Let’s take a quick history lesson before we get started, folks…
1482: Leonardo da Vinci created the first professional CV in Italy
1950s: CVs became formalised and the norm for any job interview
1984: The first CV-writing guide was published
1995: The Internet allowed for fast job searching and applications
2003: LinkedIn was launched, giving rise to a new way of presenting your CV
2007: YouTube and other video sites facilitated video CVs
So, let me get this straight. CVs have been around since 1482? And, despite adopting various other forms, they are still used by 1000s of job seekers and employers every day.
Surely it’s time for a change…? Let’s consider this.
In the 1500s, CVs were considered the only way for travelling workers to make an introduction to a local guildsman or lord, a means to present themselves to hire. At the time, living within such a rigid class system, this worked successfully and played well into the formality of this era. Workers could outline their skills and experience in a format never done before, and enter into a selection process appropriate of the culture.
By the mid 1900s, they had become the norm for any job application. Employers were rejecting the casual approach of hand-written scribblings, and had come to expect formalised, structured, well-written documents, with the content now expanded to include personal information such as marital status, weight and even religion. In the 1960s, candidates had started to include hobbies and interests within the document, and future advances in computer technology (word processors etc) allowed for improvements in structure and style.
The birth of the Internet meant that recruitment became faster than ever before – with applications now able to be made online direct to businesses or through agents, and job seekers now able to search for specific positions relevant to their needs. It was the beginning of a new wave of technological progression – leading onto the launch of mobile technology and social media.
Fast-forwarding to the current environment and taking a look at how society has progressed, there are now so many different ways to make that same introduction of the 1500s to an employer. More than 3 billion people worldwide own a smartphone, and the majority of the population are increasingly tech-savvy and modernised. Coupled with that, our society now demands a more fast-paced lifestyle, a need-things-now way of thinking, and processes needing to be streamlined and efficient.
With that said, modern recruitment means that we now have the option not to NEED to use CVs, as our predecessors did. Sure, we are still required to present our skills and experience when applying for a new job – but today we can use so many other formats and platforms, particularly in more user-friendly searchable ways – meaning that employers can find who they need to hire much quicker.
With so little free time nowadays, shouldn’t we do away with the old fashioned style of CVs once and for all? Make the information more concise, more accessible, and more practical – and consequently resulting in Recruitment Made Easy!