CV 4 Jobs

Would you pin your CV to the side of a public phone box or put it on the notice board of a local supermarket to try and get a job?

Lets face it we are getting lazy when it comes to finding a job. Email a CV to an agency and sit back or post your CV on an online job board and let the employers find you.

If you use these strategies you might take a little more care.

A client (who happens to work in recruitment for a financial services company) told me today that she had recently received spec CV’s from some recruitment companies. What is wrong with this? Well for two of the CV’s it would not have taken a rocket scientist to work out who owned the CV. In relation to jobboards they may not be as safe as you think – read this post.

What problems can arise?

The obvious is that your current employer finds out that you are looking but more importantly CV’s have personal details like name, address and contact details. (Dangerous in wrong hands – fraudster or weirdo)

Solutions

Use reputable agencies or request that your CV is not sent out speculatively. Use established jobboards.

I know this article isn’t about your CV but I will be posting on related topics from time to time. Anyway if you are interested in CV’s you must be job hunting. I was asked yesterday (for the zillionth time) how do you handle the “S” word – Salary. During any interview process it is inevitable that the subject of money will eventually arise. Unfortunately most are not prepared to handle it. Here is my approach:

At interview keep your cards close to your chest

Try your best not to show your hand first and disclose your expectations. This will force the employer to make the initial offer. If asked the question a response like “I am currently on 40k but I am open to salary depending on the role and the company” or answer this interview question with a question such as “what would a role like this pay in your company?”.

I recommend this approach for a number of reasons. Firstly it disguises money motivations. Secondly, putting forward a figure can rule you out of contention – from experience you can negotiate an offer upwards if it doesn’t meet your expectations. The final reason most jobseekers do not consider is that your figure could be lower than the figure the client intended to offer.

Interviews – I want more money

I will point out that if money is a key motivation and the most important factor in your decision feel free to put forward your expectations. Do try to let the client bring up the topic though.