Cover Image: The 7 Second CV

The 7 Second CV

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Member Reviews

Not my usual book but brilliant advice laid out so it makes sense and is usable. It was obvious years of experience went into it.

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This is a really useful book to help you craft a CV that will help you nail the interview of your dreams. Really useful tips and tricks and a book I will share with others.

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Really useful advice about how to imprive you CV in easy-to-read and to-apply writing style. It covers lots of different industries, gives key words and expression to include or avoid. Very helpful.

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I opted for this book as my CV needed updating and I thought it could be helpful. It was great that there was practical advice in it, top tips and great nuggets to help you get the interview from your CV. Definitely a must for people who need to re-do their CV especially if it's been a while since doing your last one!

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This is not my usual book, but after recently reentering the job market I was looking for a way to revamp my varied CV and the idea of a 7 second CV really interested me. And who better to take advice from than the Chairman of Reed.
I went into the book expecting it to be mumbo jumbo about buzz words and fonts, but it isn't. It doesn't spin yarns or bulk itself up. This book is a no nonsense look at the CV and how tailoring it can not only get the whole thing read, but can get you the interview.
As I have previously worked in social media I liked how Reed addressed the use of it as a tool for the job hunter. It was also nice to see the practical advice from those doing the actual hiring and from the industries as a whole.
Grab this book for an evening read then dive into that CV revamp.
Thank you to Netgalley and Virgin Digital for the chance to read and review this book.

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I quit without a role to go into at the end of last year, and having taken 18months to secure that role in the first place, I was petrified to go back on the job market. So much had changed - majority of the roles advertised online & at the level I was applying for, was being managed by agencies. My past experience was that agents tended to sit on your CV, and it took persistence to get a result.
I WAS WRONG!
The 7 Second CV is the satnav to CV writing with the desired result of securing that interview! Its littered with tips from recruiters (some of which are contradictory, but it just goes to show that no 2 people are the same); practical advice; and self-assessment nuggets that leave you running back to your CV to improve it prior to sending it in for the next role. That being said, it's an easy read, so don't expect anything enlightening.
Did it work? Hell yeah! I was head-hunted for several roles and just secured one in my dream industry.

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I found this pretty helpful when I was re-doing my CV. A lot of useful tips, many of which were new to me too. I've had a lot more success with my new CV!

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Functional, and a must for anyone looking for a job or promotion. Jazz the CV up with the help of this book. very easy to follow

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A useful reference guide, particularly helpful for people who are currently job hunting or rewriting their CV

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A great book for anyone, excellently written. I can't think of a demographic which wouldn't take away from this. Regardless if you're a school leaver or revamping the CV or returning into work; this book is literally aimed at everyone!
I have recommended it subsequently to a friend who is looking to move roles after 10+ years with the same company. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, i will continue to recommended this one!

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Written by an industry expert, this is a useful guide to writing CVs with a number of different scenarios catered for. It has clear guidelines for each section of a CV with alternatives for different levels of experience.
The text is peppered with helpful insights from employers on what they do and don't like to see in CVs.
I think anyone following the plan set out here will end up with a very creditable CV.

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I didn't actually think I would need this book, I was more curious about it in order to double check my own CV that I have been updating. I have worked hard and my way up over the years and therefore felt fairly smug in that I knew what a great CV looks like, but within just a few pages of this book I knew I could pick up some tips that would prove really useful.

Written by the CEO of Reed Recruitment (so someone who should know exactly what he's talking about) and taking the feedback and advice of recruiters who do the job day in day out, this book walks us through the CV and how to make ours stand out in a sea of others.

The book is set into handy sections e.g. what recruiters want and crafting the perfect cover letter (which was the stand out section for me). I didn't feel that I needed to read all the sections but it was often handy to glance through anyway. Within the sections there is also advice for your own personal situation e.g. if you are a graduate, have had a career break or want to change industry. All of this is written in a very engaging way.

After spending a few hours reading last night, I spent most of this morning updating and tweaking and when I went to apply for a job I'd seen, what I'd learned was invaluable.

Honestly, even if you've been around the block like me and have reached a high point in your career, I promise you will find something in this book that you can take away. Highly recommended.

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This is going to be my bible and if I was still a teacher I’d be gifting this incredible tool to every student.
I’ve recently come out of teaching; something I’ve done for 10 years without the need for a CV. I was at a bit of a loss and I’m certain it’s my botch-job CV that’s meant I’ve not gotten an interview since looking for a part time job to go alongside catering for my ailing father. Literally, the only time I’ve engaged with the CV process is when students have grumbled that no one has told them how to prepare one.
Now, I have a generic CV that is well presented and ready to be adapted to match the criteria of individual jobs. Thanks to this guide, I’m much more confident that I will get an interview the next time I apply for a job.

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Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this volume. I did not get the job it was purchased for but there is always a next time. All help gratefully received !

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If you are preparing or thinking about preparing a CV, what more could you want then tips from the Chairman of Britain’s largest recruitment agency.

Nice easy read with practical advice garnished from industry surveys and many many years of domain experience.

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a review copy.
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A very useful book for anyone who's a bit rusty in the jobs market and needs some help to update not only their their C.V., but their approach to job seeking. It does feel like a bit of an advert for Read but I suppose that's inevitable given the author's pedigree. I particularly like that this book is easy to digest but still manages to get across some crucially obvious but sometimes overlooked points.

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This book is outstanding and an easy five stars. I've been helping to run a Job Club for years and we've already bought a copy of this book to loan out to job seekers. The 7 Second CV has got all the things that we've been saying to people for years but you rarely, if ever, find a job seeker that knows all these things already. I am rather sceptical of reviewers who say this book doesn't tell them anything new and wonder if they’ve actually read it all. I've been helping people with CVs for years and I've learned some things. One being that numbers up to 10 should be written in letters. So I am amused by the title of the book!

It gives very up-to-date advice and solid examples and tips. The style and needs of CVs has evolved over the years with the advent of technology to create them and more competitiveness for every sort of job. This book is clear and has a lot of anecdotes which break up the serious material that needs to be communicated. The format is excellent with nine templates included which cover CVs for difference periods of life and states of employment from new graduate to someone who's been made redundant or a person with gaps in their career. One template is for a cover letter - something we find a lot of job seekers have no clue about.

If you are looking for a job do not even bother looking at other books - this is the definitive one on the subject in my opinion. I agree with everything in it. I think the only point I'd like to add which isn't covered (or maybe it is and I didn't notice) is to keep a copy of _everything_ you send in for a job application including the advert you are replying to, cover letter, job description, CV and any application form (paper or online). We frequently get people at Job Club who don't do this, despite being advised to, and are then anxious as they have an interview and they can't remember much about the job they've applied to as it's 'gone' off the website. Or can’t remember which ‘version’ of their CV they sent in.

With thanks to NetGalley, James Reed and Virgin Digital for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Very nice book. to help how to build up a good CV, or fix an existing one. On the other hand, it did not tell anything new for me what i never heard before.

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Free book offered to "live life better" for 2019 - how could I resist?? Self help books are always somewhat useful, even if only to reinforce what you already know :-)

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If you're currently searching for a job but in a bit of an application rut, then look no further! This book is brimming with tips, advice and resources that will set you on the road to success! Written in a light-hearted, clear, and articulate style, this book will prove endlessly useful to anyone looking for their dream job, regardless of what industry or stage of career they're in.

Brilliant!

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