The recuitment process from an employers perspective - Essay Example

A well-written resume presents the impression that the candidate is organized and has good communication skills -which is the backbone of all organizations today. It is important to remember that as an employee you are selling yourself to the employer and his organization. An employee must be thought in terms of a brand or a product that must stress his benefits and explain why the organization should hire him. Even before organizations open up the employee’s CV, they have a look at the cover letter which precedes the CV.

The purpose of a CV is to create interest in the employer to contact the candidate for an interview whereas the cover letter creates interest in the employer to read the candidate’s CV (Bovee et al., 2008). It is a common mistake to address the employer properly by using a gender-based phrase ‘Dear Sir’ (Bovee et al., 2008). Using phrases such as ‘Dear HR manager’ denote professionalism and anti-discriminatory behavior in today’s corporate world (Bovee et al., 2008). Likewise, it is common to set the objective of a cover letter as far too general.

It ought to be specific to the particular industry that the candidate is applying in which demonstrates his/her skills of the industry’s processes or procedures. Yet another important issue is that of the use of a specific salary (e.g. $2,000) rather than a broad range (Hinds, 2005). Furthermore, it is crucial to recognize the fact that employers do not have a lot of time to read documents coming from a large pool of applicants. Hence, it is a malpractice to write a lengthy cover letter (that exceeding two pages).

Ideally, the most effective cover letters span only a page (Brewer, 2010). Using internet jargon and not properly checking the cover letter for spelling and grammar is another common oversight (Bovee et al., 2008). This creates the impression of a rather slack personality of the applicant to the organization. As far as the resume is concerned, it is crucial that it displays a “you-attitude” (Bovee et al., 2008). This is extremely important in all persuasive messages including the CV. It is useful to research into the background of the company and its operations because employers are constantly looking on how the employee can relate himself/herself to the company (Bovee et al., 2008). CVs must not be too compelling; the language that is used must not depict that the candidate is expecting immediate response of being accepted or rejected by the company.

This expectation is erroneous; a good CV does not result in being accepted. It is the “gateway” to being accepted (Bovee et al., 2008). Furthermore, candidates often spend several hours detailing their experiences and interests believing that their CV will be read thoroughly. However, the truth is that most CV’s are read by the computer and screened on the basis of certain keywords; it is important to embody those “keywords”. Also, the most important issue that organizations report is the direct use of the word “I”; CVs must always be presented in terms of what is known as the silent “I” (Curtis & Simons, 2004).

There are several formats for a CV at the disposal of the candidate; a chronological, functional or combination format (Appendix 1 and 2). The chronological format is most preferred by employers as it makes it easier for the employer to extract information. It is discovered that, all too often, candidates often fail to produce effective CVs due to the