CHAMBER HIGHLIGHTS WAYS FOR CANDIDATES TO STAND OUT
Shropshire Chamber of Commerce is supporting national figures released by the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment which shows that unemployment levels in the UK are on the decline, but is urging candidates looking for roles to avoid making simple mistakes that could cost them.
Chris Jones, Business Development Manager at the Chamber, explained: “Businesses across Shropshire are continuing to show positive business growth and many have recently invested in staff expansion and development, with others having highlighted firm plans for future recruitment. This is great news for the county, but it’s also vitally important that candidates know what will make them stand out from the crowd in what is a hugely competitive market.
“Traditional CVs are of course a useful source to understand someone’s background, skills and experience, but they can also be very two-dimensional and don’t necessarily give employers a true representation of the person applying for the role. And because employers are so busy and will very often discount an applicant based on their CV, it’s crucial to make a great first impression.”
According to Chris, some of the top turn-offs for employers include an unprofessional personal email address, which include unnecessary references and don’t include the full name of the owner, an untidy CV with various fonts and text sizes, as well as detailing experience irrelevant to the role.
“The Chamber pioneered People Portal to help reduce the likelihood of a candidate being rejected because of their CV, by enabling them to record and upload a professional video of themselves, and showcasing their skills and personality in a way that a traditional CV just couldn’t.
“With statistics showing that employers spend around 30 seconds looking over a CV for the first time, it’s beneficial to keep it as short and succinct as possible, and avoid including additional – but not necessarily needed – information. It may also be worth detailing specific key skills or lists in bullet points, so it makes for even easier reading.
“I’d urge anyone interested in finding out more, or to explore our People Portal video service, to get in touch on 01952 208200 or visit www.scocpeopleportal.com,” Chris concluded.
