There is now a significant body of evidence to support the view that many job applicants are insufficiently prepared for the recruitment process. There is no doubt that our Colleges and Universities excel at the academic side and while they do their best to embed the importance of a strong CV and an understanding of the interview process on their students, the effort fails in the face of more pressing priorities.
According to a recent survey by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA).The majority of CV’s submitted by eager job seekers are “average” with only 11pc rated “very good” The survey, designed to identify common pitfalls in the application process, also found that more than 80pc of the candidates applying for employment in the accountancy industry, dismissed candidates entirely from the selection process due to badly prepared CV’s.
There is also abundant anecdotal evidence to support this conclusion. One Belfast based HR manager commented that the main factors considered in rejecting a CV included:
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Spelling and grammar in CV and application form telling the potential employer about ‘my excellent attention to detail..’ and then goes on to include a litany of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
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CV has no relevance to the post advertised
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Application shows no insight into role advertised or what the organisation does
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No “conviction” in the application
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CV’s written In BLOCK CAPITALS – THEY ARE SHOUTING AT THE READER!
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The 16 page CV where you think after reading it that ‘that’s 15 minutes of my life gone forever…why, why?’
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CV’s (common) with no contact details – not even a name.
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CV’s with an email address something like gettingsmashed99@$$$$$$.com orfluffybunny@*******.com etc. etc. – very credible?
