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Study reveals majority of workers feel over-qualified, while a fifth are under-qualified.

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:55:02 +0100

Only a small proportion of people around the world are working in a job that they feel they are properly qualified for, a new report has discovered, with many saying that they have skills above and beyond what they need, while others feel they do not have the qualifications to complete the task at hand. This is also causing a discrepancy in the level of satisfaction that people garner from their work.

The workplace study by Randstad discovered that the number of people across the world in employment who feel that they are overqualified to do their job amounts to nearly half of the population, with 47 per cent agreeing with this statement. On the other hand, some 20 per cent of people admitted they are in a job that they simply do not have the skills and qualifications to carry out, and believe that they are punching above their weight when it comes to completing their job.

Globally then, this means that only a third of people (33 per cent) believe that they have found themselves in a position in which they feel their skills are both adequate and being put to good use. The proportion of people who feel they have too much in the way of useful skills for their position is even higher in countries where there are economic issues. In Greece, for example, 69 per cent of workers said that they are overqualified for their job. In Turkey, this figure was even higher, sitting at 78 per cent. This could be attributed to the fact that job-seekers in these countries are finding far less highly-skilled jobs available, meaning that they turn instead toward positions which they are overqualified for in a desperate bid to work.

It was said though, that in northern European countries, there appears to be a better balance of people who feel their job matches their skills. In Denmark for example, only 28 per cent of employees agreed with the fact that they were overqualified with their job. And it appears, according to the report, that there is some correlation between people being properly skilled to carry out their job, and the satisfaction that they get when they are in work. For example, in Sweden and other Nordic countries like Denmark, there is a high level of job satisfaction to go hand in hand with the fact people are well matched for their position. In the nation, job satisfaction rose from 65 to 75 per cent of people. Meanwhile, in economically challenged countries such as Greece and Spain, when people are forced to take jobs that are below their skill level are among the least satisfied in the world Randstad said, alongside Hungary.

Key Findings:

Mismatch: Level of Education

1 in 5 people say they are under-qualified for their job. Even more so in Italy (47%), Japan (42%) and Chile (41%). In Hungary (4%), Czech Republic (7%) and Greece (9%), the no. of employees who say they are under-qualified for their job is lowest.
Globally almost half of the employees (47%) feel currently overqualified for their job. Especially in China (84%), Turkey (78%) and Greece (69%). These numbers are lowest in Belgium (28%), Luxemburg (23%) and Denmark (25%).
More than 4 out of 10 employees work with overqualified as well as under-qualified colleagues Especially in Brazil (61%), Hong Kong (71%) and China (65%) employees see many colleagues working below their educational level. In Argentina only 18% feel they are under qualified themselves but 65% see many under-qualified colleagues around them. In Japan, Chile and China, many people seem to have jobs which are not compatible with their level of education.
Overall 66% states their job is a good match in terms of their field of study.

Smaller Mismatch: Field of Study

In Hong Kong (78%) and India (82%) many employees indicate that their job is a good match with their educational background. Also in Denmark (80%) and Norway (68%) most employees have a suitable job. Sweden however is at the low end of countries with a good match in terms of studies (60%).
In Japan (37%) and Slovakia (48%), few employees are in a job that matches with their field of study. In accordance with this finding, employees in these countries also see many colleagues whose jobs do not match their education. Especially in Japan, there seems to be a gap between education and employment.

Finding the Right Talent

Globally, almost 60% of the employers have difficulties in finding the right person for the job. Especially in Brazil (71%), employers have difficulties finding the right talent.
Finding highly-qualified people is an issue for almost half of the employers. This is less the case in Greece, Italy, Spain and Denmark where approx. a third of the employers experience this.
Finding low-skilled workers is less difficult globally (27%) but it is an issue in China (47%), Malaysia (39%) and Japan (35%).

Expected Staffing Shortages

47% expects a shortage of highly qualified staff within the next 3 years. Especially employees in Brazil (58%), China (65%), Hong Kong (67%), India (65%) and Malaysia (64%) expect a shortage of highly qualified staff within the next 3 years. Czech Republic (34%), The Netherlands and Denmark (33%) have the lowest proportion of employees expecting a shortage of highly qualified staff.
34% expects a shortage of lower-skilled workers in the coming years. Employees in Czech Republic (17%) and Denmark (18%) are at the low end. Compared with the global average, more employees in China (50%), Malaysia (57%), Hong Kong (59%) and India (57%) expect a shortage of lower skilled workers.

This shows that people in general are looking for jobs that are not only within their capabilities, but also give them a level of challenge that suits their own personal skills, leaving them happy and satisfied when they head into their place of work.

Where do you think you stand? Tell us what you think.

The Filmore CV is grateful to resumebear.com for contributing this article.

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CV and Resume Keywords and Phrases

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:55:25 +0100

CV and Resume Phrases – Professional Summary or Profile

Results-driven, logical and methodical approach to achieving tasks and objectives
Determined and decisive - uses initiative to develop effective solutions to problems
Reliable and dependable - high personal standards and attention to detail
Methodical and rigorous approach to achieving tasks and objectives
Entrepreneurial and pro-active - strong drive and keen business mind
Identifies and develops opportunities; innovates and makes things happen
Good strategic appreciation and vision; able to build and implement sophisticated plans
Determined and decisive; uses initiative to meet and resolve challenges
Strives for quality and applies process and discipline towards optimising performance
Extremely reliable and dependable - analytical and questioning, strives for quality
Methodical approach to planning and organising - good time-manager
Excellent interpersonal skills - good communicator, leadership, high integrity
Strong planning, organising and monitoring abilities - an efficient time-manager
Self-driven and self-reliant - sets aims and targets and leads by example
Good interpersonal skills - works well with others, motivates and encourages
High integrity, diligent and conscientious - reliable and dependable
Self-aware - always seeking to learn and grow
Seeks new responsibilities irrespective of reward and recognition
Detailed and precise; fastidious and thorough • decisive and results-driven; creative problem-solver
Good starter - enthusiastic in finding openings and opportunities
Creative and entrepreneurial net-worker - effective project coordinator
Reliable and dependable in meeting objectives - hard-working
Emotionally mature; calming and positive temperament; tolerant and understanding
Searches for and finds solutions to challenges - exceptionally positive attitude
Great team-worker - adaptable and flexible
Well organised; good planner; good time-manager
Seeks new responsibilities and uses initiative; self-sufficient
Solid approach to achieving tasks and objectives; determined and decisive
Excellent interpersonal skills - good communicator, high integrity
Energetic and physically very fit; quick to respond to opportunities and problems
Active and dynamic approach to work and getting things done
Financially astute - conversant with accounting systems and principles
Tactical, strategic and proactive - anticipates and takes initiative
Systematic and logical - develops and uses effective processes
Good listener - caring and compassionate
Critical thinker - strong analytical skills; accurate and probing
Good creative and methodical - probing and resourceful
Facilitative project manager; develops and enables group buy-in
Persistent and tenacious sales developer; comfortable with demanding targets
Resilient and thorough - detached and unemotional
Completer-finisher; checks and follows up - immaculate record-keeper
Team-player - loyal and determined
Technically competent/qualified [state discipline or area, to whatever standard or level]
Task-orientated - commercially experienced and aware
Excellent inter-personal and communications skills
Sound planning and organizational capabilities
Results oriented - focused on productive and high-yield activities
Tolerant and understanding - especially good with young children/elderly people/needy people/disadvantaged people, etc
Emotionally mature - calming and positive temperament - compassionate and caring
Sensitive and patient interpersonal and communication skills
High integrity and honesty; ethical and socially aware
Energetic and positive outlook, which often inspires others
Calm, reliable and dependable in meeting objectives - logical and numerate

CV and Resume quantification / context / scale indicators to enhance and support responsibilities

Responsible for X number of staff
Geographical territory
Number of accounts
Annual turnover or revenue/company size
Annual cost budgets
Plant or asset value
Size of location or site
Number of departments
Number of locations
International/domestic coverage
Number of distributors or customers
Value of business
Number of products
Value of highest rated products and services
Number or scale of developments
Timing, scheduling and or project duration
Throughput or output
Speed of operation or turn-around
Travel or coverage
Cycle time or 'churn' or turnover (replacement) rate or percentage
Industry sector or segment or niche (e.g., 'Automotive, consumer servicing and repairs')
Business-to-business (B2B) or consumer (some people recognise this as B2C)
Type of organisation - private company, public company, institutional, not-for-profit, etc
Other organisational descriptions
Organisation culture, structure, management style (be positive - not blaming or critical)
Area or region
Type of department or division
Precise work or job function
Products or services descriptions
Expertise and quality standards and levels
Market position and share
Competitive positioning if any
Trends/outlook - increasing, reducing, declining, mature, developing, etc
Distribution model
Maturity of business or sector
Other factors, pressures, growth, local/world economy etc

Non-work experiences that can be added to CV’s and Resumes to support skills and under-pin job responsibilities

Voluntary work
Fund-raising
Grants and funding applications
Committee membership of societies and clubs
Organising things - at school, college, university, local community
Campaigning for a cause
Running a part-time business or own business
Teaching and helping people
Caring for people
Creating things - art, writing, photography, sculpture, etc
Languages
Sports and fitness
Organising events and outings
Entertaining and performing

If you need more information or advice

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Getting Personal: Techniques for handling personal interview questions.

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:55:43 +0100

Once upon a time, it was considered a faux pas for interviewers to ask about your family life or political affiliations. However, as many jobs are now filled through social networking, that is friends setting up other friends, it is infinitely more common to be asked about those or other personal topics during a job interview.

It is illegal to discriminate based on gender, race, national origin, marital status, sexual preference, religious belief, age or disability. Interviewers usually avoid asking questions on those subjects and other personal issues that are not directly work-related, since it opens up the possibility that an applicant, rejected by lack of qualifications, could claim that he or she was discriminated against.

Much as we try not to ask these sorts of questions, they still pop up, especially if they may affect your ability to do your job. A recruiter might ask about your family, for example, if the job in question requires extensive travel or long hours as young families can be burdensome in certain types of jobs. He or she might also ask about your physical health if the job requires heavy lifting, or repetitive physical tasks.

Be careful of the information that you volunteer. Remember that any personal details you give could be used against you, since you opened the door to the question in the first place. So, before the interview, think about the information you don’t mind sharing versus what you would rather not.

If the interview moves into the realms of your personal life, manoeuvre it back to the discussion about the role for which you are applying. Try and think of a way that you can turn the inadvertent blunder into an asset that will assist you in being employed.

It’s possible that you’ve lived in another country and so have a second language. Tell the interviewer how this may increase your efficiency at work and increase better work relations. But if you are asked something personal, ask some questions of your own such as, "Is this something that's important to your employment decision?"

Be polite, and don't get aggressive. Keep in mind that the recruiter may have a valid reason for asking a question. No matter why you're being asked, a nasty response will only serve as a mark against you.

Evaluate the interview as you would a first date. If you are treated poorly or made to feel uncomfortable during an interview, it's a reasonable indication of what you could expect on the job. But not every interview that went well offers up the reward of a job offer, so keep things in perspective and live to fight another day.

If you need more information or advice

Telephone:
02381 785282 or 07741 403938

Email:
cv@thefilmorecv.com

or complete our
Contact Request Form

What you need to know about CV, Resume and Cover Letter Presentation.

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:56:05 +0100

Did you check your CV, Resume and Cover Letter for spelling and grammatical errors before you emailed it to every job vacancy you could find? There is no faster way to put your job application in the recycling bin than through errors in spelling and bad use of grammar.

The job market is such that every single job is over-subscribed and employers and recruiters get hundreds of CV’s and Resumes per job vacancy. A manageable number of applications can only be reached by rejecting those CV’s, Resumes and Cover Letters with spelling errors, problems with grammar, sloppy style and presentation and general lack of professionalism. You will be amazed to know that, on average, 50% of all job applications have glaring errors, from school leaver level right through to Director/CEO level.

There is absolutely no excuse for any errors of any kind. These days, most word processing applications have spelling and grammar checkers. So if you aren’t sure about the right verb, pronoun, tense, spelling etc. you can always check it. Even if your WP application doesn’t have the facility to check your work, you can still get help online through a huge variety of dictionaries, thesauri and language usage. Sending CV’s, Resumes and Cover Letters without checking them for mistakes signals to the recipient that you either don’t care or can’t be bothered and potential employers definitely don’t want an employee with that kind of attitude.

Here is a proofreading checklist for your CV, Resume and Cover Letter.

Apostrophes

An apostrophe or ’ or ' is a punctuation mark, and it serves three purposes:

The marking of the omission of one or more letters, such as in the contraction of “do not” to “don't”.
The marking of possessive case such as in the “cat's” whiskers or “Peter’s” bicycle.
Just like “it’s” is singular, “its” is plural. For example, it is incorrect to write laptop’s in reference to many “laptops”; it is incorrect to write a kilo of “pear’s”, instead the correct way is to write a kilo of “pears”. Some words have a chameleon-like spelling, for instance, you wouldn’t write a kilo of “cherry’s” you would correctly write a kilo of “cherries”. However, if you were referring to the name Cherry and writing about “Cherry’s” belongings, “Cherry’s”, in the singular possessive case, would be correct.

Tenses

The correct way to write a CV, Resume, or Cover Letter is for the current job to be referred to in the present tense; in other words, writing “manage the sales ledger” is correct for your current job, but in a previous role you would write in a previous job (past tense) you would write “managed the sales ledger”. Keep your tenses consistent within each section of your CV, don’t jumble it up as it projects an indecisive and disorganised frame of mind.

Reading back over what you’ve written.

I cannot stress how important this is. It’s very easy to miss out words out of sentences because your brain thinks faster than your fingers can type. This happens a lot and usually 1 of 2 things occurs, either the sentence doesn’t make sense or the meaning of the sentence conveys something altogether different. The mistake is compounded when you read it back if you only skim through the content. Try to get a friend or other third party to read your document back, not knowing what’s in the content, will mean their eyes are sharper and more likely to find even the least obvious of mistakes.

If you need to have your CV or Resume reviewed, we can do that for you it's free, click here.

If you need more information or advice

Telephone: 02381 785282 or 07741 403938

Email: cv@thefilmorecv.com

or complete our Contact Request Form

Recuiters' Shorthand Abbreviations & Meanings

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:56:21 +0100

Recruiters, like many specialised professionals, have pet words and phrases that they regularly use to classify certain types of candidate. These code words can speak volumes about what a search executive is thinking about a candidate.

Here is a sampling of terms -- some more common than others -- that recruiters say they often rely on when assessing the potential of their candidates:

TMI: Short for: Too Much Information. This term refers to candidates who give long-winded answers. One head hunter’s view is that sometimes candidates can talk themselves out of a job. Job seekers need to give the interviewer enough information to make a decision about you, but you don't want to give so much that they are able to find something wrong with you. Try rehearsing concise answers to interview questions with a friend. Have a look at our other blog pages for lists of Interview Questions, to give you some idea of what you might be asked in an interview situation.

FD: Short for Factual Discrepancy. A term given when a recruiter finds errors and mistakes on candidates own CV’s and Resumes. It’s very common practice for job seekers to lie on and embellish their CV’s/Resumes/job applications and many are the times that they are found out. Academic and professional credentials are cases in point; recruiters who see a degree listed on a CV next to a university will presume, on the face of it, that you earned it/them. It is easy to detect during the job interview that you didn't graduate or that you didn’t sit professional exams based very simply on your responses and knowledge. It is embarrassing for the interviewer to discover this and it’s very unlikely that the interview will progress any further, if it does, it’s very likely that your candidacy will not be seriously considered. It is perfectly acceptable for a CV/Resume to note the coursework completed towards a degree or the progression of professional qualifications by exams taken. Don’t lie, be honest, don’t embarrass yourself, the recruiter who recommended you, or the employer by making people think you are something that you are not…even if it doesn’t get found out! You could find yourself in a new job but employer expectations are higher than the standard that you are able to perform to and you could find yourself without a job at all and facing the whole lengthy process all over again. Not only that, you will have some tricky explaining to do about why you left a previous employment so suddenly.

SV: Short for Search Virgin. A common misconception is the belief that recruiters are responsible for finding people jobs. What candidates sometimes don't know is that recruiters are hired by companies to help them fill positions with qualified talent. Candidates often voice their disappointment or anger to recruiters, which can derail their chances and because of this misconception/attitude, recruiters often become reluctant to place them in front of a client. Be careful what you say, and who you say it to.

NC: Short for Non-communicative or Noncom. Shorthand for candidates who lack good communication skills. Recruiters are frequently placed in situations where they have to note "noncom" or "NC" at the top of a CV/Resume/application during an interview. It is imperative that you look the person in the eye, speak eloquently by putting clear words and sentences to your recruiter/prospective employer and be confident about what you are saying.

PP: Short for Poor Presentation: For some recruiters/employers, Chris poor presentation sometimes comes to mind before even shaking a candidate's hand. Your presentation and style are assessed the moment you walk into the room. A lot of people don't realise that they should be in the right mind set; you can’t afford to have an off-day when it comes to job interviews. Only very famous film and TV stars are allowed tantrums or grumpiness, the rest of us have to impress the moment step into the building. Examples of poor presentation include slouching, foot tapping, hair twirling, treating receptionists rudely and gum chewing; anything that detracts from that impeccable professional look and attitude scores negative points.

FP: Short for Flat Personality or Boring: Liven up and show the interesting side of your character. Too many times, candidates become blasé bored with meeting recruiters, not necessarily so with employers, but that flat attitude stops your CV/Resume/application being put in the “good pile” and you run the risk of losing out on some very worthwhile opportunities. This is another reason why job seekers have the idea that recruiters are not working hard enough on their particular case. If a recruiter cannot be 100% confident in you, then yes, you can forget it. Recruiters want to see candidates express excitement when describing their accomplishments and interest in the job and the company.

SN: Short for Serial Net-worker: This expression is used when candidates are found to be working with several recruiting consultancies at once. Through conversations amongst recruiters, candidates names come up, and it becomes common knowledge that they're in the marketplace. Professionals broadening their search beyond opportunities that match their expertise sometimes fall into this practice and it looks like they are going about their search in a frenzied and haphazard way. You need to develop a job strategy and not be seen as desperate, employers won’t like seeing your CV/Resume/application fall on their desks 4 or 5 times for the same job.

M: Short for Mortician: This “less than glamorous” label is applied to candidates whose appearance is dated or drab. Looking like you’ve dug your suit out from the back of the wardrobe, dated, drab and tired makes you look like the blood has been sucked out of you. You will tend to make a poor impression by giving little thought to what you wear, creating the idea that you either don’t care or just haven’t got the energy, drive and enthusiasm that either recruiters or employers want.

PS: Short for Purple Squirrel (not post script!): This cute nom de plume is attributed to those candidates who tick all the right boxes for recruiters. Purple Squirrel used to be the title of a trade magazine for the I T industry and the term has been carried over. These candidates walk on air as far as recruiters are concerned; these candidates dress right, have good professionally written CV’s and Resumes, they are smiling, interested, questioning and they are frankly, a rarity.

So here’s a warning, if you see anything other than a "PS" penciled on your file, you are almost certainly, a jam sandwich minus the peanut butter!

If you need information or advice

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