20 Jun 2023
Many recruiters receive job applications from candidates who, on the face of it, don’t appear to have made much of an effort. We see things such as CV applications with no cover letter, CVs with a sparse career history, and even out-of-date CVs with no evidence of any career for the past few years.
What are your initial thoughts?
Like most recruiters, you’re probably inclined to think, ‘They’ve not made an effort, so they’re not that interested’, or even ‘If they’d have sent a cover letter, we might have interviewed them’.
Have another think!
Of course, you might be absolutely correct to dismiss their application purely because they haven’t made a serious effort. However, have you ever wondered if they are very interested, but there is a reason they haven’t been able to make a quality application?
Here are some of the typical reasons we encounter from candidates who haven’t submitted a quality application for their dream job:
What to do?
Have a look at their CV first and foremost. If ordinarily, you would toss it aside, just have a look at their career history and ask yourself the question:
‘Does it look like they could be good for this role?’
Is there some evidence that they could actually be good? You can usually find the answers in their previous job titles or from the names of past employers, or there can be a glimmer of potential from some of the duties they have had in the past.
And then?
If you spot something that makes you think, ‘Well, actually, maybe,’ then our advice is to take a step to find out more. Why not call them? Give them a ring and do some more digging, ask them some relevant questions about their past career, and see if you can find out more than you already know to make a better and more informed judgement about them. You never know, they could be your perfect new recruit, and you don’t want to miss that chance to recruit a star!
We’re not suggesting you carry out a telephone interview, just a little fact-finding exercise to help you understand what they could bring to you.
