Category: Blog

Sample CV Template

Posted on | by admin

Sample CV Template

Our consultants see CV’s every single day. Every hour actually. We had a chat around both our offices, both Retail and Hospitality and decided candidates would benefit from a sample CV. CV templates can and will differ on industries, but this standardised CV is applicable across the board when applying for Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare and most jobs.

Some general CV tips.

  • Word is generally a preferred format by recruitment agencies and employers in the above industries.
  • Attaching a PDF of your CV also is advised. (File > Export > Create PDF/ XPF )
  • Avoid over complicated templates, boxes and Excel sheets.
  • Personalise your CV/cover letter. While the majority of the content will stay the same, there is nothing more unprofessional when the same Cover Letter is send to multiple employers/agencies listing a different job than the one you actually applied for.

 

Sample CV Template

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

We see CV’s every single day. Every hour actually. We had a chat around the office and decided candidates would benefit from a sample CV with advice from all our consultants, their frustrations and what gets a CV noticed. CV templates differ on industries, this is a standardised CV that is suitable across the board when applying for Retail, Grocery, Fashion and Non-Food jobs.

Some general CV tips.

  • Word is generally a preferred format by recruitment agencies and employers in the above industries.
  • Attaching a PDF of your CV also is advised. (File > Export > Create PDF/ XPF )
  • Avoid over complicated templates, boxes and Excel sheets.
  • Personalise your CV/cover letter. While the majority of the content will stay the same, there is nothing more unprofessional when the same Cover Letter is send to multiple employers/agencies listing a different job than the one you actually applied for.

 

image (1)

Checkout Conference 2016 // Takeaway Points

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

The 2016 Checkout Conference took place on Feb. 2nd in The Round Room of The Mansion House. The 2016 theme was ‘Think. Learn. Evolve’ with some notable industry professional speaking on the challenges and changes facing Irish Grocery Retail, with our MD Barry Whelan in attendance. There was some interesting observations from the top retail professionals, their plans for 2016 and how they envisage retail changing. Here is our take away points.

Nielsen

Julian Baldwin

Sales Effectiveness Director, Nielsen UK & Ireland.

The consumer wants personalisation. Targeting the consumer with personalised offers is a powerful way to drive sales. Since the recession the Irish consumer has traded down well beyond the European and global average. 51% in Ireland versus 31% in Europe.

Recommendations

  • Be shopper centric.
  • Prioritise personalisation.
  • Consider your online shopping experience.
  • Be nimble and build prototypes.

Heineken

Maggie Timoney

Managing Director, Heineken Ireland.

Maggie has been Managing Director for Heineken Ireland since 2013, having worked for the brand for 17 years. Maggie addressed the importance of acting quickly and the crux of her speech correlated closely with the Checkout Conference theme of Think, Learn, and Evolve. Timoney highlighted Orchard Thieves as an example, the highly successful Cider that went from idea to product launch in just six months.

Her summary:

  • Get your organisation ready.
  • Be responsible together.
  • Collaborate between supplier and retailer.
  • Know your consumer.

Maggie also showcased Heineken Ireland’s new ad aimed at curtailing heavy drinking and titled ‘Heineken | Moderate Drinkers Wanted’.

 

tesco

Andrew Yaxley

CEO, Tesco Ireland.

This was one of our favourites. Appointed Chief Executive of Tesco Ireland in 2015, Yaxley was previously Managing Director of Tesco’s London business. Yaxley gave a highly informative talk, addressing Tesco’s priorities, the key levers that influence these and how Tesco will change their customer offering to better reflect business.

Tweets

 

Follow us on Twitter here.

Tesco Priorities

  1. Regaining competitiveness by serving customers better.
  2. Protecting and strengthening the balance sheet by creating a more simple operating model
  3. Build trust and transparency by working better together.

They will concentrate on achieving these through concentrating on Customer, Product and Channel.

Customer

To the customer, Tesco need to show that they will deliver value for money and care about food. Another concern was the local community that each Tesco operates in. The introduction of the Tesco Community Fund has resulted in €1 million being donated directly to 3,500 local charities. The Tesco club card may be changed to a ‘thank you’ as opposed to a promotional tool. Some very interesting insights coming directly directly from the CEO himself.

Product

The Tesco range is too big and will be reduced by 15%. Fewer, more simple promotions, less multi buys, more half price are rounded euro offers are favoured by consumers. Tesco can have up to 5000 promotions every week. Too many. An emphasis will be placed on pushing the Tesco Brand, particularly the ‘Finest Range’

Channel

Yaxley commented on the need to invest in Service, continual investment in stores and driving the convenience store channel.

dunnhumby

John Callan

Country Manager, dunnhumby.

Callan, the Country Manager for customer trends and insights agency dunnhumby spoke about the concept of altered value and frictionless interaction.

New Value: There have been shifts in attitude regarding the concept of what ‘value’ means following the recession. Discounters have affected the market and contributed vastly to this point.

Frictionless: Customers want a frictionless engagement with the retailer and the brand. They want things quick, easy and simple. Customers need and want connections to your business on a one to one.

dealz

Simon Twigger

Trading Director, Poundland.

Simon Twigger is Trading Director for Poundland, trading as Dealz in The Republic of Ireland. His most notable comment we found? ‘You don’t need to compromise on quality for the right price’. He talked about the brands trajectory from a single UK store, Dealz in Ireland and plans over the next 2 years.

Dealz Slide 2 Dealz Slide 3

Main Points:

  • Dealz launched in Ireland in 2011.
  • At least 10 new stores will open in 2016, a €6million investment.
  • They will seek more local suppliers.
  • Aim of 500,000 customer a week by 2018.

keoghs

Tom Keogh

Managing Director, Keoghs.

The Story: Tom Keoghs story is pretty unique. From farmer to marketer, Keogh describes himself as a farmateer. Keogh faced a pretty surmountable challenge. Between 2002 and 2013 fresh potato consumption feel by 50%, and to succeed they would need to reinvent the potato. The family owned potato growing company expanding into a dedicating crisping business by:

  1. Branding them.
  2. Create new and innovative products.
  3. Market the hell out of the brand.

The Success:

  • Keogh became the brand and is one of the most recognised nationwide.
  • Focused on in-store marketing explaining to consumer varieties the cooking process.
  • Launched national potatoes day
  • Launched a cook book.
  • Now there is a 2 year running increase in the sales of fresh potatoes

So what about crisps?

Tom found out the only way to export potatoes to the US was that they needed to be cooked. By launching a quality crisp, harvesting and crisping on the same day, they have made a unique and successful product with amazing quality.

Twitter And Your Job Search

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Twitter is often the preferred methods of job searching particularly for the younger demographic. It can serve as an important tool for you regarding networking and presents you with an expansive base of people and information. It is also somewhere you can fall down on if expected etiquette is not adhered too. Every major company and prospective employer is on Twitter and it is an essential resource for understanding their company culture and how they interact with their customer base. It offers exponential information but you should waver an air of caution as a potential jobseeker when conducting yourself on the social network.

Twitter is a platform that affords everyone the ability to construe an opinion and also allows complete strangers to engage with each other. Hiring Managers and Recruiters rarely care about your personal or political ideologies, what they do care about is how you fit as a candidate. However they do care immensely bout how you engage with others, particularly when something contentious is being discussed and the levels of diplomacy you maintain through the discourse.

If you are regularly partaking in heated debates via twitter they will have no choice but to take them into account. It is impossible to know what someone might take offense too, so the best option is to keep quiet while on your job-hunt. The same applies to your current job. Avoid saying anything professing your love and adoration for your current job. It may be a deterrent for a Hiring Manager in considering your candidacy for a new job. Likewise avoid saying anything rude or slanderous about how much you detest it.

While pretty self-explanatory, your social life should be kept to a minimal. By all means engage and be an active user, Hiring Managers favour someone who is competent on Social Media. What they don’t favour is someone advocating their drink fuelled stupor that happened last weekend. We all like to have fun but just be careful in what you post and avoid glorifying what could be seen as any unprofessional behaviour.

Twitter is no different to any other Social network. It offers a plethora of information and results and you can optimise this by using some useful hashtags and following relevant accounts. All of the main recruitment agencies use Twitter to advertise jobs under the #Jobfairy hashtag. You’ll find us at here at @ExcelRecruit for our Retail division and here at @ExcelJobsIRL for Hospitality, Temps and Medical.

Useful hashtags include #Jobfairy, #Nowhiring, #DublinJobs and #YouJob. Happy Tweeting!

What To Do On Your First Day In A New Job

Posted on | by admin

Your first day in a new job will amalgamate excitement, nerves, stress and could perhaps be one of the most memorable days in your career. The job search can be particularly taxing having spent hours constantly retouching your CV and making sure it gets to the right people. Employers have hired you for a reason and have expectations that they expect your talent and skills to adhere to. Most of us feel high levels of excitement but also trepidation when we begin a new job. There are ways to elevate some of this stress however by adapting the same meticulous approach in your first day as you did in your job search. The first day sets the tone for the rest of your career with those you’ll be interacting with. While first days are usually consumed in formalities with very little specific responsibilities it is vital to adapt a proactive response to your new role rather than a passive one.

Chances are you will be inundated with the same question by new employees. ‘What is your background?’, ‘What did you do before this?’ ‘What exactly will you be doing here’. Often it can be a little overwhelming when people ask outright very specific questions. Considering these will be the people you converse and deal with every day it may often be a genuine interest as they have only been fed a vague understanding and simply want to strike up a conversation. Having a prepared piece will make this process a little less daunting.

The recommended buffer time to show up early is about 15 minutes. If you have not done the route before familiarise yourself with it on different occasions to gauge how long it takes including peak times. Showing up early is almost a given that employers expect nowadays. While no doubt determined to make a great impression remember to relax in order to optimise your productivity. Make sure you are well rested the night before and can maintain concentration. If you are adapting from an entirely different routine make sure you have condition yourself in the days preceding your first day. Set your alarm to your wake up time to condition yourself and see how you adjust. Eat a breakfast and set your outfit the night before. While these may seem very minimal they will all ease the stress involved and will help you towards a smooth first day.

Be as professional as you were in the interview process and however in doubt you may be take the conservative approach. Your first day is not a time to establish yourself as the joker of the office or to describe your weekend social life. You will establish the culture of the company or office environment quite quickly and it’s important not to disrupt this. The urge to impress can veer you off track, but it’s important to remember that you’ve already been hired so you don’t have to wow your colleagues straight away. Your first day is not the time to have a strong and strident opinion, but more about listening, observing and learning. In time you will impress naturally, and more so when you understand the ropes.

Tips For Chef Interviews

Posted on | by admin

Tips for before the interview:

  1. Visit the company website and social media pages to get a good understanding of the business and think of some questions.
  2. Plan your route to the interview so you don’t get lost and turn up late!
  3. Prepare your clothes the night before- chefs should look neat.
  4. Look at the existing menus and have dishes in mind that you would add to it.
  5. Have a number saved in your phone that you can ring should you get lost.
  6. Aim to be there 10 minutes early.

During the interview:

  1. When the interviewer enters the room stand up and shake their hand.
  2. Have your mobile off and put away.
  3. Listen to everything the interviewer says and never interrupt them.
  4. Always say thank you and please if you are offered something like a class of water.
  5. If you are given a tour of the kitchen, walk alongside them, not on front and not behind.
  6. Keep slang and abbreviations for more casual conversation- you’re not a CDP you’re a chef de partie, unless they use the former.

Working interviews:

Some chef interviews require the potential candidate to showcase some of their skills in a “working interview”. They are usually in one of the following formats.

Ready Steady Cook: Some interviewers will give you some product on a tray and ask you to cook a dish within a certain amount of time. This is to test your creative side and to see how well you work under time pressure.

Trial: Sometimes you will be asked to work a full or half shift in the hotel, bar or restaurant. Make sure that you ask if you are unsure how to cook something and make it apparent that you are part of the team. Look interested and ask for jobs if you run out of things to do.

Menu: Some businesses will ask you to prepare a menu prior to the interview and cook it there. Ensure that the dishes on your menu fit into the theme of the restaurant- don’t cook enchiladas if you are interviewing for an Indian place!

Trade test: This one is favoured by a lot of places. You might get asked to cook a classic or basic dish with your own twist. The purpose of this is test out your knowledge of how different foods work together and how they can be amended for modern tastes.

Questions:

You don’t get away with not having to answer questions about your career in a chef interview so we suggest you think about the following questions and how you would answer them for the formal part of the interview.

  • Why do you want the job?
  • What has been your biggest achievement in cheffing?
  • What are your weaknesses?
  • How do you manage time during busy periods?
  • What do you think you could add to our kitchen?

After the interview:

When you leave make sure you thank the people who have interviewed for their time and for asking to meet with you.

If we have set the interview up there is no need to go back to the company to ask for feedback, we’ll get it for you. Call us when you are finished your interview and let us know how you think it went; we’ll then get in touch and get some feedback on the other side.

The Benefits of Temporary Work

Posted on | by admin

Companies are still remaining cautious about hiring staff on a permanent basis and temporary roles and contracts have seen a particular sore in popularity, particularly suiting seasonal employment (Christmas, Summer Sales etc. ) Temporary employment can suit people for many reasons particularly those in the interim of finding something more permanent where both employer and employee are happy where they stand on a temp. contract. Here are a few reasons why temporary jobs can be of a major benefit to you.

Flexibility

The most distinct and major advantage to temporary work is the flexibility it caters for. At all times you remain in control of your career and often it is easier to maintain the flexibility that daily life requires around this. It’s important to remember that as a temporary employee you still have rights and are entitled to benefits like sick pay, holiday allowance and regular pay. You are also required to be given the same quality of working conditions as your permanent colleagues. Unlike a more traditional role, temping can afford you with greater flexibility and control over your schedule. You can choose to work in short term, long term, or contract assignments to fit in and around your chosen lifestyle.

Fill your CV.

Often employers can be overtly and unfairly critical of extended periods of unemployment. Keeping relevant skills fresh is imperative for career progression and taking on a temp. role allows for these to stay up to date and close any gaps in the interim. Maintaining a solid timeline of employment where possible can give you a competitive advantage in the job market.

Networking

The company you’re temping with may not have a vacancy when your assignment ends, but if you have made a good impression, you may leave with solid references. These connections may lead to other longer term positions in the future. Whether it’s for references or meeting like-minded people who may be able to help you further down the line, temping can really lengthen your contacts book. Word of your work from a reputable and esteemed reference can pitch you in front of another candidate even if they pitch you in experience. While temporary contracts can seem unfavourable to some, the connections made may favour you towards permanency. Many temporary jobs can lead to permanent positions, particularly if you prove yourself to be invaluable to the company

New Skills

Temporary assignments may allow you to quickly learn new skills, be exposed to a range of systems and procedures, and trial different companies and industries to see what is right for you before committing to a permanent role. By spending time temping across various roles you can learn new skills and see how different companies operate, making you far more employable and really enriching your CV.

Deciding On A Job Offer

Posted on | by admin

Negotiation is a critical skill to possess during your job offer. It cannot be overlooked as it is the one time you will have the chance to lay out agreed terms and conditions that both you and your employer agree on. Getting it right is crucial. It is imperative that both parties are happy from the beginning, establishing good rapport and working towards the mutual benefit of the company.

Find out extensively the particulars of employment and the job offer:

Be sure to get these in writing. It’s standard practice and not an unreasonable request to ask for these to be clarified. Some of these particulars will include:

  • The salary
  • Exact location of the job – If travel occurs, can you accrue travel reimbursement and of how much?
  • Is there local reimbursement if relocating specifically for the job
  • What exactly are the ‘other benefits’ that were stipulated in the job advertisement and mentioned in the interview
  • What is the starting date
  • What is the pay pattern (weekly, fortnightly, monthly..?)
  • Is there a signing on bonus..?

To some it may appear quite brazen of someone to ask these request after only securing the job. Once they are addressed diplomatically, they will alleviate any miscommunication that may fall into place further down the line. It is in the employers benefit that you are made aware of them.

Negotiate a time frame for giving a definitive answer

When you are laid out with an offer take time to process it. Although it is sometimes hard, particularly when you are moving up the career ladder in terms of progress and salary, you need to understand the intrinsic value of the offer. Give yourself enough time to seriously think about it rationally. Any employer who has made the conscious effort to put you through often extensive interviews will be ok with someone taking a few days to ponder over a decision. Again having decorum and diplomacy will serve you well when questioning it.

‘I appreciate your offer and I’m very excited about starting. However I’m currently still waiting to hear back from other organizations. Can we discuss the offer again in a week?’

‘Thank you so much for the offer. I would like to take a day or two decide and discuss the particulars with my husband / wife / partner.’

Don’t be afraid to talk with the Hiring Manager to gauge the company’s expectations for hearing back and try to reach a middle ground. Don’t start the negotiation process over the phone, or worse, over email. It’s harder to say “no” to someone in person than it is over the phone. If the position is to be filled immediately, you may want to give them an answer sooner rather than later. A reasonable amount of time can vary from anywhere between a day to a week.

Think cohesively. Does this package encapsulate what you expected and also what you need to succeed and transition easily in the company? These factors include:

  • Individual Needs
    • Does the job satisfy your intellectual needs, creativity, and natural curiosity?
    • Do you think you could fit in with the company culture?
    • Would you be motivated about and excited for work?
  • Family Needs
    • Is the job likely to be compatible with your family duties and interests?
    • Is the job geographically close enough to give you enough time to spend at home?
    • Can you imagine your family interacting with other families in the company?
  • Career Goals
    • Can you imagine furthering your career with the organization?
    • Is there room for growth? Do they offer competitive training, job experience, and pay to make this a “step up” from where you were before?
    • Is there job security?

Tips for Final Round Interviews

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Hiring Managers won’t schedule a final round interview without a genuine desire to have you in their company. You are legitimately in the running to procure the job in question. At Excel Recruitment, we prepare candidates week in week out, and have been fed back some of this information from the companies we recruit for. Final round interviews are always the trickiest. Candidates often feel they have exhausted themselves, having already identified and sold themselves and their attributes.

In most cases final round interviews will take place in-store/on site. You will have illustrated that you have the skills for the job, now is the time for them to gauge mannerisms and your cultural fit, two very important facets that determine your success in a new job.

Whilst we recruit for a variety of positions and industries, these were the areas of focus that appear pertinent to any job.

Confidence

Confidence is incredibly important in most situations, but particularly in interviews and especially in the final round.

  • Going into the interview don’t show any self-doubt.
  • Know your CV upside down, know your numbers, (KPIs, targets, profits, turnover) and know your capabilities with regard to this job.
  • You have been impressed with your CV to be called for interview in the first place. You were invited back after meeting you; there is no reason why you shouldn’t be confident.

Know when to brag about your strong attributes, what positive and progressive changes and what you’ve achieved previous. Contrastingly, know when the right time to address your weak point is. Self-awareness isn’t arrogance, nor is it self-doubt. One thing to remember is to spin any weaknesses positively. An example that prevents you from sounding overconfident might be

  • Acknowledging any weakness and showing tangible steps you’ve taken to improve.

Preparation

ALWAYS prepare beforehand. This is one thing that couldn’t be emphasised by clients and consultants enough. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. A phrase that typifies what will happen if you fail to do sufficient research.

Always have a back-up plan going in case something doesn’t go as planned. (One thing that is more popular over the last few months is a SWOT analysis by candidates.)

  • Practice your presentation/answers and get feedback from friends and family about the language you are using.
  • Don’t undervalue paper presentations. Be prepared for any glitches on the day, and back up such presentations to your email, drop box, google drive etc. so they are accessible on any device. Should all these fail, go old school with it printed out. It leaves you well prepared in terms of content and adequately prepared for every technical eventuality.

*One thing you need to be aware of at all times is that this is not your first interview. Unless you are meeting with totally different people, don’t bore the interviewees by talking about the same things you did in your first interview.

Your Talk

Companies want positivity. Speaking well of your past and current employers and showing excitement about the prospects of working with your new potential company, should be premise for all answer. Always focus on framing and presenting things positively. Potential employers expect you to really shine in a final round interview. Having said that, they also expect nervousness; you are human and they know that.

Other noteworthy things.

Ask Questions

More specifically, ask thoughtful questions. Often candidates can be consumed by nerves and appear too enthused at things that aren’t important in the interview. Things like being shown the office, or fire escape. Always keep the focus on the job in question and always use this focus to build thoughtful questions. An easy one that illustrates your team awareness and fit into the team would be

  • Have members of the team come from similar backgrounds to myself?

Focus on You

In final round interviews it is easy to run away with enthusiasm. Talk about potential projects you’ll be working on is naturally exciting. As is being shown all the office perks. Don’t let this be a distraction that takes away from you making your case for the position.

Remember

Put your personality across. Don’t let the severity of a final round interview deter you from building rapport. Hiring Managers appreciate a laugh (when relevant) too.

Takeaway point

If you are unsuccessful in getting the job DON’T let it shatter your confidence. You have the skills, experience and determination to have got to final round. There are likely to be various factors that led to the decision to hire someone else; it doesn’t necessarily bear negatively on you as person or as a professional.

 

 

Aislinn Lea, Head of Fashion & Non-Food, Excel Recruitment

My Journey Into Recruitment – Aislinn Lea

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

What titles did you hold while working in Retail?

Retail Store Manager

Area Merchandising Manager

How does it compare going from working in Retail to a Recruitment environment?

Retail and Recruitment are very different industries. With Recruitment, you are confined to the one spot in an office, it is a very administrative business and you are only really measured on your sales which is driven through your relationships with your Clients and your Candidates

With Retail, you have a wide range of duties and accountabilities, it is far more creative and commercial where you are constantly looking to drive business through a variety of areas, People, Product, Merchandising, Standards and Costs. However once you have loved retail, recruitment taps in on this as you will thoroughly enjoy learning about a company, understanding their business requirements and passing this knowledge and understanding of a business to your candidate.

What was your favourite part about working in retail?

Visual Merchandising and Commercial success

What is your favourite aspect of working in Recruitment?

My favourite aspect of Recruitment is when I found myself really busy with a lot of live roles. I love filling roles and achieving that goal of finding the right candidate for the client.

Are you seeing any difference in applications over the last 12 months?

Yes, there is a lot more quality candidates however there is also a lot more jobs therefore I am finding that candidates are often out for 2/3 interviews at one time.

What do you favour most when a CV comes into your inbox? What must haves does a candidate need in order to be considered?

Not too many jumps on their c.v is the main thing I would be conscious off.

 

What has been your most favoured candidate placement and why?

I have had a few great placement that I would consider memorable for a variety of reasons.

Gary. I placed as a Territory Sales Manager with a relatively new client. Why, because he listened to all my feedback and took everything on board, he researched, practised and proved to our client that what he didn’t have in experience he had in enthusiasm, energy and ambition.

Fran. I placed Fran as Regional Manager with one of the largest mobile telecomm. operators in Ireland. I spent 6 months on this placement and was up against 3 other agencies. Fran was fantastic, she showed her enthusiasm and energy time and time again through each assignment asked of her throughout the interview process

Mari. I placed Mari as Department Manager with the a luxury Irish retail group. Mari has being trying so hard to get into the Retail Fashion Industry. She is an award winning grocery retailer however was finding it very difficult to get an interview with any Fashion house, that is until the our client group offered her an interview and ultimately loved her and offered her the position.

A young sales assistant aspires to be a Retail/Area Manager – Buyer/Senior Buyer. Describe what they should do in 4 sentences?

I think for a Young Sales Assistant looking to progress to Retail Area Management I would suggest you put in the work, studies, long hours and be as flexible as you can with regards to location when you are young and energetic therefore availing of all the opportunities and training afforded to you at the beginning of your career.

Listen and take on board any criticism, compliments and training offered and always be looking to improve yourself and let your employer know where you see yourself down the road.