CVs – A new Perspective
CURRICULUM VITAE:
What Is It and Why Is It?
By Shane O’Riordan
In simple terms, your CV is your introduction to an employer and is the means by which they will decide whether they wish to call you for interview or not. It is designed to demonstrate that you have the desired competencies for the job.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that a CV is to get them the JOB and as such cram their CVs with information they wish the employer to know about them, to make them look good, a lot of which could be completely irrelevant to the job being applied for. Some people write CVs that read like novels.
In fact, a CV needs to demonstrate to an employer what they NEED to know about you quickly and easily.
“How easily?” you may ask.
Let’s ask the question;
“How long would you like an employer to look at your CV on a 1st read?”
I have asked this question many times from my clients, and answers generally range from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
Well let’s look at it another way.
“How many CVs do you think an average employer receives per job advertised?”
50? 100? 200?
- In May 2010 a small fast-food take-away in a small rural town in the west of Ireland advertised for a kitchen assistant for wash-up duties.
They received 462 applications! - In 2010, a retail store in Dublin, Ireland advertised for sales assistants.
They received in excess of 6,000 applications. - Also in 2010, a major retail outlet in Ireland were opening a new store.
They received well in excess of 10,000 applications.
Putting this in context, let’s take the first example, as this probably relates to many small businesses advertising positions today.
If you think an employer will spend, let’s say, 2 minutes reading your CV, and they receive 400 applications, then that is 400 x 2 minutes = 800 minutes = over 13 hours reading CVs. Factoring in breaks etc., we are looking at well over 2 days solid!
(Believe me, when you have to read that many CVs your eyes will blur over and you stop being effective at judging after maybe a few dozen CVs.)
Now let’s not forget the business side of things. Time equals money. Someone has to be paid to read these CVs That’s 2 days wages paid just to read CVs. And who’s doing their job while they’re busy reading them?
If you believe this is what happens, THINK AGAIN!
Quick fact.
The average length of time that an employer will hold your CV for a first read is only 30 Seconds!
That said; they will have already made a first impression decision whether they like your CV or not within the first 3 to 6 seconds.
In truth, most employers will not READ your CV when they first pick it up, they will SCAN it. They are looking for specific information, keywords, use of language in an effort to establish your competencies and suitability for the job on offer.
In this 30 seconds they wish to determine if
- Your CV Stands out from the rest as worth reading in more depth
(About 5% of CVs). - Your CV is OK and might be worth taking a closer look, provided they can’t choose from the category above
(About 15% of CVs). - It is hard to read and too difficult to find the relevant information, and so is not worth the extra effort to read.
- It is totally unsuitable or has too many errors.
If they get a sufficient number of CVs in Category A, they will not look any further at this stage, choosing to read these CVs more thoroughly first before moving to Category B. If they find enough suitable candidates here, these will probably be the ones shortlisted for interview.
Categories C and D above, approximately 80%, will probably go straight into the bin. The main reason’s why are;
- The Length of your CV
- Mis-spellings, typing errors, poor grammar
- Poor layout
- Badly organised and hard to follow
- Too little information
- Not results orientated
30 Seconds! Not much time for you to stand out, get your message across and get shortlisted for interview. Therefore it is vital that your CV is eye catching and communicates to the employer the exact information they are looking for quickly and easily.
You may think this sounds like an impossible task; but it’s not!
CVs – Your 30 Second Movie Trailer.™
Let’s look at your CV as if it were a Movie Trailer.
A movie trailer is usually about 30 seconds long, yet when watching we can still make a decision as to whether we want to go see the movie or not. In 2004 a study was conducted by the IMDB in the US which found that approximately 80% of movie-goers went to see a film based solely on the trailer!
Action movies trailers will probably have a lot of explosions, fights, car chases etc., whereas romance movies will show clips from the movie that are appealing to those into romance. Thrillers, biographies etc. all have their own formats designed for the type of audience that they believe would wish to see their movie.
Do they show the whole story?
No!
Only the best bits that they believe will appeal to the targeted audience.
Do they show the clips in chronological order?
No!
Not necessarily. They show the clips in an order to tease the targeted audience; to get them wanting to see more.
Do they try to appeal to everybody?
No!
Only to those interested in their genre. To a targeted audience.
You might have noticed above I have highlighted the words Targeted Audience.
Surely a CV should not be targeted to any one job, more a demonstration of your all round ability, flexibility, experience etc.; to demonstrate to the potential employer that you could fit in anywhere in any position?
Many times I have questioned clients on this, asking what type of job they are looking for, to which the reply is usually “Any job!”
This may be their truth, however, you can be sure that employers are NOT looking for just ANY Staff! They are usually very specific in the profile of the person they wish to employ.
(Just as an aside, when someone says they are looking for any job, I often say that there is a job for a “Sewer scraper and Un-blocker” available, to which they usually say “I don’t want that!,” to which I then reply that “Then you aren’t actually looking for ‘Any Job’ are you?”)
THIS IS BUSINESS
Let’s look at this way.
Most jobseekers I meet approach their job search as if they are the ones with the problem.
“I have a mortgage to pay.”
“I have a family to feed.”
And so on.
This is why people respond to my question as to what job they are looking for with the answer “Any Job.”
They look on the employer, on the job as the solution to their problems.
A JOB is a business contract between an employer and an employee. We all can expect a Contract of Employment, either written or verbal on taking up a new job.
In its simplest form business is where someone has a problem and someone else has a solution to that problem.
When these two get together business can be done.
Take for example,
Problem. My car broke down.
Solution: There is a person in the area that operates a tow and repair service.
The reward for this is usually, but not necessarily, financial; the amount charged being the measure of value that we put on that solution.
So when we look at the end of the business process,
The person with the problem PAYS.
The person with the solution GETS PAID.
If you go looking for any job because ‘You Have A Problem‘, and get it, the chances are you will soon be dissatisfied and you will end up being the one who pays.
- Overly long commute to the job.
- Wages don’t quite pay the bills.
- Don’t like the work.
- Don’t like the co-workers.
- Too tired when you get home.
- Stressed.
- Cranky.
Need I go on?
You then become dependent on the pay cheque. You adapt and learn to cope, never quite satisfied, but too scared and powerless to change or leave.
In addition, if you are in a job you don’t particularly want to do, you are not as likely to put in the effort you would if it were your passion. As a result, you may come to the attention of your employer for reasons you do not want.
Simply put; your employer/job is in control of your destiny, not you!!!
An employer can distinguish between those looking for “Just A Job”, from those looking for “This Particular Job”, and they will use it to their advantage.
They Get Paid!
They can squeeze more hours out of you, pay reduced wages, pile on extra work, infer threats etc. knowing that you are dependent on the pay cheque and will more then likely do exactly what they demand.
Pretty soon you find that ANY job was not the solution you thought it would be, it only created new, different problems.
I used to think that the worst thing an employer could do is say “No.”
I later realised that the worst thing they can say is “Yes” if it is the wrong job.
Remember this, they are advertising the position because They Are The Ones With The Problem, and You Are Their Solution!
BECOME SOLUTION FOCUSED
So when it comes to your CV it must be specific. It must be targeted to the specific job, and where possible to the specific employer advertising the position. It must let the employer know that you can potentially solve their problem, that you can add real value to their business, and in so doing, add value to your life, and really solve your problems.
In order to do this we must take a client centred approach, where the employer is the client.
