A survey conducted by HireScores.com of 1,277 people currently in employment has revealed that a whopping 69% of them had lied at some stage of the recruitment process, in either their current or a previous job role.

The high number of people that admitted lying, were then asked to explain what they had lied about, with the top 2 offenders being:

-36% admitted to lying about their referee, many using a friend or family member as their fake reference.
-Nearly 1 in 3 lied about their reasons for leaving last employment- because they had not left work on good terms.

The sample were then asked whether they had been inclined to 'bend the truth' on their CVs also, to which 9 out of 10 people admitted that something on their CV was embellished or simply untrue.

The top 2 things to lie about on your CV were:

-Hobbies and Achievements: 50% had lied about hobbies and achievements, including ability to play instruments, extent of language skills, and embellished gym or sporting activity.
-Educational Qualifications: 25% of people had amended their qualifications to higher grades than they had actually achieved.

Why lie, and is it worth it?

Of the reasons given in the survey, many believed that the white lie was so minor that it was unlikely to be checked- such as altering a qualification here and there.

But what happens if they do check??

There are three scenarios here:

1) They don't check, it doesn't mean much, it never becomes an issue.

2) They do check, they think it is a BIG issue, you end up in disciplinary or worse, fired for your misleading information.

3) They don't check, but assign you tasks that you must attempt with a lot more difficulty than if you had never said you could do them. Talking to a french customer, being invited to play tennis at the weekend, asking to solve a maths equation etc...

Whether you embellish something minor, or go all out on a compulsive lying spree- is it really necessary in the first place; regardless of the repercussions?

My advice is to just be honest. Yes it is the standard, party, goody-two-shoes answer, but it is also logical, sensible and risk-free. Most people lie about something minor, which begs the question, why lie at all? If its something so pointless, leave it off- or ask yourself why you can't/don't do the thing you want to say you can. Maybe it's a hobby you could take up, a vocation you could learn? If it is a qualification you feel let down by, you could always take a course. Or, just don't worry- if you can tick every other box, then you may just succeed on your own merit, without the guilt factor involved in your little lie- which invariably leads to a complicated web of the darned things.

Yes, the job market is competitive- but this is even more reason not to ruin your chances, by getting into trouble over something you needn't have done in the first place.

Happy Job Hunting.

Job seeking takes time. Updating your CV, filling out applications, tailoring your covering letter, finding email contacts, or applying for vacancies online... all of these aspects of your job hunt are very time consuming, and this can quite frankly, be a bit of a pain. But are you making the most out of your job search? And are you following the rules of a good applicant?

Is this you?

You've spent your time sourcing out jobs from loads of different places, you have newspapers with jobs circled, email addresses of companies, of recruitment agencies, of jobs websites, vacancies to apply for- and after finding the jobs and the contacts, it can be quite easy to take a shortcut at the final hurdle. So you just send your CV packing, with its generic covering letter, and a few choice words on an email about how you hope you'll be considered for their vacancy. Because, to be honest- you're kind of sick of the sight of CV, and of all of the bits of paper cluttering up your desk. It's best to just get your CV out there to as many employers as possible, to fully increase your chances of getting an interview.

You're feeling pretty pleased with yourself, you've done all the hard work and your CV is now out of your hands, on the tremendous journey to sail into the inbox of potential new employers. How exciting. It would probably surprise you to hear then, that all of your hard work is about the equivalent of printing out your CV, crumpling it into a ball and throwing it into the nearest waste paper basket.

But it's true. A thoughtless, non specific, rushed application that you send en masse to employers, recruitment agencies, jobs websites, and anyone else you can think of is NOT going to secure you a job anytime soon.

How to break the 'bad applicant' cycle

Perfecting the art of applying for jobs is, just that, an art form. Every part of the process from the email that accompanies your attached CV to your covering letter will be scrutinised. There are so many opportunities for a company to quash your application before it is even seen by the person who makes the employment decisions, that it really should be flawless to stand any reasonable chance of securing you an interview.

Looking for a job isn't a numbers game. Some candidates believe that the more jobs they apply for, the more chance of securing a job. However the reality is that a few well-crafted, thoughtful applications, suitably tailored to each job and company are worth ten thousand randomCV's emailed to any old employer.

A good application will involve research into the company hiring. You will need to find out by looking at the job description what key skills and attributes they are looking for, and ensure you highlight your skills in these areas on your covering letter. Your covering letter absolutely must be tailored for each job you go for- generic letters with cliched phrases will just not be acceptable- the employer will not see your enthusiasm or passion for their business- instead you will just be another drone, sending in your CV with little thought to the outcome.

A good application can take from a few hours to a whole days worth of work, so it really isn't something you can replicate hundreds of times. Be selective, choose roles that you really can succeed in, and take the time to think about the whole process- this is your first impression to a company; you owe it to yourself to get it right.

The key things to remember when applying for jobs are:

Know who you are sending your CV to. I'm not a recruiter, but yet my inbox gets inundated with applications for vacancies within my 'esteemed organisation' that we don't even have. Learn the differences between a jobs website, a CV distribution service and a recruitment agency and use all of them to your advantage. Find out what each can do for you and how best to get the most out of their services. By all means inquire with a company as to whether they have vacancies, but fully understand the role of the organisation, and whether you'd fit into it before you do so.

Do your homework. Find out who you need to send your application to and write a well crafted covering letter personal to each vacancy you wish to apply for. Take the time to find out the exact person or department that you need to be in touch with when applying for vacancies, because another member of the company might not pass it on.

Take your time. Yes it's time consuming, yes it's a little boring and a lot frustrating- but the payoff could be fantastic. Spend time on each application you send, put yourself on the other end of your email or application- and ask yourself; would you hire you?

Happy Job Hunting!

For those of you who have been job hunting or in the job market for a long time then CV writing is probably pretty old hat. But for those of you who might be struggling with your CV, I’m going back to basics to give you a rundown of what to include in your CV.

What is a CV?

Curriculum Vitae or ‘CV’ for short means ‘course of life’ in Latin, and the definition of the French term Resume is ‘summary’. This is effectively what your CV should be; a summary of all of your achievements in your working/educational/professional life.

What information should be included in your CV?

You may not have all of the following things to put on your CV, but as a general rule these are the kind of things that should be included on your CV. At the very least it will need to contain your contact details, work history and education if applicable. Check out the list below and see if your CV ticks most of these boxes...

Contact Details Put your contact details at the top of your CV. This should include your full name, address, a telephone number that you can be contacted on, and/or an email address.

Personal Statement You can include a short description of yourself and your main achievements. Often people accompany their CV with a personal statement on a separate page- so make the description on your CV brief- just a few sentences describing your suitability and skills.

Education You should list your educational qualifications, with the most recent ones appearing first. Highlight the level of education, subject and grades you received.

Career History Your career history should be listed on your CV. You should list these in chronological (date) order. Your most current employment should be at the top of the list, and the furthest back in time should be the last on the list. You should include- name of the company, job title, the date you started the employment and the date you finished the employment. You should also briefly outline your key responsibilities- at interview you may be able to explain further anything an employer would like to know more about. Your CV should be no more than about 2 pages- so if you have had a lot of jobs, you can always remove some of the oldest in the list, or just give the name and date of this company to save space.

Work Experience If you have not been in employment before but have completed some work experience then this will definitely be an important aspect of your CV. You should include your job title, the company you worked for, the duration of the work experience and the dates you worked there. You should also outline your key responsibilities whilst working there. Even if you have had other employment- it may also be worth listing your work experience, as the skills you demonstrated might be important within the jobs you are applying for. 

Training, skills and achievements If you have taken any courses, won any awards within a professional capacity, or have any professional skills or achievements that relate to your profession then you should list them here. If they are courses, remember to provide the dates you attended.

IT Skills If you have a good working knowledge of computers it may be worth listing the IT software you are competent using. Some jobs may require an excellent grasp of word processing software, or spreadsheet software, so listing that you are competent in Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel, for example, will highlight that you have the right skills. If you are familiar with any specialist software or programming languages, then this is the place to list them.

Language Skills If you are bi/multi-lingual, or have a good knowledge of a language other than your native language, then this information may be useful to list. Especially if the job requires you to speak dual languages, you should highlight your competency and the level of competency you have. However, be careful- if you can speak the odd French phrase, don’t put that you are fluent in French on your CV- this would be misleading.

Personal Details I have highlighted in previous blogs that there are stringent laws about discrimination within employment. An employer should not use your age or a disability you may have as a reason not to employ you. Therefore disclosing this information should not be detrimental to the application process. It is your choice as to what personal information you disclose on your CV, but you could add any of the following extra information- date of birth, marital status, whether you have a full/clean driving licence, disability information, unspent criminal convictions etc.

DO NOT DISCLOSE your passport information, a copy of your passport or driving licence, or any bank details on your CV. If an employer needs any of this information they can request this of you once you have been offered a position.

Hobbies and Interests If a passion of yours coincides with the kind of job you are applying for then you may wish to add it onto your CV. For example, if you scuba dive regularly and have a diving certificate, when going for a job at an aquarium, you may wish to note this, as it is relevant to the job. Putting down that you enjoy going out with your friends on the weekend has no useful relevance to an employer, and so should be avoided at all costs.

There are no 100% definitive rules when it comes to CV writing, you may choose not to list all of these aspects or you may wish to include them all. This is just a guide to give you some idea of what an employer might expect to see, so good luck, and Happy Job Hunting!

Perfecting your CV is one thing, but what if an employer never gets to see it? The sad fact is that an employer might not have the time to read through every applicant’s CV. A polished CV may get overlooked if your covering letter is either non-existent, or not up to scratch.

By writing a focused, concise covering letter that highlights your key attributes, you can give yourself the best chance of getting noticed and inspiring your employer to read on. So sit back and make sure your covering letter ticks all of the following boxes:

Correctly address your covering letter to the right person. Take the time to find out who should receive your application. Vaguely addressing it to ‘Dear Sir/Madam’, may see your CV getting dusty on the desk of an admin assistant, or filed away in a drawer never to see daylight. So get on the phone, and find out who is in charge of the recruitment process, and make sure your CV lands on the desk of the person who can give you a job. Always use a person’s title and their last name; don’t make the mistake of being too familiar with someone you have never met.

Include the right details relevant to the job you are applying for. In your letter, include the title of the job you are applying for and the matching reference number. An employer might have vacancies for more than one job role, so make it clear what you are applying for.

Identify how you heard about the job, for example: ‘I am writing in response to the advert you placed on AllTheTopBananas.com’ as this is useful to a recruiter, as they will want to know where their advertisement is receiving the best response.

Keep it short, concise and to the point. Your covering letter should be no longer than one page of A4 and a good length to aim for is just over half a page. Keep a clear focus on what you are writing; make your points in as few words as you can whilst still conveying the overall message. Remember that a lot of the things you will be mentioning should appear in your CV, so keep it brief and to the point.

Proof read your work. Check, check and CHECK AGAIN. Employers often cite bad spelling and grammar as one of the first reasons they stop reading an application. If an employer reads fifty covering letters, and ten have bad spelling, they still have forty competent applicants, so there is no reason to give the benefit of the doubt to the bad spellers. Avoid being wiped out at the first hurdle by checking your spelling, checking your grammar, checking it reads well and getting someone else to do the same.

Research the company and let that come across in your covering letter. Explain why working for this particular employer interests you, and demonstrate your knowledge of the business- what their strengths are, their position in the industry, and why this makes you want to work there.

Give examples of your strengths that make you suitable for the position. Don’t just produce big unsupported statements about your ‘excellent managerial skills’, if you do not make reference to the role where you displayed these talents.

Display a good knowledge of the job role. Demonstrate a good understanding of the position you are applying for and show how your skills are relevant to the job, as this emphasises that you understand what they are looking for.

Don’t send a picture- if it’s not an application for Britain’s Next Top Model, then a recruiter probably won’t care if you have two heads, as long as you can do the job you’ve applied for. No-one is going to be interested in the fact that you are sporting the latest trendy haircut, so leave your snaps in your photo album.

And if all that info has got your head spinning, here’s an example cover letter to give you some inspiration:

 

Dear Mr Johnston,

I am writing in response to the job advert you placed on AllTheTopBananas.com, to express my interest in the vacancy of Sales Manager (ref 645/1982).

I believe I have the right skills for this position and wish to further my career in sales management, which is a position I upheld at my previous employment with Sales Inc. for five years. Being in charge of a team of six has made me very adept at motivating a team and ensuring the smooth running of my department.  

I am very interested in applying for this vacancy as I have often admired the business model that Sell, Sell, Sell, adheres to. Your large selection of clients is renowned within the industry and so is the quality of service you provide, which is something that I pride myself on within my own work.

I have held a number of roles that have enabled me to develop and perfect my skills in effective sales and customer service management. I am very goal oriented and have been successful in ensuring my team met the deadlines and targets set each quarter, and I believe that these skills would make me a valuable asset to your company. 

Please see attached my CV for your further information. I am available for interview at any time, and my contact information is at the top of my CV. I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Kind Regards

Sarah

 

 

Criminal Record

 

THE LAW: The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Criminal convictions of no more than 2.5 years in prison become ‘spent’ or ignored after a period of rehabilitation. The rehabilitation period varies from each offence.

To find out more, visit the Criminal Records Bureau website

YOUR OBLIGATION:

 

Employers can find out whether you have a conviction so it is best to be honest.

You should check the individual company’s stance on employing people with a record when deciding whether to put it on your CV. Even if you do not put it in your CV, if it isn’t ‘spent’ you should definitely disclose this information at an interview.

Professions such as teaching, legal and medical organisations have more stringent policies regarding the employment of people with criminal convictions. Regardless of whether the conviction is ‘spent’ you will still need to declare it to these employers.

Disclosing your criminal record gives you the chance to explain the circumstances of your conviction and let the employer know that they no longer apply. You need to reassure the employer that they are not under any risk by employing you and focus on how you have learnt from your mistakes. It might also be a good idea to note any achievements you have undertaken since the conviction.

PRECONCEPTIONS:

 

People may believe that anyone with a criminal past has a severe disadvantage in the job market and is likely to be unable to find work.

A jobseeker with a conviction will not be considered fairly against those with no misdemeanours.

THE REALITY:

 

A criminal past is not necessarily an issue to an employer as long as it does not affect the job you are hired for.

Jobs should not discriminate based on any of the information you provide at an interview or on your CV. However, there will be some jobs you won’t be able to obtain with a record.

How a criminal record will affect your job prospects will also depend on the severity of the crime. A minor offence that you committed when you were a lot younger might not affect your chances whereas a major offence committed in the recent past will have implications on your employability.

For more advice on criminal records visit: http://www.crb.gov.uk