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Transform Your Career With Expert CV Advice · Work It Like A Mum

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, I'm Elizabeth Willits and I'm obsessed with helping as many women as possible achieve their boldest dreams after kids and helping you to navigate this messy and magical season of life.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: I'm a working mum with over 17 years of recruitment experience and I'm the founder of the Investing in Women job board and community.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: In this show, I'm honoured to be chatting with remarkable women redefining our working world across all areas of business.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: They'll share their secrets on how they've achieved extraordinary success after children, set boundaries and balance, the challenges they've faced and how they've overcome them to define their own versions of success.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Shy away from the real talk?
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: No way.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Money struggles, growth, loss, boundaries and balance we cover it all.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Think of this as coffee with your mates, mixed with an inspiring TED Talk sprinkled with the career advice you wish you'd really had at school.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, make sure you're cosy and get ready to get inspired and chase your boldest dreams, or just survive Mondays.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: This is the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: This episode is brought to you by Investing in Women.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Investing in Women is a job board and recruitment agency helping you find your dream part-time or flexible job with the UK's most family-friendly and forward-thinking employers.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Their site can help you find a professional and rewarding job that works for you.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: They're proud to partner with the UK's most family-friendly employers across a range of professional industries, ready to find your perfect job?
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Search their website at investinginwomencouk to find your next part-time or flexible job opportunity.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Now back to the show.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: This January, I'm doing something slightly differently because I'm recording solo episodes to help you get the career and life that you have been dreaming of, potentially for years, and make 2025 your year.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to be giving you loads of actionable advice within the next few podcasts.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: We're going to be covering things like CVs, job interviews, cover letters, linkedin a whole host of topics to be an actionable book to help you build a successful career around your life.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: You're going to be getting loads of smart strategies for you to build a life and a career on your terms.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Within the book there are chapters on CVs, linkedin profiles, nailing job interviews, but to give you a head start, I'm going to be diving into some of those topics within the next few podcast episodes.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: So this week I'm going to be focusing on CVs and, despite what you may have read on LinkedIn, cvs are not dead.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: I receive, you know, as a recruiter I can receive well over 100 applications per role.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: I've known some jobs get over 300 applications per role and you know, when you're getting that much volume of applications, you're going to just judge someone initially on a CV.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: So we want to make sure that your CV is, you know, the best it can be.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: It's telling your story in a way that you want it to.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: It's highlighting your value, your skills, your story in a way that you want it to.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: It's highlighting your value, your skills, your experience and really what you can bring to the role, what you can bring to the table and why a recruiter or the hiring manager should pick up the phone and invite you for an interview.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: So, as you can imagine, when you receive that much volume of applications, you don't spend too long.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: You know reading every single word on a CV and you know, on average, a recruiter may spend about 10 seconds reviewing a CV and a whopping 80% don't make it onto shortlists.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to be dedicating this episode to making sure that your CV is not one of those 80%.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: But yeah, I know writing CVs can be really difficult.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: People often worry that they don't know what to say.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: They're worried that they, you know, will go over the two pages, that they can't fill those two pages, and they also don't know how to structure their CV either.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: So this episode is going to be dedicated to your CV and we're also going to be covering cover letters as well at the end of the episode.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: So make sure you stick around for that.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: So, first of all, structure.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: As you know, I mentioned we.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: You know, as a recruiter, we can get hundreds of applications per job advert.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: So therefore, we don't want to be, you know it has to be quite skimmable, especially, you know, as, with social media, over time, people's attention stands have reduced.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: We want to make sure that, you know, we can see the information that we need really easily and we're not having to, you know, really pick it out.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: So therefore, your CV needs to be relevant and to the point.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: So put your mind in the job, in the mindset of the recruiter or the hiring manager.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: What do you think they're looking for for this role and what questions may they have regarding your application?
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: And the fewer question marks they have, the more likely that you are going to get to the top of their shortlist pile.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Like I said, because they haven't got a lot of time to review hundreds of cvs, they would prefer your CV to follow a traditional format so they know exactly where the information they're looking for is.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: So there's some simple steps here for you to make sure that your CV is easy to read and they, you know, will read it.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: And so appearance that I would say, keep, unless you are applying for a graphic design role where your design skills are going to come in really handy.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: Keep your CV quite clean and neat, maybe just on a Word document.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: It does not need to be fancy.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: So black text on a white background.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: This will also help, because a lot of CV reviews aren't even done by a person.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: A lot of CV reviews aren't even done by a person.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: They're actually done by a computer, and it will just help make sure that words and phrases are picked out as well by a computer.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: Keep the font clean, so Calibri or Arial easy to read.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: You could use size 11 for the main points, 14 for the headings, no photos, because it can create bias but it also uses up space on what is intended to be a short document.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: Personal details should be at the top of your CV the amount of times I've had a really good application and I wanted to speak to somebody, but they haven't included a phone number or email address.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: So include your name, location.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: You don't need to include your full address if you're worried about data protection, but it's really helpful to know you know what what town you live in, for example.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: So therefore, if another role is added more local to you, then you know a good recruiter will keep your details on file and note to contact you email address, phone number, linkedin profile if applicable, and following that, you would then move on to your personal profile or biography, and it's a few sentences directly under your personal details that tell the hiring manager who you are and what your key experience is.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: So think of it as professional Instagram bio and, if you're on a notice period of less than a week, included here plus any interview availability.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: And then, unless you are a very, very recent graduate, I would start always with your career to date and work backwards in chronological order and have your education under your career.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: If you were a recent grad, I would probably swap it around, so start with your most recent job first and then add previous jobs underneath that in reverse chronological order.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: So job title is a bold header followed by your employee's name.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: Include dates employed from until and, if you've been, this is top tip.
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: If you've been with an employer for several years but maybe you've been promoted, maybe you've moved around within the organization, rather than really splitting each role, which at first glance could make you look a bit job hoppy and something that not all recruiters not every recruiter, but not all recruiters like you could group them under a large single heading and just put various roles due to promotion, perhaps C, below and that makes.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: That would just clear up any question marks they may have regarding, maybe, why you've done several short stints during your career.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: It just goes shows that you've moved around, but within the same organisation.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: Like I said, that is not all recruiters think like that.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: If you are concerned that you have maybe had several short stints in various contracts, or maybe you've been on a career break and you don't want to draw attention to any dates, put the dates on the right hand side of the page, because we read left to right, so the words on the left are going to be the ones that we absorb more and we see a bit more easily.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: So if you want to sort of hide the dates, if you like, and put them to the right of the page, um, but yeah, so then um, and then within each role, then you want to be including what your responsibilities were.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: Now try and make these responsibilities as relevant to the role that you are applying for.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: So, for example, if you are applying for a HR role, in your previous role you may have done HR recruitment, but before that you might have been a recruiter, but this role is a pure HR role.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Include your HR responsibilities first, so the recruiter can see at first glance that you have really relevant experience.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: So therefore, yeah, think about what types of you know what skills and experience they're looking for and any skills and experience you have that matches that.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: Put that first.
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: So it's just about pulling out the most relevant experience on your CV and making sure that that is a first front and centre.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: So work backwards, like said, through each um, each role that you've had within your career.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: As you're going through each responsibility, try and think about the so what.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: So, for example, if you are a marketeer and you are applying for another marketing role, rather than something like worked on SEO be like improved, you know the site's SEO increasing traffic by resulting in such and such X of sales.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: So, every line, think the so, what.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: It's sort of like a why, why, why is this important?
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: And the more you do that, the more you will be able to extract the value you have had in previous roles.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: It really also helps for interviews as well to talk about that value and you're just spelling it out really to another employer, what you've done for previous employers and therefore potentially what you can do for them.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Numbers, I always think, is so universal as well, because think about who is reviewing your CV first instance.
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: It may not be the hiring manager, who may not, you know, it might be a recruitment administrator, assistant, like I said, it may be AI.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: The person that's reading the CV might not even be based in the country you're applying for.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: A lot of this.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: This function is outsourced, so you need but numbers are always really universal and people can really understand numbers.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: So I would try and quantify as much where you can, thinking about the ultimate value each of your responsibilities brought to your previous employer, because, like I said, it's a really good indication of the value you can bring and you're definitely much more likely then to be invited to um, to an interview, if you can show the impact that you have made in previous roles.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: Education should go under work history.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: So unless, like I said, unless you're a school leaver or recent graduate, start with your most recent education first and work backwards.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Include dates attended, which institution, what you studied.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: You don't need to go as far back as ucses unless applying for a first job, so a levels or equivalent is probably as far back as you want.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Include grades if you did well um and add all training and relevant training and professional qualifications as well to the sector.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: Don't forget your it skills.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: A lot of roles do need specific systems, knowledge and skills.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: So if you you know any systems or software you've used, definitely include them in this section with your proficiency level.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Languages this is like a lot of people don't include languages if they speak languages, but speaking a language, a foreign language, is going to really set you apart because, I'll be honest, not a lot of people in Britain speak another language and actually you know it's really, really important.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: And if you do include it, because a lot of roles love somebody you know, especially working for an international company, would love to hire somebody that spoke another language.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: So being multilingual will definitely help you stand out from a crowd.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: If you are applying for a role where you need to maybe drive, include the if you know.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: Include what if you've got a full driving license, for example.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: Also, don't need references on your cv not at this stage, so you don't want to be you know, it's a bit of a data protection issue, um.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: So only provide references if you've been offered a role.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: So once you've done that, you've structured your CV, you've gone through all your responsibilities, you've tried to show the impact where possible.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: Then make sure that you're reading again through that job ad and seeing if there's any particular phrases, keywords that they use, and try and mirror that in your own CV, in your own application, because, like I said, the people that are reviewing that CV may not be the hiring manager.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: So if there's two ways to say a particular you know duty that you've done, use the phrase that they are using in their advert, because the person that's reviewing those CVs may have been trained to look for that particular phrase.
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: So Don't try and be too clever.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: Think if it was your you know gran or your mum reviewing your application and try and keep it, you know, as simple as possible, making sure that you're using any keywords that they are using.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: Like I said, go back to this impact thing as well.
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: I think it's so, so important.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: What positive difference because really you're thinking you're selling yourself, is a sales document, is a CV what positive difference will be made to the organizations of bottom line, and that is even for back office roles by hiring you and you know a hiring manager or a business is fundamentally interested in three things can you save them time, can you save them money or can you make them money?
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: So, like I said, you know, even if you are back office and you're not a salesperson, sales are often a lot easier to quantify.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: But maybe you're an accountant who previously automated a set of reports, saving so much time at month end how much time.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: Or maybe you were in procurement, you negotiated a new contract with the stationary supplier, saving thousands of pounds a year.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Things like that are really helpful and definitely help you stand out within cva than if just something quite generic.
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: So did bookkeeping or something like that would be really helpful to see you know if you did bookkeeping, what systems did you use and what processes and systems did you develop that helped you know, save time, money, etc.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: Um, I always think it's really helpful to use the STAR technique and you can definitely use the STAR technique in interviews as well.
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: So STAR technique stands for situation, task, action, result.
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: So situation share some context around the challenge faced.
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: Task what was your responsibility in overcoming this challenge?
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: Action what step-by-step action did you do take to solve the problem?
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: And result how did this benefit your employer?
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: Did it save time, money, etc.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: And try and use you know a really good key achievement example, following this technique in the last couple of roles, because, again, that really helps you stand out.
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: Obviously, your CV is a professional document, so think about how you're going to save it.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: Um, so you know, for example, elizabeth willett's jan, jan 2025, looks a lot cleaner than um e willett's and then loads of numbers behind it.
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: So think about how you're going to save it and send it um.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: And also, if you've got a funny email address from teenage years, change it now to something you know, more professional, more that you would see.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: You know you would like your future boss to see as well.
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: Like I said, your CV should be a mirror of the job advert it's just going to give hiring managers a flavour of who you are, what you've done and relevance to the role.
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: Its main aim is to hook them in so they want to learn more about you and invite you to an interview.
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: So therefore, they don't need to see the daily ins and outs of a role you did 10 years ago.
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: The last two jobs are going to be the much um the most important to focus on.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: Um don't need to include a list of every single hobby you've had.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: I mean, there's this two-page rule.
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: I don't know who invented the two-page rule.
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: Um for cvs.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: I think if you go over two pages to maybe two and a half, that's fine, but anything more than that is just a no-no, because it looks like you can't actually decipher information, what's important, which is a skill that you need for any job.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: So two, two and a half pages tops.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: If you're worried about going over, you could narrow the margins to fit more words onto the page rather than reducing your font size, making your cv hard to read.
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: But yeah, you definitely don't want to be going much more above two and a half pages.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: So you, like I said, it's just about picking out relevant experience to the roles you're applying for.
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: We don't need to see everything if it's no longer relevant and check and double check your cv.
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: So I cannot tell you how important this is, because once you know, if there's simple spelling mistakes, it's going to give the impression that you are sloppy and that you are going to overlook things within your work.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: You know all software now has spelling spell checks.
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: There's not really much excuses.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: So, for example, I was recruiting for a role recently.
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: The candidate had worked in Dubai and they'd spelled Dubai wrong first within the first sentence, and that just gave a really poor impression of that individual that lived and worked in Dubai.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: So just think, just check the spelling and get somebody else to check it and run through the spell check.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: But yeah, it just makes you I said it's poor spelling, makes you look a little bit sloppy.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: You can get something for free called grammarly and that's a really good spell checker and grammar checker as well.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: Um, like I said, crafting a cv can be daunting, but it's your first step to landing a dream job and it's worth spending time on it.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: It's worth sending fewer quality applications, um, than loads of applications that are no longer relevant, that are not relevant, and you're just going to get loads of rejections on and you're going to end up feeling really disheartened.
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: I do have a free cv template that you can download.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: If you go to the website investingwomencouk forward slash free cv template, you can download your copy there.
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: Just a quick one on skills-based cvs, because I know that they can sometimes be popular.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: Um, I'm not gonna lie, I don't like them.
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: I find them really really hard to read.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: And think back to my first point about how many applications roles can receive and how we need to see the information quickly.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: A confused.
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: There is a saying that a confused mind does not buy, and this is exactly how I feel about skills-based CVs, because it's really hard to see what somebody has done and when and it just looks like a jumbled in my mind, mess of words and it's like I said I want something a lot clearer.
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: Um, and it lacks then the clear timeline and narrative flow.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: That is a busy recruiter and you know a lot of every recruiter um needs to assess if somebody has you know all the right relevant.
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: You know potentially quite recent experience for the role I'm hiring for, um, so you can obviously use a skills-based CV.
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: I think they do sort of give the impression somebody's trying to hide something in their application, trying to distract with skills rather than solid experience.
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: But if you do want to use a skills-based CV, then you might be helpful.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: If you're doing a career change, so you're leaving the comfort of your current role to try something new, it could showcase transferable skills, highlight what you bring to the table when your job titles don't scream relevant.
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: If you're limited experience, so maybe you're really fresh out of school.
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: But I think most recruiters understand that and to get over that hurdle, I just put your education first and then you.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: You know you could see um as a recruiter that somebody is a recent graduate of school either.
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: Gaps in employment um, it can downplay the timeline in focusing instead on you know what you can do.
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: But a lot of employers are a lot more understanding on career gaps.
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: A lot of people had career gaps for a whole host of reasons.
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: So I don't think you necessarily need to use a skills-based cv because of that.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Um, if necessarily need to use a skills-based CV because of that, if you have to use a skills-based CV, then tailor it.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: So don't just copy and paste the same skills from job advert to job advert.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: Analyze each role, identify the key skills they need.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: Tailor your CV accordingly.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: Quantify so numbers over your friend, instead of just saying your excellent communication like, and you know, with the traditional CV.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: Quantify your impact.
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: Did you increase website traffic by?
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: Quantify so numbers of your friend, instead of just saying your excellent communication like, and you know, with the traditional cv, quantify your impact.
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: Did you increase website traffic by 20% through your blog posts?
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: Did your presentation save a company five thousand pounds through x?
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: Think like that.
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: So use strong action verbs to ditch a passive voice.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Let your skill shine.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: The managed.
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: A team of 10 becomes led a team of 10 to achieve.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: Achieve a 15 increase in productivity by um.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: So aim, like with the traditional cv.
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: Aim for a maximum of two pages.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: Prioritize skills relevant to the job and um.
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: Don't forget we need you know a brief work history section, even if it's your complete main focus.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: It gives much more context to your skills and proves you're not a complete mystery.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: So just to summarize your cv, whatever format you use, it needs to capture attention quickly.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: You need understand that recruiters spend, on average, just 10 seconds reviewing cvs.
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: Structure your cv to highlight your most relevant experience and skills up front, ensuring you make it on the short list structure is really important.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: Ideally, your cv should follow a traditional format to make it easier for recruiters to find the information they need.
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: Includes a clean layout, personal details and a personal profile.
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: Um, highlight your impact.
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: I cannot tell you how important this is.
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: So, beyond listing responsibilities, use the star technique to emphasize the tangible impact you've made in roles.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: This helps recruiters see the value you can bring to their company.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: Ensure your CV is professionally presented with a sensible email address and file name that reflects you how you want to be perceived in a professional basis, and meticulously proofread to avoid spelling mistakes or inconsistencies.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Um, and if you you know you want some help, don't forget to go onto my website to download a free cv template there as well.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: So it is.
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: I'm just trying to find where I put it investinginwomencouk forward slash free cv template.
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: So definitely go there and that will give you a real head start.
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: And there's also a blog post on our website regarding how to to basically write your CV.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: And in my new book, flex, out on the 23rd of January, there's a whole chapter dedicated to CVs as well.
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: Moving on now to cover letters, and there were two schools of thoughts regarding cover letters one that they're not important and no one reads them anyway, or two I reject anyone who doesn't send a cover letter.
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: They personally, I think, sit in the middle.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: I don't think they're as important as a CV and I certainly wouldn't reject a perfect candidate because they hadn't written a cover letter.
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: But if you put yourself in a hiring manager's position, if you were a hiring manager and you had pretty you know, two pretty much identical cvs, one had written a cover letter highlighting their relevant skills and experience, expressing their interest in the role of the company, and the other had applied with their cv note cover letter, to give any context about who they are, why they wanted the role.
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: Who do you think you would invite for an interview?
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: Um, and I think that just basically sums it up and I think they're really important.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: They definitely come into their own if you're trying to switch careers and applying for a role completely different from your previous skills and experience, and they help to give context in the situation and prevent a hiring manager from scratching their head thinking, um, why have they applied for this role?
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: Um, with a cover letter you can explain your reasons, that reasons you're, like I said, transferable skills and experience.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: They now understand and will hopefully therefore invite you for an interview.
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: And they also, I think, just coming to their own when applying for smaller companies rather than large organizations why, when you were, might work directly with the founder.
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: So in this situation, team fit enthusiasm can be much more important than experience for some smaller firms, and this was the case with me.
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: I recently hired for a marketing manager to join our team.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: We had well over 100 applications and the lady we ended up hiring wrote a lovely stand out cover letter and therefore, do you know what the cover letter was?
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: Brilliant?
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: Because it told me a little bit about her.
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: She'd got her, you know.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: She showcased her personality, who she was and actually also, like with the CV included within the cover letter, some of her quantifiable skills and, you know, impact she'd had in previous roles.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: I could see within the cover letter what values she could bring to me and my team and, just like I said, gave me a real good overview of who she was and therefore I just couldn't wait to meet her.
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: So that is why I think cover letters are so, so important.
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: But yeah, what is a cover letter?
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: So it's simply a letter or email addressed to the interviewer or hiring manager.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: It accompanies your cv when applying for a job.
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: Um, you can use them, like said, to demonstrate your key skills strength, emphasize your relevant experience and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: It's a great tool for sealing the deal, showcasing your personality and encouraging the hiring manager to invite you for an interview, and so I've got some tips now to share with you to ensure that your cover letter stands out and it doesn't blend in with the other applications.
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: But, being honest, even just having one will help you stand out against hundreds of applications that don't include one and give the impression that they are spraying and praying with their applications.
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: So, before you start writing a cover letter, research the organisation.
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: Who are they?
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: What do they do?
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: Who are their competitors?
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: Have they been in the news recently?
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: If so, why?
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: The more you know about the organisation, the easier it will be to um to write about why you want to work for them and why you will be a good fit.
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: And who should you address your cover letter to?
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: Ideally, you should personalize and address your cover letter to the person rearing the cvs.
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: This information might be on the job advert.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: If not, you could try and track the recruiters or hiring manager's name on linkedin on their company website, and you could always call the organisation and ask if you can't find the details, obviously, using the person's name will demonstrate your enthusiasm for the position and initiative in obtaining their details, but if you still can't find it, don't worry, just put dear sir or madam, how should you structure your cover letter?
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: So, following that, you're greeting?
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: The first paragraph should set the context for the letter, highlighting why you are getting in touch.
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: For example, I want to apply for the financial accountant position that I saw advertised on the Investing Women job board with your company.
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: I've enclosed my CV for your consideration.
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: The second paragraph should talk about your suitability for the role.
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: So you refer to the job ad, see what are the expected duties and keywords, draw out your relevant experience and pepper this paragraph with those keywords, if applicable.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: So, for example, as you will see from my CV, I am an ACO qualified accountant with four years of post-qualified experience.
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: I have experience preparing accounts within large organisations, producing advanced financial modelling, meeting tight deadlines and working with various stakeholders.
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: The third paragraph should include details of why the organisation should hire you and highlight your key achievements relevant to the skills needed for the role.
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: For example, in this role, I have streamlined and automated various processes using financial modelling and advanced Excel, resulting in a time saving of two days at month's end.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: Remember that recruiters like to see measurable achievements modelling and advanced excel, resulting in a time saving of two days at month's end.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Remember that recruiters like to see measurable achievements.
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: And to help you with this paragraph, you can also refer back to the star technique that we discussed earlier in the episode, which stands for the situation, task achievement and the result.
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: In the fourth paragraph, reiterate your enthusiasm for the vacancy, using the job advert as a guide, weaving in your research within the organization.
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: So I believe I'll be a great hire for your organization and bring the same level of dedication, innovation and enthusiasm I have always brought to previous roles.
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: With your recent success in x and my experience experience in advanced automation and financial modeling I am confident we will be a great fit and I will be able to ensure that I am successful in this role and will be able to quickly add value and contribute to your continued growth and success.
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: You can also obviously add a little bit more about you and your personality as well.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: It doesn't have to be as formal or as stiff as a CV.
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: End on a high.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: Remember you do not need to only apply for roles if you meet all the job requirements.
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: A lot of studies actually show that women only apply for roles if they feel they meet 100% of requirements, whilst men will apply if they meet 60.
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: A role should stretch you.
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: There's an argument that if you do everything required from day one, you're not actually progressing in your career and will quickly become bored in the role.
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: Don't use the cover letter to apologise for any experience you don't yet have.
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: Instead, reiterate your interest in the position and add a call to action.
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: So thank you, person name, for taking the time to review my application.
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: I believe I am a strong candidate for the role, as you will see in my attached CV, and I look forward to meeting you to discuss the application further.
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: Um, if you discover the person's role, you can sign off yours sincerely.
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: If you cover letters address just a madam, sign off yours faithfully, or you could just put thank you very much.
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: Keep it short and concise.
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: It doesn't need to be super long, about half a page any longer.
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: You might risk boring the reader any short and you won't have covered all the points in enough detail, like your cv.
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: Once finished, don't forget to check your cover letter for spelling mistakes.
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: Like poor spelling, spelling looks sloppy.
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: It gives the impression that you may overlook other areas of the role.
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: Um, as a general rule I'd say don't mention salary expectations just yet, unless the organization has explicitly asked for that information to be consistent.
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: Use the same font as in your CV.
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: Avoid using fancy, distracting graphics pictures.
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: Remember to tailor your cover letter to the job advert rather than sending a generic cover letter for each role.
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: When you take the time to tailor your CV and cover letter for each position, you have a much bigger opportunity to sell yourself, your skills, skills, experience to the hiring manager and your application will stand out.
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: It's about quality, not quantity.
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: Double check the employer and hiring manager's name and finally, be confident when writing your cover letter that you are the perfect application for the role.
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: The fact that you you know you're listening to this podcast now shows your conscientious, your diligent um individual and your next employer.
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: It will be so, so lucky to have you so crafting a cover letter, um, you know it and a good cv.
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: It takes practice but, you know, if you want to really make your application shine, a great cover letter speaks volumes.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: You know about your, your value and often can really resonate.
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: Like my application my applicant did for the marketing manager role as well.
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: So yeah, just to summarise, a cover letter, you know, while maybe not as crucial as a CV, it can definitely help distinguish you from equally qualified candidates, especially in career transitions.
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: It provides context to your application and highlights your enthusiasm for the role, distinguish you from equally qualified candidates, especially in career transitions.
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: It provides context to your application and highlights your enthusiasm for the role.
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: Personalization is key, um, so make sure you research the company, address your cover letter to a specific person.
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: Personalizing it shows initiative and a genuine interest in the position and the business.
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: Um begin, you know, in terms of structure.
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: Begin with an introduction to your application, followed by paragraphs that showcase your suitability for the role, relevant achievements and enthusiasm, using keywords from the job ad to align your experience and keep your cover letter concise about half a page is perfect and end with a confident call to action inviting the hiring manager to call you, invite you for an interview and discuss your application further.
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: Remember you are perfect for the role, so have that confidence with your CV and with your cover letter.
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: I hope you found this episode helpful.
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: As I said, my book Flex is due out on the 23rd of January 2025.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: It's going to be available from all good bookstores including, obviously, amazon, waterstones, foils, target if you're listening to this, in the USA, wh Smith and Flex offers you going to be offering you smart strategies to build a successful career around your life.
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: So, whether you're looking to pivot into a new role, climb the corporate ladder or integrate more flexibility into your current position, my insightful and actionable advice will help you maintain momentum and advance your career in a way that works for you.
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: We've got loads of case studies of women that have successfully navigated the modern workplace and it highlights, you know, that career progression doesn't have to be up up up all the time, and there's a beautiful non-linear aspect as well to career progression.
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: And also there's going to be lots of advice on how to assess and use your skills effectively to overcome common obstacles and make a bold boost with confidence.
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: So within the book itself, you'll get strategies to help you gain clarity on your career and identify a job you love.
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: Advice for rebooting your career if you a job you love.
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: Advice for rebooting your career if you've had a lengthy maternity or family leave.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: Actionable tips on writing a CV, creating a LinkedIn profile and nailing job interviews.
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: Techniques to help you make a flexible working request that your employer is more likely to say yes to as well.
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: So I've aimed with the book for it to be your personal blueprint for creating a fulfilling career that truly fits around your life.
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: Like I said, it's going to be available from all good bookstores on the 23rd of January 2025.
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: And if you're listening to this before that date, you can obviously pre-order the book as well.
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to this episode.
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: Join us again next week for more career advice to help you get the career you want and deserve in 2025.
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to another episode of the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: If you're on LinkedIn, please send me a connection request at Elizabeth Willett and let me know your thoughts on this week's episode.
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: You can also follow my recruitment site, investing in Women on LinkedIn, facebook and Instagram.
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep on chasing your biggest dreams.