All posts in Jobs & Money

I’ve been on both sides of the CV situation – I’ve had to compile one to send to a potential employers and I’ve had CVs sent to me for potential employment and over the years I’ve noticed a number of things and it’s being on both sides that has inspired me to write this post, which I hope will help you when you’re applying for your next job.

The first thing I notice about CVs is that most of them never get opened. Think about it like this – You send your CV through to a company, who receives it? The Boss? Definitely not, his PA, Operations Manager or someone else will receive them and then screen them. That said, you know what it’s like receiving 50 CVs and having to go through all of them whilst doing all the other daily duties? Big mission. So, with that in mind, you can imagine how many CVs don’t even get opened!

My first piece of advice would be to create a CV that is somewhat different to the usual 2 or 3 pages of black text on white paper. I’ve seen designers and creative people do amazing things, from amazing front cover designs to videos and so forth, but not all of us are able to operate Photoshop like it’s a kettle. So, what do you do? Think outside the box, everyone can be creative, I find that those who think they can’t be, only aren’t because they’re lazy and/or scared to try. What about sending your CV through in an envelope and including an item. I once read about someone who put a dice in the envelope and this specific dice had “6″ on each of the 6 sides of the dice and the applicants opening letter said something along the lines of, “I like to stack the odds in my favour” – Now that’s clever and I can assure you that the person who received the CV opened it!

This leads me to my next point, how to deliver your CV. In this day and age, sending a CV off via email is a piece of cake, you compose an email, put in the delivery address, a subject, some opening paragraph and attach the CV. Simple? No. Here are some points to think about:

1. What subject do you use?
2. What file format do you save your CV in?
3. Is email even a good idea?

And my thoughts on each one:

1. In a lot of job employment opportunity adverts, they actually state what your email subject should be. This is obviously to make the agencies life easier because they’ll be able to identify applications quickly and easily, but what if they’re doing that so they can filter all the CVs into a specific folder – How often have you seen the same website advertising the same jobs for years on end? Quite often if you ask me, and because of this, they’re potentially just collecting CVs for when they do need to employ someone, it’s clever, but as the applicant, it means your email will get filter and never seen, so perhaps change the subject so it doesn’t include what they’ve asked. Of course, this is a gamble you have to take, so flip the coin and see where you get to. Alternatively, send the first application with the correct subject and then send another a few days later ;) If they haven’t asked for a specific subject, be creative and to the point, make sure you include “CV”, “Resume”, “Job Application” so that they know what it is, but add something creative into the mix to catch the eye of the receiver.
2. In my experience, the very best file format is .pdf – A huge number of people send CVs in .doc or .docx format and for those companies that don’t use Microsoft products, your CV might not be openable and will be quickly deleted, hardly anyone will take the trouble to convert it. Sending your CV in .pdf format allows it to be opened on Windows machines, Mac’s and most Linux distro’s – This may seen logical, but trust me, not everyone realises this.
3. I think email is lazy, it might be new age, but it’s lazy and in most cases it will get filed away forever. Write your CV, print it and post it; even better, drop it off at the agency and see if you can make face contact with someone at the company, so they can link a face to your name when they open it. Get on the phone, ask if you can drop your CV off and then introduce yourself, not everyone’s like me, but to me that shows dedication and keenness.

Perhaps you’re in a situation where you aren’t hugely creative and you have no option but to email your CV, then perhaps you need some inspiration. Here are some great resources:

1. 30 artistic and creative resumes
2. 36 beautiful resume ideas that work
3. How to create a great web design CV
4. What makes a great cover letter?
5. 45 creative resumes to seize attention

So there you go, those are some of my thoughts about writing a CV that will at least get opened. I can’t assure you that they’re like what they read, but I can tell you that if you use these tips and ideas that your CV will get opened by more potential employers!

Good luck!

Got a tip, leave us a comment please.

Everyone knows that the technology industry is highly lucrative, but can you imagine what it would be like to have BILLIONS of dollars? I certainly can’t, but these guys could:

• Bill Gates – Microsoft – $54 billion
• Larry Ellison – Oracle – $27 billion
• Larry Page & Sergey Brin – Google – $15 billion each
• Michael Dell – Dell – $14 billion
• Steve Ballmer – Microsoft – $13.1 billion
• Jeff Bezos – Amazon – $12.6 billion
• Mark Zuckerberg – $12.5 billion
• James Goodnight – SAS – $6.9 billion
• Steve Jobs – $6.1 billion
• Pierre Omidyar – eBay – $5.5 billion

It must be a weird feeling knowing that there’s almost nothing that you can’t buy!

As we head into Budget 2011/2012, I want to share with you a “Budget Truth” that persists from one tax year to the next. You may not remember a word from the Budget speech, but don’t forget this enduring truth:

The bulk of the changes are going to affect middle and higher income taxpayers, a minority that have to subsidise the majority of the population.

Examples

• Clampdown on remuneration structuring
• Withdrawal of fringe benefit perks
• Limitation of deductions against employment income
• Introduction of capital gains tax
• Introduction of most new taxes, levies and duties
• Nominal distribution of tax relief

Until the tax base and permanent employment are significantly bumped up, say by 10-20 million, I don’t expect the golden goose to be freed from the tax cage.

What do you think?

This week, I’m honoured to be speaking at the World HRD Congress in Mumbai and receiving a HR strategic leadership award. My presentation, Smart Reward Strategies – Authentically Attract and Retain Talent is based upon the book of the same name.

From 2008-2010, many employers restructured ruthlessly and destroyed the psychological contract with their staff. Employees have been biding their time, waiting for better opportunities in the market.

As the economy gathers momentum, employers are going to watch their disengaged, but talented staff, walk out the front door.  To attract and retain talent employers, will need to radically differentiate their value proposition, provide customised rewards, structure total rewards instead of remuneration and go beyond traditional “pat on the back” type recognition.

You can download a free chapter from the book here

Are your new year resolutions sliding away – changing your career, getting another job, navigating the dark side at work or making more money? Grab a coffee and go through these favourite career boosters:

Career

7 Big Career Questions

Are you climbing the wrong corporate ladder?

Job

Are you young and unemployed?

Is your boss killing you?

What would happen if you resigned today?

Money

What are the benefits of cost to company packages for your pocket?

5 Travel Allowance Myths

So, you’ve blown your bonus on Turducken and Trifle ingredients, now what? The next pay day is a long, long way away and making ends meet might prove difficult.

Let’s take a look at some top tips to help you make it until your next pay check arrives.

1. Use the leftovers: South Africans seem to do everything tenfold, this of course includes the cooking of Christmas lunches. With so much food around, be sure to take advantage of it. Instead of keeping in your fridge, put some leftovers in your freezer in order to ensure it doesn’t go off. There are a variety of leftover recipes available on the internet, read up on these and use them. Spice them up with whatever you like but save on food as much as possible.
2. Set up a budget: now that all your shopping has been done, see how much money you have left and write down what you still have to pay. Try cut down where you can and, if you need to, negotiate a rate with your bank so that you can reduce your credit card or store card repayments for the month.
3. Walk, don’t drive or use public transport: it’s summer time in sunny South Africa so why not take advantage of it? If you don’t need to drive to the shops, then don’t. If you are going to the beach (or even the shops), use public transport. This will not only save on petrol but also help with those nagging parking garage fees you have to pay.
4. Do some extra work: just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean you can’t take on an odd job. If you know you are going to struggle, then why not do some extra work? It could be something as casual as babysitting, which is in high demand over the festive season, or maybe working at your local video store or helping out at a catering company, whatever it is, the extra cash will come in very handy.
5. Entertain at home on New Year’s Eve: don’t go out to a party for New Years, this will not only cost you in entrance fees and drinks, but it could also cost you your life or time in jail. Drinking and entraining at home for your New Year’s celebration is not only more affordable, it is also the safer option. Invite your friends over for a braai and tell them to bring their own booze, buy a couple bottles of champagne and you’re good to go.

Christmas is coming up and perhaps you know someone who’s filthy rich and you’re not sure what to get for them. Well, this video might give you some ideas, then again, you might need to be a billionaire in order to buy the gifts ;)

Pocket change ;)