LONDON, June 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- 73% of Recruiters Reject Jobseekers who Forget Workplace Achievements 
on CVs

A failure to recall a history of workplace achievements on CVs is
preventing people securing the jobs they want, and even leading some
applicants to receive below market-rate salaries, according to research
released today by iProfile.org (http://www.iprofile.org/).

The research, based on interviews with 1,000 jobseekers and 200
employers, showed that employers consider an up-to-date and relevant list of
specific work-based achievements to be one of the most important factors in
their recruitment decisions.

Three quarters (73%) said they have rejected candidates for interviews
due to vague CVs with an absence of relevant achievements. And the majority
of employers (51%) said that "were applicants to effectively sell their
existing achievements on CVs, they could demand starting salaries of 5% or
higher". Nearly a quarter (24%) said applicants could demand an increase of
15%. The latter represents an increase of over GBP3,300 on the average
British salary of GBP22,000.

According to the research http://www.iprofile.org/Career-Advice , 
jobseekers tend to focus on listing general responsibilities rather than 
their own personal achievements on their resumes. It suggests that they are 
not necessarily lacking in achievements to include but, instead, are unable 
to recall them when it matters - a symptom it dubs 'Achievement Amnesia'.

It also shows that CVs are usually written in a rush, with 71% taking two
hours or less to write it and 79% of applicants saying they only write CVs
when actually looking for a position. As a result, a third (32%) said they
weren't confident they could recall useful achievements more than six months
old and nearly another third (28%) couldn't recall those more than 18 months
old. Perhaps just as worryingly, the majority of candidates appear to spend a
disproportionate amount of time making their CV stand out with creative
designs (36%) - despite the fact most employers and recruitment agencies
don't think such embellishments are important.

Achievement Amnesia is a common - and potentially costly - problem,
according to CV specialist, Karl Gregory, from iProfile.org: "Most people
think a quirky CV style or generic responsibilities are what employers are
looking for, but the research shows that actually the specific achievements
of individuals are what make the difference. We work with some of the biggest
recruiters in the UK and they tell us that candidates regularly undersell
their achievements - addressing this issue could significantly boost people's
chances of getting through to the interview stage, as well as getting the
salary they deserve."

The report argues that jobseekers must begin keeping an ongoing record of
achievements during the periods when they are not actively seeking work if
they are to avoid underselling themselves when they begin interviewing.
Gregory concludes: "There are now tools available online that let people
record and structure their achievements as they happen so that your CV grows
with you. They also allow you to keep track of all your professional training
and qualifications so that people can be in the strongest negotiating
position possible when they apply for vacancies. These tools also allow
people to share this information quickly with potential employers in an
online format that is welcomed."

A full version of "Underselling in CVs", published by iProfile and
including tips on how to best structure your CV for maximum impact, is
available to download from iProfile's Career Advice (
http://www.iprofile.org/Career%2DAdvice/) section.

Notes

About iProfile (http://www.iprofile.org)

iProfile is the dynamic profile for professionals that is rapidly
replacing the traditional CV by increasing the chances of a candidate being
selected for interview. It is the preferred CV template (
http://www.iprofile.org/Career-Advice/JobSeekers/CV-Templates.aspx) for many
recruitment agencies, and is easy to set up and update. More secure then Word
CV, you can control who sees your iProfile, and update as many or as few
recruitment agencies, giving you complete control over the job-seeking
process. It is also capable of providing you with feedback from recruiters
and hiring managers, and ensuring that you are made aware of relevant job
opportunities. Any updates made to an iProfile are instantly transmitted to
the databases of all the iProfile-compatible recruitment companies ensuring
they never hold an out-of-date copy. Over two million jobseekers already own
an iProfile and this number is rising rapidly.