Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Rant - CV's

  • 31-07-2012 7:29am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594
    ✭✭✭


    Have to get this off my chest and possibly it will help some people. This is mainly aimed at newbies - not those in professions.

    The quality of majority of CV's sent by a lot of people is utter SH1TE and yet they expect to be answered back.

    In past 2 weeks we've had approx. 41 cv's for approx 6 new retail jobs.

    Out of 41 just 7 seem to have actually read the advert and re-written their CV highlighting skills they have that suit the job and enclosed a cover letter that shows they understand the products that will be sold.

    Another 13 sent a standard cover letter with what was obviously a name change of company - at least they bothered to put the company they were applying to in the letter.

    8 had a cover letter with just "To the manager, here's my cv for the job you advertised" or other such thing.

    and a phenonemal 12 out of 40 just sent the CV with no cover note or anything - that's over 30%.

    But the best was an email "I see you are looking for retail staff. My name is xxx, I have worked in retail. If you are interested in talking to me my number is xxxx" - That was it - no cv, nothing. And she'll wonder why she doens't get called to interview or it means she can go back to social and say whe applied for a job, but got no response.



    Now these are not life changing jobs, but 2 of the salaries are in the 30k+ area and the others are min 30 hours at €12-€13.

    The 7 that took the time to understand the advert and show a little care will all get called to interview. On all the others, their CV will have to be very good to get called up.


    For those looking for jobs where there can be a lot of competition and sending CV's - it shows how easy it is to get ahead of 70% of the CV's a company receives purely by taking a little time and doing a few minutes research as to what the job is and throw a few words in relation to the job being offered and the company into the application.

    Basically see the CV as the first part of selling yourself.


Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,644 theg81der
    ✭✭✭


    Something definetely up here 41 cv`s was talking to someone with similar rolls and they got near 1000 for minimum wage retail. Does your company have an appauling reputation? Do the jobs look like there door to door or something because there is alot of bs jobs out there and people have got wise to them. Or are you being disingenuous here.....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    theg81der wrote: »
    Something definetely up here 41 cv`s was talking to someone with similar rolls and they got near 1000 for minimum wage retail. Does your company have an appauling reputation? Do the jobs look like there door to door or something because there is alot of bs jobs out there and people have got wise to them. Or are you being disingenuous here.....

    See - its this type of negative crap that I despise. You are assuming a awful lot without an iota of knowledge and just like so many that applied, you did not even read the post.

    1. What part of "salary €30,000+" do you not understand. That's SALARY - e.g. GUARANTEED.
    2. What part of €12-€13 per hour do you not understand?
    3. What part of "6 new RETAIL jobs" do you not understand.

    The jobs haven't been advertised publicly - just on a facebook page. I don't want 1000 cv's.

    As for how we treat staff, some have been with me since mid nineties. I am godfather to the children of 2 staff and we have had none of our staff leave the company in the past 2 years except 2 part-timers who have moved onwards and upwards.

    Yep - we're a really crappy employer:rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,644 theg81der
    ✭✭✭


    sandin wrote: »
    See - its this type of negative crap that I despise. You are assuming a awful lot without an iota of knowledge and just like so many that applied, you did not even read the post.

    1. What part of "salary €30,000+" do you not understand. That's SALARY - e.g. GUARANTEED.
    2. What part of €12-€13 per hour do you not understand?
    3. What part of "6 new RETAIL jobs" do you not understand.

    The jobs haven't been advertised publicly - just on a facebook page. I don't want 1000 cv's.

    As for how we treat staff, some have been with me since mid nineties. I am godfather to the children of 2 staff and we have had none of our staff leave the company in the past 2 years except 2 part-timers who have moved onwards and upwards.

    Yep - we're a really crappy employer:rolleyes:

    I read your post thoroughly and given those 3 facts you stipulated clearly something didn`t add up and I was right - you haven`t actually advertised the positions publicly. And actually you sound pretty negative and like you already have an opinion of people in the jobs market that you want to prove or something.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 15,790 Tabnabs
    Mod ✭✭✭✭


    While it very disappointing that people can't be arsed to put together a well constructed CV and cover letter (and I've seen this happen a lot too), I think advertising on FB only is never going to get good quality candidates and am not overly surprised that you got such low calibre responses.

    I'd be dubious about any retail job adverts I saw on a FB page. It's not the most professional way of going about it and what does that say about the management and ethos of the company?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,802 statss
    ✭✭✭


    yup, there's your problem right there, advertising on facebook.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,502 chris85
    ✭✭✭


    Advertising jobs only on facebook, seriously? i would not apply based on that, if the job was interesting to me I would look for the job advertised normally (company website, jobs.ie, irishjobs.ie) and then put the effort into the CV. As mentioned you will not get a good calibre of applicant on fb. The job hunters are looking on normal websites.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    Well we advertised for positions for another store opened last year on our facebook page (10,000+ followers) and got some excellent CV's and didn't require to advertise elsewhere. If I get 100 cv's in, I'll easily find the staff I want (its not rocket science jobs) - so why should I advertise elsewhere. Also, those who see the advert on facebook will hopefully have some knowledge of us / brand / products. (btw - we have over 50 employees and have let no-one go during the recession, so I think I can run things well enough)

    Anyway, the post has noting to do with how I advertise or whatever. Its about have so many people send in a CV without putting some effort into it and trying to understand the job they are applying to.

    I'm saying from an employers perspective, that if you find your cv is being ignored, see if you are selling yourself properly as so many CV's are of poor quality and a little effort put into each application, may see a better result for you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,399 sozbox
    ✭✭✭


    You advertise on Facebook and are surprised at the low quality of the subsequent applications? Take a minute to think about that.
    Seems to me, the low quality applications suitably match the manner in which the positions were advertised.

    By all means use your page to post a link to an actual advert for the positions but I'd never advertise a serious job on FB.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    chris85 wrote: »
    Advertising jobs only on facebook, seriously? i would not apply based on that, if the job was interesting to me I would look for the job advertised normally (company website, jobs.ie, irishjobs.ie) and then put the effort into the CV. As mentioned you will not get a good calibre of applicant on fb. The job hunters are looking on normal websites.

    If you particulary liked a company / brand. Saw that they were opening near you. That they gave the heads up on their facebook page that there would be jobs available in your area and that you were looking for a job in that field, you wouldn't apply???

    Sorry, but early bird catches the worm.

    If we fill the positions from applicants that have seen our post on facebook, then great. If we don't get enough from that we'll advertise in the Limerick Leader or similar local paper.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    Jason1984 wrote: »
    You advertise on Facebook and are surprised at the low quality of the subsequent applications? Take a minute to think about that.
    Seems to me, the low quality applications suitably match the manner in which the positions were advertised.

    By all means use your page to post a link to an actual advert for the positions but I'd never advertise a serious job on FB.

    Advertised on OUR facebook page - advertsied to those who like our brand, who like our company and who are already customers. There is no better form of advertising. It worked for us in Dublin and it has worked for us in Cork, we have brilliant staff who excel themselves and they are well rewarded.

    I don't want 1000cv's which is what I'll get if I advertised on jobs.ie and 95% of them will be unsuitable and won't even know the brand nor ethos of the company.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,518 matrim
    ✭✭✭


    I think a few people are jumping on the OP advertising on facebook thing a bit much. While it might not help, I've heard others on here mention the standard of applications before.

    I was recently looking for a new job and heard a few of the interviewers / recruiters praise the fact I had put together a good cover letter and that it's something they are seeing less and less of. These were for seniorish roles, so I was surprised when it was mentioned they weren't getting good cover letters.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    I think folks are missing the OP's original point.. and it's an important one..

    The standard of a lot of CV's received are pretty poor and they do limit they chance of an interview being offered.. In the hundreds of CV's that I have read over the years for degree level positions, I have been constantly amazed at the poor grammar, bad spelling and lack of information on a lot of CV's.. They go right in the bin... if you cannot be bothered to get a CV correct, then I have very little faith in your ability to get on with the job without me having to check everything..


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,381 nbar12
    ✭✭✭


    Another 13 sent a standard cover letter with what was obviously a name change of company - at least they bothered to put the company they were applying to in the letter.

    I used to do this and it clearly got me nowhere until I took the time and effort to edit my CV and cover letter to the job requirements. Changing the company name on your cover letter is the easy and lazy way out. I do understand why people do it because they are applying for numerous jobs a day and it can be very time consuming, but at the end of the day you are competing for a job with hundreds of people and if you're not willing to make your CV stand out from the rest then you do not deserve the job.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,126 Reekwind
    ✭✭✭


    Welease wrote: »
    The standard of a lot of CV's received are pretty poor and they do limit they chance of an interview being offered.. In the hundreds of CV's that I have read over the years for degree level positions, I have been constantly amazed at the poor grammar, bad spelling and lack of information on a lot of CV's.
    Point: it's typically bad form to use apostrophes to indicate a plural abbreviation/acronym. It should be "CVs", not "CV's". I wouldn't have mentioned if you hadn't brought up grammar ;)

    But while a good CV is important (including spellchecked and proof-read), I take issue with the OP regarding the degree of customisation required. Most applicants for that position probably sent out up to a dozen CVs the day they applied alone. Doing more than changing a few names/sentences (it is more than "a few minutes") is both time-consuming and even more shattering if you fail to get a response

    When I was looking for work I'd swap out a few standard lines, depending on the job, from a boilerplate covering letter, make sure the names were correct and fire it off. My CV was left alone. I simply didn't have time, and in truth the heart, to write an individual letter for every HR person I was hoping to impress


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,644 theg81der
    ✭✭✭


    I think OP and matrim and welease are missing the point - the OP is using this as a brush to tar all job seekers with and given the method of advertising it is not appropriate.
    It is very insulting to all of us who put huge effort into our cv`s and I feel defensive because I`ve worked very hard on any cv I`ve put in and so has everyone I know.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,015 Ludo
    ✭✭✭


    This is hilarious...someone giving out about the quality of CVs received from a facebook advert.

    You may well fill the roles this way but you are obviously gonna get a lot of crap also.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    theg81der wrote: »
    I think OP and matrim and welease are missing the point - the OP is using this as a brush to tar all job seekers with and given the method of advertising it is not appropriate.
    It is very insulting to all of us who put huge effort into our cv`s and I feel defensive because I`ve worked very hard on any cv I`ve put in and so has everyone I know.


    I don't see the OP's post as that.. Mine definately wasn't intended to be insulting.. It's pointing that the CV is a colossally important first step in the process, and the difference between a poor and good CV is probably the difference between getting an interview or not.. Not everyone will be interviewed, if your CV isn't good (which is a function of both how it reads and the skills you have) then you likely have wasted your time.

    Why is pointing that out insulting?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    Reekwind wrote: »
    Point: it's typically bad form to use apostrophes to indicate a plural abbreviation/acronym. It should be "CVs", not "CV's". I wouldn't have mentioned if you hadn't brought up grammar ;)

    If my employment was based on this interaction, I would have taken the time to check :) It's good enough for a forum post done in haste :)
    Reekwind wrote: »
    But while a good CV is important (including spellchecked and proof-read), I take issue with the OP regarding the degree of customisation required. Most applicants for that position probably sent out up to a dozen CVs the day they applied alone. Doing more than changing a few names/sentences (it is more than "a few minutes") is both time-consuming and even more shattering if you fail to get a response

    When I was looking for work I'd swap out a few standard lines, depending on the job, from a boilerplate covering letter, make sure the names were correct and fire it off. My CV was left alone. I simply didn't have time, and in truth the heart, to write an individual letter for every HR person I was hoping to impress

    Exactly.. what you did is likely sufficient for a good CV.. However a lot of CVs (see i do listen ;)) don't contain relevant information, incorrect spelling, grammer etc.. bad covering letters, or as per the OP an email..
    Thats all the OP is pointing out (in a rant type fashion :))...
    Like it or not, simple mistakes like those on CV's do get them sent straight to the bin when you have 500 CVs, and only have time to interview 8-10 people..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,644 theg81der
    ✭✭✭


    Welease he is clearly insinuating that the majority (he has broken down the figure to try to show this) don`t put adequate effort into their CVs. He is clearly trying to misrepresent the facts given his method of advertising.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,502 chris85
    ✭✭✭


    I think its agreed that poor CVs will mean you will not get the job. The issue being here is the expectation that CVs received from job advert on a social networking site will be of good quality.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    theg81der wrote: »
    Welease he is clearly insinuating that the majority (he has broken down the figure to try to show this) don`t put adequate effort into their CVs. He is clearly trying to misrepresent the facts given his method of advertising.

    He's also clearly insinuating that those who did put the effort (7 out of 41) will likely walk away with a job ... :) Glass half full or half empty..

    There is no right or wrong in how a company chooses to advertise for jobs, they will make a decision based on their needs and get results.. They can then decide if those results meet their requirements. The OP is clearly happy with the results, so that doesn't appear to be an issue. He (She?) is pointing out that 34 of the 41 cut themselves out at the first stage because as an employer the standard of initial communicaiton was below expectations. Some people may find that valuable information if they wanted to be part of the 6 chosen next time.

    If i knew that was the reason I didnt get an interview, then I would make damn sure I had a top notch CV next time.. It can and does make a colossal difference. That type of information is more useful to me than either a) no response from the employer or b) sorry no thanks response .. neither of which tell me anything.

    I personally (and maybe thats just me) dont take the OP's posts as insulting, just as potentially useful info presented in a somewhat ranty manner.. but useful info nonetheless..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 Dave!
    ✭✭✭✭


    I'd agree about Facebook tbh... It may be a low skilled job, but you're still only getting a particular sub-section of job hunters who will be applying. I can understand that they may already know/like your brand, but your customers are not necessarily going to be appropriate employees. I wouldn't look to Facebook if I was after a job myself, but I'd imagine some people would send a speculative CV in if a brand they like advertised a job on FB.

    Regardless, this is specific audience that you're advertising the job to, so I don't think you can extrapolate from your results to applications for jobs advertised to a general audience (not that you necessarily are), or to motivated job hunters, who use serious or dedicated means like Monster.ie.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    chris85 wrote: »
    I think its agreed that poor CVs will mean you will not get the job. The issue being here is the expectation that CVs received from job advert on a social networking site will be of good quality.

    I agree, but the OP has found the process to work well for their other store, so who knows...

    The reason I jumped in was that I have seen many similar quality CVs through a more standard Agency / Multinational process.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,153 everdead.ie
    ✭✭✭


    In fairness to the OP I have seen some terrible CV's as well bad formatting and spelling shocking stuff There is a real need for someone to help build your CV (as part of signing on or job seekers benefit they should have to attend some course or something allowing them to build a competent CV)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    Just let's put this facebook thing to bed. On our facebook page which currently has over 10,000 followers we have given ADVANCE notice that we will be opening a new store in a certain locality and giving our facbook followers who are in that locality the heads up that there will be jobs available and if interested or know of people interested to apply.

    That's one of the benefits of facebook - you can inform customers of things that will happen 3/4 months later and if we fill 2 / 3 of the positions this way, then great. If we don't we revert to the normal process of advertising but not til September.


    What the post is about is to say to those in the job market who are finding they are not getting responses is to have a look at your CV - see if it is selling your self to its best ability and make sure it targets both the job and company you are applying for.

    Many many years ago (30+) I sold advertising. I made the lowest number of sales calls of all the people in the company, but had the highest success rate. Before calling into clients, I put myself in their shoes, understood their market and therefore knowing that they would benefit from what I was selling, I went in with confidence and had plans already drawn up that suited tme and their market. Its the same getting a job - prepare yourself, study the company, understand the job, make sure it suit you and make your cv look like you really want THAT job and want to work in THAT company.

    Suddenly your CV starts getting read and before you know it, you've got an interview.

    Basically, selling yourself starts with your CV and your CV starts with your cover letter.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,332 tatli_lokma
    ✭✭✭


    There is a real need for someone to help build your CV (as part of signing on or job seekers benefit they should have to attend some course or something allowing them to build a competent CV)

    A friend of mine was unemployed and was sent to 'jobs club', which was a local government incentive, funded by FAS. At the club, just as you suggest a person was instructing them on applying for jobs, CVs, interview techniques etc. I can tell you that the quality of the CVs this person wrote for the club members was appalling. My friend showed me hers - it was absolute crap. Badly formatted, very unsubstantial, not good at all.

    My mate had already sent her CV to a few places with no joy. I re-did her CV, she reapplied to a couple of the places and she got interviews with 4 of them. So to me that is proof that the CV was the reason why she didn't get past the first hurdle on the first try. We then spent a few nights doing mock interviews. She thought she was going to be great at the interviews, because yer man in Jobs club had coached her - she was, in all honesty dreadful. Apparently, most of what I coached her with was all new to her - never mentioned at the 'jobs club'. Even your standard 'where do you see yourself in 5 years' type questions weren't practiced!

    This person who ran the jobs club was getting paid over €40 per hour, only worked from 10-3.30, and other than my mate and another guy, not one of the 12 in the class got a job. I would be surprised if they even got an interview if the CV I saw was anything to go by.

    So whilst there is a need for people to learn this skill, I don't think it is something that FAS or SW should be in charge of. At the end of the day, this is what a recruitment agent should be doing, but unfortunately most of them don't know how to format and compile a CV either. You'd want to see some of the CVs we have received from recruitment agencies - typos, badly formatted, etc and this is for admin roles where typing and formatting are central!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    Ludo wrote: »
    This is hilarious...someone giving out about the quality of CVs received from a facebook advert.

    You may well fill the roles this way but you are obviously gonna get a lot of crap also.

    Maybe when you've got a business that has thrived in the deepest recession we have seen, you can comment on my methods. But they work for me and I as I have repeated numerous times, its not about the form of advertising it about the standard of CVs that a comapny is getting and how easy it actually is to get your cv on the top of the pile.

    Like everything in life, if you don't like it, you can look away, but thankfully some people understand where I'm coming from and if it helps one extra person to get a job, then I'll be happy.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,126 Reekwind
    ✭✭✭


    Welease wrote: »
    Exactly.. what you did is likely sufficient for a good CV.. However a lot of CVs (see i do listen ;)) don't contain relevant information, incorrect spelling, grammer etc.. bad covering letters, or as per the OP an email..
    100%. A CV should be solid and free of errors*. I was just pointing out that a 'good covering letter' needn't be written from scratch or highly tailored to one company. It's unrealistic to expect that from someone sending out a dozen CVs a day

    *Fun fact: I once got a job despite giving the wrong contact number on my CV :o


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,431 Morgans
    ✭✭✭


    I think overlooking the best applicant on the basis of a boilerplated cover letter is very short-sighted practice on the part of the employer. Over-emphasising this element as part of the recruitment procedure suggests to me a company or HR individual more interested in style than substance.

    Of course, grammar spelling and a certain level of detail is required, and yes a good cover letter can stand out, and if you are failing to get interviews because of it, its worth investigating that your application is meeting that basic standard. Expecting capable individuals to feign a real desire to work for a specific company is misguided, especially if they are retail jobs advertised via facebook. Excluding people who do not use their time to do this, especially when communicating over the internet and its more rapid style, is in my opinion short-sighted.

    Once at interview, the quality of your cover letter doesn't matter.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,332 tatli_lokma
    ✭✭✭


    TBH I don't really read the cover letter - just a quick scan. Its the CV I am interested in. I don't need to read a synopsis of the CV in the cover letter...dear sir madam...blah blah.... apply for the position...blah blah...reliable, honest...blah blah
    Its all fairly standard stuff. And if you receive a large volume of CVs you won't read each cover letter word for word - you scan

    Much better to keep it short and sweet but make it easy to identify in the letter the key points of your CV - so maybe bullet points listing the qualities you posess which are also requirements of the job. That I will notice, that I will read. But the usual twaddle of I am this that and the other written in paragraph form, nah sorry, scan scan scan. If I see certain words I am looking for, then I look at the CV. But I don't read all of the cover letter and some people send their bloody life story in the cover letter.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,431 Morgans
    ✭✭✭


    Little Ted wrote: »
    TBH I don't really read the cover letter - just a quick scan. Its the CV I am interested in. I don't need to read a synopsis of the CV in the cover letter...dear sir madam...blah blah.... apply for the position...blah blah...reliable, honest...blah blah
    Its all fairly standard stuff. And if you receive a large volume of CVs you won't read each cover letter word for word - you scan

    Much better to keep it short and sweet but make it easy to identify in the letter the key points of your CV - so maybe bullet points listing the qualities you posess which are also requirements of the job. That I will notice, that I will read. But the usual twaddle of I am this that and the other written in paragraph form, nah sorry, scan scan scan. If I see certain words I am looking for, then I look at the CV. But I don't read all of the cover letter and some people send their bloody life story in the cover letter.

    Bingo. No excuse for CV not being as legible and as illustrative as possible. Excluding individuals for a standard cover letter is silly on the employers part.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,190 Mister Jingles
    ✭✭✭


    How is a '' newbie '' expected to edit there CV though in regards to that specific job they are applying to ? A newbie being one who has no work experience I assume ?

    I'm currently trying to find work in retail or hospitality but have no previous experience in either areas therefore other then give it as it is how do I make my CV show my '' highlighting skills '' ?

    I've had my CV checked before and have been told its not bad at all so I know that's not really the problem as such.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,292 Mrs OBumble
    ✭✭✭✭


    I'm totally with the OP on this one.

    Firstly, re advertising on social networking sites: get real folks, the world has changed. Vast numbers of jobs are never advertised at all, they're filled via networking. Employers ask their friends or current employees for possible candidates. Then they search on LinkedIn, or comment on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook - wherever their potential employees are likely to hang out. They only advertise if these methods don't work. So if you are only looking for advertised jobs, then you are cutting yourself out of the market for a lot.

    Secondly, if an employer asks for a cover letter and CV, then that's what you send 'em. (If nothing else, it proves that you can follow basic instructions - always a handy trait in employees.)

    IMHO, the CV can be generic-ish (so long as it's sector or job-type specific) but the cover letter is what you use to demonstrate why you are a good fit for this job. [edit: I agree with Little Ted's post too - you need bullet points, key words, concise statements, not paragraphs and never more than one page]

    Overall, uour time is far better spent sending 5-6 targeted applications for jobs that you are a good fit for, than a dozen generic ones for jobs that you don't have the skills / experience for.

    (And I don't believe that anyone in the Limerick area is sending in dozens of applications each day - there just aren't that many jobs around.)


    OP - thanks for starting this thread, it's a message that it seems many people needed to hear.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 420 CommanderC
    ✭✭


    sandin wrote: »
    See - its this type of negative crap that I despise. You are assuming a awful lot without an iota of knowledge and just like so many that applied, you did not even read the post.

    1. What part of "salary €30,000+" do you not understand. That's SALARY - e.g. GUARANTEED.
    2. What part of €12-€13 per hour do you not understand?
    3. What part of "6 new RETAIL jobs" do you not understand.

    The jobs haven't been advertised publicly - just on a facebook page. I don't want 1000 cv's.

    As for how we treat staff, some have been with me since mid nineties. I am godfather to the children of 2 staff and we have had none of our staff leave the company in the past 2 years except 2 part-timers who have moved onwards and upwards.

    Yep - we're a really crappy employer:rolleyes:

    What exactly is the problem here?

    This is what a CV is for. It enables you to weed out those that are unsuitable for the position.

    People send **** CVs. Don't hire them.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    How is a '' newbie '' expected to edit there CV though in regards to that specific job they are applying to ? A newbie being one who has no work experience I assume ?

    I'm currently trying to find work in retail or hospitality but have no previous experience in either areas therefore other then give it as it is how do I make my CV show my '' highlighting skills '' ?

    I've had my CV checked before and have been told its not bad at all so I know that's not really the problem as such.

    I've employed "newbies" - what I look for is what they have done in school. Were they prefect, what sports did they do, did they take part in things such as Gaisce, did they help in the school tuck shop - loads of thinks that can be highlighted.
    If going to college, what what course do you hope to do. What are your interests etc.

    The cover letter is most important as the CV won't have much body. Just say that you have an interest in the category and plan to study whatever.

    But also where you are fighting for a job there are thousands like you - 2 college girls we employ say they are the only ones in their class with part-time jobs.

    I'd suggest you start looking for seasonal work this Christmas (it can start from October) Try the likes of Smyths Toys, Argos etc. Use it as a spring board. If you stand out in your work, you may get hours during the rest of the year.

    On hospitality, sign up for the likes of the event hospitality companies - the likes of those who do catering on race days or horse show etc etc.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,472 Grayson
    ✭✭✭✭


    I think what the OP was trying to say is that in these economic times when there are so many applicants applying for a job, you need to put more effort in.

    If he has 100 CV's and 50 don't have cover letters, they go in the bin. Same goes for grammar etc...

    If you want to have a chance for a job, you need to actually put extra effort into it. And make sure that at the very least, the care you put int your application marks you out from the rest of the crowd.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,190 Mister Jingles
    ✭✭✭


    Cheers for the advice :)

    Is it worth mentioning that your going to college soon (plc in my case ) on your CV/Cover letter ?

    I've being afraid to put this down as I feel that employers will just see that '' ah he's going college, his hands are tied '' type of thing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    sandin wrote: »
    I'd suggest you start looking for seasonal work this Christmas (it can start from October) Try the likes of Smyths Toys, Argos etc. Use it as a spring board. If you stand out in your work, you may get hours during the rest of the year.

    On hospitality, sign up for the likes of the event hospitality companies - the likes of those who do catering on race days or horse show etc etc.

    I would also speak to local charities and see if they need assitance. You can pick up office skills, people/communication skills, event experience etc etc etc. for a few hours a week.. Looks far more impressive and self-starting on a CV than nothing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,061 keith16
    ✭✭✭


    Reekwind wrote: »
    Point: it's typically bad form to use apostrophes to indicate a plural abbreviation/acronym. It should be "CVs", not "CV's". I wouldn't have mentioned if you hadn't brought up grammar ;)

    But while a good CV is important (including spellchecked and proof-read), I take issue with the OP regarding the degree of customisation required. Most applicants for that position probably sent out up to a dozen CVs the day they applied alone. Doing more than changing a few names/sentences (it is more than "a few minutes") is both time-consuming and even more shattering if you fail to get a response

    When I was looking for work I'd swap out a few standard lines, depending on the job, from a boilerplate covering letter, make sure the names were correct and fire it off. My CV was left alone. I simply didn't have time, and in truth the heart, to write an individual letter for every HR person I was hoping to impress

    I disagree....general applications generally fail.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,083 sambuka41
    ✭✭✭


    Welease wrote: »
    I would also speak to local charities and see if they need assitance. You can pick up office skills, people/communication skills, event experience etc etc etc. for a few hours a week.. Looks far more impressive and self-starting on a CV than nothing.

    This is very true, I work in social care with a charity, they really depend on volunteers. Voluntary work is impressive, it can really say a lot about someone, that they are committed to their chosen career, or that if its new to them that they are willing to learn the ropes, even if they dont get paid for it. It's mostly non nationals though, very few Irish that I see, volunteer; I think we as a nation could do with volunteering more, and not look at it as working for free.

    I have seen some ridiculous CVs; there was one recently that had 3 page cover letter (full pages) and a 4 page CV attached. I do not have the time or interest to read that much.

    At the other end of the scale, I had a 1 page CV that listed all the things this person worked as, but no dates, no company names, no reference details; just a name, phone number and a list of jobs. It was half a page long. :eek:

    Lots of the bog standard cover letter, with the wrong job title, or misspelled my name. I think it is important to change up the cover letter a bit to include the key phrases that the employer has stated in the job description, that is bound to be different for each application, it really doesn't take that much effort.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 sandin
    ✭✭✭


    Cheers for the advice :)

    Is it worth mentioning that your going to college soon (plc in my case ) on your CV/Cover letter ?

    I've being afraid to put this down as I feel that employers will just see that '' ah he's going college, his hands are tied '' type of thing.

    of course - especially if its a related industry, also going to college it can be read as "this guy will be happy enough with Sat / sun hours (when other staff want more time off) and late nights and he'll be available for the hectic 2 weeks at christmas/jan sales time.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17 YellowPencil


    The level of effort I would put into a CV, would generally be related to the level of commitment on the part of the employer. For a full-time permanent position that I saw as a career, I would put hours into researching and writing. But when I was temping, doing a couple of weeks here and there, I would have a few cover letters ready to go for different types of job - secretarial, receptional, telephonist etc. and I would just insert the company name and throw in a few phrases from the advert for computer filters to catch. If someone his hiring for a two week temp job starting on Monday, speed is the most important thing in getting the job. They will inverview the first acceptable looking applicants they get. Having said all this, I would make sure there were no typos though and the presentation was decent.

    It's incredibly disheartening to put half a day into writing a really tailored application and not even get a response, even if it was only going to be a prepared "Dear Candidate, We regret to inform you ..." template. There's no excuse for recruiters and employers who do not do that.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,083 sambuka41
    ✭✭✭


    It's incredibly disheartening to put half a day into writing a really tailored application and not even get a response, even if it was only going to be a prepared "Dear Candidate, We regret to inform you ..." template. There's no excuse for recruiters and employers who do not do that.

    I agree that it's the decent thing to do, but not always practical. especially if you are taking about 100's of CVs into a small company or a not for profit. There just isn't the man power or funds to reply to everyone. But it should be included on the advertisement though, that only successful applicants will be contacted; at least people know.

    As well people are applying for jobs may not even be in the country, last time I got about 50 applications from outside Ireland, they just seen the jobs on the internet; so it would mean posting the "sorry" letters abroad, that can get costly. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17 YellowPencil


    sambuka41 wrote: »
    I agree that it's the decent thing to do, but not always practical. especially if you are taking about 100's of CVs into a small company or a not for profit. There just isn't the man power or funds to reply to everyone. But it should be included on the advertisement though, that only successful applicants will be contacted; at least people know.

    As well people are applying for jobs may not even be in the country, last time I got about 50 applications from outside Ireland, they just seen the jobs on the internet; so it would mean posting the "sorry" letters abroad, that can get costly. :)

    I wouldn't expect you to post a letter anywhere even within Ireland. Just have a two sentence email:

    "Dear Candidate,

    Due to the high standard of applications, we regret you inform you that you have not been successful on this occasion.

    Please do not hesitate to reapply for other positions in the future.

    Yours Sincerely,
    XYZ"

    Construct a mailing list of those who aren't getting the job and send.

    Saying in the advertisement that the company will only contact successful candidates means nothing because the person doesn't know at what point they should give up hope. They have to decide that for themselves just as if the company said nothing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,083 sambuka41
    ✭✭✭


    I wouldn't expect you to post a letter anywhere even within Ireland. Just have a two sentence email:

    But not everyone applies through email, most of our applications come via post. (which would be down to the sector that I work in, staff of a certain age, who would not necessarily use email)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17 YellowPencil


    sambuka41 wrote: »
    But not everyone applies through email, most of our applications come via post. (which would be down to the sector that I work in, staff of a certain age, who would not necessarily use email)

    Well fair enough, if they don't give you an email address.

    But most people apply online now or at least give an email address on a CV and I've seen numerous instances of companies who only accept online applications failing to send the email.

    I once got as far as a second round interview that involved travel to Ireland from abroad. I was down to the last 4 candidates and they didn't feel the need to notify me of the outcome when I didn't get it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    sambuka41 wrote: »
    But not everyone applies through email, most of our applications come via post. (which would be down to the sector that I work in, staff of a certain age, who would not necessarily use email)

    I know our agency in the UK used to filter the bulk of applications for us, so we wouldn't even get to know specifically if a person applied unless they made the cut (and the bulk would likely not make the cut).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17 YellowPencil


    Welease wrote: »
    I know our agency in the UK used to filter the bulk of applications for us, so we wouldn't even get to know specifically if a person applied unless they made the cut (and the bulk would likely not make the cut).

    In that case, it's the agencies job to notify the candidates that don't make the cut to interview with you, not yours. But they should still be notified. You may want to consider how well the people recruiting on your behalf are treating candidates if your company name is in the advert.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,834 Welease
    ✭✭✭


    In that case, it's the agencies job to notify the candidates that don't make the cut to interview with you, not yours. But they should still be notified. You may want to consider how well the people recruiting on your behalf are treating candidates if your company name is in the advert.


    It's all a matter of opinion.. so yes and no :) Some may feel its a companies job to say "sorry but you were not chosen" and some may feel that "a successful candidates will be contacted" line is sufficient.. and of course opinions will differ and neither is necessarily correct..

    Yes it would be nice if all opinions could be facilitated, but it's worth remembering that every task undertaken (contacting x,000's of applicants) costs money.. and someone has to pick up that cost.. If I ask an agency to do that, they will present me with a large bill for providing that service, and that may be a bill that many companies don't want to/can't afford to pay. Some will pay, some wont pay.. Some will do it, and some won't.. each and every business is different and has different opinions and practices.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17 YellowPencil


    Welease wrote: »
    It's all a matter of opinion.. so yes and no :) Some may feel its a companies job to say "sorry but you were not chosen" and some may feel that "a successful candidates will be contacted" line is sufficient.. and of course opinions will differ and neither is necessarily correct..

    Yes it would be nice if all opinions could be facilitated, but it's worth remembering that every task undertaken (contacting x,000's of applicants) costs money.. and someone has to pick up that cost.. If I ask an agency to do that, they will present me with a large bill for providing that service, and that may be a bill that many companies don't want to/can't afford to pay. Some will pay, some wont pay.. Some will do it, and some won't.. each and every business is different and has different opinions and practices.

    Of course it's a matter of opinion. But there are general standards for best practice in any industry and what is normally acceptable and which opinion most people share. The cost doesn't have to be high if it's a generic email. A business needs to consider not only the financial cost, but the reputational cost. If you look on many of the forums related to professions here, you will see companies and firms being praised and criticized for good and bad treatment of candidates. I'd urge you to look at threads related to graduate schemes, where there are many people applying for the same position at the same time and discussion is lively. You will see some companies being ripped to shreds. This being a popular website in Ireland that features prominantly on a local google search for just about anything, I don't think it's smart of them. In fact, I think it's more important for small businesses, because there are two I can think of where the only real online presence is criticism on boards.


  • Advertisement

Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
Advertisement