Why we don’t use CVs for Apprentices.
When we first start working with clients they invariably ask us to send over CVs of some of the young people we are working with.
However many are surprised when I have to share the fact with them that we DONT USE CVS!
What we have found after seeing hundreds and hundreds of young people’s CVs is that are next to useless when it comes to determining whether they are going to be a success as an apprentice.
We have had terrible CVs that have ended being great apprentices and really great CVs that have simply been a disaster.
This really hit home for me when we sent a selection of our prescreened candidates to a recruitment company looking to hire some apprentices and they rejected ALL of them at CV stage.
What were they expecting to see?
And the great thing about that situation was we eventually hired one of those CVs for the LDN Group (they were fantastic - lots of energy and enthusiasm!), and all the other candidates went on to other businesses to complete successful apprenticeships.
We made the decision that we were not going to use CVs anymore.
So how do we introduce our employers to their future apprentices?
All of our employers come in for our Career Kickstarters to actually meet our young people and make decisions that way. This has lead to much happier clients and young people being assessed on their potential for growth and EEWAP rather than an archaic not fit for purpose CV that does neither manager or candidate any good when it comes to finding the best match.
And now we work with forward facing businesses who are looking to strategically use the apprenticeship model to hire stars of the future and support them in their development. Rather than working with businesses who are simply using the apprenticeship model to hire cheap labour based on their current skills.
Who do you think are going to succeed as businesses going forward in a world where young people have more and more choice of where to use their skills?
What common expectations do people have in your business or sector that you have rejected?