More
than 80 per cent of CVs fail the ‘first paragraph test’ and need to be
re-written before being passed to prospective employers, according to a
recruitment consultant.
Boyden
Interim Management receives more than 500 CVs a month – but the vast majority
are littered with errors, unclear, ramble, and lack structure.
"It’s
as if there’s a piece of software somewhere that candidates are using and they
are all simply filling in the blanks," said Nick Robeson, chief executive
of Boyden Interim Management.
"The
best CVs are no longer than three pages and hit you between the eyes with a
short, one-paragraph biog on what you can deliver, and a bullet-point summary
of your career to date. Perhaps only 15 per cent of the CVs we receive pass
that first paragraph test.
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"While
it may feel good writing down a detailed and lengthy review of one’s
achievements and successes, the people, consultants and employers who read them
are under massive time constraints these days. They want headlines and impact –
the best bit may be at the end, but the reader may not get that far," he
said.
