CVs for qualified

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CVs for ‘Qualified but without experience’ and ‘Graduate entrance’

1. Your cover letter is vital
2. Don’t be put off by the fact that your CV looks vague
3. Tell the truth
4. I have NO experience! What can I do?
5. Keep your CV short and concise
6. What do I do about references if I have no work experience?

1. Your cover letter is vital

So you’re up on paper qualifications but down on experience!

Recruiters will quickly pass over your CV unless you tell them what personal strengths you have and why they should employ you. This is best done in your cover letter. Remember, experience is often only superficial anyway, and within a month at work, you’ll be packing in good results. Never forget that you have studied hard to obtain your qualification or part qualification – this means you’ll be good at what you do. You know what Credit Control is (although you may not have actual experience), understand how P&Ls and Balance Sheets are constructed, are fully aware of what is involved in A/R (accounts receivable) and A/P (accounts payable) and understand and like what is involved in Treasury Management. You’ve got comprehensive knowledge across your entire exam syllabus and are more valuable than someone who has experience in a very narrow area of work. Another person may have familiarity with the job but you’ve got a lot of up-to-date background knowledge. Make sure, by the way you phrase your cover letter, that the recruiter knows that you’re the one with versatility, flexibility, dedication to your profession and devotion to hard work. Your letter must express total enthusiasm.

Remember to focus on your transferable skills. There are personal qualities that recruiters know are transferable to the work situation and they look for them in new professionals or graduates in addition to their academic knowledge. They take in such things as IT skills and team working through to general life experience and logical reasoning. Put simply, any personal skills acquired – through jobs, courses, projects, dissertations, hobbies, sports, voluntary work or whatever – add to the value you can bring to a job.

Break down the job, or the area of work you’re interested in, item by item and match each one with your suitability. Use bullet points in your cover letter to emphasise each aspect of the job or area of work. Bullet points make good reading as they show order and clarity of thought.

If you’re targeting a specific advertised job, explain why you have decided to apply for this position, why you will be very good at it and what motivates you to want to join this particular organisation and not their competitors. Do some research on the organisation and add a few points in your cover letter – just to emphasise your enthusiasm for the organisation concerned.

2. Don’t be put off by the fact that your CV looks vague

Anything stated as a minimum requirement in a job advert means just that, so if a minimum qualification is required it means that the recruiter is unlikely to consider applicants that don't have exactly what's specified. Qualifications are very objective and specific. However experience is more subjective and can be balanced against qualifications. This means that if you have a strong vocational or academic qualification but less experience than the one advertised but some related experience (such as temping work), it may still be worth applying. In all cases bullet-point your relevant attributes (strongest first) and show how they match the minimum requirements in your cover letter.

3. Tell the truth

Don’t exaggerate the truth, or ‘bluff’ in your CV to make an impression. It seldom works. Focus on writing a forceful and convincing personal profile, detailing your personal skills and attributes, at the top of your CV and you won't have to lie about anything. It's good sense to promote why you'd add value to an organisation, but you don't need to lie or even be economical with the truth, to do that; just match your real attributes in the best way you can against the requirements of the job description. If necessary, stress that you are anxious and quick to train.

4. I have NO experience! What can I do?

So you were too busy at your studies and had no time to get employment, other than a bit of bar work, or other similar jobs. Checking your work experience is a simple way for recruiters to work out what you'll be like as an employee. However, it’s not the only thing that recruiters look for. You can get around having limited or no work experience by emphasising your personal skills and attributes from the recruiter’s perspective, in other words describe yourself as the type of person who would be admirably suited to the position. The best way to do this is in the ‘Personal profile' section at the top of your CV. If you've studied conscientiously then you are obviously hard-working, target-focused and dedicated. If you’ve been travelling alone you may well be adventurous, self-assertive and courageous, if you travelled in a group perhaps you are also sociable, out-going and a good team player. Recruiters recognise that many of the skills and abilities you develop whilst studying or travelling can easily be transferred to the workplace.

If you have the vocational or academic qualifications, but lack the experience, consider part-time working to build up your experience. There are a lot of ‘temping’ jobs available in the finance and accounting professions which occur because of year-end pressures or maternity leave, etc. Breadth of experience matters more than the length of time you take getting the experience. By temping you will show enthusiasm and willingness to your prospective employer and these personality aspects will add a positive perspective to your application.

5. Keep your CV short and concise

On average recruiters take less than 20 seconds to decide whether to check-out a CV. Keep your CV punchy and focused to the job’s requirements and selling your abilities. It's very important that you really think about your CV before submitting it. Keep it clear, to the point and emphasise all the relevant skills needed for the job you are applying for. You may need to modify your CV to meet the requirements of each specific position you apply, in other words customise your CV to the exact needs of the prospective employer. It should be no more than two sides of A4 paper. If you have recently qualified as an accountant highlight the papers you passed and the exam grades (if they are good), and if you have recently graduated also detail your dissertation (or final year project) briefly describing its focus and the skills you used in delivering it.

6. What do I do about references if I have no work experience?

If this is your first job then you should use references from friends (preferably those that are professional or work in business) and your tutors – but do get their permission first. You don't need to stipulate the names of your referees on your CV or job application, just insert on the bottom of your CV that you have referees available to be contacted if necessary. If your new or perspective employer wants to follow-through the references, advise your referees and find out how they would prefer to be contacted. If your prospective employer wants to call your referees agree a time. Keep your referee informed as to what is going on.