Frustrated?
Endlessly applying for apprenticeships but it seems like every employer looks at your CV, reads it for a grand total of 3 seconds, scrunches it in a ball, and proceeds to arrange the annual office bin-basketball Olympics with your now scrunched up CV?
Well look, it happens to the best and the worst of us. At what point does it change from CV 3-pointers to the employer thinking, “Where has this person been my whole life?”. With this blog of course. Well, actually, it starts with you. And me. Together.
Not being weird, but this does start with me and you working seamlessly. I’ll provide the tips; you make sure you start applying them as soon as you finish reading this. “Why are you helping me?” You may be asking. Professional Apprenticeships won the award for Bristol and Bath’s Apprenticeship Provider of the Year, so the level of support we offer to people just like you is one of the reasons for that.
The golden ball CV
- Firstly, please dump the bland, basic Word document that took you 13 minutes to write last night. We’re in 2022. It takes a little more to impress employers now than bolding your titles and putting dates in italics. Instead, use a tool like Novoresume, an absolute gem of an online CV & Resume builder (personally used by me also). But not to worry, if you need help writing your CV and making it looks as professional as possible, we will help you get your best skills and qualities down on paper.
- Love PCs and video games? Built a website? You’re a book worm? A self-development guru? Gym rat? Maybe you’re the captain of your water polo team, or the desk in your room is organised in such fashion that your own grandmother is coming to you for cleaning and organisation tips. In all seriousness, employers nowadays love to know the little things about you, and in pretty much every case, there is at least 1 transferable skill that you possess from at least 1 of your hobbies or interests. To give a quick example, water polo captain can be transferred into leadership, ability to stay concentrated under pressure, and composure. Easy as that. Now word those 3 skills in your CV like you’re the Gen Z Shakespeare.
- Last but not least, write in a personable, authentic, and friendly manner. You think you’re the only one whose CV sounds super professional and nothing like the employer has seen before? Chances are, all those corporate-style CVs are currently in circulation of the annual office bin-basketball Olympics. You have your own tone of voice, so use it. When an employer can tell you have your own tone, straight away this projects confidence and authenticity. So, a good tip is to pretend like you’re talking to a friend of a friend, don’t shy away from a bit of humour, and be yourself and be honest. A bit of industry jargon never hurt, too. Just don’t overdo it. You’re not Harvey Specter fighting a class-action lawsuit.
Time to go
This is the part where you now go and apply everything I’ve told you. What good is it just reading this and not taking action? Don’t be that person. If not now, then when? Professional procrastination could be the death of your career. Professional Apprenticeships could be the light of your career. To continue taking action, click onto the ‘Vacancies’ page on our website, apply, and we’ll get you sorted. Don’t lose your momentum.