I have read quite a few articles recently on the demise of the cover letter. One recruiter broadly proclaimed on LinkedIn that ‘Cover Letters are Dead’, as they never believed in cover letters and job seekers should stop wasting their time crafting the ultimate cover letter.
[Read more…]Stop treating LinkedIn like Facebook
LinkedIn works, or rather LinkedIn works if you know how to use it properly. Yes, it requires time. Yes, not everyone is actively engaged in LinkedIn and yes, there are privacy concerns. But the reality is – recruiters view this tool as one of their top tools to find talent. If you are that top talent, LinkedIn is a pretty useful place to be found.
So, when I go on LinkedIn and I’m faced with a barrage of unprofessional conduct, it makes me cringe. For LinkedIn to work, you need to stop treating LinkedIn like Facebook. In no particular order:
Profile Pictures
- Don’t post a half naked picture of yourself.
- Avoid a profile picture that has you as cute as pie, or posed as a sex god, or goddess.
- A picture of your pet dog, or cat is just not appropriate.
- Don’t have a picture of yourself surrounded by your family.
By all means, post these wonderful pictures of yourself on Facebook. Just keep in mind, that unless your Facebook is locked down into private mode, recruiters and headhunters will also see these pictures of you, as most recruiters and employers will be checking your social media profiles. A picture of you having a great time at a party is entirely appropriate on Facebook. It is not appropriate on LinkedIn. Keep the profile picture professional!
[Read more…]The impact your name is having on your career
While most recruiters and organisations won’t admit that they have a problem with any individual name on a resume / CV- the data shows otherwise. After reviewing the data, it would appear to be a global problem, and biases because of a name on a resume, do impact how long it takes to secure a job, as well as whether an applicant is perceived to be more competent and hireable.
In 2017, Inside Out London sent CVs from two candidates, Adam and Mohamed, who had identical skills and experience, in response to 100 job opportunities. Mohamed was offered 4 interviews, while Adam was offered 12 interviews.
ANU economist Professor Alison Booth and Professor Andrew Leigh from the Research School of Social Sciences, in conjunction with researcher Elena Varganova, conducted large-scale field experiments to measure labor market discrimination across minority groups in Australia. By varying the names on the CV’s they were able to estimate precisely the extent of hiring discrimination.
“To get the same number of interviews as an applicant with an Anglo-Saxon name, a Chinese applicant must submit 68% more applications, a Middle Eastern applicants must submit 64% more applications, an Indigenous applicant 35% more applications, and an Italian applicant must submit 12% more applications”.
It would seem the more recent the migrant group, the greater the discrimination.
[Read more…]- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- …
- 63
- Next Page »