Is the CV dead?

Is the CV dead?

We are presenting at an event for 18-24 year olds, keen to learn how to get the best jobs and make their applications stand out.  While we were brainstorming how we could help them with this, we realized that we were talking more and more about intangible strengths and experiences such as Global focus, drive, resilience, never mentionin, Maths A’Level grad A* or the ability to sit in a room for four hours to complete and pass an exam.

Academics are taken more and more as a given when recruitieng professionals and hiring mangers are screening and very soon after skimming throught the 11 A*s at GCSE and 4As at Alevel, their eyes are resting for the longest time on the paragraph explaining why the candidate wants to work with you               (whether they have done more research into your frim than the website home page: About Us) and extra curricular activities.

In Assessment Centre wrap ups, interviewers get excited about candidates who have played rugby to such a high level that they have performed under the pressure of a 20,000 stadium full of fans, or overcoming adversity of background to flee turmoil and still succeed and prosper in a land other than their mother country.  Last year, we actually had an interviewee who had 35 A levels that he had taken in a two year period.  The response was ‘ so what’ or that makes him a bit odd, did he ever leave his bedroom?

And so while the CV is not quite dead it is merely a washing line on which to hang one’s bright and beautiful garments of extra curriculr activities. 

Firms want to hire people who are good at something.  Anything.  One investment Management firm is looking to hire ‘people who are excellent’  irrespective of degree subject or Univeristy.  They want classical pianists, amazing painters and dancers.

This shows perservierance, dedication, success driven, focus and passion.  None of which is ‘taught’, all of which is useful if you are hoping to make a difference in the firm you are joining and work up fomr the bottom.

So no, the CV isn’t dead, it is now  just one of the data points that employers need to use to assess your fit, and a raft of commercial skills that are not captured on paper - screening tools such as video interviews to assess personality, situational judgement tests to assess behaviours and strenths based interview techniques to assess thought processes are working together to give employersthe full picture.