CV writing, registration with bodies and recognition of qualifications

In Ireland, just like in South Africa, there are different variations of what is considered an acceptable layout of your CV. What is important to remember is that in most cases, they differ from the standard layout in South Africa.

You may want to consider getting your CV professionally looked at before applying for jobs, or Do It Youself. Below are some tips on CV’s and finding work.

You have to realise Ireland is small… geographically and by population. Ireland will fit inside KZN and has less than half KZN’s population.

We are only 5 mill people in Ireland. And that 5 million is closely connected with family and work ties.

You are trying to climb into a well woven and centuries old blanket that snuggles on the lap of Ireland. She is sitting at the fire and with a cuppa and biscuits. She doesnt “need” you… you need to show your value.

YOU NEED TO STAND OUT. You need to be extraordinary!!

Your CV needs to sing, but don’t come across too proud or arrogant. No one wants an arrogant house guest.

Your Linkedin must be well connected with all the companies that are in your industry: who are you connected to? which companies have you reached out to?

You need to be able to be human and professional… but mostly human… be real.

They will not be impressed by the socio-economic situation of SA that you are trying to escape from, they will be interested if you are coming to supply something special to this country… what are you bringing to Ireland’s blanket that will be of value?

They dont care what school or uni you went to or what social circles you mixed in, they want good honest hard working people.

Are you willing to take a step down/across to do this? To start your career here at a different point to succeed later on in time?

Are you willing to let go of your past and re-invent yourself?

Are you bringing a nice roast dinner to the fireplace or are you coming empty handed?

You are showing right now your tenacity, your strength, your will and your drive…. if you dont have these elements… FIND THEM.

You cannot give up finding work in Ireland after the first week… or month… or year.

Some, yes, professionals in certain fields, find work quickly and easily.

Others may take a lot longer to find their dream job.

So sit back, re-evaluate and consider…. what will make me a contributor in Ireland? And how do I word that?

Whether you are a SA passport holder or an EU passport holder, the same values needs to be found and communicated.

Humility. Some of you may have to go back to school and do some studying… or complete career changes… are you willing to do this for your future?

What are you actually willing to change or let go of, to get somewhere?

Here is an Ideal template for you to start with HERE (auto download Word.doc this will go into your device’s download file)

Sigmar recruitment provided us a template HERE (auto download .pdf this will go into your device’s download file)

Monster Templates HERE

Jobs.ie Templates HERE

You cannot write an effective CV, without a job spec and a very clear mental image of the job and what it requires.

The job must be one that really interests you and you must have a realistic chance of winning it. Otherwise, you will be generating a CV for something that you cannot obtain.

Rules for writing CV’s

• You cannot write a good CV in a vacuum. Make every effort to get your hands on a jobspec for a vacancy , that you would really like to win and for which you believe you can genuinely compete. Remember, it’s irrelevant at the application stage that you are ideal for the job. What matters is how your CV stacks up against the other CV’s tendered for the role.
• you have about 7-10 SECONDS to catch the attention of the reader. MAKE THAT COUNT!
• Don’t leave things out because you “want to discuss them at interview”. The reader needs to be interested enough in what you have done to invite you to interview in the first place.
• Explain any gaps in your CV.
• If you have an excellent CV, the reader will automatically visualise you fulfilling the role, as they read it. Tailor to the job and point out the obvious synergies.
• Everything on your CV must contribute to your application. Irrelevant detail is a cardinal sin. Everything must be relevant to the job for which you are applying and you must remove anything that is not relevant as far as the reader is concerned.

In most cases, your CV is sorted electronically before it reaches the desk of a consultant. this is done through a scan for positive words that are used in your CV. the more positive words you use in your CV, the more likely yours will be selected to proceed to the next level. The same goes for negative words, the more there are, the less likely your CV will progress.

To demonstrate your strong work ethic or introduce your accomplishments, try:

Achieved, Capitalised, Championed, Deciphered, Discerned, Drove, Enacted, Endeavoured, Established, Exceeded, Sharpened, Sparked, Spearheaded, Steered, Stimulated, Supervised, Surpassed

Instead of “duties included,” “responsible for,” “served as,” or “actions encompassed,” try:

Accelerated, Accomplished, Analysed, Assembled, Built, Founded, Created, Constructed, Delivered, Developed, Executed, Expanded, Finalised, Forged, Guided, Handled, Headed, Improved, Increased, Initiated, Implemented, Instituted, Produced, Reached, Simplified, Volunteered

To illustrate your communication skills, try:

Collaborated, Conveyed, Enlivened, Instructed, Performed, Presented, Spoke, Trained,

For creative positions, try:

Authored, Brainstormed, Briefed, Communicated, Conceptualised, Curated, Derived, Designed, Drafted, Edited, Illustrated, Imagined, Influenced, Intensified, Modelled, Proofread, Prototyped, Published, Researched, Strategized, Storyboarded, Translated, Visualised, Wrote,

For sales positions, try:

Captured, Conserved, Converted, Earned, Generated, Maximised, Negotiated, Won,

For management positions, try:

Advised, Arranged, Augmented, Centralised, Championed, Differentiated, Directed, Empowered, Endorsed, Enforced, Ensured, Forecasted, Fostered, Identified, Integrated, Leveraged, Reconciled, Reduced, Replaced, Resolved, Orchestrated, Optimised, Predicted, Renovated

For financial positions, try:

Audited, Classified, Collected, Equalised, Dispensed, Halted, Investigated, Lowered, Maintained, Minimised, Recognised, Secured

For technical positions, try:

Advanced, Architected, Automated, Coded, Deployed, Detected, Devised, Diagnosed, Discovered, Formulated, Installed, Launched, Networked, Planned, Programmed, Rewrote, Refined, Tested, Troubleshot, Upgraded

From Indeed.ie

When Doing your Career:

• In reverse chronological order, include the name of the companies you worked for and the dates you work there and your position
• Be Brief and use bullets points
• Cover the last 5 years in the most detail
• Emphasis should be on the most relevant positions to the job you’re applying for
• List achievements
• Try including at least 1 achievement per role

 CV Do’s:

• Keep Font consistent
• Deliver the message of your suitability immediately
• Write short sentences and use bullet points
• Keep your CV concise
• Keep the same tense throughout- third person past tense is most widely used
• Tailor-make your CV to the position
• Use a Spell check
• Save a copy in Word format
• Make sure all information is correct and true
• Show that you understand the job description
• Show your value
• Keep your CV up to date
• Good font choices include: Times New Roman, Arial or Garamond size 11 or 12  lettering is ideal

CV Do not’s

• Do not lie
• Do not use flashy coloured or decorative fonts
• Don’t put a photo unless requested
• Do not include pictures- provide a link to portfolios where needed
• Do not use abbreviations, acronyms or jargon
• Do not mention reason for leaving
• Do not put salary on the CV
• Do not go over 3 pages (usually 2 pages)
• Do not include references unless requested
• Do not repeat yourself

You should also leave the following information out of your CV:

• Date of Birth: Legally employers can’t discriminate on age so you don’t need to include your date of birth on your CV
• Place of Birth: There is no need to provide this unnecessary information .
• A Photo: CVs with photos are more common in the US but less so in Europe so there is no need to include one.
• Do not put your gender, race, ethnicity, skin colour, age, religion, sexual orientation or anything else that would have anyone discriminate against you

When it comes to cover letters, most employers look for the following:

• Tailored skills from the job description
• Well written and formatted content
• Further details from information in your CV (but NOT a direct copy)
• The ‘value’ you would bring to the organisation. In other words, why should we hire you?
• Perfect spelling & grammar
• A reflection of your personality
• Pick at least 3 of the qualities mentioned in the job application
• Research the company then mention the aspects of what it does that impresses you the most
• There is no need to go beyond a single A4 page for the covernote

Additional tips:

• Do not put your age or year of qualifications if you can, this is to prevent age-ism and hopefully your CV gets seen on it’s merits rather than trying to fill based on the age of the candidate they wish to see.
  
• Many people who would need to apply for Work Permits have found this to yield more success than contacting agencies in some fields of work
  
• Golden Pages is the Irish version of the South African Yellow Pages and will help you find companies in your field.
• You might want to get in contact with companies directly, rather than reply on agents or recruitment websites alone. Often being pro-active with a company you want to work for will come across really well. Also showing how your skills will benefit THAT business will help finding your ideal job. So research the company thoroughly.
• The Main PARTS OF A GOOD CV – Experience and Achievements!!!! Everyone knows whats required from a job… what have you done or achieved in the past, that makes you the perfect candidate for THIS company in the future?

•     gender
•     civil status
•     family status
•     sexual orientation
•     religion
•     age
•     disability: includes people with physical, intellectual, learning, cognitive or emotional disabilities and a range of medical conditions
•     race: includes race, skin colour, nationality or ethnic origin
•     membership of the Traveller community

Equal pay for like work is part of everyone’s contract of employment. Like work is defined as work that is the same, similar or work of equal value.

Irish Times article HERE

“employers need people who are flexible, adaptable and able to embrace change.”

“they need someone who can, as far as possible, manage their own morale and well-being”

“Employers want people who can take an ill-defined, complex problem with an unclear goal and get into the habit of dealing with it.”

“Employers are really looking for people with foreign languages. They also want people with data analytics skills who can visualise data with graphics, charts and presentations to make evidence-based decisions.”

“What did you do with your time during the pandemic? This is a question employers will ask. If you are out of work, think about how you can keep learning, developing new skills or building your portfolio.”

“If you want opportunities to grow and progress, identify where the problems are and come up with proposed solutions.”

“Being able to write clearly and concisely is important: remember you are not in a WhatsApp group and you need a different tone for different communication channels.”

“A good online presence is important. Employers are increasingly paying attention to LinkedIn and use it to find talent, so a job applicant’s online presence should be sharp, up to date and have words in your profile that reflect the job you’re looking for.”

Indeed.ie

“You can consider highlighting these skills in your resume and interviews:

Targetjobs.uk (Aware this is not an Irish site, but good tips nonetheless)

1. Commercial awareness (or business acumen)

This is about knowing how a business or industry works and what makes a company tick. Showing that you have an understanding of what the organisation wants to achieve through its products and services, and how it competes in its marketplace.

2. Communication

This covers verbal and written communication, and listening. It’s about being clear, concise and focused; being able to tailor your message for the audience and listening to the views of others.

 3. Teamwork

You’ll need to prove that you’re a team player but also have the ability to manage and delegate to others and take on responsibility. It’s about building positive working relationships that help everyone to achieve goals and business objectives.

4. Negotiation and persuasion

This is about being able to set out what you want to achieve and how, but also being able to understand where the other person is coming from so that you can both get what you want or need and feel positive about it.

5. Problem solving

You need to display an ability to take a logical and analytical approach to solving problems and resolving issues. It’s also good to show that you can approach problems from different angles.

6. Leadership

You may not be a manager straight away, but graduates need to show potential to motivate teams and other colleagues that may work for them. It’s about assigning and delegating tasks well, setting deadlines and leading by good example.

7. Organisation

This is about showing that you can prioritise, work efficiently and productively, and manage your time well. It’s also good to be able to show employers how you decide what is important to focus on and get done, and how you go about meeting deadlines.

8. Perseverance and motivation

Employers want people to have a bit of get-up-and-go. Working life presents many challenges and you need to show employers that you’re the kind of person who will find a way through, even when the going gets tough… and stay cheerful-ish.

9. Ability to work under pressure

This is about keeping calm in a crisis and not becoming too overwhelmed or stressed.

10. Confidence

In the workplace you need to strike the balance of being confident in yourself but not arrogant, but also have confidence in your colleagues and the company you work for.

Most registrations with bodies or organisations usually take the form of 2 stages: Recognition of your qualifications and then the Registration process. (see link below)

Depending on the nature of the career or the type of registration you may need to get hold of transcripts of your degree and results, you may need to contact your Tertiary Education Insitution where you studied. Give yourself plenty time to get this done.

We don’t recommend you go seeking work until this is done, job offers have been retracted because the applicant cannot get registration done in time for the company to proceed. It’s therefore advised if you are in the investigation stage of moving to Ireland that you start gathering documents you need and do the reading on registration for that particular Body and how it works long before you proceed. Time frames could be 6-12 months for some, it make be weeks for others. This will be an important factor when it comes to your time-lines on applying for work and doing things like selling your home in SA.

If this isn’t a requirement, you may want to look at joining organisations or bodies regardless. This could add clout to your job applications. You may not HAVE to… but will it benefit you? Do they have a job portal on their website for members for example? Will you have access to networking with potential employers in that field? What about skills training or industry updates that may not be in SA yet?

“Professional bodies are organisations which act on behalf of the interests of those working within a particular industry or speciality and the public interest.

The aim of these organisations is to maintain control and standards of the profession.

These bodies often run certification programmes to further improve and update the skills of practitioners.

Becoming a member of a professional body can have many benefits, such as:

• Networking can become easier and more applicable through industry relevant events held by the organisation and attended by your peers.
• Upskilling can become more affordable through workshops and courses available to members at a reduced cost.
• Access to resources and guidance.
• Access to industry insights that may otherwise be tricky to source.
• New employers will recognise membership as a commitment to your career and to the highest standards of your profession.”

Wallace Myers- Bodies and Organisation registrations HERE

Also you may want to check with Competent Authorities here: competent authorities (pdf) If you do not find your profession on this list of competent authorities, you can email qualifications@education.gov.ie.

Ireland has a different education system and terminology of what degrees are or what they are in equivalent terms may be an important part of the job application process. Make sure to include in your CV the full name of your degree but also what that is in Irish terminology, so include the NQF level. (see link below)

Careers may have different names or terminology, so do some job searches on the relevant employment sites and see whether job terminology is the same. Also, refer back to the SOC code ONS tool to see what qualifications are required for

The National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is a system of 10 levels which allows you to compare different types and levels of qualifications available in Ireland. Qualifications on the framework include:

• Junior Certificate (NFQ Level 3)
• Leaving Certificate (NFQ Levels 4 and 5)
• Advanced Certificate – Craft / Higher Certificate(NFQ Level 6)
• Ordinary Bachelor Degree (NFQ Level 7)
• Honours Bachelor Degree / Higher Diploma (NFQ Level 8)
• Masters Degree (NFQ Level 9)
• Doctoral Degree (NFQ Level 10)

 Click on South Africa, your Education level, and on the new window you will see the details of your degree/ qualifications. Click on the one that applies to you.

Download a Comparability Statement which can be attached to your CV or covernote to go with your job applications.

If your degree is not on there you can request Request for Advice on Recognition of a Foreign Qualification HERE