Last week WINZ got into trouble for telling a woman to dumb down her CV. It was suggested to her she take off her recently acquired Political Science degree. What we didn’t know from the initial reports was that she wanted a part-time job and only on a casual basis as in a few months she was entering the Navy.
Well for goodness sake did she think she was going to get a fantastic job having just graduated with her Political Science degree? What exactly was she expecting? I think that WINZ advised her correctly that employers may well be put off with her qualifications as the jobs she would be applying for would I imagine have nothing to do with her degree and would be in the unskilled or semi-skilled areas. Was there a touch of arrogance from this woman who felt her degree was so important that it was going to get her a part-time short-term job? Let’s be clear employers want the best person for the job with the qualifications and experience appropriate for the role they have.
At present in some roles, employers can pick and choose and get exactly what they want. Therefore even if someone has degrees and experience they are competing against others. Also employers want to know that someone will stick the distance. That they will want to stay even if it is a mundane job. Some employers may think that someone with a political science degree may not stick out working in a menial role.
CV’s are not easy to write and it is important that they are written well and target the job you are looking for. Here is a link to some CV templates. Make sure your CV really sells you and your skills. Make sure that your skills and experience match the job 70 to 80 percent. Sometimes you may need to make your experience and CV simpler in order to get the job you do want. However make sure there is no fake or important information left out.