Not seen many topics on the forums regarding these, I passed my C+E in 2012 and have booked in for my initial cpc next month so will be job searching in the near future. CVs aren’t something i have much experience in at all!
How much of an impact would your CV have on a driving interview?
What should you include in it (other than the obvious driving qualifications)?
Will an employer even be interested in seeing a CV, or are they only concerned about seeing licenses and driving assessments?
You will probably be in a much better position than me. My CV is pretty much non-existent due to going from job to job over the years. No references unless I make them up. When I get my cat c I am just relying on there being a genuine shortage of drivers and they will give me a go. Either agency or real employer. If you have a reference from a recent job (any job)you should have no trouble at all if they want to check it out.
Man 1 comes into office. Man 1 has been driving for 100 years and has done every course known.
Man 2 has little experience.
Man 1 is scruffy and full of attitude.
Man 2 is smart, polite and enthusiastic. Man 2 will in the majority of cases get the nod. CV’s are very rarely checked.
I know this because I have had numerous jobs and hardly ever had a reference checked. If you come across right, the employer will normally assume you are right.
Difficult in my case as I literally do not have a reference. Haven’t needed to work for a while so it’s a bit of a problem.
Jobcentre recently looked at my CV and said it looks like you’ve just come out of prison. I’d sue the ■■■■ for libel but too much trouble. Although I pointed out to him that if I had just come out of prison I wouldn’t be here asking you ■■■■■ to fund my LGV training because I would have got it already
JS8576:
Difficult in my case as I literally do not have a reference. Haven’t needed to work for a while so it’s a bit of a problem.
Jobcentre recently looked at my CV and said it looks like you’ve just come out of prison. I’d sue the [zb] for libel but too much trouble. Although I pointed out to him that if I had just come out of prison I wouldn’t be here asking you [zb] to fund my LGV training because I would have got it already
Might be easier to sue him for slander!
Best bet is, as others have said, look like you’re worth employing. First impressions and all that. Remember, you want them to trust you with 100k worth of kit.
I doubt having a CV is a big consideration in the haulage industry when recruiting drivers, it does give a sort of standard format, but most big companies I’ve applied to have a form to fill out, which gives them a standard format.
The problem for a new driver is they’ll have a criteria to weed out candidates if they get loads of applications and one of those will be experience.
For a new driver I’d recommend the direct approach, knock on doors, go and talk to the boss, that way they get to see who you are and they might think a keen person they can train is better than a tired and cynical old driver who’ll do it their way regardless.
The last race team I worked for we took on young truck driver who had never worked in motorsport, never driven abroad and never driven a left ■■■■■■, over the experienced motorsport truckies we interviewed, because the experienced candidates were all gobby types who would end up causing more trouble an opposed to this lad who was smart polite and would very well in the team environment. The lad did really well and He’s now Lewis Hamiltons tyre man.
Where i am now you won’t get a look in without a CV they can refer to, they’ve never advertised for staff and probably never will.
Always worth carrying some with you if you’re looking out for another job.
All info on one page, don’t put the usual cobblers about trustworthy and reliable cos only a lunatic is going to admit they have more sickies than work days and will nick anything not nailed down, if you’ve never taken a sick day in your working life say so.
JS8576:
Difficult in my case as I literally do not have a reference.
If you don’t have a job reference I’d try and get someone on as a caricter reference. Preferably someone who has a job where they could check to make sure he really does work there and you’ve not just got your old cell mate to lie for you
Juddian:
Where i am now you won’t get a look in without a CV they can refer to, they’ve never advertised for staff and probably never will.
Always worth carrying some with you if you’re looking out for another job.
All info on one page, don’t put the usual cobblers about trustworthy and reliable cos only a lunatic is going to admit they have more sickies than work days and will nick anything not nailed down, if you’ve never taken a sick day in your working life say so.
Wow juddian its strange how companies are like this, its actually a very close industry, its all about who you know not what you know as they say! Where do you work btw?
Juddian:
Where i am now you won’t get a look in without a CV they can refer to, they’ve never advertised for staff and probably never will.
Always worth carrying some with you if you’re looking out for another job.
All info on one page, don’t put the usual cobblers about trustworthy and reliable cos only a lunatic is going to admit they have more sickies than work days and will nick anything not nailed down, if you’ve never taken a sick day in your working life say so.
Wow juddian its strange how companies are like this, its actually a very close industry, its all about who you know not what you know as they say! Where do you work btw?
I agree with Juddian, and when I rewrote my CV for driving work, I cut out all the normal crap, condensed it to 1 page with the key info in a table at the top and then filled the rest with information about me that should show my character. Not reams and reams of bollox that is expected in the IT industry, where CV’s can often be 4 pages…
So if my character did come across in the CV, It’s surprising I got any work at all!
Wow juddian its strange how companies are like this, its actually a very close industry, its all about who you know not what you know as they say! Where do you work btw?
Sorry Ash i keep shtum about where i am, took me a lifetime to find this job…
Yes who you know can be useful and many jobs like this are filled by recommendation but i got this particular job by cold calling as have others here, was lucky enough to pigeon hole the main man and he was good enough to listen to my two minute spiel, he asked for a CV and i made sure it was sitting on his desk the very next morning, started there three weeks later and hopefully will see me time out there.
Part of the secret to landing plum jobs is being ‘hungry’ and keen enough, if you ponce about for three weeks chatting it over with the mrs, having a think about etc what would the prospective employer think you’re attitude will be when you’ve been there several years?
