Preparing for a job change or interview - with AXESS, or even with someone else?
We have produced some guidance to help you.
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Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) has only one purpose - to get you an interview with the
company of your choice. It is a sales document, selling you, and it has to be easy
for your customer to use.
There are three areas to consider when reviewing or developing your CV:
- Structure
- Content
- Presentation
Within the pharmaceutical industry a chronological CV is the norm, and most
recruiting managers will expect to see your details presented in this way.
The CV should be kept short, ideally no more than two pages, with a third page of
supporting information such as publications if necessary.
Most CVs should follow the same general format, and keeping to this will make your
CV easier to use. If recruiters have to search hard for the information they want,
you have less chance of getting through. Many CVs are initially screened for fit,
so ensure that you present the information in a way that they can use it.
The following format is fairly standard:
- Name
- Brief synopsis of experience and career aims
- Personal details
- Education
- Employment
- Specific skills
-
Additional information
Name - Use the name that you are known by, rather than your given
name, if different.
Brief synopsis of experience and career aims - This should be no more than
about four lines, and should give the reader an immediate understanding of where
you are now, your major personal characteristics and skills, and what you are hoping
to achieve longer term. This is often written in the third person.
For example:
A well qualified clinical research associate with over 4 years experience working
in the CRO sector. Therapeutic expertise includes CNS, oncology and urology. Excellent
organisational and communication skills. Now looking to move into a line management
position within a pharmaceutical company.
Personal details - This should include your home address, home and mobile
telephone numbers, e-mail address, date of birth, nationality, and marital status.
Education - Education & Qualifications should be presented in reverse
chronological order, and should clearly state the name of each qualification, the
establishment, and the relevant dates. If you have a good degree grade, add it in,
otherwise leave the grade out. Only include A-Level qualifications or lower if you
are a new graduate.
Employment - This should be presented in reverse chronological order, with
the greatest amount of information given for the most recent or current position.
If you have been promoted a number of times within the same organisation, show each
job separately but under the overall banner of the company - recruiters like to
see stability.
Identify your major achievements in each role, and any specific benefits you have
given to the company. Use these points as examples of your "transferable skills".
Do not give reasons for leaving, as you will have ample opportunity to discuss this
at interview.
Show job changes running in smooth chronological sequence with no overlapping dates,
but if there are gaps in your employment explain them, e.g. Career break to go travelling.
If you have been in employment for some time, your earlier experience becomes rather
less relevant, and should therefore be edited down to one or two lines per company.
Specific skills - The content and size of this area will depend on the specialisation
in which you are working. You should identify any particular IT skills, therapeutic
expertise, management experience or relevant training.
Additional information - This section allows you to add information on interests
and non-work related achievements. It is also a good place to cover language skills,
or international experience if this is not covered in the education or employment
sections.
If you have voluntary work or charitable achievements, add them here. For example,
'Raised £3,000 for the charity Mencap by running in the London Marathon',
'Successfully completed the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award', or "School Governor".
These can be excellent talking points at interview, and allow you another opportunity
to present your skills and attributes eg organisational ability.
Interests should be concise: 'amateur dramatics' conveys as much useful information
to the reader as a description of your last starring role. Humour is not always
a good idea at this point. Some people find it irritating and you are not looking
to be remembered for the wrong reasons.
When people are reviewing CVs they tend not to notice if a CV is particularly
well presented, but they definitely remember if it is presented badly.
- Keep the document as plain as possible
- Avoid borders, colour, fancy graphics or photographs
- Be consistent with your formatting, particularly if you are applying for a job which
requires a good eye for detail like CRA or Data Manager
- Use the spell and grammar checkers on your PC, or the services of a reliable friend
- Keep to a simple typeface such as Arial or Times New Roman, and use a readable font
size (eg. 12pt.)
- If sending hard copy use high quality paper
- Don't photocopy - print your CV each time
- Use an A4 envelope so that it does not need to be folded
- Don't bind your CV or put in a folder. Folders are discarded, and binding makes
CV's difficult to scan and store
-
If sending electronically, attach as a Word document to ensure that the formatting
is not corrupted
Having built a generic CV, try to tailor it for each specific job, as the most relevant
aspects of your career need to be highlighted. You are looking to highlight the
skills outlined in the job advertisement. Always make sure that you keep a copy
of each tailored CV to take with you to any potential interview.
Whether sending your CV electronically or by mail produce a short tailored covering
letter or e-mail. This is the first chance that the Agency or Recruiting Manager
has to make a judgement on your application. Don't waste it.
Use the opportunity of the covering letter to highlight your key skills, and to
show how well you match the brief for the role. This will make the recruiter's job
easier and will increase your likelihood of success. Reflect back some of the wording
in the advert and demonstrate understanding of the role and the company
The letter needs to contain the following elements:
- Job reference number or job requirement (e.g. Enquiry for the Position of Statistician)
- Introductory paragraph - who you are, what experience you have
- Why you are applying for the role, including examples of what you can bring to the
job should you get it
-
Follow-up and timescale - always suggest that you will call to check the progress
of your application, and then do it
The letter should be on a single side of A4, and if sent hard copy, should be on
the same type of paper as the CV. It should always be typed unless the advert specifically
states otherwise. Use a standard letter format with the same typeface as the CV.
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