Do yo get fed up with unwanted mail landing on your doormat? I have often thought that if we could get rid of it we could probably save the rainforests, but I think we have to accept that we are stuck with it.
On the other hand, occasionally something will drop on your mat that makes you stop and think, and I got one the other day. It was a letter, complete with a printed CV, asking for a job as an alarm engineer. Out of curiosity, I asked my wife, who has recently had to conduct job interviews for junior staff at her office, for an instant opinion. Her answer was typically straight to the point as she threw it back to me: “Well, would you employ someone who can’t even send his application to the right company?” She was right, of course, and for the lack of a little research (like a quick glance in the Yellow Pages) our unfortunate applicant had fallen at the first fence. It was my paperwork day, so over a leisurely breakfast I read the letter a few times and wondered what Sherlock Holmes would have made of it (having just re-read some of his stories).
Elementary, my dear Lynskey
No, I don’t think that I am the latest ace detective, but we can use the Holmes principle because, whether you realise it or not, we all look at a letter and form an opinion of the person before we have even met them. If you are a boss looking for new engineers you will be faced with just this situation, and if you are canvassing for work then you should also try to make an assessment of your own application before posting it.
First the letter – and for obvious reasons I have removed all reference to the lad himself as I am convinced that the application was a genuine effort to find a job and the last thing I want to do is to belittle or embarrass him.
His name and address
Lynskey Mike
Address
Dear Sir or Madam
I am writing to enquire if there is a vacancy with your company now or in the near future for an alarm fitter. I enclose a copy of my CV. I am also a full-qualified electrician and as so am fully aware of the Health and Safety at Work act and no problems working up ladders and scaffolding. I have a flexible approach to work and can attend for an interview at any time that is convenient to yourself.
As a New Deal Clint [sic] I can offer a prospective employer up to GB pound 75 per week for 6 mouth [sic] and to show my commitment I am prepared to work under the Work Trial Scheme for which information is enclosed.
First impressions – because it was addressed to “Lynskey Mike” I assume that he has got hold of a list of mailing addresses from within the trade and is just canvassing the lot in the hope of landing something. I once filled in a return sheet for trade information and because I did not fill in a company name the typist entering the details into the database must have entered my name just as it was found – surname first. Now I regularly get trade mail addressed that way, and our candidate has therefore created the wrong impression even before I open the envelope. A small amount of research would have saved him time and expense.
Spreading the pages out on the table, Sherlock Holmes would have noticed that the paper itself was of ordinary photocopy quality. “Take note, Watson – any man who considers himself worthy of the job requested would have chosen a quality paper with a watermark. Also, the print is lop-sided proving that he hasn’t loaded the paper in the printer properly, yet he is asking for a job that requires an eye for neatness. The print is different on each page: the CV is in a large, bold, plain business-like typeface, while the letter is in a smaller size, more decorative typeface like that used in paperback books. Once again, a lack of an eye for detail. And finally, the whole thing has been done in a rush because the print from one sheet has transferred to the back of the other making it look very untidy.
Conclusion – he doesn’t care or he has low self-esteem.” All in all, not a good start.
As for the content, it didn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to note that the letter had no date, no postcode, no ‘yours faithfully’ and no signature. The print was also crammed into the top half of the page leaving the bottom half plain and the general effect unbalanced. Another small but significant point was that the text was lined up to the left, leaving what looks like a ragged edge at the right. I know that my own column is printed in this fashion, but in magazine circles this is considered stylish and very much in vogue. Also, with the columns of print being so narrow it is very difficult to get them to look right when justified to both sides. With an A4 sheet, however, there is plenty of room to justify to both sides and the effect is 100per cent neater.
Don’t forget, he is asking for a job where he will be required to go into other people’s property and work neatly, cleanly and make final checks that the job is complete and right, yet he cannot even get those same essential qualities into his own job application. It may be that he is a good, reliable worker and an asset to any company, but the problem is that his application letter tells a very different story – he has effectively shot himself in the foot.
And another thing…
In the letter he points out that he is fully aware of the Health and Safety at Work Act and has no problems working up a ladder or on scaffolding. He also claims to have a flexible approach to work and is available any time. Good! Now we are getting to the sort of thing that an employer likes to see on an application. Even better in the next paragraph because he is offering a new deal scheme that will pay an employer up to GB pound 75 per week for six months as a work trial.
What a pity that he has to spoil it though by putting 6 mouth instead of 6 months and offering himself as a new deal clint instead of client. These are very simple and understandable errors that could have been spotted if he had just taken the time to read through his letter a couple of times. You could say that he has now shot himself in the other foot.
The CV reads (once again with actual references removed) –
Name and address (this time with postcode)
Date of birth
Telephone number and e-mail address
Employment experience
Electrical company, electrician’s mate
Electrical company, labourer
Qualifications and training
IBT3, local training college
Health and Safety course at local training college CLAT (RSA)
European Computer Driving Licence (this is the same as IBT2)
Intruder Alarms Course (City and Guilds and CITO [sic])
Electrical Installation Part 1,2 (City and Guilds 2360/01,02) and 2 out of 3 parts of C Course.
Personal information and work experience I have good communication skills and I am able to relate well to colleagues and members of the public at all levels. I am also able to work from plans or drawings and to use my own initiative or work as a member of a team. The employment experience and skills that I have are working with plastic conduit, plastic and metal trunking, and cable tray armoured conductors, first and second fixing of all lighting and power circuits and then making good.
I also have a good working knowledge of the IEE Wiring Regulation (16 Edition).
Fill in the gaps
The content of his CV looks good to start with, apart from the mis-spelling of SITO, and he has a good collection of courses and qualifications under his belt plus some good work experience. But giving it the deeper, Holmes-type examination reveals a whole lot of gaps, and here we come to a part of our trade that should be looked at more closely.
With the current threat of licensing just around the corner, vetting is coming very much into prominence. Employers now have to delve into the background and past history of each candidate for the past ten years. The employer is looking to verify that the candidate has no gaps in his career that can be deemed as suspicious, so it would have looked much better if our applicant had filled in the gaps with statements like “full-time student” or even “unemployed”. At least the prospective boss would know where he had been.
To this end, it would also be a good idea for him to apply to the local police for a PNC previous convictions check. He will certainly have to get one before any employment can be confirmed, so getting a current PNC check first would “show willing” and save a prospective employer some time and effort. (If you wish to do a PNC check on yourself, you can find the application form in the back of your copy of the ACPO policy – in my area it is appendix D, form A, though it might be slightly different in your area.) So, if you now want to send a CV to a prospective employer it would be a good idea to make a very accurate list of what you have done for the past ten years. In the case of our current subject, he has listed two examples of work experience – the only snag is that there is a one-year gap between them and there is nothing listed since 1996. Further down the page, he has listed all the qualifications and courses he has attended, including the dates, but there is a two-year gap in the middle and the dates of the gaps in both employment and training coincide. Without an explanation of what he was doing in those gap years, no employer is going to touch him – it looks too suspicious. If he was unemployed, then at least it can be verified and taken into consideration. If, on the other hand, he cannot justify his time then someone should advise him of the difficulties he will encounter getting a job in the security industry.
One very important thing missed off the CV is reference to a driving licence. When you consider that if he can’t drive the van he is no use as an alarm engineer this information is of more importance than his qualifications.
While on the subject of qualifications, some of his are familiar, some are not – a little explanation about each, and the results etc, would be a great help.
Extreme sportsman?
Finally, interests and hobbies should be listed. These tell a lot about you and are always looked at by a good employer. Hobbies like rugby, skiing and part-time bull-fighting tend to come with broken bones and spilt blood, which means time off work. Train spotting and stamp collecting, on the other hand, are considered much safer, but..! The golden rule is: admit the truth and don’t tell lies – your new boss will find out sooner or later.
As I stated earlier, I have no desire to belittle the lad in question but learning how to present yourself is a valuable skill for the job hunter, and learning to read between the lines of a CV is a valuable skill for the employer.
Good luck to all concerned.
