How NOT to do a video CV

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There has been a lot of publicity recently surrounding the quality of video CV’s and the impact or effect this can have on a candidate. Especially if the video is a hit but for the wrong reasons virally.

One such CV video which went viral has been used as an example of how not to do a video CV, after being passed around a number of web forums – gaining a lot of attention, but for the wrong reasons. The viral hit showed an Ivy-League college graduate dancing, showing off his 140-mile-per-hour tennis serve and weightlifting skills whilst making bold claims of being “trained in martial arts by Buddhist warrior monks”. I can’t imagine the look on the face of this wall street recruiter when receiving the video CV, but im sure its priceless.

However, Fun and jokes aside a video resume has to be taken seriously, as serious as handing your CV to an employer in person. If you go to YouTube with the keywords “video resume” you will find more than 75,000 results with the number growing daily. Many seem to be more legitimate than others, nevertheless with the cost of a video CV being next to nothing and the risk of it actually screening you out of an opportunity; the question has to be asked – is it a good idea?

Yes. The job market is so competitive now for college and university graduates that if you can create an award winning resume video that showcases your skills and talents in ways a paper resume and cover letter can’t…then your on to a winner.

Check out this video from 2006, of the ivy-league-college-graduate Aleksey Vayner who would have probably been onto a winner if he had applied for a digital marketing role instead of a job on wall street. Let us know your thoughts!

So how much are you really worth?

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I have to start by congratulating the GMP Group for creating this fantastic video highlighting how you can make your CV an effective CV. Having the ability to write a powerful and effective CV which will land you the perfect job is sometimes hard to get your head around as there are so many different types and styles out there.

GradParade’s CV builders publishing platform is so easy to use, all you’ll have to worry about is letting your experience shine. We’ll even provide a ‘Free CV Review Service’ to school leavers, under graduates, graduates & post graduates alike. So why wait?

Start increasing your chances of getting spotted now!

Take your Ideas to the Next Level

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Make the Web Work for You

A Recent survey showed that this year over half of all A-level students have shunned university and plan to go straight to work or set up their own businesses. Now there’s no shame with living with your parents but it’s what you do whilst your living there that counts. From innovative too extraordinarily unbelievable and inspiring. I’ve listed just two of my favourite young entrepreneurs who made the web work for them.

Alex Frasier – At 16 launched a web theme modelled product with his business partner, 24-year-old Seth Waite called ‘ Blogussion. The site became an immediate success and is now the highest ranking blog by a 16-year-old on the Internet. Visit http://www.blogussion.com

Michael Dunlop – At 21 dropped out of school and began to develop websites, including the hugely successful RetireAt21.com. So where is Michael now? Well although he isn’t retired, he is making a six figure salary from his websites. His latest innovation IncomeDiary.com, has attracted well over 10,000 subscribers already. If you want inspiration, check him out. Visit http://www.retireat21.com

Visit www.gradparade.com today to find out how you can get your ideas off the ground…

The Top 3 Student Blogs, Students Read More than Yours

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Can becoming a student blogger really be the catalyst to better things?

With the majority of the GradParade team being students not that long a go, we can all relate in some degree or another to the creativity and initiative shown by these hand picked bunch which I’ll mention in this blog, who have all shown without doubt a fire of genius and flare for blogging.

Having a blog can be the catalyst to greater things. Not only is it a great skill to have but an excellent communication tool to show employers and give you the edge over other graduates within the recruitment jungle.

All three blogs are inviting and serve a student purpose – a platform to showcase work, shout about the absurdity of student life with the adventures it entails and the cultural happenings of one like minded student to another. Being able to captivate an audience of students is something to proud of when your one yourself which is why these guys look set for an accomplished future with some type of social media ingenuity behind them.

• http://www.aimeecroysdill.blogspot.com by Aimee Croysdill
• http://ncerbolles.wordpress.com by Nielson Cerbolles
• http://ohthattvblog.wordpress.com by Scott Bryan

Why not start blogging you brains of now with your own ready to go blog?

Visit GradParade today!

What’s your unique selling point?

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The graduate market is the most competitive in the world…So what’s your unique selling point? Read On…

The interview process for your first graduate job, going from a full time student to a full time employee is probably one of the most daunting and fearful experiences in life that you’ll undergo.

Without trying to exaggerate the situation after leaving higher education, your now in a situation where you have entered into the worlds largest competitive market – the job market.

Many students recall that after their successful first stage application, they are then invited to the next round..the interview round. So how would you prepare for questions like ‘What are your goals for the future?” or “Where do you see yourself in five years?”. Well the majority of students would say pretty well, but when your asked “do you have a website, where I can see some of your work?” or “So have you done any blogging before or run your own social media campaign” most haven’t as their time in higher education was spent writing reports, essays or building up an offline portfolio with no intention of getting their work online.

Most recruiters see the future of the student interview process being fast, quick and efficient. Recruiters, small business and large corporations will not only buy into your qualifications but also what your interpersonal skills are like I.e your commercial awareness and the ability to present yourself and your skills in a manner which is effective online.

So, if your a recent graduate or still a student, isn’t it time you started marketing yourself online in new ways?

Check out some great advice above from insideleap who give away three powerful tips to secure graduate employment…

How far are you really prepared to go?

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A get up and go attitude is all you need to find your perfect role

Website: http://www.celineislookingforafashionjob.com/

I took one look at this and loved it. This encapsulates the great tenacity from which some people are prepared to go through to find their perfect job. Let’s face it, finding A job is hard enough without attempting to find your dream one.

However, this has not been the attitude undertaken by internet saavy, 23 year old, Celine Cavaillero who has showcased her skills, qualifications and experience in one of the finest displays of online CV presentation. Its an accomplished, intelligent and exquisite show of mastery in a lesson on how to market yourself and get the edge on your competition as a student.

Think about it. Your CV is what recruiters and employers judge you on. Students are starting to realise that paper format or sending across your CV in an email is boring. Half of us find reading over our own CV’s boring but we somehow think if someone else reads it, they’ll leap off their feet and pick up the phone - WRONG!!

Celine got this in an instant – Bright girl. As a potential employer seeing her website, you want to meet her and find out more. She seems talented and smart but overall shows the desire and commitment that any business would want.

Again a great example of what you can achieve with a bit of hard-work and desire…Best of luck Celine in finding your perfect job.

The Future is Video CV’s

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Take Your CV to the Next Level…

I’ve already mentioned the job genius Kyle Clarke who inadvertently raised the bar and minds of students with what’s possible if you mix a little bit of creativity with hard-work in your approach towards the competitive student job market. So from the brilliance of the employ kyle campaign, we move onto a similar story behind Graeme Anthony’s ingenuity and finesse in his approach to the job market. The sheer sophistication of this video CV leaves the viewer intrigued and captivated to find out more about the self confessed PR and social media expert.

Take a look and put yourself in the role of the employer. Would you employ Graeme?

I know I would. Its creative, artistic and more importantly different. Enjoy!

75% of Universities Opt to Charge Maximum Fees

Almost three quarters of universities have now announced that they have opted to charge the maximum £9,000 -  for some of the degree courses they offer from 2012.

So how are students going to react? Recent events are evidence enough that for the most part not well. This comes as the newly elected president of the NUS, Liam Burns said that “the debate on how to fund education is sadly largely irrelevant until the wholesale removal of public funding is reversed”.

The main challenge which needs to be tackled first for the NUS will be to prevent the cut in student places at universities across the country.

This also comes as Ed Miliband says filling the “black hole” in the university budget caused by higher than expected fees could mean 30,000 less students going to university.

So how can students prepare themselves for not going to university this year?

Maybe work abroad? Take a GAP year or even better -  look at new ways in which you can promote and market themselves online for employment? University doesn’t always have to be the final option. There are many organisations looking to hire talented individuals with a motivation and level of passion which far exceeds others within the student recruitment jungle.

Why not start taking a cavalier approach to your future, the way in which you market yourself through new media and release your creativity to the world?

With No marketing budget but the world as your oyster…Start exploring new ways to market yourself.

What’s your innovative approach to the job market?

Today’s Google Count on “CV” Numbered 301 Million!

No Marketing Budget? But Want Maximum Exposure? Getting noticed doesn’t have to be expensive!

There was a time when after receiving your college diploma, degree or even your masters from university you could sit back and wait for the perfect job. However, now once you’ve finished your education the real work starts.

Finding a job is harder then ever before and a common question asked by recruiters is…’Why should I put you forward? Or ‘What makes you stand out from all of the other applications we get?’ It doesn’t occur to a lot of students that the media they use to showcase their skills and talents either gained naturally or from further education are just as important as what they do in obtaining their certificates. Another hurdle for many students is the second or third round of the interview stages.

Are you hurting after constant rejections and waiting for the next interview call up?

The dreaded one to one where you’ll be left feeling as though you’ve just gone through two rounds with Mike Tyson and you still have another 12 rounds to get through to be successful. However, its becoming more common for students to be ill-prepared for finding work regarding interview techniques, presentation and promoting themselves online against the other  of students online.

In a recent times article Chris Davies, a partner at Graduate Coach, said: “It is a crying shame that learning how to prepare yourself for the job market is not taken at least as seriously as getting a good degree.” So how do students prepare themselves? Well, they could start by directing employers to their own website which has information about them, their interests, a professional CV and examples of work or their own blog.

With the graduate market being so full, I ask the question again… What will be your innovative approach to finding a job?

Graduate Initiative Proves just the Job

It took 63 days, 452 tweets, 13 interviews and 15 job offers…The result? 1 Dream Job in New York

Does this sound like you?
Kyle Clark, 23, was a Newcastle University graduate who was tired of constantly filling out application forms, competing against hundreds of other grads on each job and waiting weeks for a single response back. Kyle decided enough was enough. There surely had to be another way to get noticed.

The Challenge
Using both his initiative and creativity, he decide to market himself in a different way by setting up employkyle.com to find the perfect job. Kyles idea was to market himself as a brand, someone who could add value to a company and who would go the extra mile to stand out. The challenge for the bright graduate was to get as many people as possible to bid for his services as an employee over the course of two months.

The Result
The website was simple yet highly effective. It laid out, kyles CV, his ideal role and personality. He was able to attract more than 4,000 visitors from 80 countries, 3 National Newspapers, 2 Radio Interviews, 1 podcast but more importantly; received 15 job offers from a range of multi-national corporations to individual entrepreneurs.

How can you stand out like Kyle?
Kyle accepted his dream job offer for a ‘Digital Marketing Manager’ based in London and New York. So what can you learn from Kyle? Having a CV in 2011 alone, is no longer enough. You students are a brand. And a well thought after one of that. With all the other graduates competing in the same job market, what will be the difference between you and the competition?