As part of the University of Lincoln’s ‘Find Your Feet’ initiative, Victoria Kermode, recruitment co-ordinator for fashion and home store Matalan, met with final year students to help tailor their CV’s for fashion specific jobs, saying that ‘standing out’ was the key to success.
In 2011, Matalan employed 40 graduates across the whole business, offering them permanent roles with real responsibilities and a starting salary of £16, 000, and for Victoria, the selection process starts with the CV;
“We want CV’s that are going to stand out, we get a lot of people applying for the same jobs with the same qualifications and the same amount of work experience, so jazz up your CV a bit,” she says.
Colour, illustrations and personal designs all help with making your CV unique and eye-catching, ‘but don’t go over the top’ advises Victoria, “obviously don’t take up the whole page, but a nice illustration or fashion design at the side will always help.”
Aside from standing out, your CV must also follow a basic structure; state your main career goals at the top, followed by any relevant work experience specific to the role and then any previous employment, from bar work to retail.
“The most important thing,” says Victoria, “is to list your CV in chronological order, a lot of people don’t do this and when we’ve got a lot of CV’s to get through it’s easy to dismiss one if we can’t see the most relevant experience at the top.”
Unlike other employers, Matalan do not have a graduate specific scheme, instead they offer full on the job support: “We offer our graduates complete support, a permanent role within the business and immediate help to obtain the next level in their career,” says Victoria.
Matalan’s head office is located in Lancashire, 40 minutes from Liverpool and Manchester and currently has 700 employees, “work experience is a must, and we expect all of our graduates to know exactly which role they want to go in to, which should be reflected in their CV,” says Victoria.
To apply for a permanent position within the business visit the Matalan Job site, or for help with finding work experience contact Victoria Kermode directly at graduaterecruitments@matalan.co.uk.