So, Myjobgroup.co.uk has created a CV-based competition aptly named TwiCV-of course-where users have to submit their CV in the now well-noted 140-character limit set by Twitter.
What are employers looking for in a CV? What criteria do job seekers need to make theirs stand out? As many a recruiter and HR professional has professed over the years, concise, punchy, well written, imaginative CVs are the way into the offices of employers.
Of course during our current economic fiasco, the job market has reduced in size and the number of job seekers have increased. Every position available has a swarm of competition around it, so in order to wade through the rabble masses and make it to the other side you need to be on top of your game in a big way.
Research from Myjobgroup.com proves that people with twitter accounts are in the top pile of applicants who actually get the job. They studied 500 UK CVs and found that twitter users were being shortlisted more than non-twitter users.
The prognosis behind this is that the more time people spend tweeting and getting used to writing snappy, engaging copy in an abridged format, then they are probably more likely to produce better CVs, which is what the research proved.
Users are asked to submit their tweet CVs via hashtag ♯TwiCV and Myjobgroup.com will pick the best one, and that tweeter will win an iPad touch. Not bloody bad.
They have also invited users to tweet celebrity CVs for fun. Here are some of the more amusing ones:
snoopjiggyjigg #TwiCV Jonathan Ross – Wecently made wedundant, looking for large salary, pwefewwably no phone calls involved. I like meeting people. @wossy
ChrisRowett Gordon Brown: Unemployed. Reason For Leaving: Nick Clegg. Strengths: Fudging Numbers. Weaknesses: Old people, Bigots. #TwiCV
Peter Andre: Musicia.. Err… Celebrity. Likes: Jordan. Loves: Jordan. Worships: Jordan. Weaknesses: Singing & handling emotions. #TwiCV
And Myjobgroup.com’s celeb tweet showed some good old patriotic spirit, and of a very timely nature:
“Fabio Capello: Italian England manager. Likes: goal-line technology & Emile Heskey. Dislikes: Uruguayan linesmen. #TwiCV”
A professional summary on the average British CV is only 125 characters long, which is shorter than twitter’s allocated space. I must confess, that that is extremely short and I’m still a little dubious as to whether it’s true, but in any case it’s a great exercise to do when writing your CV, which has to be a of a very high standard and has to be punchy and intelligible.
Are the people who tweet and keep blogs better at capturing more succinctly and more creatively what their talents are, thus making their CV more engaging and stirring for the employer?
Ok so yes it is true, tweeters are used to shedding the fluff and being snappy and inventive with their language in the least amount of words, and the more they do it the better they get at it. That’s the theory, anyway.
A lot of twitter users are very good at getting to the point and doing it in a headline grabbing way, especially if they are taking a savvy slice out of a long, complicated topic.
Whether you choose to enter this competition for a laugh and poke fun at one of the more pitiful celebrities or sharpen a smart summary of yourself, it is a useful test to see what you can come up with. And I for one believe there is definitely some merit and correlation in spending your days tapping out 140 insights and knowing how to cut to the chase in your CV summary.
