SHOW MORE RESPECT, SAYS YOUNG JOB SEEKER ACCIDENTALLY SENT ‘AWFUL’ CV NOTES
A graduate has declined an interview with an employer who accidentally included in their email invitation comments referencing her CV as being that of a “home-educated oddball” who it would be good to meet “if only for a laugh”.
Since the incident was first reported earlier this week, it has chimed with graduates everywhere, who say too many employers are still failing to treat young job seekers with the care and respect you deserve.
It all started when Anna Jacobs, from Horsmonden in Kent, applied for a position at Tonbridge-based firm Tecomak Environmental Services.
Replying to invite her for interview, the employer accidentally attached a report of internal comments on her CV, including suggestions by Tecomak staff that Anna was a “home educated odd ball” who “can’t get a job since leaving uni” and “forages for mushrooms.” Charming.
Another note added that it was “Difficult to assess from her CV – might be very good but equally could be a biscuit short of a packet or a left-wing loon tree hugger.”
Understandably, Anna was ‘furious’ when she read the comments, telling the BBC:
“This awful summary is attached and I thought how dare somebody say that about my CV and myself.
“That is basically like saying it is going to be a huge waste of time but let’s do it for a laugh and make up the numbers.
“I don’t want to be a number. I believe I have got a lot to offer and if that is all I am to an employer then please don’t invite me to an interview because it is just wasting everyone’s time.”
Anna told the BBC she would not be attending an interview with Tecomak but had others she needed to focus on. We’re glad to hear it. Best of luck, Anna. We’re right behind you!
* HAVE YOU HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WHEN APPLYING FOR A JOB?
Did Anna do the right thing in turning down the interview? Should employers treat young job seekers with more respect? We’d love to hear your stories and views…
If a Personnel Clerk within an organisation cannot read a CV, perhaps the key issue to address is not whether a candidate is qualified, but that the organisation may not be best equipped to survive.
Good Riddance.
I have often wondered the extent to which the interviews I have attended have been genuine or just part of a ruse to portray an open and fair selection process.
You do hear stories of recruiters deciding on candidates within a few moments of either reading a CV or meeting them and this particular employer was silly enough to spill the beans.
What I find most offensive in all of this is the waste of time and money. The amount of money in train fares it takes to get to interviews for e.g. can be crippling. If there was never a chance of being selected then don’t let people waste their hard-earned. Also, don’t pretend that we live in a meritocratic society that is blind to class, ethnicity and gender and that ‘anyone can make it if they work hard enough’. These cathartic myths need to die if we are to create a society that works for everyone.