CV writing service

[Nordlys]

I currently work in the NHS (centrally as opposed to a hospital trust or primary care). I’ve been on same grade for 13 years. Mostly because I’ve liked what I have been doing but also because restructures have meant no promotion or acting up, but I’ve also had two mat leave periods in that time where I’ve not really felt like applying for anything above what I’ve already been doing.

Prior to having children we have tried to emigrate but put this on hold. We’ve visited the country we’d like to move to again and feelings are strong that we would like to move.

I desperately need to update my CV and LinkedIn profile but I’ve no idea where to begin. In the 13 years I’ve worked at the same grade but done a variety of things. It’s hard to articulate it to anyone that doesn’t understand what I do. However, I want to start applying for roles abroad and need to show I do have the right experience.

Can anyone recommend where to begin or should I just go to a cv writing service for help?
Thanks

I just wanted to advise you not to use the CV writing agency called TopCV. It's a paid-for service I got free as part of a conference I attended. Their website looks convincing but the end result was pretty bad.

Although they claim to be professional CV writers who "know your industry" they clearly had no clue about my particular industry and its norms for job applications. The grammar and syntax were poor in parts, and some phrases were contradictory. Their keyword optimisation for my CV was almost the same as for a colleague of mine, even though he works in a different field.

They clearly work to a copy-and-paste template. There is some discussion on Trustpilot about whether they are even based in the UK (Vietnam?) Many of the positive reviews on Trustpilot seem fake. Don't waste your money!

There are websites that take you through. CV writers don't know you from Adam. Don't waste your money.

National careers service offer a free CV service

See if you can get an interview with The Careers Service in your area.

most TCS are outsourced to reputable sub contractors. And a CV might be free. A lot of the subcontractors only work with those who have lost, or about to loose, their jobs, but some may have some spare capacity.

My daughter is a regional manager for one sub concotactor and often works with groups/individuals where she has had no personal experience of their actual day today role, but is trained in (and has over 20 years experience of) interviewing with a view to finding out a persons skills and knowledge. Then translating that into languages potential employers will find attractive.

The askamanager blog is very good, I'd start there - she's American but most advice is still applicable here.

I think you will be best off asking this question on a message board in your new country- recruitment works differently in different places (and different industries…), so there’s not much to be gained getting a perfect cv set up for the country you are leaving!
Do you have a somewhat recent peer or boss you could ask to sit with you for an hour to identify some of the key transferable skills you are great at? Then armed with that knowledge, approach an agency or recruiter in your new country for a chat and see how it goes. You will soon find out what you are expected to prove!
I’d also make sure you have all your certificates- education, qualifications, dbs, sorted out before you go. You might not need them but it will be a heck of a lot easier to replace missing ones before you go thank from afar!