Experts clarify
When browsing through job portals, an exciting position is advertised and the desire arises to apply immediately. All the important documents are quickly collected and the application sent off. But after clicking on “Send” you notice that there are no work references and that a few questions could arise when you look at your CV. But is a gap in the CV or a missing document in the application process really a problem or a disadvantage? An expert listed some tips for a convincing application to the editorial network Germany and explained which mistakes in the documents are quite acceptable for employers.
Important first decisions
The experts make it clear that many decisions are made at first glance. Career consultant Christoph Burger explains that in the application process, strength of character is not initially assessed, but rather attention is paid to whose profile most closely matches the job description and suits the company. So it may well be that qualified applicants do not make it into the next round of applicants within the first decisions. Due to this problem, the experts advise applicants to present themselves from their best side and not to reveal every weakness right away if it is not absolutely necessary or is specifically asked about this point within the application process. “However, it depends on what you see as a weakness,” the author of the book “Dream Job for Dummies” points out.
gaps in the CV
It is seldom the case that a CV does not have any gaps, but not every one needs to be explained. The application experts advise only detailing the gaps that affect a longer period of time. Periods of time that are shorter than three months do not necessarily have to be explained in the CV. In addition, such a gap does not necessarily mean a disadvantage. It just depends on how you present it. So three months abroad, further training or voluntary work can definitely be seen as a sign of strength of character and instead of being a disadvantage, it can even mean an advantage over competitors.
Private time out
But there are also gaps in the CV that applicants should rather not tell their future employer. Time off due to illness, depression or burnout is primarily a private matter and, in the worst case, only creates an unpleasant need for an explanation. You can still indicate these gaps in your CV by providing unspecific information such as “sabbatical” or “time off for personal reasons”. Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves, according to recruiting expert Katharina Hain, who explains: “But as a HR manager, I’ve experienced everything from absolute discretion to ruthless honesty.” The form and scope of the information is ultimately up to the applicant, but it is important that it is made clear that the ability to work has been restored after an illness or similar. According to Christoph Burger, parental leave or an exceeded standard period of study can also be conveyed to the potential employer as a strength by explaining how this time was spent sensibly with regard to the job.
Testimonies
But not only gaps in the CV can pose a problem for applicants if they are handled incorrectly, missing or bad references can also be real stumbling blocks on the way to the dream job. Many employers require applicants to send references. According to Christoph Burger, anyone who forgets to put this in the appendix can indicate in the cover letter that the certificate will be submitted later. But what if the certificate is so bad that you don’t want to send it or at least want to explain the reason for the negative points? Katharina Hain recommends dealing with it aggressively: “Of course, when reading, we pay attention to how benevolent the phrases are, above all we also compare the working period with the CV”. Ultimately, however, job references would become increasingly less important in the professional world.
Application photo
While application photos were an integral part of any application just a few years ago, today the photo has a much lower status and is no longer a mandatory part of the application process to hurt,” says Katharina Hain. If you still decide to send a photo, you should only attach professional files in high-resolution quality. “A bad or outdated photo harms the application, but a good photo can enhance it a lot,” explains Burger.
Editorial office finanzen.net
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