More Employers Recruiting Online

More than 70% of UK employers are now recruiting online.


So if your CV isn't there for them to find, you could be missing out.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) showed that the majority of employers are doing this to cut costs (71%) and to widen their choice of candidates (60%).

"These days employers use e-recruitment for a broad range of positions, not just for specialist IT skills. Advertising job vacancies online can save employers time and money." said Rebecca Clake, CIPD Advisor

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However, the research also found that 47 per cent of businesses believed online recruitment led to an increase in applications from unsuitable candidates.

"Employers who are recruiting online should provide detailed job descriptions to avoid large numbers of unsuitable candidates applying," advised Clake.

It's good news, for internet-savvy job hunters. If you've got a good CV posted to the relevant job search engines, you're increasing your chances of being spotted by your next employer.

But we speak to recruiters and employers every week who lament the quality of online CVs. Things have got so bad that the current trend is to out-source CV screening to India, to save time and money in recruitment costs. So your carefully honed CV could be being vetted by someone thousands of miles away.

How can you make sure your CV reaches the top of the pile?

1. Don't wait for the employer to call you.
   Even if your CV is listed online, don't sit back and wait for the phone to ring. It won't.
   Employers want to hire people who are keen and proactive. So keep actively searching for the job of your dreams and send a tailored CV in response to the advert.
   This is much more likely to get you an interview than passively hoping the job search engines will do the hard work for you.



2. Make sure your online CV will get you an interview
   Yes, I know it's boring, filling in your CV for each job search site, but it's still going to be the first impression your future employer will get of you.
   Make it interesting. Get them curious. Make it punchy, not dull and formulaic.



3. Use key words that will jump out for a foreign-language reader
   As there's a high chance your CV will be reviewed by someone who's first language isn't English, make it easy to read.
   Don't "dumb it down" - that would jeopardise your job application. Instead, avoid use of unnecessary jargon or complex language.
   Whoever the reader is, chances are they won't have much time to scan your CV. Make it easy for them to spot the key characteristics and experience you bring to the role.

Following these 3 guidelines will give you the best chance of getting your CV talent-spotted.

It might take you 10 minutes longer, but it could make the difference between you getting the interview or sitting there for another month, still waiting for the phone to ring...

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"Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?"

Want to know the right answer?

This is perhaps one of the most dreaded job interview questions - and the most dangerous. Yet it's common. Most interviewers will ask it at some stage.

And it's a question that works on many levels.

Don't be fooled into thinking they actually want to know the answer.

Ok, of course they do, but the interviewer will be looking for so much more.

They'll be watching your body language, listening for changes in your tone of voice, and trying to work out whether you're telling the truth.

This question often brings out the truth about your last job. So your hour of raving about how wonderful your work is and how talented you are can fall apart at this point, if you're not careful.

Job interview candidates often, literally, break out in a sweat, when they hear this question.

Very few of us are completely comfortable with our reason for job-hunting. It's as though we're scared the interviewer will judge us. So we come up with something twee like "I realised I needed more of a challenge than my current company could offer," when what we really mean is we hate our boss and couldn't take another day of their moaning.

What makes a good reply to this question?

If possible, don't answer it!

I don't mean ignore the interviewer. I mean be clever and turn the question around. Instead of talking about all the reasons you want to leave your old job, talk about what's attracting you to the new one.

So instead of trying to find a good way of explaining you were:

• Fired
• Made redundant
• Felt you had to quit to save your sanity
• Bored & stuck in a dead-end role
• After a big fat pay rise you knew your company wouldn't give you

... or whatever else your reason...

... talk about the specific aspects of the new role that you would most enjoy. Explain what attracts you to the company. Make sure they know you're there to stay, and not waiting for something better to come along. Talk about how the role fits with your long term career plans (with that company).

This is a really important question to practise before your interview, so you sound genuine with your response. Just in case you have a really tricky interviewer, make sure you've covered both sides of the answer in your preparation: why you want the new job and why you want the old one.

Final Top Tip

Don't say anything you wouldn't say to your current employer. It's a small world out there and you never know who the interview might be having dinner with on Friday...

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