1. Workshop about career
skills:
CV writing and
Job Interview
DR. PATRICIA FIDALGO
JANUARY 2016

2. First things first
1. Graduation
2. CV writing 3. Job Interview

3. What is a CV?
CV stands for Curricum Vitae
Curriculum vitae is a Latin expression
which can be loosely translated as
[the] course of [my] life.
(Wikipedia, 2014)

4. Curriculum Vitae: marketing yourself
 CV is “an outline of a person's educational and
professional history, usually prepared for job
applications. (…) It conveys your personal details in
the way that presents you in the best possible light. A
CV is a marketing document in which you are
marketing something: yourself! You need to "sell"
your skills, abilities, qualifications and experience to
employers.”

5. Basic principles for a good CV
 The essentials
Be brief (1 or 2 pages are enough most of the
times). Don’t exceed 3 pages
Describe first your best: “If your work experience is
limited, describe your education and training first”
(Europass, 2014)
Highlight the skills that are important for the job
you are applying (e.g. language skills, social skills,
technical skills, etc.)

6. Clarity and conciseness
 Language
"Poor spelling is the quickest way of getting a rejection”
Corinne Mills, director of Personal Career Management
 Beware of typos (are inadmissible)
 Use short and clear sentences
 Choose your words deliberately
 Use grammar properly
 Get straight to your point
 Proofreading

7. Formating
Straightforward font type (Arial, Calibri, Century Old
Style, Garamond, Georgia, Times New Roman,
Trebuchet MS)
Straightforward formatting – be consistente
throughout the all document (use the same font type
and syzes, and don’t abuse the use of colors) The
font size should be between 10 and 12 points,
although your name and the section headings can be
a little larger and/or bolded.

8. Presentation
 Your CV should be carefully and clearly laid out - not
too cramped but not with large empty spaces either.
Use bold and italic typefaces for headings and
important information
 Never back a CV - each page should be on a separate
sheet of paper. It's a good idea to put your name in
the footer area so that it appears on each sheet.
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv.htm#Tips

9. CV models: template provided by word

10. CV templates

11. CV models
http://www.totaljobs.com/

12. CV examples
http://www.about.com/careers/

13. Content information of the CV
 Personal information

14. Education

15. …& Training
http://www.my-easy-resume.com/education-resume-writing.html
https://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/halpern_john/halpern_john_cv.shtml

16. Work Experience
www.dayjob.com

17. Personal Skills
www.dayjob.com

18. Professional Skills
www.dayjob.com

19. Additional information

20. Job Interview
 Your appearance
 It’s the first thing the interviewer will SEE

21. Types of job interviews
One on One interview
 A typical job interview is one-on-one between a candidate for
employment and a hiring manager.
 The interviewer will ask questions about the applicant's
experience and skills, as well as about work history, availability,
and the personal attributes the company is seeking in the
person they will hire for the job
Source: About careers

22. Types of job interviews
Group or Panel Interview
 A panel job interview takes place when an applicant for
employment is interviewed by a panel - or group - of
interviewers.
 There may be one candidate and multiple interviewers, multiple
candidates and one interviewer, or several candidates and
several interviewers.
Source: About careers

23. Types of job interviews
Phone Interview
 Employers use phone interviews as a way of identifying and recruiting candidates for
employment.
 Phone interviews are often used to screen candidates in order to narrow the pool of
applicants who will be invited for in-person interviews
 They are also used as a way to minimize the expenses involved in interviewing out-of-
town candidates.
 While you're actively job searching, it's important to be prepared for a phone interview
on a moment's notice.
Source: About careers

24. Types of job interviews
Behavioral Interview
 Behavioral based interviewing is based on discovering how the
interviewee acted in specific employment-related situations.
 The logic is that how you behaved in the past will predict how you will
behave in the future i.e. past performance predicts future performance
 The difference between this type of interview and One on One is the
type of interview questions that will be asked
 Example of questions: "Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me
how you achieved it?" or "Have you handled a difficult situation with a
supervisor? How?
Source: About careers

25. Preparing for the interview
Check Out the School/Company
 How much do you know about the School/Company that just contacted
you to schedule an interview? It should be plenty, and much of the
information you need might be available online.
 You have t0 be prepared both to answer interview questions and to ask
the interviewer questions. You will also be able to find out whether the
school/company and the school/company culture are a good fit for you
 Take some time, in advance, to use the Internet to discover as much
information as you can about the school

26. Analyze the Job Posting
 Take the time to analyze the job posting.
 Then make a list of the skills, knowledge, professional and
personal qualities that are required by the employer and are
most important for success in the job.
 Be ready to describe the attributes you have that make you the
perfect match for the job.
 The closer your qualifications match the job requirements, the
better chance you'll have of getting a second round interview
and a job offer

27. What to Bring to the Interview
 Identification
 Notepad and Pen
 Names of Contacts
 List of Questions to Ask
 Extra Copies of Your Resume
 Reference List
 Work Samples
 A Portfolio

28. What Not to Bring to a Job Interview
 Gum or candy
 Coffee, soda or water
 Phone
 Too many rings - if you have lots of piercings leave some of
your rings at home (one pair of earrings, is a good rule)
 Your parent(s), friends or anyone else

29. Get Directions and Arrange
Transportation and BE ON
TIME!

30. Interview questions
Question How to prepare an answer Examples
What is
your
greatest
strength?
Make a list of the qualifications mentioned
in the job posting. Then, make a list of your
skills that match those listed. This list can
include education or training, soft skills,
hard skills, or past work experiences.
Narrow your list of skills down to 3-5
particularly strong skills.
I have an extremely strong work ethic.
When I'm working on a project, I don't want
just to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to
complete the project well ahead of
schedule. Last year, I even earned a bonus
for completing my three most recent
reports one week ahead of time.
What is
your
greatest
weakness?
You can mention skills that aren't critical for
the job, skills you have improved on, or turn
a negative into a positive.
Even though the question is about
weaknesses, your answer should always be
framed around positive aspects of your
skills and abilities as an employee
I like to make sure that my work is perfect,
so I tend to perhaps spend a little too much
time checking it. However, I've come to a
good balance by setting up a system to
ensure everything is done correctly the first
time.

31. Interview questions
Question How to prepare an answer Examples
Why are you
leaving or have
left your
previous job?
Regardless of why you left, don't speak badly
about your previous employer. The interviewer
may wonder if you will be bad-mouthing his
company next time you're looking for work.
There isn't room for growth with
my current employer and I'm
ready to move on to a new
challenge.
Tell me about
yourself.
It's a way to break the ice and make you feel
more comfortable during the interview process.
Sharing too much or too little information isn't a
good idea. The interviewer doesn't want to know
everything about you, but disclosing too little
can make him or her wonder why you aren't
more open
Try starting out by sharing some
personal interests which don't
relate directly to your work.
Examples might include a hobby
which you are passionate about
like astronomy, chess, choral
singing, golf, skiing, tennis, or
antiquing.

32. Interview questions
Question How to prepare an answer Examples
Why do you
want this job?
Keep in mind that you can customize
these answers to fit your particular
circumstances and the job you are
applying for
I well understand that this is a school on the way up.
Your web site says that you have innovative teaching. I
want be a part of project as it grows.
Why should we
hire you?
Your answer to this question should be a
concise “sales pitch” that explains what
you have to offer the employer.
The best way to respond is to give
concrete examples of why your skills and
accomplishments make you the best
candidate for the job. Take a few moments
to compare the job description with your
abilities, as well as mentioning what you
have accomplished in your other positions
You describe in the job listing that you are looking for
a special education assistant teacher with an
abundance of patience and compassion. Having served
as a tutor at a summer school for dyslexic children for
the past two years, I have developed my ability to be
extremely patient while still achieving academic gains
with my students. My experience teaching phonics to
children ages 6 to 18 has taught me strategies for
working with children of all ages and abilities, always
with a smile.

33. Interview questions
Question How to prepare an answer Examples
How do you
handle stress
and pressure?
It's a good idea to give examples of how you
have handled stress to your interviewer. That
way, they get a clear picture how well you can
work in stressful situations.
Stress is very important to me. With
stress, I do the best possible job.
The appropriate way to deal with
stress is to make sure I have the
correct balance between good
stress and bad stress. I need good
stress to stay motivated and
productive.
Describe a
difficult work
situation /
project and
how you
overcame it
The best way to prepare for questions where
you will need to recall events and actions is to
refresh your memory and consider some special
situations you have dealt with or projects you
have worked on. You can use them to help
frame responses. Prepare stories that illustrate
times when you have successfully solved a
difficult situation.
Even though it was difficult when
Jane Doe quit without notice, we
were able to rearrange the
department workload to cover the
position until a replacement was
hired. (Be positive and specific

34. Interview questions
Question How to prepare an answer Examples
How do you
evaluate
success?
In your answer, you should be cognizant of the
type of job you're applying for. See if you can
find any information about the school/ company
mission statement
I evaluate success based on not
only my work, but the work of
my team. In order for me to be
considered successful, the team
needs to achieve both our
individual and our team goals.
What are your
goals for the
future?
Employers want to be sure that you won't be
moving on to another job right away. Don't
discuss your goals for returning to school or
having a family, they are not relevant and could
knock you out of contention for the job.
My long-term goals involve
growing with a school where I
can continue to learn, take on
additional responsibilities, and
contribute as much of value as I
can.

35. Thank you
Dr. Patricia Fidalgo
pfidalgo@ecae.ac.ae