Tags
Application for employment, Banker, Curriculum vitae, CV or Resume, Headhunters, Job Hunt, Job hunting, Job Search, Résumé
I recently had lunch with a friend who had just started a new job. He made the switch from one big bank to another (even bigger) bank. As we were talking, he gave me a great piece of advice. I told him I had to hand down this nugget of wisdom via my blog! He asked to remain nameless, so for now, let’s simply refer to him as the Banker. His tip was this:
Don’t spam your CV.
If you give out your CV too freely, everyone will know you are looking. With that, you put yourself at risk of appearing desperate. Not to mention your boss might find out! This is particularly relevant with headhunters. The Banker advises that until you’ve met with a headhunter in person, don’t send them your CV. Be selective and make sure that you want him/her to represent you.
Simple yet insightful advice.
It sounds a bit like dating. If you appear too eager, the object of your desire may lose interest. You have to play hard to get.
Bottom line: Be coy when you are job hunting.
Maven Musings 
Excellent advice. I would also share that I found a good number of job leads when I produced a video c.v. last year after I become unemployed last year after only six months on the job. Considering I had relocated from Washington, DC to Texas and recognizing my professional network was very limited in my new surroundings, I decided to do my own “infomercial.” The end result was landing a number of consulting jobs, including one with a Panamanian gold mining company. I am pleased to say that I credit this video c.v. in helping land my current job as the Executive Director of growing non for profit. Feel free to view this video c.v. here: http://tinyurl.com/OHinojosaVideoResume
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Thanks for sharing Octavio! I think the video CV might become the norm in the near future.
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Lo que son las cosas aparte del buen consejo aqu� en M�xico hay otra raz�n���seguridad, si no al rato o te raptan o te extorsionan.
Hay que darse a desear����por mas desesperado que te encuentres���..jajaja
Luis Fernandez / iMac
El 30/09/2012, a las 9:15, Maven Musings escribi�:
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Muy cierto!!!!
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If you have a reputation in a particular area then some headhunters may seek you out without seeing a CV, or before you have considered moving on – if they know how to contact you without having a business card, your CV or some savvy.
But if you sign up to different recruitment companies or job sites (which can email you potential jobs based on your various experience/skills/salary demands/location, etc.) then your CV (if you choose to upload it to these sites – sometimes a requirement) is available/viewable by most employers who also subscribe to these sites. Most employers would like to see a CV before trying to contact you unless you happen to have a positive reputation in one area or another.
One useful feature on some job sites is that you can actually block specific companies or organisations from viewing your details or CV. So this may remove the anxiety of your current boss from finding out that you are contemplating jumping ship.
CV videos are not the norm unless you are working in the creative industries where your visual/creative flair is an important selling point. Most employers want a paper-based application before they view your visual/creative plus-points – which can be featured on a link to your own website.
Many large companies/organisations actually use software to scan through applicants’ CVs to hunt for specific keywords in order to break down the number of CVs they have to look through.
I think that ‘being coy when you are job hunting’ could be imperfect advice to the majority of people who do not have your professional confidence, stability, authority and experience.
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Thank you Mark. This is a great point, and you are not the only one to mention it. Read my most recent post, I think you’ll like it 🙂
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