2p Slot Machines & CV Flinging

During one of our two sunny days of the year so far, I decided (as a typical Lincolnshire lass) to venture to Mablethorpe beach. Oh the glamour. As well as ice cream, donkeys and donuts, I’m a big fan of the 2p slot machines… and will drag whomever I am with onto them. As I slotted away, feeding 2p after 2p, it started to remind me of CV flinging. Sending the same thing aimlessly, over and over again, hoping for something to pop out the other end. The 2p was always the same and the machine always vast.

I ended up spending £10… trying to win a £5 note that was just on the edge, what a waste of an hour of my life. So it made me wonder, how much time is wasted on flinging CVs? And I wonder how often the outcome is positive? From my experience, not very often.

Whether directly from the candidate, or from a recruiter… taking a stab in the dark and firing CVs out blindly is just a waste of time isn’t it? Why?

• There is no real knowledge of the employer and what types of people they typically hire
• There is no personalisation because of this lack of knowledge/relationship
• There is no trust between the recipient and the sender
• The CV will probably be viewed as spam

Recruiters should be building relationships with hiring managers. Ensuring they understand their wants, needs and desires but also the culture of the business and the employer brand proposition. By understanding this, the recipient is naturally more receptive and the outcome likely to be more positive.

At FMC Global Talent, our entire business is built on long standing commercially beneficially relationships. We will never send a CV to a client, without their prior knowledge that it is coming and why we are sending it.