Jobseekers must try harder!
It may not have escaped your notice the recent interactive media CV created by a PR Consultant, Graeme Anthony which led to his employment with a PR Consultancy. Those of you reading this via the blog will have a link to view this CV, which by any standards is outstanding and it is no surprise Graeme was employed as a result. This CV, however, has received more than enough coverage in the blogosphere, so I am not going to cover the machinations of how effective it is, etc. Nevertheless, Graeme’s CV does go to show how extra effort can help achieve your employment goals.
The average CV is read by a recruiter / hiring manager in less than 20 seconds. When you consider it can take you hours to compile, this blitz review can be pretty soul destroying. Despite the length of time put into completing a CV, I contend that the bulk of jobseekers need to make more of an effort.
As a recruiter, I receive countless CVs on a daily basis and it never ceases to amaze me what people are happy to send out about themselves. Most of us aren’t Stuart Baggs or James Haskell with our own personal brands (bonus points are available if you know both brands!), however, a CV is in simple terms a marketing tool of you. Which is why some of the CVs I receive a pretty shocking! One of the classic mistakes is when someone describes themselves as having “attention to detail” within their personal profile yet their CV is littered with spelling mistakes and written in different formats and fonts. Surely an attention to detail would have noticed such mistakes? (I am naturally crossing my fingers that after such vitriol this article isn’t littered with such mistakes!) Equally, this due diligence is also missed with cover letters. Cover letters can be an extremely effective tool, yet they also have the potential to be extremely harmful. I often receive cover letters that read something along the lines of “I feel I would be very suited to your Training Manager role due to my extensive experience of...” without going into too much detail this may have been effective had the role they had been applying for been a Training Manager role and not an HR Manager position!
How many times would you proofread an important presentation? The likely answer is several times, yet it seems many of us do not take this approach to our own CV, so do we really value our employer higher than our own needs?
This isn’t just an attempt to sharpen up peoples’ CVs, it will certainly help people secure employment, but I also feel much more still needs to be done.
Firstly, why not be a touch creative with your application? I am certainly not recommending everyone produce a CV similar to Graeme Anthony’s, as his was relevant to his creative vocation whereas this approach may not be as effective in HR. Nevertheless, it does not stop you trying something different to make you stand out. I recently recruited for a Training Materials Coordinator. The role required amongst other aspects someone who had a flair for PowerPoint presentations. Due to the flexible nature of the role I received a large number of applications (100+), yet only one person took the opportunity to include a PowerPoint presentation in their application. Not only did this person include a presentation, it was also one specifically designed to highlight their suitability to the role. So I can say from firsthand experience of the 100+ CVs that I gave a 20 second glance to, this one stood out like a sore thumb! In the current economic climate the number of applications per role has definitely increased, so it is even more important you show the hiring manager why you are suitable.
Secondly, each person is different in the same way each job is different, therefore, don’t just churn out the same CV for every application. A one size fits all approach will without doubt make your job search a lot harder than it needs to be. You only get one opportunity to show the hiring manager that you are suitable so make the most of it, namely tailor your CV for each role. This doesn’t have to be as time consuming as it sounds. I recommend to my candidates that they should produce a long CV that details all of their experience. Naturally, as this is going to be quite long, this should never be sent as an application, instead you can use it as a template to create a unique CV. It is a lot easier to write a CV in one go, rather than constantly drip feeding it. You’ll be amazed when the creative juices are flowing what you can produce. Once it is all down in paper you simply cut and paste sections to create a unique CV. For example, if a role required TUPE experience you can make sure this has real prominence within your CV, rather than tucked away somewhere in the background.
Finally, don’t just let someone else do all the work for you. I may well be doing myself out of a job here, but don’t just get a recruitment agent do the work for you. When I started my HR recruitment career one thing that was immediately apparent was how small a community HR actually is. Due to CIPD meetings and other such networking events each HR person’s network is pretty extensive, so why not use it to help find a role? Nothing works better than a personal referral, so don’t be afraid to ask your network for help.
There are people who are doing all the above, but they are very much in the minority. They are also, in general, the ones who secured decent jobs too! We’re in tough times at the moment with fewer jobs and more of us fighting for each one, but it is time to stop being lackadaisical about your job search and instead, it is time to pull your finger out!
About the author
Ed runs his own business and is an HR recruitment specialist with a passion for social media. He holds over 8 years industry specific experience and specialises in recruiting for middle to senior management HR positions. He is also the Group Manager of Human Resources UK.
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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK. Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 17th February and will be written by experienced HR professional Dawn Clarke.
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