Snapchat your CV
The average time spent looking at a CV is less than that of a Snapchat!
What does a prospective employer actually look for when they receive your CV? Do they (or more likely HR) really dig into the detail and try to find out who you actually are?
Apparently words on a page will help someone do that!
Or do they simply gloss over what’s actually there, what you have curated as a testimony to your academic and working life thus far? There has been research done from a variety of sources – I won’t bore you here with links and imagery (Just Google it – it’s what 68% of employers do to you anyway – Undercover Recruiter 2012) that an employer will spend around 5–7 seconds looking at your CV.
That’s it- the hours you spent carefully selecting the right font and size, setting up a new email address because the one you had when your were 14 just doesn’t quite cut it anymore, and not to mention digging out those old GCSEs certificates just to find out what exam board and grade you achieved in Food Tech or Physics only to find an employer doesn’t even look past Maths or English. So why do we bother? Why do we follow the crowd and stick with the mindset that our CV must look a certain way (and just like everyone else’s) and contain the same standard information – let’s explore something different!
Yes the title of this post might be said more in jest than actual reality, but what if you did actually Snapchat your CV? If an employer actually viewed it for the full 10 seconds you’d be doing better than the majority – but what they hell would you actually share?
Let’s make this clear, You’ve not got the option to create a longer Snapchat story but a simple once shot photograph. Some things to consider:
- The average person reads at a speed of about 300 wpm ( that’s about 50 words in 10 seconds) so no chance of getting all your qualifications and work experience in that photo!!
- Around 65 percent of the population are visual learners (Shift Disruptive Elearning, Karla Gutierrez 2014) — or at least learn best /prefer this learning style - so you’re going to need to consider the colour, composition and arrangement of that photo
- A picture paints a thousand words – for example a well designed badge image tells you so much about the potential evidence baked inside (can you tell where I might be going with this idea now?!)
So why not share you’re Open Badge portfolio via your Snapchat? What better ‘CV’ to show off than one made up of the skills that actual matter to you – earned, curated and shared based on a pathway towards a chosen career.
So this leads me onto the main point here, what do we/you/I have that makes us stand out from the crowd? What qualities and achievements can I show off that give me the edge? Open Badge Academy is a place to start exploring employer created, verified and endorsed badges – where you can acquire new skills and showcase your achievements.
