Justice
Dangerous Idiot
Indeed, I know someone who facebooks all the female applicants he gets and puts all the rotters into the rejection pile.
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does anyone on here look at CV's
- Thread starter brightonmark1234
- Start date
OzMike
Well-known member
Never put your age and only list your last 3 jobs.
The Mole
Well-known member
This is very true - one thing that irritates pedants like me is poor punctuation - there is no apostrophe in CVs!
It might sound trivial, but you don't want to fail to get an interview because of a silly mistake.
Also add a covering letter to any direct application and make sure you refer to the skills the employer wants. It is very annoying to receive a generic letter which gives the impression of laziness.
Lankyseagull
One Step Beyond
Good job this is only an Internet forum then and not my CV....
nwgull
Well-known member
Try to avoid using an employment agency if at all possible and send your CV directly to potential employers. An agency will charge the employer 15-25% of your first years annual salary for adding very little to the whole process.
Christ on a bike!
I'm off to get some Pringles. Don't start without me. I'm a slow reader!
brightn'ove
cringe
TWOCHOICEStom
Well-known member
Disagree. Many many companies go through agencies. You need to broaden your horizons and make sure you're not missing any potential jobs.
They do earn a big old wedge, but it doesn't come out of your pocket. I started my career by getting a job via an agency. I'd never have got into the field I'm in now if I hadn't.
Bottom line IMO is if you are looking for a job, you should look down all avenues. Both direct and agencies.
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
grubbyhands
Well-known member
Constant velocity ( joints ) Car driveshafts, hope that helps. I'll get my coat!
nwgull
Well-known member
Exactly. Your employer has to pay 15% of your starting salary to a worthless agent. If they have a choice of taking a candidate that's going to cost them a few grand or one that has made the effort to contact the company directly and cost nothing extra, which do you think they'll choose??
I'm an employer and I loath agents. I have yet to deal with one that has any idea about what we do and what candidates would make a good fit for us. Most just clutter up my inbox with inappropriate CVs and provide no value to the recruitment process.
brightn'ove
cringe
Cheaper ≠ Better
Also, recruitment agencies can help people find jobs, and just because you don't like them as an employer doesn't mean you should give mark bad advice. If someone isn't confident applying directly, writing CVs and cover letters, an agency is a great place to get that help.
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nwgull
Well-known member
Having the wherewithal to contact a company directly and being able to write your own CV and cover letter - come on, it's not rocket science - will make far more of an impression on an employer than any misplaced appostophes or CVs printed on fancy paper.
brightn'ove
cringe
Yes it's not rocket science, if you know what you're doing. Some people need more help than others.
TWOCHOICEStom
Well-known member
I think likewise there are a lot of companies who can't be arsed running a recruitment process by themselves. Money isn't always the deciding factor. Convenience is. I'm not sitting here justifying the huge fees they get, but for every person who hates using agencies, there are a ton of companies who rely on them.
thedonkeycentrehalf
Retired
- Jul 7, 2003
- 8,630
There are some good agencies out there but the business is tainted by the bad ones. A good agency will work with you to find the right opportunity and not just put you forward for anything that comes up. Likewise they will work closely with the recruiting company or manager to ensure they understand the skills and personalities that the employer is looking for.
The bad ones have similar traits. We've probably all seen adverts for generic jobs that are used to harvest CVs.
I've seen CVs butchered by incompetent agencies which take out important facts about the prospective employee.
Some of them can also be 'creative'. A few years ago I was sent the same persons CV from three different agencies, all with different current salaries. I interviewed the person and asked him to confirm his current salary. He confirmed that it was the lowest I had seen and that he had sent the same information to all of the agencies. It appeared that the agencies were bumping up the current salary in an effort to get the person a higher offer and therefore increase their commission.
The bad ones have similar traits. We've probably all seen adverts for generic jobs that are used to harvest CVs.
I've seen CVs butchered by incompetent agencies which take out important facts about the prospective employee.
Some of them can also be 'creative'. A few years ago I was sent the same persons CV from three different agencies, all with different current salaries. I interviewed the person and asked him to confirm his current salary. He confirmed that it was the lowest I had seen and that he had sent the same information to all of the agencies. It appeared that the agencies were bumping up the current salary in an effort to get the person a higher offer and therefore increase their commission.