Page 82 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

reading, for example – but if I was a publisher and you were
coming in for a job as an editorial assistant, I would not only
expect to read that, but I would also expect you to be able to
answer a simple question such as ‘What books do you enjoy
reading?’ How di≤cult is it for you to work out that I am going

to ask you that question? I am not going to be impressed by you
sitting there looking flummoxed when I toss you such a gimme
of a question. If you do put down a personal interest that is

pertinent to the job, make sure you are ready to talk about it
intelligently and relevantly.
When you have completed your C V, step back from it for
a while, so that you can give yourself a sense of perspective
as you review the information it contains and the highlights

you have selected. Put yourself in the place of a prospective
employer and read it with their mindset uppermost in your
thoughts. Make a checklist of the core elements of the original

job ad and cross-check that the C V you have created identifies
your strengths in each of those elements, and does it quickly
and clearly. Ask yourself: is your C V succinct, targeted, factual,
accurate and simple?
If you think you need additional help, there are – naturally –

online C V review and critique services. It certainly helps to have
a dispassionate view – you may be too close to the finished
document to make a clear judgement.

Sometimes the obvious gets forgotten precisely because
it is so obvious. Recently I got a letter from someone who was
working in the retail sector. He said that he enjoyed working in
retail, was able to get jobs at the lower end of the ladder with

70 get the job you really want