Career plan and resume maker table of Contents

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Introduction    2

Section 1: Why Register?    3

What are the benefits of registering?    3

The different options    5

The breakdown of the options is as follows:    7

Section 2: Personal Action Plan    9

Advanced CV:    12

Step-by-step process to build and sustain your CV / Résumé    12

Step 1: Identify the experiences you have had throughout your life    12

Step 2: Communicate your skills and experience    13

Step 3: Business / career interest    15

Step 4: Capture your findings    15

Curriculum Vitae    17

The following Curriculum Vitae template is available for download on: www.ebio.co.za/cv    17

Cover Letter Template    18

Curriculum Vitae    20

 

 

Introduction

The purpose of this booklet is to get you started on a path to success whether you are at school, currently unemployed or a working person who wants to earn more.

By registering you take charge of your life and take the first steps to address any current needs. You will also start your Personal Action Plan and start orchestrating your own future. Contained in this booklet is a process that will help you turn an average CV into an exceptional one. Your CV will be a document that will communicate your individual skills, current and possible contributions to the work place and your plan of action for the future.

You will feel yourself taking action and taking ownership of your own future in line with the same process that students and other working people are learning and applying at North-West University Potchefstroom Campus.

There are also workshops available for those who find this process interesting and exciting but struggle to effectively apply it.

You will be able to base your career decisions and growth on the information contained in this document.

Section 1: Why Register?

 

 

What are the benefits of registering?

If you choose option “R” you will pay R2 and be registered on the SBS2 system and will not receive the booklet. You will then receive a registration confirmation via SMS and can visit www.moresouthafrica.org and log in using your cell phone number, (2782 and not 082, the 0 in front of your number gets replaced with a 27) as your user name as well as your password. Once logged in you can change your password to whatever you want it to be or leave it as it is (your cell phone number). You will then be presented with an option of 2 CV’s, The Progressive CV which is the one you will be able to fill in without completing the workbook or attending a workshop. The Advanced CV will also be available for you on your account to see what it’s about and to use if you feel that you can fill in all the missing spaces. You can then download the CV from any internet connected PC and print it. Your CV will also then be on our database and will be distributed to various recruiting agencies. If you add “Yes” in the appropriate space in the SMS then you will also be notified of workshops happening in your area, if you add “No” you will receive the registration confirmation and complete your CV on-line but will not receive information on workshops.

If you pay the R2 and register via SMS and buy the booklet for R30 you will be able to complete the Advanced CV on www.moresouthafrica.org also using your cell phone number as username and password (2782 and not 082, the 0 in front your number gets replaced with a 27) . You still have the option of being notified of workshops or not. When candidates apply for workshops and funding options the ones who have bought the booklet will get preference over those who did not. Working through the booklet will increase the benefit you will receive from the workshop and increase the impact of the experience and exercises.

Note:
Give 24 hours for the registration period before you log onto your account on www.moresouthafrica.org.

The different options

Each option will address the needs faced by a person in the presented categories.
By registering you will be presented with workshops that will address your specific needs. Please refer to the SMS example to see how to send the information correctly.

For South Africans please register on www.moresouthafrica.org

The great big global world please register on www.moreglobal.org

The breakdown of the options is as follows:

2: I am at school and need help with my studies to pass

Grade 9: Discover which subjects are best suited to your interests and to your possible future career. The workshops will also deal with the following aspects of learning/studying:

• Study Methods
  
• Exam preparation
  
• Subject specific information
  

3: I am at school and need Career Guidance.
If you are in school and not sure in which direction to take your future, then choose this option and the associated workshops will be presented to you:

• Study/ Career information and access
  
• Industry and Career Exploration linked to your specific interests
  
• Access to job shadowing and exploratory experiences
  
• Interview Preparation
  

4: I am not employed and not studying

If you are not yet employed the associated workshops will be centered around:

• Study/ Career information and access
  
• Industry and Career Exploration linked to your specific interests
  
• Access to job shadowing and exploratory experiences
  
• Sales training to distribute various product in your community (Earn money now.)
  
• Interview Preparation
  

5: I have a degree / certificate but am unemployed
You are qualified and wish to find work in a specific area –signup for workshops

• Career refinement (find out specifically what you want to do and how to present yourself through a CV to a potential employer)
  
• Core competency assessment (Language, Numeracy, Industry and financial skills)
  
• Gap bridging
  
• Company/opportunity identification in your chosen field of interest/qualification
  
• Engagement with the world of work
  
• Interview Preparation
  

6: I am in the final year of my studies and seeking future employment

If you are finishing your qualification this year but are not sure what you are going to do next then this option will present you with workshops on:

• Career refinement
  
• A review and assessment of core competencies
  
• Job shadowing and experience
  
• Linking you to companies and opportunities
  
• Interview Preparation
  

7: I am employed and want to earn more or change my career
If you simply want to learn how to increase your earnings by being more productive or would like to change career then this option will offer you a:

• Methodology that will allow you to improve your skills to become more productive, broaden your horizons or change your career to one that is aligned with your personal interests
  

8: I want to start my own business
If you are an entrepreneur you will learn how to:

• Link with resources
  
• Link with sources of knowledge
  
• Make use of on-line resources to grow a successful business
  
• Construct a business plan and apply for funding
  

9: I want to register and share my knowledge and experience.
Make contact with people who want to learn from your experiences (Recommended for individuals who have a lot of experience and free time who wish to contribute to their community)

Please refer to the SMS example to see how to send the information correctly.

Section 2: Personal Action Plan from workshops

 

What is your plan for the next five years?
Before we start with the CV document you should consider the above question. If you do not have a plan and you do not inform the people around you of your ambitions then you will find it hard to get going and get support. These three aspects are the basics of a Personal Action Plan:

• My plans or ambitions for the next 5 years are to: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  
• The career or job I am interested in is: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  
• A company where I would like to work is: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  

It is okay if you cannot answer these questions right away, but notice how you’ve already started thinking about them. Once you have a goal then it is a relatively simple process to fill in the steps towards that goal, but a person without a goal is on a road to nowhere.

Starting and developing goals can be tough, that is why we use a CV as a practical tool that will add value to you while you work towards finding out what your goals are or how to achieve them.

The most important thing to understand is the process that your CV is ready to talk for you and get you the job you are ready for and want right now:
Will your Resume/CV make through the maze?

The standard Resume/CV that we all have with our details and qualifications on ends up in the bin 99% of the time. Why is that?! It ends up in the bin because it looks the same as 98% of all the CV’s that the company receives and it communicates absolutely nothing about you as a person. It is not enough to say “I am a hard worker” or “I am a fast learner”. These phrases mean nothing without experiences linked to them that are verifiable via email or a phone call to some person with whom you’ve been involved. Your next question should be “How do I go about improving my CV so that I can be sure that it doesn’t stand a 99% chance of ending up in the bin with all the others?” Follow this process and add the information to your CV and you can rest assured that you are on your way to develop a CV that will sell you and not just reflect your qualifications or employment history.

Consider this example:
If I go to the shop and buy a box of Omo, I then take it out and repackage it in little unmarked plastic bags.

I then present you with the box of Omo in the one hand, and my repackaged items in the other at the same price. Are you going to take the Omo brand name or the unmarked packages? For sure you will take the nicely packaged product. Now think of your CV as the packaging that your potential employer sees you in. If your packaging is bland and the same as everyone else’s then he/she will for sure choose the better packaged person who communicates experiences, skills and goals that can be linked specifically to the goals and the culture of the company.

Work through the process with friends, family and people who might currently be working in the career or industry which you are interested in. Gain support from your community and communicate your intentions, you might just be surprised at the network that exists around you in your community. If you struggle with this process notify your mobilizer and make sure that you attend the next Advanced CV Workshop during which you will:

• Get assistance to fill in and go through the CV and exploration process
  
• Learn internet and computer basics and receive an email address if you do not yet have one
  
• Work in groups and learn from each other while automatically improving your interpersonal skills by learning how to work better and communicate more effectively with others.
  

 

 

 

Print and write on this document and use it as a reference while growing your CV/Resume!
Take charge and transform your future!

Advanced CV:

Step-by-step process to build and sustain your CV / Résumé

The key to successfully start and build a CV is in recording and communicating the value and skills you can contribute to a person or company. A CV that can communicate your value and skills effectively will therefore get you the interview.

A basic CV communicates what you have done before but it does not communicate what you have learned from those experiences. You need to communicate the skills and abilities that you have acquired from those experiences. These are after all the experiences and skills that you take to your new workplace. Communicating this will determine whether you fit the job profile or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following steps will assist you in creating a practical CV that communicates who you are:

Step 1: Identify the experiences you have had throughout your life

The following questions will help you determine how you can apply your past experiences to your current and future work life:

• What type of activities did you enjoy in the past?
  Activities such as: School involvement, Sport, Church, Cultural, Project and Work involvements.
  
• Why did you enjoy doing these activities?
  
• What did you learn from these activities?
  
• What activities did you not enjoy?
  
• Why did you not enjoy doing or participating in these activities?
  
• Name one thing you know you are very good with.
  It can be something that you haven’t seen as a skill or talent but that you are really good at, like drawing, writing and working with numbers or even organizing events.
  
• Which activities at home or in the workplace do you currently enjoy?
  This is important because these activities indicate what you are naturally good at and can guide your career decisions!
  
• Mention one activity you would love to do all day if money was not a factor to consider.
  

 

Step 2: Communicate your skills and experience

This step shows that you can evaluate yourself and determine what skills you have learned from previous involvements/experiences and how they can be reapplied in the workplace.

• What did you learn from these experiences
  e.g. communication skills, problem solving skills etc?
  
• Ask your service provider to help you find words to describe the skills and experiences gained, such as people skills, problem solving skills, etc.
  This will reflect on your actions and the responsibility you took over projects, thereby improving your actions and decision-making process.
  
• What role do you play in your family or household? Are you the one everybody comes to for advice, do you naturally take care of your brothers and sisters? Maybe you plan the family days out, or are you the one that always makes everybody laugh? Remember, you can be one thing or many things, name them all.
  
• Do you enjoy inventing, starting, working in, finishing or maintaining past projects and improving them?
  
• Are there any projects you have completed in the past? This can be in school, culture, church or at work.
  
• Which skills do you currently have that will add value to other people?
  Think of anything your friends or family ask you, something they always hassle you with to help them for example, with fixing their computer, or helping them fix a mechanical object.
  

Step 3: Business / career interest:

This step helps you determine your industry and career of interest.
Ask yourself the following questions:

• What line of Industry or business do you want to go into?
  
• What about the business/job interests you?
  
• Explain why this line of business interests you?
  
• How do you think the skills you’ve learned up to now can be applied, or add value to your new job profile or situation (employer)?
  

   

Step 4: Capture your findings

• Summarize the information from step 1-3 in a short paragraph.
  
• Examples of sentences to add to your CV:
  
  • Who am I? Give a short description of who you are, your passions and interest.
    
  • I am interested in (Company name) because……………………………………………..
    
  • These are a list of experiences that I’ve experienced throughout my life, during school, at home, outside of and in the work place. (choose some relevant experiences and link them to valuable lessons and skills that you have learnt from them)
    
  • I believe that these experiences and skills will benefit me in this type of career because:
    

  ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
  

Where to from here?
After you have this information you are ready to approach a company near you with your improved CV. Use Google, and search for employment opportunities in your field in your area. This is where you start to take control of your own career path. Go to google.com and start searching for relevant information by adding your field of interest e.g. “Chef training and employment” and your area for, example Pretoria. From this search you will need to sift through the information and identify people you wish to contact either with regards to work, or training. Using google is a skill on its own and it might take some time to master it. Change the words and ask for assistance when you get stuck.

Use these websites and search for the job you like and make sure your CV links your previous experiences to current skills that you can apply within their employment criteria.

• www.google.com    
  
• http://www.bls.gov/oco/ for an A-Z index of careers. Find your career and industry of interest. Verify it.
  

Once you’ve done some exploration and you feel confident in your career path then you can move to the next step and complete the exercise below.

List 2 companies and/or training institutions in your area that overlaps with your field of interest including their email addresses:

1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
   
2. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
   

Write your CV including all the information you learnt from the above exercise and email it to them. You should be able to find contact details somewhere on their website. If you do not know how to email a word document ask around or go to an internet café and ask for assistance. The next step will hopefully be “Preparing for the Interview” which is one of the practical workshops available to you.

Internet links:

• Create your own email address: www.gmail.com
  
• Ways to access the internet: www.ebio.co.za/internet-access/
  

 

 

 

 

 

Curriculum Vitae

The following Curriculum Vitae template is
available for download on: www.ebio.co.za/cv

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Letter Template

Any CV should be accompanied by a cover letter page like this one. It it is your first contact with the person doing the hiring and could make the difference between your CV getting read or not.

(your address)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(your phone number)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(date)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(person’s name, address it to the person doing the hiring, phone them and find out!)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(name of company)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(company address)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Dear (person’s name)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Re: (name of position/vacancy – including vacancy number if applicable)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I am writing to apply for the position of (position name) at your company, which was advertised (in name of newspaper/on name of website etc) on (date).
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I have enclosed my CV to support my application. It shows that I would bring important skills to the position, including: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A brief list of Key skills:

• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  
• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  
• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  
• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  
• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  

 

(Use this space to give the employer more information about how you match the job they’re advertising. For example, what your current role is, why you’re interested in the position and the company, or any other relevant experience you have that may help your application.)

I would like an opportunity to talk with you more about this position, and how I could use my skills to the benefit of your organisation.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you.
(Can include information about how you will follow up on your application.)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Yours sincerely (when you know the person’s name)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

OR

Yours faithfully (when you don’t know the person’s name)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Your name)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Curriculum Vitae

(Remember to address your CV to the person in the company who is doing the hiring, pick up the phone and find out who is responsible for hiring at the company where you are applying)

 

 

(Take the person reading your CV on a brief journey of your life. This provides a context in which the hiring person can read the rest of your CV) 

Who am I?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Remember to make the case WHY you are the best suited solution to this job)

I am interested in _________ because………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A summary of relevant experiences from my school, home and work life:

(Link what you have learned to these experiences and again do it in the context of the job you are applying for) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Now be specific in linking experiences to skills and skills to tasks that will be expected of you in the job you are applying for)

I believe that these experiences and skills will benefit me in this type of career because:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

My experiences in projects, sports involvements or companies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use the many web site sources and local expertise where help is required.

Apply for our professional program on www.Careermaker.net