efficient and productive. AI has automated every aspect of the recruitment process. Things become quite tiring and monotonous if done manually. By using technology in hiring, all activities can be easily streamlined and all efforts are driven towards maximizing the output of an organization. Check out how AI is eliminating bias in HR and impacting the department’s growth: 1. Hiring has become a quick process now With the use of resume parser software, sorting out resumes is not a trouble anymore. With candidate data readily available in fields such as experience, qualification, contact details etc, it becomes easy to choose candidates who are fit for the position. Resume enrichment is another way of getting updated and validated information about candidates. Also known as social recruiting, this tool takes candidates’ information from their social profiles and updates their resume. These technology innovations help in closing jobs quickly and speed up hiring. 2. Focus on predictive data decision-making Data analysis has become a vital part of all business activities. A lot of emphasis is given on predictive data decision-making to deliver results. An analysis of candidate’s performance and career-alignment along with his skills helps employers in finding the right fit. 3. Expansion of HR roles HR professionals feel that AI will soon take up their jobs as everything will be automated. However, the real decision of hiring a candidate still rests with the HR manager. Also, human intervention is required to see that automation is being used correctly. Automation is used only to streamline recruitment process and make the job of managers easy. When the hiring process is automated, it becomes easy for managers to concentrate on other business activities and create a strategic plan. 4. No human bias It is seen that recruiters hire employees on the basis of favoritism. They recruit candidates they already know or are referred to them. This takes away the chance from candidates who apply for the job position on merit. But with AI, this human bias is completely eliminated. A resume parser will select candidates based on their skills and experience. Thus, there is no place for favoritism. 5. No manual intervention AI helps in data gathering, research and creating an overall HR tech strategy. Imagine hiring candidates with the help of a click. This is the time when you can happily say goodbye to manual efforts. There is no need to sort out resumes one by one and shortlist candidates. Get recommendations for relevant resumes with a click. Thus, automation of most of the tasks is possible which reduces manual intervention of HR managers. 6. Less administrative work Administrative functions can be automated with artificial intelligence. Thus, HR department does not need to waste time on doing menial tasks. Data can be easily maintained on one platform and big calculations can be done in no time. Gone are the days when HR manager had to sit with logs and attendance registers to calculate salary. With automation, each process is taken well care of. It has also brought authenticity into the system. Each information is correct and no loopholes remain in the system. Thus, HR managers and executives can spend more time on devising other business strategies.   7. An asset to the company AI can be used for various duties like onboarding, performance management, recruiting and benefits administration. Data collected with the help of automation can be used to devise strategic plans for employee retention, business goals, succession planning etc. 8. A time-saving process No HR manager is happy with doing paperwork. Automation eliminates this tedious process and brings uniformity in the system. This allows HR managers to focus more on employee needs, career development, employee retention, and engagement. 9. Quick decision-making With data readily available, decisions can be taken in an instant. Jobs can be closed quickly which accelerates recruitment process. As per the insights are taken from actual data, more actions can be taken on employee engagement. This helps in bringing excellent results. We usually feel that conscious bias can hinder the growth of an organization. However, it must be noted that an unconscious bias can also become a huge barrier to having a better productivity. When AI algorithms assess the performance of candidates, it removes all biases. HR processes get affected in a positive way. Though biases can be minimized at employee-level if proper actions are taken, AI will certainly create a foolproof system. It is time to ignore the myth of having AI take up your jobs. Technology can do wonders if used with enough knowledge and put into use in the right direction. About the author:  Lovepreet Dhaliwal works with RChilli Inc, a leading resume parsing software provider which helps in speeding up your recruitment process.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Consider an Internship for a Career Change - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Consider an Internship for a Career Change - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Internships are generally associated with students who need to get some work experience so that they can secure a full-time job easier by the time they graduate. However, an internship can be useful for anyone who is looking to change careers or go back to the workforce after a long absence. If you want to change your career but don’t have any experience in the field that you are planning to work in, making an internship can be the solution. Internships are crucial in your efforts to land a full-time job because you build your skills and gain more experience. Also, you can build your reputation and have references to help you land your full-time position. You can list your references on LinkedIn and share this information with potential employers and show that you’ll bring value to them. The downside of making an internship is that most of them are unpaid. This makes the situation difficult for people who need a significant amount of payment at the end of the month to pay their bills. Also, if you don’t fit into the usual demographic of an intern, which is a twenty something college student, it may be more difficult for you to secure an internship. However, I recommend you not to give up and keep trying. There is even a movie about this. Two salesmen in their mid-forties, who are looking to change their careers, apply for an internship at Google for a shot at full-time employment. Nevertheless, they achieve their dreams at the end and secure a full-time position at Google. There is no reason why you cannot be like these guys. If you brand yourself correctly and have the right attitude, there is no reason why employers don’t consider you. Remember people hire people and not resumes. If you decide that making an internship is the solution for you to fulfill your dreams, then, network and talk to professionals in that field. Networking is the key in securing an internship. If you have the right network, it can help you in a greater way by giving you access to more people who are actually working for specific companies that you are targeting and who can refer you to their companies. This greatly increases your chances of achieving your dreams, and it is also good for the employee referring you because he or she may get a financial reward if you get hired.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

6 Ways to Help Line Managers Support Parents-to-be

6 Ways to Help Line Managers Support Parents-to-be A surprising number of line managers are a little daunted by the prospect of having a conversation with an employee who’s announced they are having a child. Even those with children of their own. It can seem like a bit of a minefield, but it doesn’t have to be. There are some simple steps you can take to help equip them and ensure the experience is a positive one all round for the employee, the line manager and your companies retention rates. 1. Keep them informed on policies lAn employee sharing the news they’re becoming a parent can often be better informed than their line manager. They’ve had time to think about it before announcing the news. A line manager doesn’t need to be an expert to handle this well. They just need to know the headlines and where to go to find out more. The key things here are: Understanding the key policies what the maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave policies are, both the legal entitlements and any company specific benefits such as enhanced pay Being aware of any other benefits such as a childcare voucher scheme, the option to add a child to your health insurance or a parent network and any key support it offers (such as workshops to help manage the transition)z 2. Provide guidance for the first meeting The first meeting is key in setting the tone. The employee is likely to be feeling a little daunted so a Line Manager who can confidently guide them through will be hugely appreciated. It’s also likely to make all subsequent conversations a lot easier. At this stage the key things to understand are: Process what the formal process is for requesting leave i.e. what forms and when Ante-natal appointments what the company policy is for ante-natal appointments and how time off will be managed Benefits what the key benefits are and where to go if they have any questions which at this stage typically focus on pay, what happens to pensions and share save schemes whilst on leave and how and when to sign up for voucher schemes, parent networks etc. I also always recommend landing the message that the employee can be open, discuss any concerns and ideally plan together how and when they communicate their news to the rest of the team. 3. Make them aware of any support offered during pregnancy Many firms already have policies or benefits in place and simple things can go a long way in making employees feel their employer is looking out for them. These will be company specific but may include: Workstation assessment â€" which will obviously will vary widely depending on the role and need to be managed sensitively Pregnancy Parking â€" an increasing number of organisations with on site parking are now offering accessible parking spaces at the later stages of pregnancy Pregnancy yoga/massage again many larger firms with on site gyms are now offering pregnancy yoga classes or have massage services 4. Ensure they support the employee as they prepare to go on leave There will be a natural tendency to focus on what tasks need to be completed before an employee goes on extended leave for both the employee and the line manager. It’s worth making sure they are also thinking about: Handover planning creating a handover plan together which includes informing key stakeholders and ensuring any interim cover has all they need Final date agreeing how this will be communicated to the rest of the team Checking in regularly to see how the employee is feeling, particularly in the later months and if appropriate adjusting their leaving plan. Some pregnant mums for example find it helpful to use annual leave to make those final weeks shorter and “ramp down” or change their hours to avoid rush hour. 5. Encourage them to think ahead to the employees absence and return BEFORE they go on leave It’s tempting to just focus on the handover and cover needed however I think of this as a golden time in having open and honest conversations about absence and return. It’s much harder to do this once an employee is on leave, has a small baby to occupy them and is potentially feeling a little isolated. Encourage your line managers to use their judgment and sound out employees on the following: Contact during leave â€" do they want to remain in contact during leave, and if so how? Do they want to know about major developments in the workplace or be involved in team socials? Return date â€" whilst legally there is no requirement for the employee to notify their employee until 8 weeks before they want to come back I always encourage line managers to be ready and open to discussing it if the employee brings it up it’s helpful on both sides. Flexible working â€" the same goes for flexible working and by this I don’t just mean part-time. With very few exceptions parents need some flexibility, even if informal. KIT days â€" employers and employees have the option to agree to up to 10 “Keeping in Touch” days for maternity and adoption leave, and 20 for Shared Parental Leave. They can be a really effective way of ramping back up (and trialling childcare), and making sure the employee doesn’t miss out on key events like team off sites. Annual leave â€" those on Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave accrue annual leave. Are both the employee and line manager happy with them returning with up to a year’s extra holiday to use or is it better to tag some or all onto their leave? 6. Ensure they are ready for their return It’s easy to assume you don’t need to do anything for a returning employee, they’re not new, but for most returning parents it’s a big event so to ensure it runs smoothly it’s worth encouraging line managers to: Review changes consider anything that could be disruptive or unsettling such as an office move, new team members or structure, or new team objectives Check practicalities is the technology and workstation equipment set up and ready? Will their emails, mobile phone and access rights have been reconnected? Plan their first day / week back consider arranging a 121 on their first day back to talk through their re-integration and any concerns they have, introducing them to new team members and scheduling catch ups with key stakeholders This all sounds great but how do you get these messages across? Leaders in the field now provide dedicated workshops for line managers. If you have the scale to support a programme like this I highly recommend it. Not only for the line managers themselves and the benefit they get from being able to discuss concerns and questions openly with others in the same boat but also because of the impact this has on employees seeing this has been made a priority. However not everyone has the scale to do this and even if they do I always recommend creating a simple “at-a-glance” written guide as well. Given the time sensitivity they may not have to deal with this for years and then suddenly need the information very quickly it can be hugely reassuring to have to hand. Employees will nearly always mention their line manager when being asked about their experiences of going on extended leave when becoming a parent. And the responses tend to be along the lines of either “I was lucky, they got it…” or “They didn’t have a clue..”. By creating some simple pointers you can create a lot more consistency across your organisation and really make a difference all round. About the author: Catherine Oliver is the founder of Parents@Sky and co-founder of Sky’s Women in Leadership initiative. She has recently founded the Bluebell Partnership, a consultancy to help guide businesses through the challenges of setting up their own working parent and women in leadership programmes.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

9 ways to stay safe during Freshers - Debut university

9 ways to stay safe during Freshers - Debut university This post was written by an external contributor.  Elisabeth Griffiths has nine ways for all students to stay safe during those initial nights out in Freshers.   Freshers can be the most adrenaline-filled week you go through during your first year of university.  It’s the time to meet people, sign up to a hundred societies and â€" for a lot of new students â€" to drink a lot. I’m not going to tell you not to drink, because… well, you probably wouldn’t need this if you weren’t planning to!  All I want to do is to offer a few tips and tricks on staying safe while you’re getting your Freshers groove on. Drink plenty of water During my time at uni, I always kept a simple two litre bottle of water by my bed and tried to drink as much of it as possible before I fell asleep after a heavy night, especially if I hadn’t had enough water while I was out. You’ll hear this tip everywhere, and that’s for a good reason! Avoid the hangovers and messy nights with this simple adjustment. Know your limits You may have already been going on nights out for a while, but you may be brand new to drinking too. Try to ease yourself in and avoid the temptation to go all-out your very first night at uni! Pro tip: if you’ve just done a shot and you’re not feeling it, don’t jump straight into five more. Expecting to feel the alcohol immediately and drinking hard until you do is likely to end badly. Believe me. I’ve been there. Don’t rely on your “Freshers friends” Friends from home who you’ve known for years might be willing to peel you out of the gutter and persuade a taxi driver to take you home, but someone you’ve known for two days probably isn’t going to. Aim to never let yourself get into the state where you can’t get yourself home if you need to. But if it does happen, keep on reading for how to stay safe in this event. Dont feel pressured into sex No matter what anyone says, you dont need to hook up with someone right away if you dont wish to. Of course if you do want to,  always use protection. You don’t want any unexpected surprises during your first year, trust me. Your SU will have somewhere you can go to pick up free condoms so it’s worth a quick trip to make sure you’re being safe. Go out with a society If you’re out with a society group, there are usually older students around who you can go to if you’d had too much to drink. They’ll be keeping an eye on “their” freshers and will be there for you if you’ve had a bad night or just need a friendly face to depend on. Be warned, though university societies are notorious for their initiation rites for freshers, so it’s worth checking with friendly older society members what you might have to go through if you do end up joining. Be there for your new friends Just as there may be nights when you have had too much drink and need someone to look after you, try to be there for your new friends if they’ve had more to drink than you. If they’re halfway decent people, they’ll do the same for you when the roles are reversed. If they don’t, then you know who to move on from when Freshers is over! Know what your options are for getting home Check out your Student Union’s website and social media platforms in advance to see what’s on offer and what deals the uni have done to help you. When I was at Cardiff Uni, for example, they had an agreement with a reliable taxi service where a student could always call a taxi to come and pick you up even if you didn’t have any money on you, and then you could go into the SU the next day and pay it back. Get someone to keep an eye on you virtually It’s usually a bad idea to walk or take a taxi home alone, but sometimes you can’t avoid it. Luckily WhatsApp now has a Live Location feature, so if you’re stuck in this situation get hold of a sober friend, a parent, anyone you trust to watch over you. Tell them your planned route, start broadcasting your location, and if you stop or deviate from your planned route, they’ll know something’s wrong. If you’ve just paused for some chips, then you can message them so they don’t call the police and cause a ruckus at the fried chicken van. Try to take the following night off There’s no shame in having a night in with pizza getting to know new flatmates and recharging your batteries, and you’ll feel much more ready to party the next night! Worried about Freshers or just want to talk about what might be coming your way? Check out our University Life  section or drop us a line on social. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

How to Make the Most of Your Work Day

How to Make the Most of Your Work Day What exactly is it that allows certain people to be their most productive self at work? If the three cups of coffee you drink every morning is no longer doing the trick, then maybe you need to try a different approach. Below are some ways to help make sure you are getting the most out of your workday with a little less grief. Make your morning count Instead of checking your emails, and phone calls as soon as you wake up, try to refrain yourself from doing so right away. Going through those messages may seem like a constructive way to get a head start on the day, but in reality, it allows you to react to other’s agendas, rather than setting your own. Instead, framework your own priorities. Do so by putting aside one hour every morning to set your agenda. How you start the first hour of your day will determine how much you have accomplished by the last. With that being said, allocate that first hour planning out your objectives, fitting in a work out or meditation and finishing with a healthy breakfast. Not only will these efforts increase your focus, they’ll also provide you with the boost of energy you’ll need to get more done in less time. Dress the part The type of clothes you wear and how you accessorize can say a lot about who you are, where you’re from, what you do and how you feel about yourself, as well as others. In fact, dress scholars Mary Ellen Roach and Joanne Eicher, find that our attire is one of the main ways we send social signals because what we wear reveals our true identity. If you dress for success, chances are you will feel more effective and therefore be more productive. Believe it or not, color can play a huge roll in what we wear. For example, the color black signifies power and professionalism while yellows give off happiness and optimism. Based on the impression you’d like to portray, select colors that will embody these traits. Same goes with fit and styling. If you have a baggy suit, or dress pants on, theres a chance you won’t come off professional and as a result, won’t be taken as seriously as someone with a more tailored attire. You don’t need to break the bank to have nice clothes either. In fact, shopping your local thrift stores or browsing online consignment shops such as thredUP can benefit you in more ways than one. Not only will you be saving money, but you’ll be able to shop top brands such as Madewell at an affordable price and stock your closet with fashionable finds! Don’t put off daunting tasks It’s no secret that one of the hardest parts of working is simply getting started. Sure, it may sound like a good idea to perform your easy tasks first, however, the longer you put something off, the harder it is to dive in at your full potential. The more you put something off that you already don’t want to do, the less likely you are to do it later in the day as fatigue sets in. So, don’t put off your most daunting tasks. Do yourself a favor and complete them first. An upside to this will be that once you have completed your intimidating workload, you will have gained the necessary motivation to accomplish your smaller assignments, that will now seem like a breeze! Dismiss distractions Let’s face it, we all get distracted at least once throughout the day, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you fall victim to it. However, there are ways we can diminish these distractions by incorporating simple efforts into our everyday. First, try scheduling out your day. We all have certain times of the day where we are more productive, therefore schedule your most important work for these times to give yourself a greater advantage. Scheduling out your to-dos can help you to stay on task, whether its a meeting, or remembering to meet a deadline. As much as we’d like to think so, we dont multitask as well as we think we do. Therefore, when its time to get in the zone, try to block out any distractions on your screen if possible. Get rid of the extra icons, windows, notifications and other desktop clutter that you dont need. The fewer things you have open, the easier it will be to focus. If you work in an open office setting and people can be a distraction, consider wearing a good pair of headphones to block out the side conversations that may arise.

Friday, May 8, 2020

How to Write Minor in College Courses For Your Resume

How to Write Minor in College Courses For Your ResumeHave you ever thought about how to write minor in college courses? Even if you have, you probably don't know how to do it.One of the things that you will need to know when you are writing up your minor courses is that it should be a long term thing. If you want to do it for one semester or even one year, then you have to make sure that you have a very strong justification for doing it. Your professor should approve of your case and you should know that it's a strong enough reason for you to continue. This is something that your professor should ask for and then approve of before you start your studies.Even though you know that minor courses will be up for study for one semester or for one year, you can't always tell how long they will last. What your school may allow you to do is for you to do them for one semester. You can do them for this time frame and then you can continue on after that. You will then have the option of continu ing your education at your current university after that.You should realize that you might not get all of the money that you are going to get at the end of the entire semester. This is why you should really start your classes as soon as possible. They usually do not let you drop any classes until a certain period of time has passed. You have to do these classes when you can.Your resume will usually have information that is related to your minor coursework and this should always be on there. This information should include what your major is and the name of the professor who approved you for the class. It should also include information about your grade. It should state your major and the length of the course.When you have listed all of the different things that you have done and the specific course that you are doing for this year, then it will be very easy for your employer to know exactly what you have done. They can see that you did the class because it was needed and it will hel p them decide whether or not you should be hired. The information on your resume can only be helpful so you will need to make sure that you have taken care of everything on it.No matter what your major is, you have to make sure that you list all of the different things that you have done and put it on your resume. If you need to do something for your university, then that is also something that should be listed on your resume. You will have to show that you are a hard worker. Some employers will not even look at your resume without the information that is on it.