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I have read some interesting views about the good old CV of late – some interesting thoughts can be found on the IM LinkedIn blogs.
Many of the Executive Interim Managers on these blogs said that they didn’t like CV’s changing format – from the one they/an interim had put together to a format used by a recruitment firm. An interim that I have known for over 15 years, that I admire, respect and have worked with on a number of occasions (that’s you Al Drysdale) stated “I hate CVs that have their format changed by ISP’s because the CV looses the personality of the interim” (not a direct quote but something like). Oh dear I thought – we do that.
Why do we do it? Client feedback was that they preferred it. My second ever client said “Why aren’t your CVs all in the same format – don’t you have an administrator?” Client feedback since then has often been similar. They either liked the format and/or it differentiated our CV’s from other firms. Other reasons are: Some candidates are good but their CVs are too long/too short; sorry but I know some great candidates who have awful CV’s; from a design perspective- we want to communicate our brand; when we started out we hired an Ops Manager from a global search firm. Her view was that they would never dream of it and we wanted to be as professional as we could be; we thought if we didn’t our clients would think we were lazy. Can I think of any more reasons? Has my defence of ruining your CV’s been good enough??
Should we using a CV – regardless of the format? The purpose of coming to us is that we know our candidates – we have interviewed and referenced them. The whole value proposition is not that we have a CV but that we are in a position to personally recommend someone. We should be describing additional dimensions, their skills/personality/fit for the project – these can’t always be encapsulated in a CV. Let’s be honest – many CVs ask more questions than they answer. “That looks like a strange move? Why did they leave? Irrelevant experience prior to being an interim?”
Is the argument about a CVs format about to change full circle with the advent of Apply via LinkedIn? Have you seen this action? Should we adopt it? It is a simple button to press that sends your LinkedIn details through when applying for a position on an external website. I imagine LinkedIn will hook us all with this free service and when it takes over the world charge us for using it. Doesn’t this mean that all CVs will look the same and be devoid of personality? All details will be sent through as LinkedIn prescribe. Suddenly I am not so sure?
Do I think LinkedIn is a threat to our business – definitely not- the benefits it provides are too great – but that is for another blog…?
Zoom forward 5 years- what will we have if not a CV? An automated apply via LinkedIn that has learnt an algorithm for what we like and applies for us without human involvement, then tells us if we have been successful? All we need to do is sit back and enjoy a cup of tea. Or a 30 second video pitch – a “choose me” speech that would not be out of place on reality TV. Video CV’s!!! Don’t get me started on that one – I don’t believe our interims have signed up for a beauty parade!
Are we witnessing the death of the CV and what will replace it?
Doug Baird is Managing Director of Interim Partners.
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November 3rd, 2011 at 10:04 am
It is not until you handle a large qty of CVs for a position that you are looking to fill that you really realise just how bad some CVs are. Recruiters want the detail but, applicants fail to realise, recruiters are usually always under pressure from the sheer volume of applications, and need brevity in the summary and opening sections.
I’m convinced skype will be the next ‘must have’ for Interims to perform as a first look and feel for the client.
Also Video clips of the candidates elevator pitch!
November 4th, 2011 at 8:20 am
Playing with the format of a CV can certainly change the perception of the reader, but that’s could be a good thing. On the other hand ’standardisation’ of CV’s isn’t, however inevitable it seems. Candidates need to learn to use multiple media to get their personality across, the CV is an ice-breaker, or should be to lead recruiters and employers to a media suite that reflects all the skills and characteristics of a candidate.
November 4th, 2011 at 8:35 am
A continuing and worrying trend is the attempt to have computers carry out decision making. Every requirement for an employee is different – the company, whether looking for someone to work on a checkout or manage a large part of their operation, require someone of a particular character and outlook.
Computers allow us to move data around more quickly, they do not help us make those personal decisions of which people we want to employ. Indeed, even using IT to carry out word searches can exclude all those who do not think the way of the programmer, which could mean that companies are excluding very good staff who can do things differently – and could be why companies are claiming that they can’t find the right staff – it is the computer that can’t find the right staff because it has been programmed to look in the wrong place for the wrong things.
Recruitment is about personal relationships and will still need humans to make good decisions.
November 4th, 2011 at 8:43 am
I have found my CV to be ineffectual in almost all of the cases where I have been successful in getting the work. My success has been gained through direct contact or recommendation by contacts and mutual colleagues. So, has my CV acted for me where I have been un-successful? Only the recruitment industry could say. To support my case for an ineffectual CV I have spent many hours reading papers, books and taking advice from recruiters to prepare the document. I have taken the view in the past to model my CV to fit what I can find out about the job. None of these approaches has helped.
I have had more success by speaking to the recruiter, convincing them of my worth, providing the raw data and letting them get on with it.
LinkedIn. I use this system with moderate success. I have two or three current leads working with around a 50% potential success. I have not achieved any hard results as yet. However, on a general point, I note the multitude of approaches to personal profiles on LinkedIn. Some contain almost nothing, others a life history in 10,000 words – what is the best approach?
While all this sounds very negative, I achieve a good success rate through the personal and verbal approach. As for the initial question “Does the CV have a continuing life” I suspect that in the written form life is short. The young techno generation will I believe drive the world down the Facebook, LinkedIn route of electronic selection where your personality, professional and social life is all rolled into one. No distinction between home and work. This could be the start of “Whole life selection profiles” with profile matching between employers and candidates.
November 4th, 2011 at 8:56 am
I like to review your weekly comments. The subject of CV’s is very subjective & confusing. I am re branding at present, I have no operating cash, no forthcoming confirmed Interim opportunities. Every time I attach my adjusted CV I hold my breath!!!!
What Do’s good luck like ? I know face to face sells, how can we open doors when there is so much subjectivity on the opposite side of the desk ?
Good Luck
Thank You
Neil
07583 449 897
November 4th, 2011 at 8:57 am
My view is that we live in a data-rich but information-muddled world, that is increasing devoid of the narrative. For transactional activity I believe this is entirely reasonable. However the question may be, is employment a transactional activity? Certainly for the candidate it is not for but for employment clearing houses it decidedly is. I think we’re seeing a day where I, as an interim, can load quite a bit of reasonably structured data into a databox so that an agency or client can render that information as they see fit. Depending on the requirement a client may wish to view me with an emphasis on qualification, competencies, international experience or whatever. So in short much as igoogle allows me to format my daily digest of news and such so I see this digest approach available to potential clients and agencies.
November 4th, 2011 at 9:45 am
CV’s are a key to the gate (getting client interest). Once the gate is open, the CV becomes an aside.
Good Interim Companies like Interim Partners (there may be others ha!) can also be the key to the gate. They will facilitate with the client and find candidates they KNOW who will meet the clients needs, the CV becomes incidental when the Interim Company knows its stuff. They become the story teller, not the CV
November 4th, 2011 at 10:56 am
recruiters like chronological CVs with no gaps – skills based profiles are more relevant for Interims – but don’t lend themselves to search engines
November 4th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
While the Interim market is different, most companies in the U.S. essentially force candidates to submit a standard CV/Resume with rigid formats mandated by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). During the selection process, an actual CV/Resume is rarely viewed unless the ATS deems a candidate worthy of further review. I always tell my candidate clients ATS systems are designed to weed you out, not get you hired.
With that said, a firm providing hiring clients with CVs/Resumes in a consistent format, speaks volumes positively and professionally.
November 4th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I rely on the agency to act as a professional intermediary and know me and the client. I have no strong views on the extent to which the agency edits, provided the outcome is positive. (Some hope….)
However, the Linkedin approch worries me. As a longstanding inetrim I have a very large number of assignments to which I might refer. What I seek to do is select those assignments which best meet my (or the agency’s) assessment of the client requirements. An automated m,ailing of my full profile would be unhelpful to me and I suspect to the client also.
November 4th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
I agree with Donald and Martin. A machine cannot interpret and “get a feel”. Using this methodology smacks of laziness on behalf of the recruiter/provider. The quality of the people in a business defines that business and is too important to be left to a machine to sift through key words.Having said that,the CV won’t land the job,only you can, but it can get you in front of the client.
Doug,yes you do know your candidates, but do you not use the CV initially to decide on whether to meet up with them first time? I met one of your colleagues and probably would not have done so without me presenting my CV first. Good meeting by the way.
November 4th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Doug, you’ve obtained some great projects for me, and also some great candidates! I can understand the practical reasons for any recruitment agency presenting CVs in a standard format. However, as I’ve done a fair amount of recruiting myself, and I always insist on seeing the candidates’ original CVs along with the standard ones, because the candidates’ versions tell me:
– how good the candidate is at preparing high-impact documents (essential for many senior rôles);
– how clear the candidate is at expressing himself in words(again, essential in a senior capacity);
– how impressive the candidate is at reporting in terms of visual impact (more important than one might think)
– whether s/he has a sense of balance, a sense of humour and a sense of what is relevant in any situation
– that indefinable “something” that suggests the client may be a natural for the position
The above traits are hard to assess in a group of standard CVs, as they tend to be levelled out.
That fourth characteristic may well be the most important. The last candidate you sent me, Doug, had been speaking for about 20 seconds, sitting back in a very relaxed way, before the MD caught my eye and we “exchanged looks” as the saying goes. This was the right candidate and we spent the rest of the meeting making sure we could hook him, after which he more than justified our faith in our assessment.
What made him so special was his casually confident individuality and a humorous streak of self-deprecation, qualities which seldom comes out in a standard-format résumé. And yes, he knew the job requirements inside-out, but it was the way he approached things that mattered.
November 5th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
I think the old CVs are key for introduction to know the knowhow, capabilities and competences of an individual, meanwhile a standard format losses a piece of analysis for the receiver. It is not only a matter of who you are but also how you summarize and introduce who you are.
After that comes the most critical issue of commitment, willingness to invest energy and brains to achieve objectives, and character to add value, which is related to knowing the kind of stuff of the individual. Neither Linkedin nor computers are prepared to perform that personal approach, they are only tools for simplyfing the work.
November 6th, 2011 at 9:01 am
I believe the CV will survive for a good while yet, but will be aided by videos and other methods. The anecdotal evidence is something like 15-20 seconds to make an impact with a CV – how would a 90 second video achieve that? Well maybe a 20 second one then?
As for format, well the one style logic is of course logical from the provider/client viewpoint, but totally agree that it removes that piece of personality of the owner.
November 21st, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Neil – If you want to talk about what good looks like on a CV – feel free to give me a call.
Robert- I agree with your sentiments – I don’t think they sound too negative. I don’t believe mail shoting/ sending a CV on mass is the most effective way of getting to a client unless you can leverage a very big database. What does work, is a personal intro/ verbal intro. Our business works (to some extent) because we try to build personal relationships with our clients – therefore can make recommendations to them. This is a different approach to sending mail shots/ CV’s and hoping they hit the mark. That said – this can still be a good route to market – but you would have to expect a lot of potential clients to ignore the letter.
Al – you are too often right. The question I will need to ask myself is what the sensible point to compromise is? Perhaps we offer to provide both- the original or our own depending on the clients’ preference? Granted – the skill is in finding the best candidate – not the presentation of the CV.
The comments from Donald…. you couldn’t be more right. No one hires a CV- they hire a person. The CV or mail shot or intro from a colleague must all lead to a meeting where they interim can diagnose the problem/ pitch a solution and inject their personality.