CV Problemo.

freehub
freehub Posts: 4,257
edited September 2009 in The bottom bracket
Here is my work experience section in my CV:
Work Experience

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – summer 2009
A voluntary placement, assisting in the promotion of the organisation, conduction public relations exercises and the running of craft events for young children around the Selby area.

Cleaner summer 2008
Our duties were to fully clean various properties such as newly finished and occupied homes to the highest standards. Work was done solo and demonstrated the ability to work to a high standard alone.

York College IT Help Desk Spring 2008
Work experience placement. My responsibilities include responding to queries from staff, students or visitors, solving IT related problems for students and answering calls when needed.

D&R Smith Motors Summer 2004
Work experience placement. By observing the mechanics and working with them I was able to develop skills servicing cars and replacing parts, as well as valeting cars and cleaning. General duties included cleaning the showroom and the workshop.
I'm wanting to go start looking for a job ASAP, but I'm not feeling confident about work experience area of my CV and how it is at the moment I don't want to hand it into a shop, don't think it would help me.

I've not have a "propor" job before, but I'm still hoping I can still get a job.

The Yorkshire wildlife Trust, as said, was voluntary, it's classed as on going, it's a scheme that lasts for a year, so when I am in the summer holidays next year or say at christmas, if I got a job, but was able to get some time of then, I'd go home and do some voluntery work with the wildlife trust, now I'm unsure what this means for getting a job? Do I not say anything or tell them more about it at an interview?

The cleaner was literally 3 days in the summer of 2008, I learnt allot about cleaning, but maybe I should remove it from it only being 3 days.

The last 2, York College and D&R Smith Motors are work experience placements, York college was 1 week, D&R Smith motors was 2 weeks.
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Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Ditch the cleaner bit and spell proper properly.
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Join the TA, they'll take anyone, you'll get paid, and you'll learn cool, and it'll be loads of fun.
    I like bikes...

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  • Bitter experience has taught me "cleaner" means "loser' when employers read it.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Join the TA, they'll take anyone, you'll get paid, and you'll learn cool, and it'll be loads of fun.

    It's true!
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Ditch anything with the word cleaning...
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • You need to be a bit more 'imaginative'. If your going for a job in a shop they will not check up to rigorously, over emphasise any experience you have with customer service and any cash handling also.
    When any of my employers have checked my references it's just been to check dates match up.
    When you do get an interview be stupidly enthusiastic, shops love jobsworths.
    Then onc you gort the job it's to late, they'll rarely getrid of you despite any 'induction' period.
    This has been my experience anyway :wink:
    I'll keep an eye open in my place but closest branch at the mo is Nottingham, lengthy cycle commute but probably not sustainable :)
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    +1 for the TA.
  • -1 for the TA, may as well join the specials, aint that right Nappy-D :wink:
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    No. Don't join the specials. They were crap at V Festival.
  • Will
    I would expand a bit more about your role with the wildlife trust. Think back to the parts of that role at which you felt comfortable and excelled...eg helping the youngsters, or the organisational aspect.
    I believe always tell the accurate truth... I keep people's CVs and chat about things even after they start work, as I have a poor memory, so it would better to talk from truthful memory.

    I agree with above..if you get an interview sit forward, look enthusiastic, have a few prepared questions.

    I dont think 3 days of cleaning is relevant, unless you are trying for a cleaning job. If it had been longer then it would have shown willing to be employed...otherwise, drop it.

    good luck
  • freehub wrote:
    Here is my work experience section in my CV:
    Work Experience

    Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – summer 2009
    A voluntary placement, assisting in the promotion of the organisation, conduction public relations exercises and the running of craft events for young children around the Selby area.
    While working in this role i enjoyed spending a lot of time with the public. My main roles were teaching and guiding people about the role the national trust performs. Even though i was not getting paid for this role the job satisfaction that it gave me was enough to keep me enthusiastic and focused on what was required of me.


    York College IT Help Desk Spring 2008
    Work experience placement. My responsibilities include responding to queries from staff, students or visitors, solving IT related problems for students and answering calls when needed.
    I enjoyed this role because it expanded on my customer service focus it also gave me challenging problem solving oportunities that i relished.

    D&R Smith Motors Summer 2004
    Work experience placement. By observing the mechanics and working with them I was able to develop skills servicing cars and replacing parts, as well as valeting cars and cleaning. General duties included cleaning the showroom and the workshop.
    This role was very team focused whicheedexpanded further on my skills working with people. It also taught me the importance of a clean, tidy and presentable working environmenyt that the customers could enjoy rather than dread.
    I'm wanting to go start looking for a job ASAP, but I'm not feeling confident about work experience area of my CV and how it is at the moment I don't want to hand it into a shop, don't think it would help me.

    I've not have a "propor" job before, but I'm still hoping I can still get a job.

    The Yorkshire wildlife Trust, as said, was voluntary, it's classed as on going, it's a scheme that lasts for a year, so when I am in the summer holidays next year or say at christmas, if I got a job, but was able to get some time of then, I'd go home and do some voluntery work with the wildlife trust, now I'm unsure what this means for getting a job? Do I not say anything or tell them more about it at an interview?

    The cleaner was literally 3 days in the summer of 2008, I learnt allot about cleaning, but maybe I should remove it from it only being 3 days.

    The last 2, York College and D&R Smith Motors are work experience placements, York college was 1 week, D&R Smith motors was 2 weeks.


    Right i started, now someone else, i reckon between the lot of us we coulsd have that c.v sparkling :wink:
  • don't mention its work experience placement, just say job titile and how long you work there.

    +1 for not mentioning about the cleaning job.

    list all your duties and any skills you might have gained when working each job.

    mention what you could do, instead of what you did.



    good luck. :)
    "It is not impossible, its just improbable"

    Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc 08
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    The only reason I put the cleaning in is because as I've not had a proper job and thought I'd need to get as much as possible. I'll have a go expanding, I'm going to send a CV in to TKMax, Aldi and Lidl.

    Cleaning job was 3 days, so I'll remove that.
    D&R Smith motors - 2 weeks
    York College - 1 week
    Yorkshire wildlife trust - over about 5 weeks (in that 5 weeks I only did something like 8 full days.


    My flatmate told me the Mcdonalds he's working at is looking for staff, but everyone says don't go work at Mcdonalds, worst place apparently.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Try for Aldi!

    Verrrry good pay.
  • Look what i've done 8)
    Let's see who can guess who i am 8)
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    I will, I never tried last year as every shop in the arndale you apparently had to go through the arndale office and it's useless, but this year people are handing cv's in at the shops.

    Anyway I'll attempt to modify my work experience section and quote it in here.
  • Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – summer 2009
    A voluntary placement, assisting in the promotion of the organisation, conduction public relations exercises and the running of craft events for young children around the Selby area.
    While working in this role i enjoyed spending a lot of time with the public. My main roles were teaching and guiding people about the role the national trust performs. Even though i was not getting paid for this role the job satisfaction that it gave me was enough to keep me enthusiastic and focused on what was required of me.


    York College IT Help Desk Spring 2008
    Work experience placement. My responsibilities include responding to queries from staff, students or visitors, solving IT related problems for students and answering calls when needed.
    I enjoyed this role because it expanded on my customer service focus it also gave me challenging problem solving oportunities that i relished.

    D&R Smith Motors Summer 2004
    Work experience placement. By observing the mechanics and working with them I was able to develop skills servicing cars and replacing parts, as well as valeting cars and cleaning. General duties included cleaning the showroom and the workshop.
    This role was very team focused whicheedexpanded further on my skills working with people. It also taught me the importance of a clean, tidy and presentable working environmenyt that the customers could enjoy rather than dread.
  • 8)
  • The thing about Aldi is... Pay is great, but you have to do your own tax, buy your own uniform etc etc, they do it to keep O/H down.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Aldi, Lidl, McD

    Will, do you not want to aim higher for a job, maybe you are putting yourself down a bit
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    I go to Aldi, I go to lidl, I got to TKMAX, I go to bike shops too. I'm finding it hard to fit things in though I've gone out more this week than I ever did last year at all, so I'm quite busy. I'll probs get round to these shops on Monday.

    So thanks to Stefanos it's like this now:

    Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – summer 2009
    A voluntary placement, assisting in the promotion of the organisation, conduction public relations exercises and the running of craft events for young children around the Selby area. While working in this role i enjoyed spending a lot of time with the public. My main roles were to assist in the set up and running of these events and activities. Even though i was not getting paid for this role the job satisfaction that it gave me was enough to keep me enthusiastic and focused on what was required of me.

    York College IT Help Desk Spring 2008
    Work experience placement. My responsibilities include responding to queries from staff, students or visitors, solving IT related problems for students and answering calls when needed. I enjoyed this role because it expanded on my customer service focus it also gave me challenging problem solving opportunities that i relished.

    D&R Smith Motors Summer 2004
    Work experience placement. By observing the mechanics and working with them I was able to develop skills servicing cars and replacing parts, as well as valeting cars and cleaning. General duties included cleaning the showroom and the workshop.
    This role was very team focused which expanded further on my skills working with people. It also taught me the importance of a clean, tidy and presentable working environment that the customers could enjoy rather than dread.


    I really can't think how to change those paragraphs much, I changed the YWT one all I helped with was assisting with the set up and running of the event and activities.

    Does it matter that I don't actually know know allot from my work experience as a mechanic? They where a bunch of prats and one of the main things I actually did was spray paint my bike handlebars and spokes with some red/pink paint lol.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Will, you have to lie....bigtime.
  • Percy Vera
    Percy Vera Posts: 1,103
    If I could do it all again I'd join the army and get my helicopter pilots license. :(
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    dmclite wrote:
    Will, you have to lie....bigtime.

    Why?
  • grayo59
    grayo59 Posts: 722
    Freehub - it's "conducting" public relations exercises not "conduction" public relations exercises.

    There are other typos - and in your work experience at the garage why would customers "dread" the working environment?

    Why the big gap between 2004 and 2008 on the work front? (An employer might want to know)

    Why do you want to work in a shop?

    When I was an employer and a youngster turned up for interview I was pleased to see that they were willing to graft at what was perceived as a menial job. (Cleaner) Shows strength of character!
    __________________
    ......heading for the box, but not too soon I hope!
  • no lying Will...ignore those devils on your shoulder....
  • freehub, don't let them all drive you into the TAs!

    ''conduction public relations exercises and the running of craft events''

    I'd suggest:

    ''...conducting public relations exercises and running craft events...''...and make sure all the capital Is are caps.

    The IT experience with its ''enjoyed,'' ''expanded,'' ''challenging problem-solving opportunities'' is the only one that really conveys any enthusiasm to me, though, and I think a good employer would be likely to spot that. Is that because IT is your choice or because the WEP gave you a chance to develop and you enjoyed that chance? What I'm asking, I guess, is whether that positive feeling the York college appears to have given you on paper, is it transferable to summat else that you'd rather be doing?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    freehub wrote:
    dmclite wrote:
    Will, you have to lie....bigtime.

    Why?

    Ok, lie is a bit strong but you have to bulk out the small amount of work experience you have with some creative writing.

    Please don't join the TA. I was in the Army for 11 years, relatively dodgy towards the end and it is now downright dangerous. It may seem like a good idea, but you could be sat looking in Afghanistan looking where your legs used to be, thinking "I wish I'd gone to Aldi" and "I wish I'd have embellished my CV a little like dmclite told me to" :wink::wink:

    Pad out your work a bit, employers like the voluntary stuff due to the fact it proves you are keen and you may work more for less money. :D
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    Hi Will/Willhub/Freehub/Free Willy etc.

    It would appear that you have even less work experience when it's split between your multiple personalities...

    Please note that it should be, "conduction of" public relations exercises.

    Other than that, I have Man 'flu at the moment so can't be bothered to take the p*ss any more.
    Good luck with it though; I don't envy you trying to make a start and you certainly seem to be keen and have a good work ethic...

    Steve
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs