Yes, one learns from such failures. Giving someone who doesn’t qualify a job out of charity is a big mistake!

Unless that changes…

at the last year of my graduation, and before attending the careers day @ UOB, all the advice I got was that the CV should be brief i.e one page with a covering letter…

Creating a CV is like an art the we lack…

If someone really wants the job they should not just tell me why I should hire them, but also spell check properly, get a decently formatted resume attached and do some background on the requirements of the role on offer.

I’ve binned many such resume emails in the past, recently I’ve taken to bringing such candidates to task for their mass-mails to HR departments in the TO fields, and there is some change – but very rare.

I think some of our universities in Bahrain can do with a well-paid Career Advisor who is also a HR Consultant with previous in-house recruitment experience. And if someone of this nature can’t be hired, then outsource the function to some reliable executive search firms (who would be delighted to provide the service)- at the very least the academic institution would be investing back in their students and saving face for their open day career days.

No, what they do need is a bunch of refusals for them to finally realise that what they’re doing is completely inadequate and hence need a complete attitudes and expectations change.

To everybody reading this who is over 40 .. what did your first job application look like? How well did you advise the younger generation on how to apply for work?

Mahmood, maybe you feel you don’t have time for this, but you could reject her application in a helpful manner by giving her pointers on how to apply to other employers. I’ve spent time helping Bahrainis in this sphere even though it wasn’t my business to do so and I wasn’t seeking any reward.

I’ve seen hundreds of CVs and I could spot an inadequate effort a mile away. I’m not looking for a person who couldn’t give a damn whether he/she gets a job or not, I want someone I could depend on, who has enough pride in their work to actually make a contribution to the position s/he fulfils within the company. I most certainly am not looking for a person who hopes to land a job with minimal effort and with a as much aim as a buckshot.

I strongly advise anyone sending an email asking for a job to at least include a couple of paragraphs right in the email – not in the attachment – to actually entice me to actually bother to open an attachment. It’s even better when I receive NO attachment whatsoever (they’re pointless and extra work anyway) and include all of their details, references, job history, education and strengths right in the body of the email.