Job Hunting and CV Reinvention

Yesterday I was a woman on a mission!! I applied for five suitable jobs with the hope of getting a bite on the employment fishing line, but I'm sure they read the "Single Mother" tag line on my cover letter and promptly drop it in their deleted items. Being a mother its not a fact you can brush over while applying for jobs I'm afraid. It dictates your workable hours and days, stops you working weekend shifts; but mostly it explains why you haven't been in employment for over 12 months.

The first and most important step I had to take was the revision of my CV! It has been almost three years since I had to give the old girl a tidy up! With the help of Auckland University and careers.govt.nz, I was on the right track! I never realised how hard it was to write a CV with incomplete tertiary qualifications but reasonable experience in my industry, hospitality. Somehow I was even able to keep it down to two pages. Just a side note: When writing your CV up, if it is over three pages long, you have written too much! Keep your previous job descriptions to the most recent three, only listing places of employment and the employment period for other jobs. Try not to leave gaps in your employment history if you can; one thing employers worry about is when they see you have been unemployed for an extended period of time without rhyme nor reason.

Next was the cover letter. I haven't often used cover letters for my CV's, as they have often been hand delivered, therefore I become my own cover letter. In the process of online application, this is not a viable option. The best cover letter exemplar I found was on the Careers website, and it has become the basis for my personal cover letters. I'll be the first to admit that I cheat a little bit, I have a cover letter targeted at hospitality work I apply for and one for office and administration. Usually only minor things are tweaked, such as my highlighted skills and experience relevant to the position. Do not forget to change the details of the person the letter is intended for! A sure sign that you are a bit of a slacker like me is when you use an old cover letter, then send it without editing the name of the intended receiver or their business/company. Even make sure you change the date! Another dead give away!

Any Mums out there that are currently on the job hunt, best of luck to you all!! Some of you will have more flexibility than I do; have partners/husbands at home to mind the kids on weekends. It's a tough life seeking employment, but never settle for second best. If you weren't happy with the interview, chances are you won't be happy in the job.

My next hurdle: Having Lil'A looked after while I attend a job interview...

http://www.careers.govt.nz/how-to-get-a-job/cvs-and-cover-letters/templates/

http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/cv-examples