CV

Last week, I helped my son write his CV and apply for an apprenticeship at a local design agency. Unfortunately, by the time he had been cajoled into doing this, the position had been filled and the ad taken down. Sometimes procrastination doesn’t pay off. It did look good that 2 local apprenticeships came up in that industry, but now it is a waiting game, looking to see what else comes up.

In the meantime, I suggested that he take some of the free online courses about Digital Marketing, from companies such as Google and Hubspot. Hubspot seem to have a fairly good reputation and completing their courses might count for something on your CV, even if it demonstrates you know the basics.

What I want him to avoid is the dreaded “so what have you been doing since you finished college in 2020?” question at interview.

It’s not frowned upon too much that you might have taken some time to yourself after college, especially during Covid, but 3 years without working a job for a single a day might be stretching it a little. He can point to things he has done during that time, but it would look good if there was something concrete to show or talk about.

Also, as these courses are free, the only thing he will lose is his time if he decides that Digital Marketing isn’t for him. To be honest, I am being a little selfish because I enjoy that side myself, but I know he won’t enjoy all aspects.

He may find that he likes the “creating social media graphics” bit more than “copywriting” or “WordPress blog posting”, but he won’t know without trying. I don’t want to feel like I have pushed him down this path, want him to find his own way, discover the options of what he could get employed to do.

I even tried to inspire him to #buildinpublic a little, just to put his work out there. Not easy for the introverts out there, but it would help him no end, I think.