Advice from Ashwood Associates

Here are a few pointers to getting the most out of your job search.

Whatever you seek to achieve in your career, our expert and direct advice will help you achieve your goals – and put you on the road to a great professional future.

Where am I now?

Spend some time thinking about what you’ve learned in your career to date, identify your strengths and developments needs. Also think about the sort of work you’re interested in, and which organisations will be keen to employ you. Assess honestly your skills and experiences and focus particularly on what you have to offer a potential employer.

This will give you a clear understanding of your capabilities and potential which you’ll then be able to explain to recruitment consultancies and employers alike.

How do I make the most of my skills?

Prepare yourself thoroughly for the process. Be sure you are clear about what you want to do and what you can offer, as all companies will expect you to sell yourself to them at some stage. Studying for an MBA may also be an invaluable asset in your future career, particularly when dealing with our clients – we work with some of the foremost blue-chip companies in the UK and Europe, who will only consider the very best candidates to join their expert established teams.

How do I write an effective CV?

A good CV is worth its weight in gold. Occasionally, it can get you a job on its own, and it will invariably help you come across well and get invited for an interview. There’s no single set-in-stone way to write one, as it’s your document, and no two successful CVs will be constructed in exactly the same way.

However, whatever role you’re applying for, there are some key facts you need to include in your CV. These include:

Personal details. While your CV should start with these, keep them basic – specific details such as your children’s names are unnecessary and should be avoided
Education and qualifications. These should be listed in reverse order, so university comes before school
Work experience. Again, this should be listed in reverse order, starting with your most recent job. Achievements and responsibilities should be listed against each role, and you should go into more detail concerning recent roles
Skills. These should include any extra languages you speak, and other specialist training and development relevant to the role you’re applying for
Hobbies and Interests. This section should be kept short and simple
Referees. Under this heading, you can simply write ‘available on request.’

This information can be presented in any order, depending on the role you’re applying for, your personal skills and what you prefer to emphasise

Bear in mind that the perfect CV:

Should be laser-printed in black ink on good quality white or cream A4 paper, using a simple typeface that’s easy to read.
Should be no more than three pages long – and ideally, no more than two. Keep your content clear, straightforward and relevant, and use bullet points where possible to reduce the number of words
Should be carefully tailored to each individual job application
Should be checked carefully for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes
Should be clear and easy to read, with no falsehoods or inaccuracies
Shouldn’t include current salary details
Should start with a personal statement of no more than 50 words, selling you and your skills. This should avoid meaningless descriptions like ‘good communication skills’ – instead, focus on concrete facts, such as the fact that you’ve been employed at market-leading companies and have received formal recognition from senior management

How do I write a good covering letter?

This letter should always accompany your CV when you’re applying for a role. It’s a key part of the application process, showing that you understand the role and the company, and that your skills and abilities are a perfect fit for the role in question.

When writing your cover letter, you should bear the following points in mind:

Try to find a contact name, enabling you to personalise your letter
Briefly explain why you’re writing, stating the position you’re interested in
Summarise what the recruiter’s looking for
Tell them in as few words as possible how you fit the job description, summarising your qualifications, skills and experience
Keep it simple and direct. This may mean using bullet points to increase impact while minimising length
Be enthusiastic and positive, demonstrating that you’ve researched the company
Finally, refer the reader to the CV you’ve enclosed, and thank him or her for their time
Let them know about your current salary details

Which consultancy should I register with?

When you’re thinking about this, there are a few things to bear in mind. For a start, you should look for an established, well-known consultancy that’s got a good reputation in its field. If in doubt, look at the jobs on offer – their quality is a good indication of the consultancy’s professionalism and expertise.

You should also consider whether consultants at the agency are working on commission. As many rely on this to make up their salary, their advice isn’t always as objective as it might be – they’ve got themselves to think of too!

The agency you choose should show some commitment to your job search, giving you a detailed briefing before sending you off to an interview – and getting constructive feedback from the client after it’s taken place.

How should I network?

Good networking enables you to gain access to jobs that aren’t being actively advertised, and gives you a considerable advantage over other candidates in the market. Whatever sector you’ve gained your expertise in, seek out specialist recruitment companies with a background in this field, so they’re able to draw on their in-depth knowledge to advise and guide you. For example, we specialise in FMCG and Sales and Marketing, and work with a wide range of blue-chip organisations in this field. Tools like LinkedIn can also be useful in your networking process.

What research should I do when I’m job-hunting?

No modern job search would be complete without the Internet, as every company will have its own website where vacancies can be found – enabling you to research potential employers online. Job boards can also be a big help. Research those which are favored by your industry – then, once you’ve identified a few, you can use their search engines to find roles that meet your requirements in terms of job type, salary and location.

You could also upload your CV, but this can be dangerous – your CV could end up on anyone’s desk, including that of your current boss!

If you’re a member of a professional body, you should read the trade press to keep yourself up to date with activity in your field, as well as to look at advertised vacancies.

However, if you’ve conducted in-depth research into recruitment consultants in your field - and found the very best one to fit your needs - they should prove an invaluable help in this area. A highly skilled recruitment consultant should be able to do a great deal of this work on your behalf, enabling you to access the best possible vacancies.

How should I prepare for an interview?

Before you go for an interview, it’s also a good idea to prepare answers to some of the more frequently-asked questions. Here’s a list of some of the most common, and how you can respond to them in the best possible way.

Tell me about yourself

In a lot of interviews, this is the opening question. To make a good first impression, begin with an overview of your most impressive professional achievement to date – then describe the jobs you’ve held so far in your career, giving examples of the experience and skills you’ve learned.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In response to this question, you should mention both short and long-term career goals. Refer to the kind of job you’d ultimately like to do and the steps you’ll take to achieve this, which should relate to the role you’re applying for.

Why do you want to work here?

You should sound as though you’ve given this question considerable thought, and that you’ve researched the company in question. So it’s important that you demonstrate your knowledge of their values, products, services and plans for the future. You should also demonstrate the ways in which your own skills and aptitudes reflect their company ethos.

What are your strengths?

Mention your three greatest strengths which are relevant to the job, with examples of how you’ve used them professionally in the past. These could be specific abilities or more general skills.

What are your weaknesses?

To answer this question, talk about something you’ve actively worked to improve. For example if your public speaking skills aren’t all they might be, say so – but also tell the interviewer that you’ve been on training courses and spent time outside work to improve them.

Why should we hire you?

When you’re answering this question, you’re telling the interviewer what makes you special – and what distinguishes you from another candidate with the same qualifications on paper. Having read the job description carefully, you should know what they’re looking for. You should then describe your own skills to reflect these requirements, using specific examples of things you’ve done in your career to date.