School leavers CV - Bad results

rawn

I'm trying to help my sister write up a CV. She's 18 and just out of school with no work experience whatsoever. She hasn't been a member of any school groups (She was in an outside-school dance group so I'll put that in). The thing is she did quite badly in her Leaving Cert. Do I put her results on the CV? I think omitting them speaks volumes... I'm at a loss of how to fill the page to be honest.

Colonial

I would say just type "Eduction - Leaving Certificate"

Most wont care much about this, but if they do they can ask and at least you can explain in person maybe...

Mint Aero

Anything over 200pts would be grand for a standard job I'd say? Who cares really, leave it out. What kind of work she looking for? Good personality goes a long way too so maybe work from that angle

rawn

That's a good idea Colonial. Yeah it's just for a standard job but tis hard enough to get your foot in the door, not many places hiring people fresh out of school as it is! She's really shy, especially with authority figures, as well which might hold her back in interviews. I'm trying to fill the page for her CV and I'm stumped. Even with references on it there's still a blank half page!

Mint Aero

Why write a cv then? First job I ever got I wrote a cover letter to the company explaining who and what I was, wasn't much else to write so why bother. Write a letter outlining she's finished school and is looking for experience/ work/ first job. Say what her interests are, goals are. She should try and meet the employer if possible and make an impression. Will be difficult if she's shy but the more she does it the better she'll get at it.

Maybe volunteer in the mean time while looking for work. Will look good on any CV but yeah I wouldn't get too hung up on having to fill a CV. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Mr. Loverman

She should go to college.

College is a short commitment which greatly improves future earning potential. By choosing not to commit to a few years of college, she is choosing to commit to a harder life.

It's really a no brainer. Try to convince her.

fergus1001

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

She should go to college.

College is a short commitment which greatly improves future earning potential. By choosing not to commit to a few years of college, she is choosing to commit to a harder life.

It's really a no brainer. Try to convince her.

Your ignorance of the need for money therefore a job to go to college shocks me

donegal11

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

She should go to college.

College is a short commitment which greatly improves future earning potential. By choosing not to commit to a few years of college, she is choosing to commit to a harder life.

It's really a no brainer. Try to convince her.

If you have the money it should be an option but not everyone has parents that can financial support 4 years of college.

I'd also point out as the op said her sister has a poor leaving cert so college may not the best option and more practical work would be of benefit.And the way current graduates job prospects are the harder life may involve going to college getting into debt and struggle along with debt for a piece of paper without a job.

To the OP. Your sister should try to get into a Fas/solas course the modules would help fill CV and a work experience element may help get a work reference. It'll show employers she's committed to better herself and give something to talk about at interview. Goodluck.

SeantheMan

Lie if you want.
A normal job never asks for a copy of your Leaving cert of to see the results.

Just make sure to sell her qualities in the CV. What she can bring to a business, why she would be better than the next person.
Imagine you were the recruiter, you have your sisters CV and another identical one....why do you choose one over the other ?

Write something that stands out about her personality, character, motivation etc

Most CVs are sugar coated too....the real cream is in the 'Interview' . The CV is a stepping stone , foot in the door to get an interview basically.

kippy

You should try your best to at the very least do a few short courses or a PLC or a solas course.......
Office admin, pharmacy sales, MOUS/ECDL, office admin, cateringetc etc..... will increase hee options and she might find she likes something enough to get more qualified in it.
Nowadays you really need some form of a higher level education......

JustAThought

I wouldn't lie about the results - but the advice to put a generic Leaving cert completed might work. You could add x subjects , or subjects passed include a,b,c,d,e,f. I guess it's an obvious question ; what subjects did you do.

You want to steer the interview away from questions about the leaving cert - if she's looking for a job it will be obvious she's not in college & that academia didn't suite her, if you don't mention that she did x,y & z subjects or that she passed ( hopefully) it will become an obvious question. Avoid that by putting it in broadly & focusing then on the dance as something she is good at and reliable at.

I remember I had the ' junior cert' results on it too at one point - if they were ok you could consider filling up some space by putting them in or listing the year & subjects over 2 or 3 lines;

2010
Junior Cert (Successfully) Completed
Subjects : English, Irish, Maths
Business, Home Economics

2013
Leaving Certificate Completed (Passed)
Subjects : English, Irish, Maths
Biology, Art

My CV after too many years work is still " only" 3 pages - I remember my first it was barely 3/4 of a page and that included the address!!!

You do have something to work with with the dance - it shows an interesting hobbie/interest that requires fitness, teamwork , stamina & commitment. Emphasise that. Also did she do a few courses in it - if so list them!

Hobbies & Interests
X years as a regular member of ( name it! Miss Marples Dance School in Queenstown); an after school contemporary dance training school . Over 2 years I studied different styles including salsa, contemporary jazz, rumba, traditional Irish and hip hop. Classes were held weekly over a two year period and comprised weekly fitness training and group choreography, requiring regular commitment, practise, teamwork and stamina.

You could add in as a talking point I hope to ... Enter the Dance Leinster event for hip hop, complete my contemporary dance course at night in 2014 , do another evening course in x dance in 2014 if possible.

Should trigger a question in something she is interested in and good at!

Put Miss Marples Dance School as a character reference - if they are anyway nice they will do that for her.

JustAThought

I've just realised this is from June of last year - apologies OP! I hope your sister has got something by now : )

Mr. Loverman

fergus1001 wrote: »

Your ignorance of the need for money therefore a job to go to college shocks me

Oh really?

• When I was doing my degree I worked 35 hours a week in a "part-time" job.
• When I was doing my masters I worked full-time AND ran a business on the side.
• When I was doing another post-grad I worked full-time AND ran a business on the side.

College is a choice.

Mrs OBumble

OP, with respect:

Your sister is 18, with no work expereience (not even voluntary) and apparently cannot maanged to do up her own CV.

She's done her Leaving but is "just out of school" - in January? Huh - shouldn't that have been July? Or did she go back to try for better results, but has dropped out now - what for???

She's shy, didn't join any school groups, and apparenly only has one out-of-school interest.

Sorry - but it's hard to see that she's going to be attractive to any employer, no matter what you put on her CV re LC results. I'm with the others that some sort of PLC ("college" in the broadest sense) would probably be a good idea.

road_high

PLC would be a great idea. Least that way there may be oppurtunity for personal and career development (that's sorely lacking in our secondary school system) as well as developing key skills in a work area she may be interested in.

fergus1001

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

Oh really?

• When I was doing my degree I worked 35 hours a week in a "part-time" job.
• When I was doing my masters I worked full-time AND ran a business on the side.
• When I was doing another post-grad I worked full-time AND ran a business on the side.

College is a choice.

If you can find a job I agree I am in college and finance myself I have no mother and father to ask for hand outs if I don't have/raise the money I drop out simple as

rawn

Thanks everyone for your great advice!

@Mrs OBumble, you are 100% right, she is stupidly lazy at times to be honest. Never made an effort in school when she could have, because her "friends" are the type to sneer at smart people and she never had the confidence to be different, so she decided to be dumb. I'm not even kidding. She's realizing now what a mistake that was. She applied for a catering course after the summer and was told she had a place, then that she hadn't, then that she had, and now she's on a waiting list, so she's job hunting now with zero idea how to go about it. I don't mind helping her with the CV part. She wrote one herself a few weeks ago and I nearly wet myself laughing at it. One phrase she had was "I have a deep interest in the working world". :rolleyes: The thing is, she is a sweet, polite, conscientious girl who will 100% to the job she is asked to do, should she ever get one :P I'm hoping she will do a course or something in the future when she figures out what she's interested in and when she's confident enough to apply herself. But for now, she needs to hand up money at home (she lives with my dad, her children's allowance has ended and the rent gone up since she turned 18) and my dad is struggling to support her. The last thing I want is for my lazy sister to taste the dole life cos she'll probably never leave it!

Anyways, I rambled a lot there. My apologies! I will focus on her dancing for her CV for now, and try to convince her to do some voluntary work or a job-seeking course for now.

murphym7

rawn wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your great advice!

@Mrs OBumble, you are 100% right, she is stupidly lazy at times to be honest. Never made an effort in school when she could have, because her "friends" are the type to sneer at smart people and she never had the confidence to be different, so she decided to be dumb. I'm not even kidding. She's realizing now what a mistake that was. She applied for a catering course after the summer and was told she had a place, then that she hadn't, then that she had, and now she's on a waiting list, so she's job hunting now with zero idea how to go about it. I don't mind helping her with the CV part. She wrote one herself a few weeks ago and I nearly wet myself laughing at it. One phrase she had was "I have a deep interest in the working world". :rolleyes: The thing is, she is a sweet, polite, conscientious girl who will 100% to the job she is asked to do, should she ever get one :P I'm hoping she will do a course or something in the future when she figures out what she's interested in and when she's confident enough to apply herself. But for now, she needs to hand up money at home (she lives with my dad, her children's allowance has ended and the rent gone up since she turned 18) and my dad is struggling to support her. The last thing I want is for my lazy sister to taste the dole life cos she'll probably never leave it!

Anyways, I rambled a lot there. My apologies! I will focus on her dancing for her CV for now, and try to convince her to do some voluntary work or a job-seeking course for now.

I think she needs to sign on if possible. It sounds like the home situation dictates that she needs to be bringing some money in. Being on the dole then open up more opportunity for her, FAS courses and perhaps JobBridge etc…….

I understand your reluctance of your sister getting a taste for the dole life, but if she is eligible she should be signed on.

Tonto86

Employers aren't gonna care about leaving cert results. In all my years working, many in professional jobs, its never came up.

JustAThought

On maximum dole she would get circa e100 per week. On minumum wage she would get circa e 300 + per week - its a no brainer. Not signing on if there is a choice & working brings self worth , opportunity to earn & develope, etc. if she's not interested in study & not motivated, a job might be the best thing for her until her catering or other interest kicks in. If shes interested in the meantime she could always do something in a tech at night & see how it goes.

Liam McPoyle

Would she consider going back to repeat her leaving? She is only 18 after all.

My younger brother left school after 4th year (9 years ago) to take up an apprenticeship mainly because he hated school with a passion. The apprenticeship didnt work out so he made the decision (with alot of coercing it has to be said) to go back and finish his schooling. He got a very average leaving cert, was interested in Agricultural science so went to Ballyhaise in Cavan to do a 2 year agri based bridging course. He got on grand with that and passing it ment he was able to get into UCD to study their Ag Science degree despite not having nearly enough points based on the leaving cert alone.

He graduated last year and managed to get himself into the graduate program with the biggest animal nutrition company in Ireland / UK and couldn't be happier.

It was a massive pull for him to go back to school but he just stuck his head down and got on with it. He is 25 this coming Sunday so your sister should seriously consider doing the same.

murphym7

JustAThought wrote: »

On maximum dole she would get circa e100 per week. On minumum wage she would get circa e 300 + per week - its a no brainer. Not signing on if there is a choice & working brings self worth , opportunity to earn & develope, etc. if she's not interested in study & not motivated, a job might be the best thing for her until her catering or other interest kicks in. If shes interested in the meantime she could always do something in a tech at night & see how it goes.

Obviously, but she needs to sign until she gets the €300+ job, no?

rawn

She won't go back and repeat - at least not yet. I'm hoping that in a few years she'll open her eyes and realize the importance of education but right now she just wants to earn money. She did, to her credit, apply for a couple of FAS type courses after she left school but as I mentioned in my OP she was given the runaround for a few months only to be told she didn't get a place so she's just a bit fed up of the process and looking more towards a menial job. I'll trawl through the FAS website though an dsee if I can find something for her