Employers deluged with sub-par CVs
Jun 14 2011
Skill shortages are a key reason for employers to experience sub-par CVs
Employers face hiring hell as they get inundated with unsuitable job candidates, research finds.
According to a survey of 626 businesses by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, three quarters of organisations have highlighted an increase in the number of unsuitable candidates for job vacancies over the past year.
The main reason for these recruitment difficulties is a lack of necessary specialist or technical skills reported (72 per cent compared to 67 per cent in 2010), with managers/professionals and technical positions the most difficult posts to fill.
Those who are in work are reluctant to leave in a volatile market. The median turnover rate has remained consistently low throughout the recession and beyond, with figures this year indicating slightly less will to leave than even at the height of the recession.
The rate of voluntary leavers has increased slightly in the private sector (8.7 per cent in 2011, compared to 7.4 per cent in 2010) but decreased in the voluntary (7 per cent in 2011, compared to 10.2 per cent in 2010) and public sector services (3.4 per cent in 2011, compared to 5.8 per cent in 2010).
Claire McCartney, CIPD resourcing and talent planning adviser says, ‘High levels of unemployment have boosted quantity, but employers are still struggling with quality.
‘Headlines focus on high levels of unemployment, but those stark statistics mask an ongoing struggle for employers to find the skills and experience they need to drive their businesses forward. Shortages of specialist and technical skills run the risk of slamming an unwelcome brake on the long-term competitiveness of the UK economy.’
Julie Waddicor, managing director of Hays Human Resources adds, ‘It’s crucial for organisations to communicate not only what skills they need now and in the future but also really sell themselves as an employer of choice in order to secure their talent pipeline in years to come.'
Comment by Anna Carter
Tuesday 14th June 2011Having been on both sides of the fence, as far as I'm concerned employers need to buck up their ideas. Unless they start offering salaries that match the skillsets they need, they're only going to continue receiving sub-par CVs. It is becoming harder then ever for the unemployed to find worthwhile training courses thanks to government cuts (and the Job Centres' persistence in sending candidates on time-wasting 'confidence' courses is no help to anyone), and employers are unwilling to pick up the slack. Until all parties shed the 'it's not my problem' attitude, this situation will only worsen.
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Comment by Keith Cockburn
Tuesday 14th June 2011There may be more than meets the eye here.Personnel departments pass on job applications to the relevant head of department. If the applicant is too qualified they will be rejected using any old excuse. Management should guard against this, but it's very common.
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Comment by sally brooks
Wednesday 15th June 2011In response to the article about a skill shortage for quality CV's and candidates...I'm an independant recruitment consultancy, and have worked for 15 years plus in the industry. I am on the opposite side of the fence whereby I'm struggling to fill vacancies - both temporary and permanent positions. I'm losing bookings each day and have never known the industry to be so bad. So why aren't people wanting to work then?
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Comment by Ben Lobel
Wednesday 15th June 2011It's interesting to hear the different perspectives on this. Sally, I have come across other recruitment consultants who share the same sentiments - struggling to fill vacancies in what we are told is a cut-throat, competitive job market. What on Earth is happening? Could it be as Anna suggests, that salaries do not match the skill sets? Spare a thought for the employers though - in a stagnant economy many small businesses are simply not equipped to pay through the nose for talent, so a revision of salary expectations could be the harsh truth for applicants.
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Comment by Logan Dior
Wednesday 15th June 2011I share the same sentiments with my colleagues above-mentioned. It is even more difficult to find bilingual candidates to fill certain positions that require language skills. Furthermore candidates are no longer prepared to take up language courses to improve themselves before applying.
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Comment by David Gleadhill
Thursday 16th June 2011As someone on the job hunting side of this debate, struggling to find even half interesting opportunities, I am bemused at the comments of those on the recruitment side who claim they cannot find good quality applicants. I talk to many high quality people looking for work regularly and I'm amazed that they cannot find new positions. The coffee bars of Central London are full of high quality people looking for work. What I have noticed is the lack of advertised opportunities of variety and the tendency of businesses to cut recruitment costs by using lower tier recruitment companies who use poor filtering processes (i.e. CV wordsearches) and very junior staff to interview potential candidates. Whilst the market is so driven by price there will be an obvious impact on quality.
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Comments [6]