90% of jobseekers use other people’s CVs for their own

The survey suggested that many rely on examples and templates from the web in order to mask their tendency to ramble

Newsdesk News, Friday 05 June 2015 Jump to Comments(0) 3,421 Views

Think you’ve seen the same CV over and over? It’s probably true, with a survey revealing a large majority of a ‘cut and paste’ generation, mostly those under 30, copy from other CVs as they struggle with written communication.

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The survey suggested that many rely on examples and templates from the web in order to mask their tendency to ramble, to use over-complicated language, or to write sentences that do not convey their intended message.

A quarter of those questioned said they had hired someone to write their CV, or had called on the aid of friends or family.

And 89 per cent had also resorted to online resources for help, where CV templates and real examples can be downloaded.

The survey also revealed that those surveyed said that their writing style hadn’t improved since they were at school. 20 per cent also revealed that they have resorted to slang or text speak in important documents.

However all those questioned said that they included communication skills as a key attribute in their CV’s.

The bestselling author of Get To The Point: How To Write Well At Work, Christopher Stoakes, told Business Matters: “The research confirms what employers have been saying for some time, that today’s fresh graduates can’t write well in the workplace.

“But it also explains why employers find it so hard to determine who, amongst applicants, can and can’t write well.

“The results of this poll reflect a worrying trend, especially among young people, to rely on the internet to draft important documents,”

According to Business Matters, the research found that 62 per cent of those surveyed described their spoken communication skills as at least ‘above average’, with 56 per cent saying similar about their vocabulary.

While the vast majority said that written and oral communication skills were essential in the workplace, over two-thirds admitted to struggling to communicate in written form, with 78 per cent saying that they found it easiest to convey a message by talking.