IT workers lack confidence in CVs
Candidates need to work harder to showcase their skills, survey suggests
Over a third of employees in the IT sector lack confidence in their own CVs, according to a survey by recruitment agency Kelly Services.
The International Workplace Survey revealed 36 per cent of IT employees feel they are misrepresenting themselves on their job applications.
Steve Girdler, director for marketing of Kelly Services, said: “Candidates often only get a brief chance to sell themselves to a potential employer, so they need to make the most of every opportunity.”
The agency’s Apostrophe Catastrophe survey in 2006 found that a shocking 95 per cent of applicants’ CVs contained out of date employment history, past jobs described in the present tense and an array of spelling and syntax errors.
He added: “An applicant should have a well-crafted CV, as well as a clear idea of their own strengths as an employee. It also helps if candidates can gather some detail about the organisation before an interview to identify how their particular experience and background can add value to the prospective employer.”
The survey also ranked the internet as the top place for jobs hunters to turn to, with 89 per cent in the IT sector posting their CVs online. However, only 13 per cent of these actually found their jobs this way as most were discovered through print press and agencies.
“Kelly Services understands exactly which candidates have the appropriate skills for its clients and can provide the most suitable for each,” said Girdler.