Attract a future employer with a digital CV

A new Slovak start-up offers an innovation in the interview process.

Illustrative Stock PhotoIllustrative Stock Photo (Source: Gabriel Kuchta, Sme)

Writing a CV that catches the attention of a possible employer can be hard, especially when many applicants are competing for the same position. A strong skill-set is a must for employers, but the way these skills are presented can also make a difference when attracting the right people.

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“Present yourself in the most unique way ever,” is the motto of Slovak start-up CapaCV, the first digital CV. It is a platform where applicants may present their abilities, passion and emotions. It makes recognizing their talent and potential easier when selecting the appropriate applicants.

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Candidates can describe their knowledge and experience with more than just words and gain the attention of head hunters before meeting them in person.

“Today, an applicant does not have the chance to express themselves when applying for a job,” Marek Hradílek, a client partner in Amrop, told The Slovak Spectator.

Not much information can be obtained from just a written CV so CapaCV should ease the work of HR recruiters, head hunters and consultants. After looking at a more detailed and expressive CV, they can just invite the applicants they like to a personal interview.

Hradílek also noted that the biggest frustration among university students is the need to “gain experience to gain experience.” They often do not have the possibility to present their talent and potential, which may be exactly what is needed to catch the attention of a future employer.

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HR trends

HR recruiting is one of the last fields that digitalization influences, Hradílek explains. Because innovation in HR is slow, people have started inventing new solutions of their own. Companies that do not improve their issues in digitalization will fight for the unsuccessful recognition of potential and talent, especially when it comes to young people.

“The advantage of digital recruiting is that employers may conveniently find 'online personality' without in-person meetings,” Hradílek continues. Digital access through social networks, stories, and individual blogs are very helpful for recruiters when attracting Generations Y and Z.

Through a professional yet simple video presentation, a headhunter may see how the applicant will fit in the company culture, which saves time and money and increases the probability of choosing the right candidate.

“We believe that digital CVs will be successful across various fields, mainly in the creative industry and in extroverted positions,” said Hradílek, stressing that those are the spheres where a person has to know how to express him/herself and use emotions, passion and persuasiveness when working.

Top trends shaping the future of recruiting and the hiring process are diversity, new interviewing tools, data analytics and artificial intelligence, says the Global Recruiting Trends 2018 report.

“New interviewing techniques are gaining popularity as ways of augmenting traditional interviews, but the adoption is still early,” cited the report.

Future

Nikola Richterová of the Profesia vacancies website confirmed that digital CVs apply only to a small percentage of applicants who have digital skills.

“There is still a significant number of applicants in Slovakia who do not have an e-mail address,” Richterová explains. She added that they often meet applicants that do not even know how to present themselves in a text document, explaining that many people, for example, add an unofficial photo from family events to a CV.

She opined that a digital CV will be more and more popular among companies in the future, because a video presentation says more about the applicant than a text document. Personal contact with the applicant is still very important.

“It is possible, however, that fewer applicants will be invited to interviews and the number of interview rounds may also be reduced,” Richterová explains to The Slovak Spectator, adding that it will not happen in two or three years but in a longer time period.

Even though this form of the CV is definitely usable in the marketing, management and creative fields, HR is dealing with other problems these days, especially the lack of applicants. HR officers have to focus more on building the brand of the company by ensuring the satisfaction of the currently employed.

Various benefits and special work conditions are also popular when catching the attention of a possible employee. Moreover, taking steps that help the environment or excluded people may be a positive example of luring new applicants.

Jitka Součková of the Grafton recruiting company opined that a digital CV may be interesting for those fields where nomads are popular or when choosing people for a temporary contract. A digital CV, in her view, may be interesting for the start of the interview process, but the technology will surely not replace personal meetings. Video interviews are also used on the market, but not on a large scale.

“We are people and a human attitude during the hiring process is irreplaceable,” Součková opined.

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