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CV writing

Help to get started with writing a CV that gets you that interview

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CV writing

How to write a great personal statement for your CV

how to write a personal statement for your CV

With more people looking to change their career mid-way through life, they want to know how to write their CV in 2023.

Why do I need a personal statement?

The personal statement on your CV is your introduction to a potential employer. It’s the first thing they’re going to read about you, so  you want it to be good. Yes, I know what you’re thinking – it’s very hard to sell yourself and what you’re good at, but that’s what your personal statement needs to do.

This post has been written to give you a few pointers.

The personal statement is a summary of you, your experience and skillset, convincing an employer to read on. That you’re the right person for their job vacancy. 

Related posts: How to write a CV to change career

                          How to write about work experience in a CV

What should be in my personal statement?

Your personal statement is the first introduction to you, your skills and experience. It should be a summary of your experience and a few of your key skills.

Your personal statement, like all part of your CV, should be changed according to the job you’re applying for.

What should I write if I want to change industry, but don't have experience of it?

If you plan to work in a new industry, you can write your personal statement with: 

  • A few transferrable skills that you have and can use in the industry you’d like to work in 
  • A summary of your experience
  • What you plan

Example of a personal statement

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Example of a personal statement for a career change

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And when you've finished....

  • Think of someone you know to read it over for you
  • Check words are spelt correctly and it makes sense
  • Check your personal statement includes some skills included from the job spec
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CV writing

How to describe work experience on a resume

how to write about your work experience on a CV

Knowing how to write about your work experience and show your achievements to an employer can seem like a daunting task. There isn’t much space to write everything, so every word has to count.

No need to worry – all you need to know is right here.

Layout and format

Your resume only needs to be a 2-page document, so every word matters!

This is not  the time to be writing lots of paragraphs. When you describe work experience on your resume, it needs to be concise and get to the key points. This will make it easy for the employer to quickly scan through your work experience and see what you have done.

Write each job starting with the job title, then employer, on one line.

Underneath, write the dates you started and finished your employment. The details of the tasks can be written as bullet points – no need for full sentences. Recruiters don’t have time to read lots of details, so make it easy for them.

how to describe work experience on a resume

Start with your most recent job

Start with the job you do now and work your way backwards in order of dates.

For example:

Mentor – May 2008 – May 2012

Advisor – April 2005 – April 2008

Every month or date should follow on.

Gap in employment?

If there was a period when you were unemployed or on long-term sick leave, add this in with the dates, including month and year.

You can find out more about how to explain gaps in employment here.

 

List achievements, rather than tasks

Rather than writing about what you did in a job, try to write about you achieved as much as possible.

It’s hard to think how best to describe the responsibilities in your job. If you had a retail job, you may think that all you were doing was working at the checkout, stacking shelves and helping customers. While it’s important to include these, try to think about all of the customers you helped quickly, how you had to work under pressure.

In an office job, you might have been updating information,  working with IT programmes and managing emails. You could describe this work experience as:

‘Managing emails, setting up automated processes, automating email responses and organising emails by client name to save time and create filters.’

This shows that you are doing more than just a job – you were helping your employer save time and run more efficiently.

These are the the ways 

Use actions verbs to describe tasks

Use words that demonstrate  the actions you took, which show the skills you have. If you have worked in admin, you might want to use words, such as: 

– Processed

– Collated

– Organised

If you have worked in retail, you could use words such as: 

– Communicated

– Managed

– Handled

So, instead of saying ‘I updated a spreadsheet’, you could say 

‘Collated information and organised it onto a spreadsheet and shared with the team for everyone to update.’

This explains what you did and how it helped everyone.

Use numbers or percentages wherever possible

This is one aspect I learned to include as much as possible early on in how to describe work experience on a resume. 

As much as you can, think about how your work achieved a saving or helped save an amount of time for colleague.

For example:

Instead of: ‘I worked with a number of businesses and built positive relationships’, write:

‘I increased partnership working by 10% establishing solid, positive partnerships with local businesses contributing to overall company goal of boosting partners.’

What if I haven't worked for a long time?

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What if I want to work in a different industry?

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career change
CV writing

4 signs you need a career change

That slight droop of your shoulders on Sunday night when you think about sloping into work Monday morning.

The dread sinking over you like a soggy blanket about that horrible to-do list.

Are you losing the joy or contentment over your work that you used to have?

You might be getting bored at work or not feeling challenged enough.

One minute, you feel stimulated, motivated and get on with the job asked of you, the next, you don’t.

But how do you know if it’s just a phase, a little change to your job, or if you actually need a whole new career?

So you leave it for a while, try to be positive and get on with things.

Then, months down the line, you find yourself lagging, never having enough energy and finding yourself swearing in your head at Rita in finance for her constant whinging.

But, how do you know if you just need a new challenge in your job or if you need a whole new career change?

Here are some sure-fire signs to know if you need a career change:

Sign 1 — Feeling of dread

No matter how much you like your job, there will always be tasks you don’t look forward to. Tasks you don’t prefer to do — that’s normal. When I worked in housing, I hated the mundane task of completing a health and safety check, but I knew it needed to be done.

But this feeling of dread takes another level — it’s every day, glaring and staring you in the face.

It starts Sunday afternoon at the thought of Monday.

Then Monday morning at the thought of leaving the house.

Having to face the colleague constantly on your case because that report is overdue.

Sign 2 — You have the stares

You stare at the screen blankly before sending an email.

Glaze over in team meetings.

Or notice the frown lines on your colleague, Henry’s face, in a team meeting and how he could really do with a nose trim more than the impending deadline he’s banging on about.

Glazing over is not just a sign you’re tired. It can come from a deep feeling of dissatisfaction and discontent that what you do isn’t interesting to you anymore.

Sign 3 — Excessive procrastination

You spend time secretly looking at job sites on your phone during working hours.

You find yourself wanting to sneak off to the bathroom more or look for a reason to get up rather than do that task.

If you have a job where you don’t have your phone on you, do you keep reading through company news on the intranet in the hope it’s more interesting than the task you have to work on.

Sign 4 — Pressure over joy

Instead of feeling excited about a new project, you feel pressure at the thought of more work!

It used to be enough that you didn’t earn as much as you would like to, since the job gave you so much satisfaction that it made it worth it. But…it just doesn’t seem to be enough now.

These feelings don’t just happen overnight – they build up over a prolonged period of time. That’s why recognising that you are discontent in your job isn’’t always immediate.

So, now you recognise some signs, what are the next steps to take?

Ask yourself these questions –

What is it about your job that makes you stress/worried or give that deep sigh before you even get to work? How often are you feeling like this? Is it nearly every day?

Think about if this is the job you still enjoy doing. Is it what you wanted to do when you left school, is it the different to the job you wanted?

Identify what is bugging you about the job. There are some things that, if you change them, they would make you feel better about the job again.

Ask yourself if you took away the stressful parts of the job, would you still enjoy the work itself?

Do you like the employer you work for? You may not need to change industry, but you might want to change the type of company you work for.

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office clique
CV writing

Feeling left out at work? Here are some strategies to help you handle the office clique

office clique

Feeling left out at work? Here's some tips on dealing with the classic office clique

We all know the office clique….the crowd of people who meet to chat and don’t include you in the conversation if you’re not…like them. Lunchtimes walking in the staff room and sitting with people who not only  ignore you, but stop the conversation abruptly as if you’ve told them their dog has died.

It can feel very isolating. 

And, since work is where you spend most of your time, isolated an left out is the last thing you want to be made to feel. In turn, it’s nice to get at little bit of respect from your colleagues, too.

Most of us can relate to that gut-wrenching feeling from a group of people who make it clear you’re not ‘part’ of their group. 

The dreaded clique.

These groups can strike anywhere and cause all sorts of workplace barriers, conflicts and toxic energy.

So what’s the best way of dealing with them so that it doesn’t stop you hating your job?

Here are some tips to manage clique groups at work: 

Be friendly - but you don’t have to be friends

No matter how cold or rude they’re coming across, be friendly – even if they ignore  you, It says more about them than it does about you. By being pleasant, you’re demonstrating that you’re professional and friendly, as well as adaptable to others.

If they’re friendly back, all the better, but that doesn’t mean you need to become friends – why would you want to be friends with people who exclude others? 

Handy tip: If you’re unsure of what to say, pay someone in the group a compliment. These always make people feel good, can be unexpected and can help break the ice. 

Avoid the gossip

It can be tempting to listen in to their gossip, especially if you want to try and be part of their group, but it’s never a good idea.  
It can also be tempting to tell the office clique  something you know that will get their attention on you.  The boss’ new partner, the cute IT technician – it would make you very popular if you shared something they didn’t know.

But what would seem great in one moment might not do you any favours long-term.

It won’t be so great if you want that promotion in the future.

Handy tip: Listen in, but busy yourself with a task on your computer so that you’re not at any point tempted to join in. This way, you get to know the gossip, but not CREATE the gossip.

 

Get involved in team projects

Getting involved with a one-off project or task your boss has asked people to volunteer for, can be a great idea. Not only will it make you stand out as someone who takes on extra projects, it’s also a healthy way of getting to know other staff members – including part of the office clique. This way, you can get to know individuals when they’re away from the group.

So, when the boss asks staff to volunteer for a project, such as sorting out the Christmas party, put your hand up and go ahead! 

Handy tip: Make extra effort to get to know individuals you end up working with. Without their clique, they may be completely different, and it will help ease any tension between you.

Don’t Be Intimidated

The clique group don’t often speak to others outside of their group. I recall it being very intimidating to approach somebody in the group to ask them a question – they were rude and made you feel like you were beyond them.

You’re not – remember that.

It’s their insecurities, their problem. Unfortunately, people who become part of the clique show they’re not well-rounded enough to speak with different people.

 Unlike you, who knows plenty of people in your company, speaks to everyone and is quite content being on your own, as well as in a group. You don’t need to be part of a clique to feel secure in yourself and that’s a very good thing.

Make Friends With the Clique Members

When the clique members are on their own, you may find that they act differently. When not surrounded in their usual group, it can be easier to start a conversation or to break the ice a bit. Once you’ve done this with one person, the next time you see them in their group, you can say hello and they may introduce you to others in the group. Again, this doesn’t mean you have to become friends and join the group, but by at least becoming on friendly terms with some of the group, you won’t feel so secluded or that the group has such a negative impact on you at work.

Handy tip: Think of something you’re good at in work and offer to help somebody if they’re struggling. I once helped a clique member with formatting a document and this helped ease up struggling conversation between us.

As a clique member, often they don’t generally speak to many people outside of their group and tend to group together often. Then there’s you, who doesn’t have a set group and instead has colleagues from different departments that you speak to and get on with.

Feel proud that you’re a rounded enough person that you can create positive and healthy relationships with people from different backgrounds.

 Handy tip: You can always share your feelings about the clique with someone you trust. This will help to unload your feelings and, you never know, there may be others who feel the same way!

 

Ask the Boss for Team Building and Conflict Resolution

When it feels like you’re trying to make inroads with the clique but getting nowhere, you can feel at a dead-end. Even though you’re doing all you can to be friendly, professional and get on with your work, you may still feel like the negativity emitting from the clique is really bugging you. It may even cause you to be less productive in your work.

Try speaking with your manager about the situation and how it’s making you feel. If your manager’s good at their job, what they should already be doing is taking actions to get different staff members to work together, and organising team building workshops and similar time out from work for staff to mingle and strengthen their relationships.

However, if you feel like this just isn’t happening, it may be worth asking for this from your manager.

Handy tip: If you’re feeling brave enough, you can try asserting yourself by confronting one of the clique members in the midst of their inappropriate conversation or comments about somebody else. You can do this in a professional way in front of one or two other staff members. This tells them that what they’re saying isn’t right, but in a constructive and professional way and might even make them think twice next time.

The clique group doesn’t need to be a group that stops you from succeeding at work or in your career, but there are ways of managing the issues so that  you can get on positively in your job.

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CV writing

How to write a powerful personal statement

Struggling to write that all-important personal statement? 

Writing the introduction or personal statement for your CV can be tough, especially if you haven’t applied for a new job or want to change industry or apply for a new role you have less experience of.

What does my personal statement need to include?

To start with, it should be a summary of around 3-5 sentences. This should be made up of:

  • Who you are and the role you’re doing now

  • A few soft skills you have, which you can bring to the role you are applying for

  • Summarising your experience in industry

  • Finalise by stating what you’re looking for

For example:

I have more than 5 years’ experience in the hospitality industry working with customers in a busy environment, providing a high standard of service.

More than 10 years’ experience in social care / construction / retail – then state the type of role you have been doing.

Next. you can add in a one or two achievements you have had over your time working.

The last sentence can state what  you are now looking for, such as:

I am looking for a new role to increase my experience / develop my skills / bring value to a team helping clients.

Been unemployed for a while? Summarise how many years’ experience you have in a particular industry or role.

Use some soft skills to state what you can bring to an employer – good communicator, punctual, reliable, interpersonal skills

Don’t worry, you’ve got this!

To wrap up, here are some key points to remember when writing your personal statement:

Make every statement personal to the job you are applying for.

To do this, look at the job spec of the role you’re applying for and some of the key skills they’re looking for.

Aim to use some of these in your personal statement.

Add in a work-related achievement

If you’ve provided a high level of customer care in your last role, mention it. 

Suggested a better way of doing things in your last job? Say what it was and how it improved a way of working.

Start with what you can bring to the role

Always share the skills and  experience you can bring to the role, rather than what you can get out of it.

Then say what you are looking to get from it – build experience, gain knowledge, progress in the industry, etc.

What if I’m applying for a new role I don’t have much experience in? 

If you’re applying for a new role, consider: 

  • Transferrable skills – good communication, marketing experience, customer service.
  • Experience you may have in the industry, even if in a different role.
  • Acknowledge it – state that  you are looking for a new challenge, you want to develop and your reasons for wanting the role.

Need your CV to be reviewed before sending it off? 

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