Posted By Adam Afternoon, As a recruiter I am looking for the following things: Clear information on your current role and how it relates to the position you are applying for. (Your current/most recent role should also be at the top of your employment history) Accurate and relevant qualifications - If you passed your cycling proficiency in 1972 we probably don't need to know. Avoid leaving gaps in your CV. If you stepped away from H&S for a couple of years to try a different line of work before returning to the profession let us know. It doesn't have to be a lengthy explanantion, dates and a brief discription will be fine. Try an keep CV's to just 2 pages - 3 tops. Avoid using too many colours and type faces. Keep it simple and professional - Ariel, Times New Roman are pretty much all you will need. My area of specialty is construction, so I always find it useful when candidates include the size and value of the projects that they have worked on. Contact details - please provide as many as possible. We still do get the occassional applicant with a relevant background, but who has ommited to include a phone number or address. I hope this is of some use, however if anybody would like me to have a look at their CV, please feel free to e-mail me at the contact above. All the best Adam Mogose Clarity Health and Safety

Posted By David Raymond Margaret, Please find below an interview guide that may assist you. Interview Guide Great News! You have been invited to attend an interview. It is safe to say that the employer is definitely interested in what you have to offer. But remember the old adage: "When you are asked to attend an interview you can consider you have the job. Then you have an hour to talk yourself out of it!" For some people the whole interview process can be a nerve wracking experience and for others a breeze. Whichever category you feel you fit into there are still many ways to boost your performance on the day and increase your chances of success. Follow our interview guide to help you through this process - from receipt of invitation through to job offer. The key factors you need to consider are: Try to boost your confidence and ensure you perform at your best on the day Teach you how to really sell yourself Secure your dream job and get the salary you deserve Don't forget you can speak to our consultants on 01727 811634 to learn more about how we can help you succeed in you potential opportunity. 1) Interview Preparation Research Look committed and find out as much as possible about the company. Visit their web site for more information on the company. Read their annual report, which you can get by telephoning them. Job Description Read the job description carefully. Make sure you meet all the criteria detailed in the job description. Be confident that you are technically qualified to do the job. Have examples from your previous roles to demonstrate your ability to do this job Confirm Details / Location Write down the interview time and date to enable you to double-check. Ensue that you have the correct address / building number etc. Obtain a map showing the direction / route to the company address. Make sure that you know whom to ask for at reception desk. 2) Interview Essentials Presentation Look your smartest and show your most professional side during the interview. A company is more likely to hire someone who is well presented and who will therefore best represent their company. Punctuality Arrive on time. Obtain clear directions for the location of the interview and plan your journey, allowing plenty of time to arrive. If you are unavoidably delayed, notify the company immediately giving the reason and your estimated time of arrival. During the interview Introduce yourself courteously. Express yourself clearly. Show tact, manners, courtesy, and maturity at every opportunity. Be confident and maintain poise. The ability to handle your nerves during the interview will come across as confidence in your ability to handle the job. Be prepared to show how your experience would benefit the company. Take time to think and construct your answers to questions to avoid rushing into a vague and senseless reply. Demonstrate that you are sufficiently motivated to get the job done well and that you will fit in with the company's organisational structure and the team in which you will work. Anticipate questions you're likely to be asked and have answers prepared in advance. Uncertainty and disorganisation show the interviewer that you are unprepared and unclear what your goals are. Always talk in a positive manner. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Be assertive without being aggressive. Thank the interviewer. 3) Interview Pitfalls During the interview ensure that you do not allow the following to happen: Be late for the interview. Tardiness is a sign of irresponsibility or disorganisation and the employer could take it as what to expect in the future. Arrive unprepared for the interview. Say unfavourable things about previous employers. Make excuses for failings. Give vague responses to questions. Show lack of career planning - no goals or purpose could convey the impression you're merely shopping around or only want the job for a short time. Show too much concern about rapid advancement. Overemphasise money. Your interviewing goal is to sell yourself to the interviewer and to get an offer of employment. Salary discussion is secondary. Refuse to travel and/or relocate. Always be open for discussion concerning travel and relocation. The employer may be talking about future plans, not present. Show any reservations you may have about the role/company. You can always turn down second interviews and job offers after you have had time to appraise your concerns in the cold light of day. Leave your mobile phone on during the interview 4) Top questions asked at Interviews (and sample answers) Top questions asked at interview, and how candidates should answer them to impress "Why do you want to work for us?" Explain why you see the company as an attractive employer. Financial package should never be given as a reason, but think about things like the company culture, training program, company structure, the ability to cross-train into different technologies, or the company's ethic. Obviously these need to be relevant and well researched. "Where do you see yourself in five years' time?" Think about where you really want to be within a company: in a lead role with a team under you; or a lead consultant; or a director of the company. Be ambitious but realistic and have direction in your answers. Do not say " I would like to be in your position". "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Talk specifically about the positive things you've achieved to illustrate your strengths rather than generalising and make them relevant to the role you are going for. Try to show your weaknesses in a positive light and give examples of where you have addressed and overcome your weaknesses. "Why did you apply for this job?" The candidate should be careful not to mention a desire for promotion or money. They should really focus on the actual content of the job, referring to the possibility of learning, new challenges, or the prospect of putting their previous experience to work in a new role. They should always provide examples with their answer, rather than just simply stating 'I'm ready for the next step.' "Why should we hire you?" Many companies will ask the candidate to sell him or herself using their strengths. Prepare a list of your strengths beforehand and think about how they relate to the job. I would advise people not to be modest and to only speak about their weaknesses if they are asked directly. Of course you should avoid being arrogant as much as possible, but arrogance comes across in body language more than anything else. "What are your major achievements in terms of your career, education and life to date?" Achievement means different things to different people. It's not so much the actual achievement that's important in a candidate's answer, but the way you present it. This question always provides a good indication of a person's level of self-awareness. "What motivates or drives you?" For some people this could be learning or work/life balance, for others it could be money or professional acceleration. The answer really tells the interviewer about what makes someone tick. Not everyone wants to be a board director, and an interviewer isn't necessarily going to see it as a weakness if you don't. It's important to be honest. 5) Should you research? Employers expect every prospective candidate to do their duty... or at least to show due diligence. But what do they expect you to know exactly? Over 60% of employers expect job applicants to have done some research into their company before a job interview. Some startling facts make some interesting reading: 78% of British employers surveyed said they considered it important for candidates to know about the company and its services or products 54% appreciated knowledge of their company's competitors 44% wanted candidates to have had a look at the company's annual report. The main topics employers look for a level of understanding from interviewees include: What products and services does it sell? Who are its primary competitors? What current industry issues or events are of interest to the firm? What are the company's mission, vision and values?

Posted By Josephine What Adam has to say is very good, I would add only one thing, and that is - remember to check your CV for grammar and spelling before you send it in. It really does make a difference to how your CV is received. Best of luck, Jo Mack. New Level Recruitment.

Posted By Helen Gotts Dear all, I have been recruiting for Health & Safety personnel for the past three years, and I totally agree with the above posts, like Adam, I recruit in construction/civil engineering and often find that CVs are either far too long, or very brief. The general layout should be simple and without too many colours and pictures. However, it would be worth knowing that many recruiters actually remove your personal details from the CV (for obvious reasons!) and also reformat them so that all CVs that come from a certain agency have a common identity, layout, company logos and so on. Nothing is ever taken out or added in, but spelling is checked and so on. Start with your relevant personal details at the top (not half at the top and half at the end!) and then a short profile on your skills and aspirations. Qualifications and memberships should be listed (concisely) below that, then you can put your work experience, with the most recent at the top and working back chronologically. I like to see about 100-200 words under each company or job, listing experience, projects and responsibilities. I often find when candidates just put "safety adviser, duties as previous role" I have to call them back and ask for something more detailed to be submitted. Bear in mind that as specialist recruiters in H&S, we understand what you have done as part of your job but often CVs are sent by us into HR departments that are not trained specifically to do H&S recruitment and so applications can sometimes be disregarded at that point as your CV may get cross referenced against a spec and found to be lacking if it does not have all the relevant detail. Good recruiters will phone potential employers before sending the CV anyway as this gives you a better chance of gaining an interview rather than someone just firing it off to all and sundry on an email. This enables you to be better represented and then the CV is just a tool to back this up and form part of the interview discussion. I always advise my candidates to write a concise CV aimed at someone who knows little about H&S rather than just presuming the recruiter instinctively knows what your post has involved. If you are a consultant it is well worth listing the companies you have undertaken commissions for, rather than just stating "consultancy work for a wide range of clients in the construction sector" and so on. Interview preparation - any decent consultant who has done their homework should spend at least 20 mins on the phone with you before an interview, covering exactly what to expect from the interviewer, some tips on body language and questions to ask and so on. Hope this helps. Helen Gotts Senior Consultant Resourcing Solutions Ltd.

Posted By Josephine Shannon - what these agencies who insist on meeting you are doing is now actually required practice - the regulations now require them to meet all temp staff prior to putting them forward to their client. It is also considered best practice to meet candidates for permanent positions whenever possible. This helps cover the agencies under the Asylum & Immigration Act and the Employment Agencies Act. Good agencies who abide by the REC Code of Practice will also want to meet you whenever possible. So they're not picking on you or being inefficient in this case, they are just doing their job properly. I understand your frustration at dealing with agencies who don't know a BSc from a NEBOSH cert. - perhaps you should consider going to an agency that specialises in Health and Safety rather than the generalists?