• Principle format? – Written CV, portfolio, video, niche software etc - know your audience
• Increasingly with the development of the digital market, and certainly within creative industries, there is a movement away from conventional Consider who you are presenting to and what are their expectations. Create something bespoke if this highlights your skills in a stronger way. In the future, Corporate functions will move further away from the traditional CV but it’s still the preferred format, and established process for now.
• 3 pages is now accepted as the norm; more than this and you may be including detail from an early career that detracts from your current experiences.
• Do consider that if you don’t grab attention on page 1 you may not have the opportunity for them to find the key aspects on pages 2 or 3.
• Do consider LinkedIN as an extension of your If you introduce yourself via LinkedIN for a role, the reviewer will probably look at your LinkedIN profile for further background.

Impact

Personal details – name, email, contact number Personal profile – Show the passion you have for your profession, your areas of focus and interest. This is the readers first introduction to you; make it sound individual… four lines that summarise you professionally. Ask colleagues and network connections for phrases that summarise you.

Key Achievements 

• These are not Key Skills but should incorporate the same Key skills are often presented just as words. These are largely meaningless unless they relate to specific technology, systems, or key words potentially essential in a specific role, beyond those that can naturally be assumed you will possess.
• Key achievements should always be tailored for a specific role, and are key skills demonstrated through outcomes. They may be different for certain Consider your 6 most impactful achievements.
• Key achievements will be drawn from beyond your current role and will allow you to highlight aspects from a previous role on the first page.
• All must be measurable, detailed, but Numbers to highlight improvements, development, success etc should be included.
• To help identify key achievements, consider what are those examples you would most often use during an interview, what qualities do they demonstrate.

Current role (final 1/3^rd of page 1) – Company name, dates, role title

• Brief description of role, reporting line, reports, budgetary responsibility etc; scale and context are relevant here (or that which is factually relevant to you and the role you are going for)
• Build all responsibilities into achievements beyond this with a measurable outcome wherever possible; this role is likely to be the most relevant to the role you’re applying for, so go into detail.
• Consider the range of competencies your achievements cover. Do these reflect your full range of competencies, are there other achievements that whilst not as significant do demonstrate the breadth of you and the role you undertook?

Detail 

• Previous roles in chronological order, and detail, as per the current Do remember to move significant achievements into your key achievements on page 1
• Gaps in dates? – include these; detail in one line what the period Some processes require full detail like this, and unexplained gaps could be interpreted as something being masked. Lots of great achievements can be drawn from during these periods, even if not from employment.
• Consider the amount of detail to include, reducing from one role to the Early career summaries can be sufficient to support the early 20-25% of your career; note company, role, dates.

Validation

• Potentially Early Career summary, if not on page 2
• Education and professional qualifications – Make the judgement on which are most relevant to your role currently or your range of skills; some early qualifications are not necessary to include, or only briefly.
• This will be more relevant and important for roles and careers that involve specific technology, systems or

Interests – A highlight for myself, but something that some consider draws people only to those similar to themselves.

• A further opportunity to promote your informal side, a critical aspect in any recruitment Interests can and should be as far ranging as you feel relevant to yourself.
• A favourite of mine - “I love great food, travel and all forms of sport, but with a young family this involves local take outs as I never go out, watching Michael Palin re runs and Ski Sunday as we get ready for bath time”
• NB: Spending time with your family is a duty, not a hobby!!!

Other considerations & tips

• Cover Letter for applications? – An introduction is important, and it is an opportunity to begin to focus your experience on the role, however it is more advisable to tailor the CV to a role than to send a generic CV with a personalised cover note as the 2 documents may not be presented together.
• ‘Blank piece of paper’ – what am I good at, what competencies does this show, when did I achieve them?
• What words have people used to describe me, or shared in feedback – why?
• Tailor and evolve your CV continuously, yes, but feel comfortable reducing detail as you gain more experience. I often speak about my life in Canada, but the work I did there is no longer relevant!!!
• Seek feedback from trusted colleagues and friends that know you
• I haven’t referenced whether to include a photo or not, this is not for me to say and is probably more contentious than any other cv feedback I have gauged in 22 There is no right or wrong, some people want to include this, other don’t – you decide.
• Recognise these are only one set of ideas and options, Google will suggest many more, none are wrong, just remember: know your audience!!

 

As recruitment experts we’re here to help both candidate and client. Sometimes that help can just be a bit of advice, guidance or insight into the market. At other times you might want something a little more thorough or bespoke. We’ve noted some areas of career advice here, but feel free to get in touch for a confidential chat about your specific circumstances; we’d be happy to help.

1 - Do your research

Looking for a new role can be a full time job in itself. Part of this is because you really do need to do your groundwork on each organisation that you apply to. Think about what sort of business issues they will be going through, what sort of plans and goals they have and what kinds of risks they will be facing. Read widely and consider what is happening in the sector, or what their competitors may be up to. Try to understand how the organisation works, what it’s culture and ethos is – an inside track can be very useful! If what you learn makes you feel it’s exactly the sort of place you really want to be, take time to ensure you bring out your most relevant achievements and most appropriate skills on your CV / application and throughout the recruitment process. Make it clear how what you’ve done and who you are as a person make you just right for them and their needs. Good research and a little reflection will help make sure you present yourself in the most attractive light.

2 - Highlight your achievements, not your responsibilities

Taking that next step on the career ladder requires you to sell yourself a little. Whilst it’s ever so easy to prepare a CV based around what you do on a daily basis, most employers are more interested in what you’ve achieved in your role. For example, if you work in Content Marketing, you might want to highlight the impact & coverage your work produced. If you run a Marketing team, you might want to stress the impact of the way you’ve managed your team on the commercial returns. If you're responsible for creative campaigns, focus on the deliverables and the commercial / reputational benefit they have brought. Concentrating on your achievements like this will help differentiate your CV, showcase your relevant successes… and help ensure you get to interview.

3 - First impressions

Your CV is a means to an end; it’s at interview where you’re most able to differentiate yourself. Having done your research on the business and the people, take time to build rapport with your interviewer. Hopefully they’ll be taking time to build rapport with you, too! Like any new relationship, the one with your potential boss is built on first impressions. Whilst you may be confident about your abilities, keen to put across why you’re a great hire, or eager to jump in with some probing questions of your own, don’t forget to put in the groundwork with your interviewer to try to understand them as a person first. Demonstrate too that you have done your research on the business – beyond a scan of their website’s homepage! – and you’ll be off to a good start.

4 - Be on top of your game... Always.

Doing your research, crafting a CV that highlights your most relevant experience and achievements, and building rapport with your interviewer are all key foundations. Get this wrong and you’re fighting against the tide. Get it right and it’s the base from which you can deliver a great performance at interview. Your interview performance is key, so ensure you’re helping yourself by taking some steps to prepare. Make sure you’re ready with strong answers to the sort of questions you’d expect. If part of the role is managing people, have a few good examples to evidence how well you can manage and what that good management means in terms of outcomes; it’s not sufficient to say, ‘yes, I’ve managed before’… your interviewer will want to know how effectively. Make sure you’re also prepared to answers those questions you might not expect – so having some great stock examples / anecdotes to hand that you can draw out to support a range of core competencies, or to back up some of the points you’re wanting to make. Think about those examples that highlight how you work, what you did and what’s different about you… don’t just focus on how things turned out. Always answer clearly, concisely and with impact. How you say what you say is important. Haven’t interviewed for some time? There’s nothing wrong with practising – better to take some time to do this beforehand than try to wing it! Finally, to help make sure you’re on top of your game you’ll want to be confident. It may sound obvious but make sure you are well rested, allow plenty of time for your journey, arrive well presented and with a clear head. With today’s busy lives it’s easy to overload yourself and end up feeling things are rushed or unfocussed – whilst you might get by and do OK anyway, the ‘you on a good day’ has a much better chance!

Artis HR Case Studies

Part Time HR Manager, £40k pro rata, Engineering Firm

The problem

As organisations get bigger they start to require further in-house resource across a range of support functions; whilst this can pose a challenge and potentially a distraction to core business activity it’s clearly a sign of a successful and growing business. Our client had seen strong growth in recent years and as staff numbers increased they’d identified a need for professional on-site HR resource. Due to budget this was deemed a part time role initially… which proved to be a tough recruitment problem.

What we did

Part time roles are often filled from within; e.g. returning mums, restructuring, job-sharing requests or secondment. In this case our client was bringing in a new skill so this wasn’t an option. Our database and network locally was very strong so we reached out to hundreds of people with this lifestyle message. Alongside this we went back to all those people who’d approached us specifically for part time work over the years, plus we searched every HR specific CV database in the UK and we advertised widely. This produced a challenge around response management, but without this thorough reach we wouldn’t have found the mix of skill, experience, location, sector background and fit with our client’s specific part time hours… and our client would have had to settle for second best.

Success!

We presented 4 candidates who all met the brief perfectly. In the end, it came down largely to personality and the client was able to make an offer to their preferred candidate from a shortlist of 4 great people, all of whom would have made a fantastic addition to their business. When recruitment matches meet the needs of both sides so closely as on this occasion we know we’ve done a good job!

OUR CLIENT SAID: “Having decided we needed to bring in some HR expertise, but only on a part time basis initially, we were disappointed with the quality of our own ad response. As a consultancy ourselves we felt a niche specialist might be the answer… Mark found some great people and we’re delighted with the result.” Partner, Engineering consultancy THE CANDIDATE SAID: “Securing a new role around my family commitments was proving difficult, but Mark came to me with this opportunity and it sounded great. A local employer wanting HR expertise on a part time basis was ideal for me.” Part time HR Manager, Engineering consultancy

Artis HR Case Studies

Internal & Change Communications Lead, £400/day, global retailer

The problem

As a major global brand going through significant change, our client was struggling with communications resource for a key transformation programme; their BAU team was stretched and, although there were other interims in the business, none had quite the right mix or experience, gravitas and drive. A very specific sort of person was needed…

What we did

Over the last 10 years we’ve developed a name for ourselves within the change & transformation space, helping mid-to-large corporates manage big people change programmes. Knowing our client well - and knowing what they were going through - we had a pretty clear idea of the sort of person they would need. Sometimes it’s a small world, and on this occasion we knew it was a case of working our database and network to identify people with the right background who were available… then get on the phone to sound them out. Professional interims love a challenge, and soon we’d picked out three who seemed perfect and who were keen to get involved…

Success!

Our client took our steer and met all three; fair to say they were impressed, offering one on the spot and feeding back positively on the other two meetings. Within 10 days their change programme had a Comms Lead in situ… not just a safe pair of hands, but someone who understood their culture too.OUR CLIENT SAID: “A challenging requirement to fill, and we needed some very specific experience. Artis managed to secure someone with exactly the right background… and they’ve hit the ground running! A great result.” Regional Resourcing Lead, FMCG THE CANDIDATE SAID: “Mark managed to find a fantastic new role for me, locally, with a major brand; great for the CV, a really meaty role… plus I now don’t have to sit on the train to London every day!” Internal & Change Communications Consultant

Artis HR Case Studies

 Employee Engagement Manager, £45k, National Retailer

The problem

Whilst we’d supported this particular client over a number of years, placing into various HR roles, this was a new role for them within the evolving field of Employee Engagement. As a forward-thinking employer, they were keen to build a positive culture across their business as a driver for innovation and staff retention. The challenge was to find a candidate with the right mix of skills, adequate depth of experience and the right personality to develop and implement a suitable engagement model.

What we did

Over the last 10 years we’ve built a reputation as a recruitment business strong at supporting people change and business growth, and our expertise lies as much in those strategic and leadership HR disciplines as in the process and support side. Our network is strong in areas such as Internal Communications, Organisational Development / Effectiveness, Leadership Development, Culture and Performance Management… and Employee Engagement. With a solid understanding of our client’s existing culture and a clear steer as to the direction of travel, we specifically sought people with the right skills to take our client from A to B.

Success!

Given our expertise in this area we quickly identified some strong performers. The shortlist we presented included candidates from a variety of industries, but we were at pains to ensure they all had experience of comparable employee demographics and business issues to those of our client. In the end the client hired from a different sector, a candidate with a solid history in employee engagement within a similarly structured business. Feedback was that we’d hit the nail on the head!

OUR CLIENT SAID: “With this role we were keen to demonstrate to the business and to prospective employees that we were serious about creating a positive and supportive culture. A niche role necessitated the support of a specialist, and we turned to Artis.” Resourcing Head, Retailer THE CANDIDATE SAID: “I was looking for my new role to be with a forward-thinking organisation, somewhere where I knew that culture was seen as a differentiator and where what I do would have real impact.” Employee Engagement Manager, Retailer

Artis HR Case Studies

Learning & Development Consultant, £55k, FTSE plc

The problem

As a sales-driven business with a clear growth strategy our client had identified the need for a tailored management development programme and ongoing support for its population of middle and senior managers. However, with a head office in a very rural location, attracting the right people was proving difficult; the local pool was limited and candidates based further afield naturally gravitated toward major employers along the M4, M5 and in London. Add to this the fact that they operate in a regulated industry and this was indeed a tough role to fill!

 What we did

Given our extensive database, access to all the right niche job boards / CV databases, comprehensive reach via social media and our well-known recruitment brand we were confident we could reach the right people… but we also knew we’d need to sell this opportunity as it would likely involve a longer commute for most candidates. Sometimes the key is to really understand what makes the opportunity – and the client – attractive, and to focus on presenting this right from the outset; that way the ‘pull factors’ are placed up-front and centre. We drafted a ‘candidate pack’ with all the benefits set out clearly and used this across all our attraction activity. This meant we’d attract people who were keen on the progression this opportunity provided and who could look past the extra time in the car.

 Success!

 Whilst this assignment did at times feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, the hours put in resulted in us uncovering some excellent candidates. In the end, the client was able to hire someone with the perfect background who, in fact, now commutes against the traffic… and enjoys the drive!

OUR CLIENT SAID: “Finding the right people locally is sometimes a challenge and, whilst we do offer excellent training and support generally, on this occasion we needed to work with a specialist to help us reach a specific skill set.” HR Business Partner, FTSE plc THE CANDIDATE SAID: “I enjoy working in high energy organisations and with high calibre management professionals; this role is ideal for me as I am helping great people develop their skills, plus I’m developing in my own career” Learning & Development Consultant, FTSE plc

Artis HR Case Studies

Group Resourcing Manager, £45k, international brand

The problem

As a large organisation with high recruitment volumes (both due to growth and attrition) our client had decided to invest further in their resourcing strategy and to increase the size of their team. Whilst their ambition was clear and the resulting opportunity a good one to take to market, the low-margin nature of their business meant that budgets were tight and salaries had to be limited within established brackets. Our client’s direct activity had failed to reach candidates of the right calibre, and we knew we’d need to roll our sleeves up to find great people within their budget.

What we did

 Our network in this discipline is built of both candidate and client contacts - indeed, many contacts have been both across the years! – and we felt confident we could reach enough people who would see this role as a positive challenge. We took time to understand the business behind this opportunity and to shape a proposition which would attract the right sort of person. Not all job seeking is driven by money, and we wanted to reach those with all the right attributes who were ready for the next step in their careers; a great role and an easy commute often count as much as a few extra £s in salary.

 Success!

 We’re often asked by candidates to ‘keep an eye out’ for specific opportunities, and this assignment was a great example of how a well-connected proactive recruiter can dive into a small niche market and come up with just the right person. The client now has a highly motivated new Resourcing Manager heading up their team and strategy… all within budget.

OUR CLIENT SAID: “This was a new role for us, at this level, and we wanted to bring on board someone who would rise to the challenge of developing our EVP and existing resourcing team. Mark found us an outstanding candidate.” HR Director, international brand THE CANDIDATE SAID: “I’ve known Artis for many years. Mark came to me with this role, one I’d probably not have considered if I’d just seen an advert somewhere, but talking it through it met all my ambitions for my next move. Thanks Mark.” Group Resourcing Manager, international brand.