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Finding the right job in a tough market – the CV
Monday, 29 Jan, 2009
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TravelMole Guest Comment by C&M Travel Recruitment managing director Angus Chisholm
It is certainly a very different market for travel professionals in 2009 looking for a new job.
Twelve months ago the market was driven entirely by the candidate; strong and talented applicants in all areas of the travel industry could almost guarantee several interviews and a choice of new job. Not so now.
Market conditions have completely reversed due to the global economic downturn.
Exciting new opportunities in the travel industry are at a premium; the candidate looking for a new job either as a result of redundancy or career advancement has to change and improve their application in all areas if they to ensure they have the best chance of getting offered the job they want.
The core of any job application process has not changed, the emphasis, competition and intensity however has. Simply put, you need to remember that a CV is a tool to ensure you get chosen for an interview, it’s not more complicated than that.
An interview is the opportunity to ensure that you are the candidate most likely to be offered the job, you can then reflect if it is a job you want after you have the offer.
It is no good liking the sound of the opportunity if you are not going to be offered it. That sounds very simple in theory, and it is. In practise it can be a little trickier.
The first hurdle, i.e. getting the interview, is the part of the process that has all of a sudden become a lot more difficult.
With a higher number of applicants in the market and fewer vacancies to apply for it’s not difficult to work out that prospective employers are having many more CV’s to peruse before they decide who to see.
On average your CV has 30 seconds to impress any would-be interviewer (and that statistic is taken from a normal recruitment market) and it is reasonable to assume that this time will reduce even more as the number of CVs to look through increases.
So you have potentially 25 seconds to impress your new would-be employer with your CV and win an interview……… doesn’t sound like much does it!
To ensure you have the best chance your CV clearly has to be exceptional.
You would be surprised at the number of CVs we receive that have basic mistakes and do not sell the applicant anywhere near well enough.
Make sure you triple check your CV for errors, make sure you it looks clean, professional and (for the UK market) is no longer than three pages.
It’s also vital that it highlights your achievements and successes at work, not just your duties, too many people just state what they do day to day rather than their achievements, you have to really sell yourself.
If you are sending a covering letter – which I would strongly advise you do – make sure it is to the point and can give the reader a real feel of why you are a serious applicant and that they should be considering you for their vacancy.
If you send a superb, relevant CV with a thought out attractive covering letter you stand a very good chance of getting the interview.
The market is significantly quieter currently but there are still opportunities out there.
You need to be better than the other applicants with each step of the process if you are to succeed and the competition now is much tougher than it has been for years.
However, most people do not take enough care and attention to the process.
If you work with a reputable and well-connected recruitment consultancy, they should be in a position to strongly represent and actively promoting your CV to help ensure you get interviews that suit your ambition and experience, and they will be able to coach you on the interview process to ensure you do stand out from the crowd.
First impressions are rarely more important than when applying for a new job.
*Keen reading TravelMole for further job-hunting advice
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