Putting together a curriculum vitae can be an agonising task. Do you put down poetry and classical music among your list of hobbies to make yourself appear highbrow? Or is that risking total humiliation because you may have to confess at the interview that the last time you read anything with a rhyme was at nursery school and your classical repertoire runs to the adverts on television?
You could always leave out the hobbies section but somehow that makes your CV look a little flat as employers faced with a pile of job applications are always keen to pick out the ones which reveal something of the person’s character.
Recruitment consultancy New Frontiers reckons it has come up with the answer with its new-style 3D-CVs. Not only do they include the candidate’s academic and work record, but there is a summary of his or her chief personality traits with an assessment of strengths and weaknesses. This information is compiled from the answers given in a unique career profile which all candidates registering with the agency fill in.
New Frontiers managing director Julia Feuell estimates the 24 questions take about 15mins to answer. To answer the questions, the candidate has to mark off from a list of phrases the ones which are most and least like the way they behave at work. In one section, for example, the phrases to choose from are:
At work:
n Do you adopt a dominant attitude to others?
n Do you influence other people’s ideas?
n Do you remain steady and calm at all times?
n Do you comply with instructions and regulations?
The results are then assessed by computer using the Discus software programme and processed into a seven-page report. Candidates can keep the report for themselves and a condensed version is included on their 3D CV.
An example of a 3D CV shown to Workplace appeared to pull no punches in its description of a job candidate. In her favour, she was described as a person who valued accuracy and precision and had the ability to produce work of high quality. But the negative aspect to this was that she would prefer to miss deadlines if she felt that the work was not perfect and that she can become so immersed in the need to cover every possibility and check every fact that she loses sight of the ultimate ends of her work.
Do employers like this sort of warts and all detail? Feuell said the response so far has been positive and she feels that an employer armed with such comprehensive information as this will pick a candidate who is most likely to fit into the company culture. And if that happens, the company itself is likely to improve its turnover level, which is very high in the travel industry.
Typically in the travel industry, people stay no more than 18 months in a job before moving on. Often that is because the employer has recruited on nothing more than gut feeling. They think she is nice and lively and she will fit in, but that adds to the turnover problem.
Gut feeling needs to be supported by as much data as possible, she said.
Feuell said the problem with traditional CVs is they are no more than a historical document. They tell you where the person went to school, but do not give the information needed to make an accurate judgment on whether someone is likely to fit into the company.
New Frontiers offers the 3D CV free to people who register with them and will give a complimentary copy of the full report to candidates who call to the company’s offices in person. There is a £5 charge for candidates who want full copies of the report by post.