Could an employer CV be the future of recruitment?

Ever since the 2008 recession, the hardworking people of Great Britain have been reluctant to switch jobs, especially to unknown or less established companies.

In my experience as a Recruitment Consultant, I find that candidates enjoy hearing about a potential employer’s history, background and future plans. In fact, I find that they are more likely to fully commit to an interview and therefore more likely to take the role if offered.

Headway Recruitment was established over 35 years ago and the story of its family-run roots, growth and longevity of its staff certainly appealed to me when I was offered a job with them 4 years ago. To really express the effects of this though, I should really compare this situation to another company without a “story” of its own.

Shortly after leaving University I made the spontaneous decision to leave my stable part-time job in a supermarket to travel Europe (hoping I would find a new role on my return!). Two months later, and a lot more sun-tanned, I found myself back in Leeds on the hunt for my next adventure – a ‘proper’ job! I discovered an advert online for Marketing Assistant and hastily applied. I was called almost immediately and asked to attend an interview the next day – “this grown up malarkey is easy, I thought!”

The interviewer gave me no information about the company itself; why it had started, when it had started or its plans for the future. However, being young, naive and desperate for work, after being offered the role on the spot at an interview I accepted and started the next day. I started at 8 am, was briefed and “motivated” with sales spiel then sent out with a suitcase full of makeup to shopping centres around West Yorkshire. I would earn £5 commission for each £45 makeup set I sold. That was it, no basic wage, benefits or proper contract.

After a week of 8 am – 7 pm cold, hard, face to face sales, I quit!

If I had only taken more interest or asked more questions about the company and it’s “story” I would have never accepted the role in the first place and saved myself the hard slog! A company with very little background, no future plans or strategies in place and no sense of establishment – who would want to work for a company like that? Quite frankly if the company’s only goal, story or aim is to “make money” then I would advise avoiding at all costs! “Your organisation’s story needs to have depth and breadth, but not necessarily length!

It needs to enable your people to see the Big Picture, what your organisation’s purpose is, where it has come from, where it is going. It needs to give clear direction, and where your organisation is changing or responding to changes in the external environment, you need to show what will be different, how it will impact your people, and how they will know that the change has been successful.” According to Engage for Success.

The history and aims of job seekers are out there for the world to see in the form of a CV. The importance and significance of the CV cannot be understated, job seekers don’t get anywhere without one these days. Perhaps it should be standard practice for hiring companies to have a CV also. A written document stating the company history, aims, background and goals – In the current candidate-led market this could only work in the favour of those worthy companies, and simply rule out the money making scams.

Of course, some people don’t like to “play it safe”. Some people are risk takers and relish the opportunity to join a start-up company or promising ‘one man band’. This is also acceptable but instead of focusing on the background or history of these types of companies, try delve deeper into their aims, missions and passions for starting the business.

After all, “Those that fail to learn history, are doomed to repeat it” – Winston Churchill

For more insight into employee engagement, Melissa Adams has written an article on the importance of employee perception, check it out.