Interviewing Archives - La Fosse https://www.lafosse.com/insights/category/candidate/interviewing/ Recruitment, Leadership, & Talent Solutions Across Tech, Digital, & Change Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:06:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 How to Get a Job | Our Head of Talent reveals top tips https://www.lafosse.com/insights/how-to-get-a-job-recruiter-reveals-insider-tips-la-fosse/ Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:24:10 +0000 https://www.lafosse.com/?p=107331 Getting a job in 2025 is tougher than ever. The number of graduate roles has dropped to its lowest level in seven years, and with AI reshaping how companies hire, competition across all levels has never been fiercer. But while AI has changed the rules, it hasn’t rewritten them completely. The people who win in

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Getting a job in 2025 is tougher than ever. The number of graduate roles has dropped to its lowest level in seven years, and with AI reshaping how companies hire, competition across all levels has never been fiercer.

But while AI has changed the rules, it hasn’t rewritten them completely. The people who win in today’s job market aren’t fighting against technology; they’re learning how to use it to their advantage.

So, how do you land a new role? Our Head Of Talent Acquisition and recruitment expert, Karina Oluwo, has revealed five insider secrets every jobhunter needs to know to get ahead in 2025.

1. LinkedIn is your secret CV, and it’s always checked first

Forget dusty CV databases – recruiters don’t wait for your application anymore. They’re already searching LinkedIn, and if your profile is out of date, you could be invisible.

“Recruiters are silently scanning profiles before they’ve even opened your application,” Karina reveals. “Think of LinkedIn as your public CV. A recruiter’s first impression is formed there.”

“Here’s a top tip: your headline matters more than you think. Don’t just put ‘Marketing Executive’. Write something that showcases your skills, like ‘Marketing exec specialising in social campaigns that drive results’.”

2. Your values can make or break your chances

All too often, candidates focus on skills and experience. But more than ever, employers want to see what you stand for. Flexibility, diversity, and wellbeing aren’t just buzzwords; they’re dealbreakers.

Karina says: “In interviews, candidates who can clearly explain their values stand out. If you’re clear on what matters to you, it shows confidence and helps employers see if you’re the right cultural fit.”

“Employers are watching how you talk about past jobs. If you mention teamwork, flexibility or work-life balance naturally, it ticks the right boxes. Talk about disagreements or negative situations without solutions, and you’re already on the back foot.”

3. AI isn’t replacing you, it’s revealing who’s ready to evolve

Forget the fearmongering – AI isn’t here to take your job, it’s here to change how you work, apply, and prepare. According to Karina, the smartest candidates are already using it to refine their approach.

“AI isn’t a creation tool, it’s an improvement utensil,” says Karina. “Use it to sharpen your CV, prepare for interviews, or better understand the companies you’re applying to. The key is to make the tech work with you, not do the work for you.”

Employers can easily spot the difference between something that’s been thoughtfully enhanced, and something that’s been generated extensively. “Those who use AI to improve their thinking, rather than replace it, come across as adaptable, efficient, and future-ready,” Karina adds.

4. The best opportunities find you, when you make yourself findable

Applying is just one piece of the puzzle. The most successful candidates are creating visibility long before they hit submit.

“Recruiters aren’t just waiting for applications anymore,” says Karina. “They’re proactively mapping the market and reaching out to top talent who might not even be looking. The people who stay visible and engaged are the ones getting those calls.”

That means staying active in your space, sharing insights, connecting with leaders, and joining the conversations that matter. “When you show up consistently and contribute, you’re not just another applicant; you become part of the network,” Karina adds.

5. The oldest trick still works: people hire people

Behind all the AI screening and LinkedIn algorithms, nothing beats a genuine human connection. A simple thank-you email after an interview still stands out, especially in 2025 when fewer people bother.

“The basics never go out of fashion,” Karina admits. “Politeness, enthusiasm, and genuine interest make a candidate memorable. You’d be surprised how often decisions are swayed by who felt the most genuine.”

How to get hired in 2025

Recruitment has gone high-tech, but it’s still a people game. The candidates who win in 2025 will be the ones who know how to work with AI, not against it. As Karina puts it:

“AI can make you faster and sharper, but it can’t replace human intuition or connection. The candidates who blend both are the ones who stand out.”

Looking for a role in Tech? Why not submit your CV today? Or, check out our live Job Board for currently available roles.

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Top portfolio tips for designers https://www.lafosse.com/insights/top-portfolio-tips-for-designers/ Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:43:34 +0000 https://www.lafosse.com/?p=1727 A strong portfolio is a key tool for designers at all levels of seniority. We spoke to a handful of experienced hiring managers and design professionals to hear what they look for in candidate portfolios and their top tips for standing out at interview.   ​Do I need a portfolio to be considered for a

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A strong portfolio is a key tool for designers at all levels of seniority. We spoke to a handful of experienced hiring managers and design professionals to hear what they look for in candidate portfolios and their top tips for standing out at interview.

 

​Do I need a portfolio to be considered for a design role?

The response from all our interviewees was a resounding YES, especially in today’s highly competitive landscape. Without a portfolio, you may sacrifice your chance of even getting a first-stage interview. Hiring managers need to see that you’ve got the knowledge and experience required, and even at senior levels, some level of portfolio is expected to show how you design and create products.

“CVs provide you a taste of what someone can do, but you don’t know if a candidate has the right skills for a role from this alone. Putting a portfolio together can be time-consuming, but see it as an opportunity. With a CV, you’re measured against where you’ve worked and a short description of all that you did there, whereas a portfolio allows you to really show off your skills.” –Caitlin Rich – Principle Product Designer, Freetrade

When putting together or updating your portfolio, try to ensure you’re answering the following questions through example work, case studies and recommendations:

Soft skills:

  • How do you communicate with others?
  • How well do you work in a team?
  • How do you go about resolving everyday conflicts with a peer without escalating?
  • What values are important to you?
  • How do you contribute to organisational values and culture?

Hard skills:

  • What software are you competent in?
  • How do you use the software available?
  • How do you articulate and present your design work?

“Spelling and grammar are extremely important for any candidate portfolio. Having a clear layout and imagery is also important for me because I need to see evidence from the designer that they can do the job at hand.” – Milon Harman – Head of Product Design, TES

What are the most important things to showcase in a design portfolio?

1. The design process

“Spend your visual real estate on the visuals and workings, not just endless shots of post-it workshops. Talk about the problems to be solved. Talk about who you worked with to get to the solution. Talk about the challenges and opportunities passed up, not just a chronology of the work. And show examples of the work with descriptions about why what each bit you are showing matters to the project.” Charmaine Wyland – Head of User Experience and Design, Spotlight Sports Group

“Interviewers want to see a narrative: outline any problems and how you overcame them, then follow up with results. Be prepared to expand on how you came by those metrics, whether you’re happy with them, and what you would have done differently a second time round.” Steve Pearce – SVP Product Design, Checkout.com

“With case studies covering bigger projects, you often don’t know what the candidates responsibilities were. It helps if they are clear about the team structure and their contributions. Be upfront if you were the lead product designer, though had support from a strong UI designer, or partnered with a user researcher. If you had little support and covered the whole design process, make that clear too!” – Caitlin Rich

2.Relevant examples

“Look at the job description and pick out examples from your portfolio that fit the role you’re applying for – I like to see the link. Why are you the best fit for this organisation? What can you bring to us that no other candidate will have, and what’s that thing that will give you the wow factor? I like to see how you holistically think about how you connect everything else to your position.” – Milon Harman

3. Your design skills!

“The design of the CV and portfolio is very important. CVs that are poorly laid out or are difficult to read immediately signal that the candidate is not a strong designer. Same for portfolios, if it is difficult to navigate or doesn’t give me a clear idea of what they can do, can I really trust the candidate in making our product easy to use and understand?” – Caitlin Rich

“Interviewers are looking for evidence of visual acumen – a shabby, poorly laid out portfolio doesn’t show much skill or love for your craft.” – Steve Pearce

Can I showcase confidential work in a portfolio?

Before you consider using any past work in your portfolio, ensure you have permission from the employer or client. If the work is confidential, make sure you’re clear on the specific rules of distribution and legal rights for that project.

​If you can show work in an interview:

“Give a very detailed description of what the work is and why it’s directly relevant to show in the interview. If you are interviewing with a competitor, it’s a very small world, so be very considered in what aspects of the work you do show in an interview so it doesn’t land you in legal hot water later.” – Charmaine Wyland

“Bring in a printed PDF and be very specific about its confidentiality, noting that the work is only being shared for the purpose of advancing your application. I would never expect to leave the documentation with the interviewer, and if they ask, the candidate should refuse.” – Milon Harman

If the company you have done the work for has asked for you to not show the work publicly, but you are not under a strict NDA:

It’s advisable to omit this work from your online portfolio completely until the project is publicly launched, but an alternate option is to:

“Password-protect your website and try to utilise tech that disables someone’s ability to screengrab it. Do NOT send PDFs or screengrabs because you run the risk that someone at some point will show it to the wrong person. If you are interviewing with a direct competitor and there is any sensitivity around the work, don’t risk it – don’t show it.” – Charmaine Wyland

If you can’t show work at all:

It can be frustrating when all or most of your recent work is bound to confidentiality agreements, but you do have some options.

“Show what you can, even if it’s a top-level outline of a project, and clearly communicate why you can’t show the details. You can always go through your process, without giving too much information away. Though make sure you have other case studies that demonstrate skills you may have had to strip out. In some cases, that might mean showing hypothetical work, but this can only get you so far, so make sure any hypothetical work is balanced against real work.” – Caitlin Rich

“Companies with confidentiality agreements usually have large legal teams, so give them a call and ask for their advice on any ways you can get around this for interview purposes.” – Steve Pearce

Does it matter which format my portfolio is distributed in?

The consensus among the design leaders we interviewed was that each of the following formats has its benefits in different stages of the process, but that generally more than one is expected.

Website

“Websites or online interactive platforms are preferred, especially for those working in digital product. The site structure and navigation of your portfolio site will tell me more about how much you care and how competent you are at designing or directing the build of something that is all yours, compared to other work you might show where you can hide behind group contributions.” – Charmaine Wyland

“Websites are easy to manage and can showcase a lot of work, but they are difficult to tailor to a specific role. I often find that websites have so many case studies that it is hard to know what to focus on. Hiring managers often have limited time to review a portfolio and understand what you can do, so make sure they are seeing your best work.” – Caitlin Rich

PDF

“When I’m screening through a CV, I would expect an online portfolio for me to look at. In an interview, I expect a slimmed down PDF version with the best work from their most recent positions. If they can base their interview around that, that would be impressive to me.” – Milon Harman

“The benefit of PDFs is that they can be tailored to the job description. The downside is that it can be quite difficult to lay out complex projects into separate pages that make sense, but that does help you to be concise.” – Caitlin Rich

“I think these days it makes more sense to have your portfolio online or as a hosted PDF. It’s really your call but try to avoid a novelty page-turn style portfolio – think about what you’re trying to show and if it’s a true reflection of your skills!” – Steve Pearce

Online professional networks

“I would prefer a website portfolio, but if they don’t have one, I would expect them to have an online portfolio on Creativepool, The Dots or Behance.” – Milon Harman

“For visual design and UI roles, sites like Dribbble are okay, but for product design, there’s not really enough information to understand how people work through complex problems.” – Caitlin Rich

 

Thank you to Charmaine, Caitlin, Milon and Steve for their time – we hope you find this advice useful in your future job searches! If you’d like to learn more about standing out during the interview process, please read our recent article on Top Interview Tips for Designers.

If you’re currently looking for a new opportunity, why not check out our current Digital, Product and Design vacancies?

 

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Top interview tips for designers https://www.lafosse.com/insights/top-interview-tips-for-designers/ Tue, 15 Dec 2020 13:38:26 +0000 https://www.lafosse.com/?p=1758 Design roles are notoriously competitive, especially in an increasingly digital world. We spoke to a handful of experienced hiring managers and design professionals to hear what they look for in UX/UI and researcher roles, and how you can stand out from the competition.   5 key things hiring managers look for in top design candidates

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Design roles are notoriously competitive, especially in an increasingly digital world. We spoke to a handful of experienced hiring managers and design professionals to hear what they look for in UX/UI and researcher roles, and how you can stand out from the competition.

 

5 key things hiring managers look for in top design candidates

Are you a ‘giver’, ‘matcher’ or a ‘taker’?

We’ve all heard the question ‘what can you bring to the team/business?’, but in reality, it’s much more nuanced than that. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who can not only bring their personal skills and ambitions to a company, but who plan on using their knowledge to help the organisation progress and succeed.

“To sort out which type a candidate is, I try to focus on asking for examples of how they helped another person’s career: Are they specific? Do they talk about helping people who could not directly positively impact their career? I ask about how they collaborate and see if they give any credit to other people on their team for a great contribution. People who give and match will help your team and company reach success – takers care about themselves and their own ambition; they can do a lot of damage if not carefully weeded out.”– Charmaine Wyland – Head of User Experience and Design, Spotlight Sports Group

Do you know the business impact of your work?

“Many designers (and researchers) don’t know the financial impact of their work -how much money their work has made, cost or saved the company – some don’t care. I look for someone who knows the potential business value of their decisions and contributions.” – Charmaine Wyland

From a senior or lead designer, hiring managers will likely expect in-depth understanding of how they can articulate their design thinking back to the overarching business strategy, so be prepared to discuss this.

Do you have the right soft skills?

“Soft skills are hugely important. How well can the candidate collaborate with others, and how well do they take on constructive feedback (and disregard when appropriate)? How confident are they in challenging ideas but not being disrespectful of anyone’s knowledge, expertise or role?” – Milon Harman – Head of Product Design, TES

This also ties in with being a good company fit. What values and culture can they bring to the organisation? Hiring managers will be keen on understanding where and how the candidate will fit in with the existing team and wider business.

Do you have the right hard skills?

“As well as how well they can use a package and how good their design thinking skills are, I want to see how well the candidate can work within an agile environment. Do they follow processes, and if so, which ones? Additionally, how well can they use quantitative data to better interact with users?” – Milon Harman

Have you got a strong personal brand?

“Personality, personal branding and organisation skills are all important things for a design professional’s website – I expect it to be spell-checked, well-written, and to give credit where due, for example if they have collaborated with another designer. I don’t want to see a lazy copy and paste job – this has led me to instantly disregarding candidates in the past.” – Milon Harman

Hiring managers also want to see candidates with a genuine interest in their field. Start considering how you follow and engage with UI/UX/product trends.

​Common design interview questions to prepare for

4 common interview questions for UX Designers

  1. How have you approached business needs and balanced them with customer needs?
  2. When and how have you challenged briefs from product or stakeholders when it came to identifying the user benefit or issue?
  3. Have you employed mental models or empathy maps in your thinking as you work on a user flow?
  4. How have you validated a design solution before, and what research did you base your hypotheses on?

4 common interview questions for UI Designers

  1. How familiar are you with UX patterns and how they work in a large, complex UI ecosystem?
  2. Have you ever designed a product that required a high level of accessibility consideration?
  3. Have you ever designed a large, complex design UI system?
  4. Have you ever had to evolve a UI design system from what exists on a complex, messily coded legacy product – if so, what was your approach?

4 common interview questions for UX Researchers

  1. What different types of user research methods have you employed in your career so far?
  2. Can you work both on your own and as part of a larger UX/research team?
  3. How do you bring stakeholders and designers on the journey of the importance and value of user research?
  4. How do you break down technical/academic research methodologies and research findings to be more easily understood by those in the company not as familiar with user research?

​How to stand out when interviewing for a design role

​Research the business

This goes much further than just finding out the general backstory. Make sure you’re able to ask detailed questions about how this role is helping the business – what do they want this role to deliver, and how can your unique skills or experience help the business fulfil their objectives?

Be prepared to give specific examples

“It’s very easy to say, ‘yes I can do this’, but you need to bring a situation to the table that you can talk through in detail. Even if things didn’t necessarily always go right and didn’t play out in the perfect way, you learn so much from that that you can bring to interview.” – Caitlin Rich – Principle Product Designer, Freetrade

The most important factor in all this is that you want to be memorable. Discuss one of your portfolio pieces and recount the challenges and successes you had from the project – what did you learn from this particular assignment? The more detail you can provide, the better chance you have of standing out.

Having trouble structuring your examples? Check out the STAR technique.

Shout about your skills

Don’t undersell yourself! Even if the role description doesn’t require you to have full-stack experience, it’s worth mentioning this (or any other proficiencies you might have) as having cross-functional capability is infinitely more valuable to both the business and your career progression.

“Instead of seeing UX or UI as separate skill sets, I consider product design as a whole. This is especially important when you are scaling – you need someone who is a full-stack product designer who can also deliver with mastery of their visual craft. UI experience is preferable as it’s monumental when starting out and harder to teach.” – Steve Pearce – SVP Product Design, Checkout.com

Ask targeted questions

An interview is the perfect opportunity for both parties to learn a bit more about each other, but neither you nor the interviewer can read minds! Don’t be afraid to ask if there’s anything the company wants to see from you that you haven’t discussed already.

“In an interview where I think the applicant is promising and I want to progress further, I’ll tell them straight away. In the same way, when they are a little under-qualified, I’ll ask them if I’ve made a fair judgement and give them a chance to respond or challenge me. Not only does this immediate feedback establish trust early in the process, it also allows the candidate a chance to provide further information which might change my opinion.” – Steve Pearce

Crucial questions to ask during the interview process

​The answers to these questions will usually be provided by the hiring manager during the application process, but it’s important to ensure you’re fully aware of the ins and outs of your new role before you accept a potential offer.

  1. What is the level of the role within the organisation? (Junior, mid, senior etc.)
  2. What is the salary range?
  3. Who do I report into and what is my team structure?
  4. What duties (and aren’t) are expected from my role?
  5. Will my day-to-day work involve collaboration with other teams/departments? If so, who?
  6. What progression opportunity does this role have?

​We hope this article is helpful in your future job searches! Watch this space for a follow-up blog on the importance of having a design portfolio, and how you can optimise it.

In the meantime, why not check out our current Digital, Product and Design vacancies?

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Maintaining physical health and mental well-being during your job search https://www.lafosse.com/insights/maintaining-physical-health-and-mental-wellbeing-during-your-job-search/ Thu, 24 Sep 2020 14:15:01 +0000 https://www.lafosse.com/?p=1760 Psychologists have been studying the effects of unemployment on mental health for decades – in fact, even as far back as 1938, Eisenberg and Lazarsfeld concluded that “unemployment tends to make people more emotionally unstable than they were previous to unemployment.” Unfortunately, this is just as poignant today in the wake of the current pandemic.

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Psychologists have been studying the effects of unemployment on mental health for decades – in fact, even as far back as 1938, Eisenberg and Lazarsfeld concluded that “unemployment tends to make people more emotionally unstable than they were previous to unemployment.”

Unfortunately, this is just as poignant today in the wake of the current pandemic. Uncertainty and a competitive landscape undoubtedly add to this angst, so it’s understandable that you might feel a loss of identity or sense of purpose at the moment, with no clear path of where to go next.

Now more than ever, it’s essential to take back control and make time for self-care as you navigate this stressful period. With this in mind, we’ve put together some points to remember whilst job searching – we hope you find them useful!

1. Structure your week and include time out

Job hunting 24/7 can be draining and demoralising. Figure out when you work best and set ‘work hours’ where you can be productive and focused, then plan out dedicated downtime around this to do activities you enjoy. It may be tempting to work overtime but this can actually be counterproductive and lead to burnout – give yourself a break and you’ll be better equipped to bounce back feeling refreshed and recharged.

2. Take care of your physical and mental health

As best-selling author and Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg asserts, “meditation trains the mind the way physical exercise strengthens the body.” Maintaining a balance of relaxation and exercise will play a big part in feeling positive and motivated, and in both cases, these activities don’t need to involve spending a lot of money. Cycling, running, walking, or even just stretching where you can is highly effective when used in combination with meditation (there are lots of great apps for this, including The Mindfulness App, Headspace and Calm). Diet also makes a difference – it’s easy to want to indulge in comfort food or alcohol but your body and brain will thank you for maintaining a healthy, balanced diet.

3. Reach out to others

You are not alone. Many people will have found themselves out of work in the past and it’s always surprising how many people are more than willing to help others, so reach out to every possible part of your network (however daunting it may be!) As soon as you strike up a few conversations, you might be surprised at how much people in your community understand what you’re going through and can offer support. And remember, if you are struggling, others around you may be too – assume the best in others and offer help and support in return where you can.

Here are some other practical job searching tips that you may find useful in your search!

4. Maintain perspective

The pandemic is not only affecting the lives of individuals, it’s also causing companies around the world to make difficult staffing decisions. Put simply, redundancy is not a reflection on your worth. It’s important to accept these feelings, recognise their validity, and know that you are not alone in feeling them. How ‘essential’ you are to the business is about your role, not you – don’t let it negatively impact the way you view yourself.

5. Learn from rejection

When you’re applying for multiple roles, hearing “no” will very likely be a part of the process, but don’t let it hold you back (as discouraging as it may be). Seek feedback where you can, and actively embrace what you receive as a learning opportunity to bring you closer to your end goal.

In the most recent instalment of the Mental Health Foundation’s survey on ‘Mental Health in the Pandemic’, one in five unemployed people reported experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, the right course of action for your personal wellbeing is to seek professional help, and that’s ok. If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one in these difficult times, these organisations and support groups are just a few options for receiving expert advice and support:

www.thecalmzone.net
www.mind.org.uk
www.samaritans.org

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Business Analysts: 4 tips to make an impact in the application process https://www.lafosse.com/insights/business-analysts-4-tips-to-make-an-impact-in-the-application-process/ Mon, 21 Jan 2019 12:38:05 +0000 https://www.lafosse.com/?p=1993 Business Analyst roles span a broad-range of sectors, responsibilities and tech stacks – so it can at times be tricky to establish whether a role is suited to your experience and skills. To help, I put together a few tips to bear in mind when writing a BA application, including what hiring managers look for

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Business Analyst roles span a broad-range of sectors, responsibilities and tech stacks – so it can at times be tricky to establish whether a role is suited to your experience and skills.

To help, I put together a few tips to bear in mind when writing a BA application, including what hiring managers look for when recruiting BA roles – both the nice-to-haves, and the non-negotiables.

The aim is to help you identify the right role for you based on your experience, to make sure you’re spending your time in the right places and establish the gaps in your application if you’re seeking to break into a competitive sector.

1. CVs need to be tailored to every application

The ‘essential requirements’ are the first things they will check for – so establish you have them, then base your application and CV around them. As an exercise, write down an example next to every-one where you have exhibited that skill or quality – candidates who don’t have these obviously displayed won’t make it past the CV stage. Common non-negotiables are: agile methodology, senior stakeholder management (for example, citing that you have worked directly with individuals of partner and above), global delivery, knowledge of specific software (iManage, Elite 3e, Aderant, SAP), and sector experience (more on this below). If you have all of these, move on to the desirable requirements. If you have nearly all of these also, then rewrite your CV around these two lists.

​2. For certain roles, sector experience is imperative, especially in professional services

This is especially prevalent in the contract market, because companies need individuals who can hit the ground running – which makes breaking into these sectors very difficult. Migration can be easier in the permanent market, where there is longer time to acquire new skills. Hiring managers may also forgive a lack of sector experience where a candidate has extremely in-depth knowledge of implementing a specific tech-stack.

3. It’s worth asking advice from the right places

If you’ve established that you have all the essential requirements, but are still unsure whether a role is suited to you or not, call the consultant who is working on the role – they have the most information on the role and will understand the client’s requirements, so will be able to give you a clear indication as to whether a role is for you.

4. The ideal CV is short, easy on the eye, and very specific to the role

If you’re adhering to the first rule of this post and tailoring your CV to each application, then two / three pages absolute maximum should be enough to detail all your relevant experience. Lay everything out in bullet points rather than block paragraphs. Focus more detail on your most recent roles (typically the last three or four). Don’t worry about giving them equal space – provide most detail (5-6 bullet points) on the roles which you’ve identified as most relevant to the role you are applying for, then condense non-relevant ones under the description of “various roles.”

It pays to always have an IT qualifications section, to make your skills obvious to someone reading your CV for the first time. If a job specification asks for a particular set of core skills – for example – agile delivery – don’t miss an opportunity to emphasise you have experience of this kind – then re-emphasise at every permissible point.

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Are CVs still important? https://www.lafosse.com/insights/are-cvs-still-important/ Tue, 23 Oct 2018 11:26:21 +0000 https://www.lafosse.com/?p=1974 “The résumé is dead,” was the bold claim of a recent Guardian article. And it’s true that over the past five years, there seems to have been a surge in the number of companies ditching the traditional CV in favour of job-specific application forms, portfolios, pre-recorded videos or online tests. With speculation rife over what

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“The résumé is dead,” was the bold claim of a recent Guardian article. And it’s true that over the past five years, there seems to have been a surge in the number of companies ditching the traditional CV in favour of job-specific application forms, portfolios, pre-recorded videos or online tests. With speculation rife over what this means for the future of the CV, Ollie Whiting, CEO of La Fosse, explores the reasons for this shift.

“The world is slowly moving away from the CV,” is the opinion of Ollie. “Times have certainly changed from ten years ago when it was only CVs. Now, there are more innovative ways to present someone’s experience, skills, behaviours and attributes. Some digital sectors, such as tech start-ups, which are often fast-paced and high growth, are not too particular about a CV. They’re open to even just seeing a LinkedIn profile or a portfolio of projects or a video interview conducted by us.”

The pitfalls of the CV

A detailed, multipage list of past jobs isn’t always the best way to quickly showcase what sets a candidate apart. “CVs can be lengthy and line managers can miss details,” warns Whiting. “In particular, when addressing a role with a lot of applicants, it’s not difficult to miss the right person if you’ve got to read 200 CVs.”

Another danger of the CV is its inability to communicate as effectively as the spoken word. “An applicant’s personality, enthusiasm and passion just cannot come across through writing alone. You can only do that face to face or via video.”

What’s the alternative?

With a number of major companies such as PwC and Penguin Random House now using video applications, this method is undoubtedly on the rise. But, as Whiting points out, this can pose problems of its own. “Although video interviews can be one step forwards from CVs, they can create biases that mean the best talent might not get the right job. You can make a quick call on someone without meeting them face to face. I do understand why companies use videos interviews – they want to get the person’s personality across. But if that person is having a bad morning they make take a bad video, which is not a fair reflection of who they are and what they’re capable of.

“Personally, I like a dual approach: a CV and a video link or voice recording of the individual talking through their achievements. That really brings it to life, and almost removes the first-round introductory interview. I think that’s where the world is headed in terms of application processes.”

The rise of the video application

As the number of applications for each role soars at an unstoppable rate, companies are having to do more to whittle down their potential candidates. With a record 49,502 applications received for just 2,285 positions in the summer of 2017, accounting giant PwC is one such company. PwC has replaced the pre-screening step of its selection process with pre-recorded video interviews, on the basis of the speed and ease with which an applicant can complete it at a time and location convenient to them, while offering a better representation of a candidate than a written cover letter.

The written word

So, does this spell the decline and, eventually, disappearance of the CV?

“I would say 80% of our customers still want to see CVs, especially in corporate companies and for senior roles,” counters Whiting. “I think CVs are the best way of communicating your key achievements succinctly – in fact, I cannot think of a better method. When you talk about them in a video, or across the table, the interviewer has to listen very actively in order to absorb everything.

“A CV remains objective and facts-led. They enable line mangers to read someone’s profile and get an objective view of who they are, what they’ve done and what they’ve achieved. I still think it’s the best way to get that across.”

Old dog, new tricks

With constant changes in what line managers value most when hiring, the answer could be that the CV is not dead, but simply evolving. As the market moves on, so too will the format of a typical CV.

Whiting summarises the shift in CV formats over the past three years: “The CV is much punchier now – one or two pages. Managers don’t have the time to go through a large quantity of CVs, especially in fast growth companies.”

While hiring managers’ eyes used to go straight to degrees or qualifications, many sectors now take a different approach. “It’s all achievement-led now,” explains Whiting. “It used to be technical details at the top of the CV, now we get straight into what they’ve learned in their current job – that’s what line managers are interested in.”

Beyond what this means for candidates, this CV makeover can also bring repercussions for recruiters. “The skill of the recruiter has changed – it’s now our job to bring the CV to life,” says Whiting. “We’re talking customers through candidate profiles before they see the CV. Sometimes they even cut out the CV stage and ask us to just get them booked straight into interview.”

The future’s bright

With all this in mind, what do the next few years have in store for the CV?

“In the short term, I think it would be rash to say the CV’s dead,” concludes Whiting. “However, I do think there’ll be a shift to more digital profiles. Currently, though, I still think there’s a place in the market for well-written CVs.”

So, at least for the foreseeable future, it might not be time to ditch your pen and paper just yet.

This article was written and published in collaboration with digital agency Goldsand Digital.

Ollie Whiting, Director of Permanent and Regional Recruitment at La Fosse Associates, has more than ten years’ experience in the IT, Digital and Change recruitment markets, and heads up teams across London and the UK regions.

If you’d like to get in touch to discuss how we connect businesses with top-tier talent, email ollie.whiting@lafosse.com.

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