What are some of the key things young people should include on their CV?

One of the biggest things with people writing CVs is oftentimes they don't realise that a skill is a skill and should be on their CV. In my world, we're screening for people who can have conversations every day. So things like being a clear communicator, being fluent in English, writing skills, because we do a lot over email too, are all important. I think a lot of people think, well, the fact that I can speak clearly, why would I put that on my CV? But actually, these types of things are really important to include, especially if this is your first job and you don't have lots of experience.

Any experience you do have make sure you include it because it shows that someone else has screened you for these skills and has given you a job. So really, I don't care who you worked for. I do care how long you were there, because that also tells me something about reliability and your behaviour. You've shown you can communicate, you can be part of a team, you can show up for work every day.

SImilarly if you have any qualifications, they show us you can meet a deadline, you can write to a good level, you can show up for class, you can take yourself through a course - all these sorts of things we're looking for.

With technology now being increasingly used for screening CVs, are there any tips you could give to help people pass this stage?

You can't rely on having a conversation with someone to get you through the door. A one-page CV is probably going to go through some level of AI or automated analysis before a human looks at it. So keep it super, super simple because you want to get as much impact on that one page real estate as you possibly can. Your qualification, if you have one, is important, your experience is important, but don't go into long, lengthy, wordy paragraphs. Keep it to three short, sharp bullet points so that you are leaving yourself space to show all of your experience because that also matters. Get in as much as you can without making it verbose.

What are you looking for when someone comes in for an interview?

I think by the time you get to an interview stage, it's almost 100% attitude. You've got to show up. Are you someone who can sit and hold a conversation with someone across a desk? Because if you can't, then it's unlikely that you're going to be able to do it on the other end of a phone. We need people who show us they are hungry to grow and do well.

In one sentence, what can someone do in their first week to give the best impression?

Show up, be on time, and just be enthusiastic!