Hilbert – Optimising CV Skills

Hilbert is a black man in his 50s. He has a wide smile and is standing outside in his garden.

Hilbert, aged 59 from Croydon, wanted to find work and broaden his knowledge of all things job applications. He found out about Making a Difference from a career session hosted by an Employment Coach at his local library.

Before joining Making a Difference, Hilbert had worked as a cleaner on a zero-hours contract but wanted to expand his CV skills further. He was determined to secure full-time employment, but his previous efforts had not yielded many interview invites or offers. Thus, he was looking to get extra support from the programme to help him get his career back on track.

How Did We Help?

Hilbert met with Luchiya, a Making a Difference Employment Coach. During their initial appointment, he expressed concerns that his current CV was not up to industry standards. In addition, Hilbert wanted to upskill and gain a qualification in manual handling to boost his application.

Hilbert and Luchiya decided to tackle his CV first and foremost. They discovered that, while Hilbert had many outstanding skills and experience, his resume practically overflowed. Thus, he benefitted greatly from tailoring it to specific job roles.

Together, they condensed his CV to include only the strongest and most relevant information for the jobs Hilbert was interested in. For this, Luchiya referred to current job adverts, job descriptions and other Making a Difference resources.

How To Optimise CV Skills and Get an Interview

Over the next few weeks, Hilbert improved not only his interview skills but his job searching abilities and confidence. He even attended job fairs independently and spoke to local employers.

All the while, Coach Luchiya supplied him with additional resources about local organisations and recruitment agencies that might be of interest to him.

After successfully updating his CV, Hilbert started to receive a lot more interest in his application from recruiters and got invited to several interviews. This was another confidence boost to Hilbert, as he had previously been unlucky in this regard.

Soon after, he enrolled in a functional skills course and is also planning on completing a manual handling course, which he is very passionate about.

Compared to when he started on the Making a Difference programme, Hilbert is much better equipped for the working world. He now possesses the skills to continue his job search independently and confidently.

When asked about his experience, he said: “Thank you for supporting me! Thank you so much for helping me with my CV!”

Career Guidance To Get You Where You Want To Be

Making a Difference is an initiative match-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). We help people of all ages find their way into work or training by providing tailored one-to-one guidance and support. Whether you are returning to work after a career break, considering working for the first time or simply want to try something new. We can help you figure out the next step for you.

Contact our friendly team to learn more and start your journey today!

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