Aibu to ask for help with my out of work husband’s CV?

[gingganggooleywotsit]

Sorry if this isn’t the right place to post, but I know there’s a lot of traffic here! Dh is 53, has been a self employed presentation graphics designer for 30+ years. Aaaanyway to cut a long story short he lost all his work because of Covid, overnight. The reason being all conferences and live events are cancelled indefinitely. He’s had a bit of work doing virtual conferences but not enough.
He’s seen a government department job advertised in London for an on-site PowerPoint/graphics guy. Thing is he’a obviously an older man and hasn’t had to apply for a job since he was 21. He’s really worried about looking out of touch/old fashioned in terms of his CV. Just wondered if the wise mumsnetters could offer any tips/advice about making it look modern and professional? He has lost all his confidence 😔 Many many thanks in advance!

I like it now when they include a small passport size pic, otherwise for my son I googled modern cv’s and there’s loads of ideas out there. Plus Barclays builds you one through an app they have.

Definitely don't include a photo unless someone's appearance is important (eg for an acting job).

This was a useful thread of common CV mistakes, with quite a lot of recruiters on posting on it:
mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3954013-Terrible-CVs

However, first things first, if it's a government department and they are recruiting via the civil service jobs site, there won't be any opportunity for him to submit a word or pdf copy of a cv. There will be an open text field in the application form to copy details into. Identifying details like dates of attendance and school/ university names need to be stripped out to prevent unconscious bias on the part of the sifter.

So check what the requirements are first. There's no point him spending ages on formatting a CV if he isn't going to be able to use it.

Op he needs to talk about his experience. Because that’s why he has got going for him. Even link to some examples.

And assuming he’s not going to work for a government department then yes he will need also the basics like education etc

On top of this. For the love of god. No pics.

Don't put a photo on a CV. That's a no-no.

There is so much free help available. In some areas there are charities and other organisations (not the Jobcentre) that give CV help, job hunting training workshops etc, some libraries and adult education centres also have this service and it can be done online.

Agree, I used to work in recruitment and a photo is an absolute no no. Especially now lots of companies use software to try to tackle unconscious bias.

Couple of points -
Keep it to 2 pages maximum
For each role you want one line about the company, then your key responsibilities bullet pointed and then key achievements also bullet pointed but written out properly.
Make sure he’s got a brief summary at the top which highlights his key skills and what he’s looking for in his next role.
Jobs from 10-15 years ago do not need loads of details about what he did there etc.
Also use a professional font, nothing silly

Defo no picture!

Try and keep to one page with all the important info on, second page if necessary for additional but not more than that.
Keep relevant information front and centre. Long gone are the days of listing all jobs and qualifications, especially for someone with a few years under their belt. A personal statement tailored to the job, and also tailor previous job descriptions to include the most relevant info.

There are loads of sample CVS online but just be careful to personalise them completely. It's always obvious when someone has copied and pasted a generic "work well in a team or on my own"

Highlight achievements, rather than just tasks. Include all IT skills, packages used etc. Offering a link to a blog with examples of his work would be good. His age may be advantageous for the civil service, they are keen on diversity hiring.

I’d also tailor his cv to every application.

So if they ask for certain skills or experience make sure his cv address each one they ask for.

ah thanks so much for the tips that’s really great. Glad it doesn’t seem to be the done thing to put a photo up, as he would hate that! Thanks again

As well as his experience, he should focus on how he is adaptable and keen to embrace new challenges. That sort of focus will help if the recruiter has any preconceived ideas about 'inflexible stuck in their ways' older applicants.

No photos
As PP has said, plenty of CV templates on Google - and probably linked is.
Don't get sucked in to paying for a CV writing service - waste of space.
Remember there is no requirement to disclose your age on a CV (and if you put school dates, automatically gives your age).

If its a public sector job, are they definitely asking for a CV?
I thought most PS roles required completion of an online application form with a supporting statement.

Recruiting in the NFP sector, I often see applications where applicants from the commercial sector have no idea about completing the supporting statement.
Essentially you need to pull out the key requirements of the person spec, and write a short para for each, with examples, demonstrating skills/experience of that requirement.

LinkedIn

If it's a CS job then there will be an explanations regarding competencies linked on the application. Key thing to remember on those is not to spend half of the available word count explaining what he did - the why and the how are more important. Best examples tend to be along the lines of "I identified a problem, fixed it using all the skills linked to in the advert, and everyone had tea and cake to celebrate" i.e. focus the narrative on the applicant and show what the outcomes were and how this improved matters