how to impress hr and get a job

How to impress HR and get a job

Or: How to create the perfect CVWebinar 2010.11.11 Cindy Cihuelo – CHOUPON Country Manager

The Way to a Perfect CV

The Don’ts

•What makes recruiters go « oh no! »

The Dos

•What makes you stand out

The Plus

•What the recruiters secretly hope to find in your CV

Webinar 2010.11.11 Cindy Cihuelo – CHOUPON Country Manager

The Don’ts

Or: What will make your CV automatically go into the « NO » pile


The Don’ts The Dos The Plus

The Don’ts


• Unless you are applying for a creative job, remain formal and avoid backgrounds, colors and weird fonts

• Although it may be useful to use some bold or italic to get the recruiter’s attention, do not overdo it!


The Don’ts


• Do not mention experiences/things that have no value for the recruiter such as

« I drive a Nissan »« French Driving License » (when applying abroad)

« Aggressive Inline Skating Instructor »« Three brothers »« Foot Size »

The Don’ts• Check for spelling/grammar mistakes

Use spelling check AND have your files read by at least two people (that know how to spell correctly)

• Make sureyour CV is not too condensed, adjust the margins to create space

the layout is perfecteverything is alignedwhat needs to be capitalized is, and what doesn’t

isn’t



The Don’ts

• Unless you are an executive manager with 10 years of experience, your CV should not exceed one page (two pages at the most)

• This holds true for cover letters, too.



The Don’ts

• Explain acronyms, and what each letter stands forsome acronyms are common: TOEFL, SATfor those that are not, explain!

• This holds true for cover letters, too. Recruiters do not have time for guessing games!



The Don’ts

• Do not include « hobbies » if your hobbies are « reading, cinema, going out with friends… »

• If you do include your hobbies, show their value (the best one – no one cares if you won the 30th place)

« Volleyball – 1st place of the 2006 National Championship »« Violin – 8 years of practice, 2nd place of Iowa Musical School 2002 Contest »



The Dos

Or: How to get your CV read



The Dos

• CVs are composed of four main partsContact InformationEducationProfessional ExperiencesSkills (Language Skills, Computer Skills, Soft Skills)

• More categories can be added if they bring valueAwardsHobbies



The Dos

• Use a professional email [email protected]

• Avoid personal email addresses such as [email protected]


The Dos

• Use a professional picture of yourself usually just faceprofessional attire professional attitude

• Beware of the size of the picture ID-size is best



The Dos

• Back every word with ACTIONS & RESULTS« In charge of Acquisitions and Sales »Signed 10 contracts worth 30 000 USD over the course of 5 months

« Implemented Social Media Marketing Plan »Created and maintained a Facebook page (349 ‘likes’ in the first three months) as well as a Twitter account (2000 followers within four months, average of 5 tweets a day)



The Dos• Evaluate your language skills

fluent, intermediary, beginnerback it with proof (summer job in Spain, TOEFL 580 points…)

• If you’re not 100% sure about the level of your language skills, it is always better to be over-modest instead of over-confident. You don’t want to end up sweating in an interview conducted entirely in French because you claimed you were « proficient in French » (when in reality you don’t even know how to say « proficient » in French)



The Dos



• Ask for references from your former employers on paperon LinkedIn (make sure your profile is updated)ask if they would agree to be contacted by

future recruiters – if so, provide their contact number on your CV

The Plus

Or: How to make a lasting impression


The Plus

• Convert your CV into PDFEveryone can open a PDF, this is not always true

when it comes to MS 2007 or Open Office or ….Smaller size – so you can insert a picture and there is no risk of your email bouncing back because of its sizeThe layout will be the same on every computer



The Plus

• Answer to any requests within 24 hours

• Use formal language, do not use abbreviations such as « ur company »

• Put your age instead of your date of birth – save the recruiter some time!

• Be on time for interviews (or even a few minutes early)!



The International Plus

• If you are applying internationallyAdd 00 + your country code to your phone numberProvide your skype ID in case the recruiter would like to do a skype interview, provided that your skype ID is not « pinkyliliboo »Visa information if needed (type + expiration date)



The ULTRA Plus

Dare to be different: HR Managers look at CVs all day, every day, and most of these CVs look exactly THE SAME.

Brighten up their day. Be professional yet still unique in your application. The little things count!



The ULTRA Plus – Some Ideas

• Put the place & date at the end of the CV (so we know the CV is actually up-to-date)

• Scan your handwritten signature and put it at the end of the CV - this gives the CV a nice personal touch

• You never have a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure you have a great picture on your CV. Smile! Beam! Hire a professional photographer for this one, it’s worth it



The ULTRA Plus

• When it comes to application letters, it is crucial that you adapt each letter to the respective company.

• Don’t write things like « I have always wanted to work for an internationally famous company like yours », that’s just blabla, and we all know it. Spice up your application letter to distinguish yourself

• BE CREATIVE! Even if you apply for a position in a traditional sector, there are still ways to stand out (from the rest of the mass).



The ULTRA Plus – Some Ideas• Once, we received an application letter where the applicant

used our logo and our press pictures to create her own stationery − beautiful!

• Another time, an applicant sent an additional application PPT emphasizing with pictures and quotes why he was the one

• A HR friend of ours received a cake in her physical mail one day. The (delicious) cake was in the shape of the company logo, and there was a handwritten application letter that came with it

–Webinar 2010.11.11 Cindy Cihuelo – CHOUPON Country Manager


We’re hiring!WOW us: [email protected]

CHOUPON aims at providing highly demanding customers an easy way to leverage their buying

power in order to explore everything exciting cities in China have to offer

www.choupon.com we love to choup up your life!

how to impress hr and get a job

Career