Starting the Job Hunt (CV Prep/Gap)

Hello all!

I just got my visa and wanted to go over my CV because I'm starting the job hunt again.

Background: I have an MA in journalism (UK uni) and have been applying for graduate/trainee journalism/media/PR/editorial jobs. I'm even going for assistant roles too as I have secretarial experience.

(So if anyone in those fields knows of a job opening in the London/Berkshire area, let me know!)

I have basic CV, but I want to update it.

Is it okay to make a basic document on Microsoft Word? (It'll have my work history, small bio, contact information, interests etc)

Another problem I'm slightly worried about is explaining the gap in my CV from January until now. I've been putting in my cover letter: "I returned to the US briefly to apply for a spousal visa and visit with family that I had not seen in years"/something along those lines.

Is that a sufficient explanation? Should I even bring that up at all? I have no idea.



I'm really just looking for any CV advice that people could give me; if anyone works/worked in those fields has even more inside tips, please let me know!

Gaps of less than a year aren't normally a concern for employers. I wouldn't mention it unless they ask, then tell the truth .

If you have a local newspaper, TV, or radio station within a reasonable distance, I'd suggest seeing if they need a volunteer. Leave your CV and take anything they can offer. The biggest hurdle to getting a job in the UK is lack of UK work experience. Volunteering, even in a minor capacity, will help.

Hello all!

I just got my visa and wanted to go over my CV because I'm starting the job hunt again.

Background: I have an MA in journalism and have been applying for graduate/trainee journalism/media/PR/editorial jobs. I'm even going for assistant roles too as I have secretarial experience.

(So if anyone in those fields knows of a job opening let me know!)

I have basic CV, but I want to update it.

Is it okay to make a basic document on Microsoft Word? (It'll have my work history, small bio, contact information, interests etc)

Another problem I'm slightly worried about is explaining the gap in my CV from January until now. I've been putting in my cover letter: "I returned to the US briefly to apply for a spousal visa and visit with family that I had not seen in years"/something along those lines.

Is that a sufficient explanation? Should I even bring that up at all? I have no idea.



I'm really just looking for any CV advice that people could give me; if anyone works/worked in those fields has even more inside tips, please let me know!

If you feel the need to mention the gap, do so on your cover letter, not on your CV. I put a short paragraph at the end discussing my visa and the gap. Just because a lot of smaller companies aren't familiar with spousal/settlement visas.

If you want to do journalism I would suggest looking into UK requirements, spellings et all. They won't do AP style as you know it and you should be familiar with the style guide they use. Grammar is quite a bit different over here. You'll want to study or take a course if you can. I needed to. They use quotations differently and commas and they don't really use parentheses.

PR roles are going to be difficult as all the roles I've seen require several years of job experience in an agency or not. They have a PR organization that I'd suggest looking into if you're serious about PR. Dues are kind of expensive though. You would probably be alright applying for assistant/junior roles. I haven't seen many of those in my area.

You'll need to write killer cover letters. Most agencies don't even look at your CV all that closely. Also, most companies use agencies to fill their positions. It's normal here. Few companies do hiring completely by themselves.

Cheers

Edited to add clarification

Gaps of less than a year aren't normally a concern for employers. I wouldn't mention it unless they ask, then tell the truth .

If you have a local newspaper, TV, or radio station within a reasonable distance, I'd suggest seeing if they need a volunteer. Leave your CV and take anything they can offer. The biggest hurdle to getting a job in the UK is lack of UK work experience. Volunteering, even in a minor capacity, will help.

Cheers for the idea! I'll try at my local places if nothing pops up job wise.

If you want to do journalism I would suggest looking into UK requirements, spellings et all. They won't do AP style as you know it and you should be familiar with the style guide they use. Grammar is quite a bit different over here. You'll want to study or take a course if you can. I needed to. They use quotations differently and commas and they don't really use parentheses.

PR roles are going to be difficult as all the roles I've seen require several years of job experience in an agency or not. They have a PR organization that I'd suggest looking into if you're serious about PR. Dues are kind of expensive though. You would probably be alright applying for assistant/junior roles. I haven't seen many of those in my area.

You'll need to write killer cover letters. Most agencies don't even look at your CV all that closely. Also, most companies use agencies to fill their positions. It's normal here. Few companies do hiring completely by themselves.

Cheers

Edited to add clarification

I forgot to add that my MA was in the UK, but thank you for the reminder!

Ah I shall look for junior roles in addition to graduate and trainee stuff.

I forgot to add that my MA was in the UK, but thank you for the reminder!

Ah I shall look for junior roles in addition to graduate and trainee stuff.

Probably not quite what you are looking for, but a lot of independent schools (and even some bigger state schools) have marketing/ media departments? Worth a shout?

Positions would generally be advertised here:
https://www.tes.com/jobs/browse?viewtype=list&locations=Europe%3AUnited%20Kingdom&positions=Non-Teaching%2FSupport&workplaces=Independent%20Senior&sort=date

Probably not quite what you are looking for, but a lot of independent schools (and even some bigger state schools) have marketing/ media departments? Worth a shout?

Positions would generally be advertised here:
https://www.tes.com/jobs/browse?viewtype=list&locations=Europe%3AUnited%20Kingdom&positions=Non-Teaching%2FSupport&workplaces=Independent%20Senior&sort=date

Cheers! I'll definitely look into these cause I saw a bunch pop up at the uni near me, but this link is amazing