Tribe’s Head of People, Culture & Capability, Sandy Gibbs, gives an insight into what she's seeing in the HR industry with a focus on good CVs...or lack of!
Last quarter we shared some of what we are hearing in the market from the HR community. This quarter, we’ll share some of what we are seeing.
Selling oneself effectively and making an impact through the CV is most definitely lacking. It’s like the builder with the unfinished house - many HR Professionals have an unfinished CV.
With this, many are also questioning the continued job rejections being received- not recognising they go hand-in-hand. Opportunities are being jeopardised by poor delivery through the first impression - the humble CV. Humble, however, is one thing it shouldn’t be!
The CV is a sales document and needs to be created to sell yourself. It’s not about selling the role you do, it’s to sell what you have achieved through that role. Some CVs are also too fussy and busy. This is a time to make things easy for the reader. In our last Quarter overview I talked about the volume of candidates on the market - how do you ensure your CV attracts attention? You have all of about 20 seconds to do this and for many, we are not seeing the pitch happen on page one!
First and foremost, write your own. You need to be able to talk to it! The development of solid content will help you at both screening and interview stage. Screening is becoming more prevalent, with the need to cut candidate numbers down, so be well prepared for that call.
Secondly, don’t assume who the reader might be - hence don’t assume what isn’t important! We are seeing a lot of people leaving things off that they feel are not relevant - says who? We talk through some great things at interview, only to find it’s not noted on the CV - why?
With many positions being disbanded, companies can have a need for more resourceful, multi-skilled people. Your CV should be evidencing that range of capability. Evidence being the operative word! We are not seeing a lot of substantiated fact or evidence of the skills noted - identifying commerciality. Many generic and motherhood statements are used, which 'anyone' could write - it’s the same old, same old.
A couple of simple reminders:
- Don’t include things that allow for the reader to judge (again, you don’t know who the reader might be)
- Stick to fact related to your position and your business results
- Write your own CV
- Don’t complicate the look- make it easy for the reader to work through
- Apply for roles that relate to your background
Again, remember, you’re up against quadruple the volume of normal, so stand out from the crowd!
To hear about this further in detail, register for our upcoming webinar. You can find more information here.
