Who’s Who Professional Makeover: Part One

May 29, 2012 by Who's Who of Southern Africa 

Our ‘Be the best brand you can be’ prize winner, Brenda Liebenberg, arrived bright and early in rainy Cape Town this morning, as excited about the next few days as we are! The day kicked off with a consultation with image consultant Chata Romano and 36Boutiques online fashion editor Alexis Chaffe. After lunch Brenda received her brand new iPad, and some cool iPad accessories from BURO.

Check out our Facebook page for photo’s!

Personal branding for jobseekers

May 24, 2012 by Who's Who of Southern Africa 

So you’ve graduated, or you’re looking to change roles, or perhaps aiming to climb the corporate ladder? Online personal branding plays a central role in helping you to secure the job you want, so paying attention to how you portray yourself online while job hunting will certainly pay off. It’s important to display your true self and your attributes on the right platforms.  Put your resume on a website such as Who’s Who of Southern Africa, detail your professional history and mention your values and strengths. Make it easy for recruiters and potential employers to find out what they want to know about you, without giving away too much personal information. Executives Online offers some helpful tips in their post about preparing an impressive CV. Your experience is valuable, so update your profile with all the information which can help a potential employer to see your range of skills. This includes work you’ve done for free, and any volunteer programmes you’ve participated in. Be consistent and honest, and make sure your online and offline resume contains the same information. Upload a great head and shoulder shot to all your online profiles and use the same picture everywhere, to make your online presence easily recognisable. See Michael Edwards’ tips on posing like a professional for some excellent advice. Make sure your personal social networks reflect your professional values too: be sure not to post anything embarrassing, offensive or objectionable. A general rule of thumb is: don’t post anything you wouldn’t say in any other professional setting. And finally, good luck with your job search!

CREATE GREAT FIRST IMPRESSIONS BY PREPAIRING AN IMPRESSIVE CV

May 10, 2012 by Who's Who of Southern Africa 

Today we’re sharing some top tips from one of South Africa’s top recruitment specialists. Marie Hardick of Executives Online has the following tips about compiling an impressive CV, to share with us this week…

Job searching and application has revolutionalised over the past few years to align itself with the ever changing job market. As new professions have risen, which didn’t exist 10 or 15 years ago, individuals no longer feel spell bound to have a “nine to five”, due to the rapid uptake of new technologies. But the fact remains that people will always be searching for jobs, so Marie Hardick of Executives Online has the following tips about compiling an impressive CV to share with us this week:

  • CV Length: Most CVs are at least two pages long, and often much longer. A résumé should be a two page summary with skills, experience and education, while a Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a more detailed synopsis about your academic background, detailed skills and experience combined with a portfolio of evidence (awards, presentations, achievements).
  • Font and Size: Do not use ornate fonts that are difficult to read; Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or a similar font is best. Your font size should be between 10 and 12 points, although your name and the section headings can be a little larger and/or bolded.
  • Format: However you decide to organise the sections of your CV, be sure to keep each section uniform. For example, if you put the name of one organisation in italics, every organisation name must be in italics. It should look neat and professional. Use bullets wherever subsections are required and do not use too many variants of font sizes and styles.
  • Accuracy: Be sure to edit your CV before sending it. Check spelling, grammar, tenses, names of companies and people.
  • Contact details: At the top of your CV, include your name and contact information (address, phone number, email address). Most CVs start with these but take care to avoid superfluous details, such as religious affiliation, children’s names or your pet’s names.
  • Achievements: If you have achieved any title in your career or academic span, feel free to flaunt it here in detail (title, year, cause, and provider’s details). Even small achievements, titles and awards earned can be mentioned. Be sure to mention achievements listed against each role.

Marie says first impressions are the ones that matter, therefore pay extra special attention to ensure your CV or résumé is flawless!

To find out more about creating a top notch CV visit: www.executiveonline.co.za

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