Boost employability with these 10 steps
David Krasij is a Recruitment Consultant in the Sports, Leisure & Fitness Industry. Having read thousands of CVs and interviewed just as many people, he offers 10 useful tips to boost employability and help you secure your job in the industry.
- Gain some experience in your chosen field will boost employability chances – whether voluntary or paid, this gives an insight into whether you would enjoy the type of work as well as giving you valuable experience to add to a CV/application.
- Be proactive – if there is a company you want to work for, ring them, connect with the hiring manager on LinkedIn, email the manager – don’t wait for a job to be advertised – even if they don’t have a vacancy you could secure a placement, internship or even just a contact who can put you in touch with someone else who can help.
- Spell/Grammar check your CV/application – the amount I see that state the candidate has great attention to detail yet uses the wrong there/they’re/their etc or spelling mistakes.
- Include achievements over duties on a CV application – these are what can set you apart from other candidates and show what you are able to bring to a role.
- Tailor your CV and letter of application for the role you are applying for, include why you want to work for that particular employer, how your match their requirements, what you can bring to the role. Don’t send a CV to a fitness company that states you are looking for a role in retail etc
- Don’t lie – you’ll get found out, and that’s just awkward!
- Make your CV readable – as pretty as a 1 page CV with pictures and charts may look, it can be difficult to understand what it all means and what you’ve done! The sports/fitness/leisure industry isn’t overly creative like something like the media/graphics industry is so keep it simple.
- Be realistic, if you are a school leaver or are starting out on the career ladder then don’t apply for positions that you don’t have the experience/knowledge for. You’re probably not going to be offered a position of a regional manager on £50k+ a year just because you got an A in GCSE PE and were voted player of the year for your local sports team.
- Register your CV on job boards – recruitment agencies and internal recruiters will CV search from these; but make sure your profile is up to date and accurate.
- Do your research – never turn up to an interview unprepared (Wikipedia doesn’t count as an exhaustive source), have a look at company websites, news articles, social media etc
If you are looking for a career in the sport, leisure or fitness industry register your CV on www.r-three.co.uk
Are you looking for a job in the sport and fitness industry? Visit the careers in sport jobs board for the latest vacancies. For more useful tips to boost employability read the 18 tips for a winning CV