Could 'Achievement Amnesia' cost you your career?
The Jobseekers
1,000 British workers were asked a variety of
questions. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB working adults aged 18+.
How long do you spend writing your CV?
The researchers first asked jobseekers to think about
the last time they wrote their CV, and ascertain how
long it took them to develop. Given the importance
of the CV in the jobseeking process, it is perhaps
surprising that the results showed that most people
spent less than two hours developing their CV (71%).
Only 19% spent one day or more.
When do you typically develop your personal CV?
The researchers then went on to ask about the
circumstances in which they tend to develop their
CV. The respondents were given six options. 79% of
respondents said they only think about writing their
CV when they are actively looking for a new job. Only
6% of those questioned kept their CV updated on a
monthly basis.
What is the most important part of your CV?
As with employers, jobseekers were asked which parts
of their CV they saw as most important. The results
showed that 36% of jobseekers felt that the general
look and feel of their CV was the most important part
- something that didn't rank in employers' top three
at all. This was followed by work experience (22% -
compared to 37% as the employers' first choice) and
work-based achievements (19% - compared to 23%
as the employers' second choice).
Thinking about the last time you wrote your CV
how easy did you find it to recall your work-based
achievements?
Jobseekers were then asked to think about the last
time they wrote their CV and consider how easy or
hard they found it to remember their achievements.
Only 6% of jobseekers questioned found it very easy
to recall achievements and 39% had to look back
through work records to recall specific achievements.
