English Rewind - 6 Minute English: Does your CV shine?

Hello, Catherine here from BBC Learning English.

Just so you know, this programme is from the BBC Learning English archive

and was first broadcast in February 2015 on our website.

And now, on with the show.

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English dot com.

Hello, I'm Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English.

With me in the studio today is Neil. Hello, Neil!

Hello there, Rob!

Now I bet you have an impressive CV, Neil.

'CV' is short for 'curriculum vitae'.

That's a Latin expression we use for the document

in which people list their work history, education, interests and abilities.

In other parts of the English-speaking world it's called a 'résumé'.

Now, Neil, I know you are a very good teacher and producer,

but does your CV actually shine?

Well, I hope it's good enough to impress hiring managers.

But it's a challenge to prove on a piece of paper or online document

that you're really better than the other people

who are competing for the same position.

Hm. Today, we're talking about CVs

and you'll learn some words related to this topic,

which will especially interest 'jobseekers' —

that's what we call people looking for work.

Yes, and jobseekers have to worry about having an impressive CV,

so they get that call for a job interview.

Yes, the CV is just the beginning.

And, as you mentioned job interviews, I'll ask you a question all about this.

According to a recent survey, managers decide quite quickly

if they're going to really consider giving a candidate a job or not.

So, when you go for a job interview how long do you have, on average,

to make a good enough impression for an employer to hire you?

Do you have a) Less than three minutes? b) Less than five minutes?

Or c) Less than ten minutes?

Well, I think it's probably quite short,

so I'm going to go for b) five minutes.

Well, you'll have the correct answer, the result of this survey,

at the end of the programme.

But people have done all sorts of unusual things to reach the interview level.

One of them is Briton Daniel Conway, who went from posing shirtless in the street

with the phrase "employ me" written on his chest

to uploading a video on social media asking to be hired.

Ah, this video went 'viral' — it means became popular very quickly.

In it, his daughter appears next to the phrase "give my dad a job".

Yes. Daniel Conway tells us about his experience looking for work.

Which word does he use when he says he wanted to be noticed?

I just thought as a young naive kid that I would kind of walk into a job,

but the truth is, you know, there are a lot of good people out there

who've got just as great skills and I realised at that point,

you've got to stand out and get your strengths across.

He used the phrasal verb 'to stand out'.

It means to be more visible than others in a group so that he can be noticed.

Dan Conway uses another phrasal verb — 'get your strengths across'.

To get something across means to make something clear.

In this case, he wants the employer to understand

how good he is as a potential employee, his strengths and his good qualities.

And did he get the job?

Well, yes, he did.

And I'm glad to say that, after four years,

this 29-year-old man got a job marketing vitamins!

Well, we can say he was good at marketing himself.

Yes, we can.

Well, he was bold and courageous

in his attempts to catch potential employers' attention.

He showed a quality described by career coach Corinne Mills.

Listen to what she says and tell me

what is the quality jobseekers have to show for sure.

Oh, you've got to be confident.

I mean, if you are not confident about your skills and abilities,

then why should an employer have faith in you? So, don't be modest.

This is your opportunity to really show your skills and experience

and what a great performer you're gonna be in the job.

The career coach says you've got to be confident!

It means self-assured, believe in your capacity to do things.

And sometimes we feel that it isn't nice to say "I'm very good at this"

or "I'm wonderful at that," but she advises you not to be modest.

Exactly. 'Modest' means 'humble; moderate when talking about your abilities'.

You know, Rob, I've got some top tips for people writing their CV.

OK, well let's have them.

Yes. Here's the first one.

You have to be concise — it means brief: give the information in a few words.

Maybe you could write a brief profile at the top and keep the CV to just two pages.

Thank you. That's a good bit of advice.

And I think you should give evidence of success in previous jobs.

If a presentation you did helped you to get a client, you should include it there.

And be accurate, in other words, be precise and tell the truth.

Don't invent things.

And you should also remember to check your spelling and grammar!

Yes, that's very important!

Well, we wish everybody success when writing and sending out their CV,

and we hope they are called for a job interview,

in which they have a very short period of time to leave a good impression.

Indeed! So how long after all is this period of time, according to your survey?

Did I get the answer to the question you asked

at the beginning of the programme right?

Well, I asked you how long do you have, on average,

to make a good enough impression for an employer to hire you?

Do you have less than three minutes?

Less than five minutes? Or less than ten minutes?

And I said less than five minutes.

And you're wrong.

The correct answer is actually less than ten minutes,

so you have a little bit longer.

Jobseekers have on average just six minutes and 25 seconds

during the first meeting to impress potential employers.

That's according to a new study from the website Monster dot co dot uk.

And we're almost out of time.

So let's remember some of the words we said today, Neil.

CV, viral,

to stand out,

get your strengths across,

confident, modest,

concise, accurate.

Thank you. Well, that is it for today.

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6 Minute English

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