“CVs have become formulaic, they lack individuality”

By December 18, 2015For Talent

Paul Clerkin is a digital marketer who has been hired by Neuxpower through Jobbio. Paul shared with us his thoughts on the hiring process as well as his personal experience of using Jobbio.

You are taking over Neuxpower’s digital marketing, first of all, congratulations with your new position! What has attracted you to the company?

Thank you, I’m excited about joining the team and looking forward to getting stuck in. The thing that first attracted me was the emphasis on attitude and atmosphere in the Jobbio posting. Obviously the fact that the role was in a digital marketing helped a lot too, but putting the company culture front and centre showed how much Neuxpower value work culture.

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Choose companies based on your passions.

For me work has always been about the people I work with as much as the task I’m doing, so knowing they share this view right off the bat was a big draw. Once I met with Andy (Chief Operating Officer, Neuxpower – Jobbio) and Mike (Owner, Neuxpower – Jobbio) I saw straight away that they both had a problem-solving mindset, they wanted to make things work for me.

Seeing the direct link between the people, the company and the product was a big plus for me as a potential marketer and employee.

How helpful was Jobbio in discovering more about the company and the position you have applied to?

The process was simple as I remember it, not long after I showed interest through Jobbio I was on the phone with Andy. It was straightforward enough to have been seamless.

You have a vast marketing experience, what does it take to run a successful marketing campaign?

If I had to pick just one thing that I think is integral it would be knowing how you look from your customer’s point of view. It’s important to constantly be aware of what the user experience is, from the first click through to the bitter end. Empathising with customers helps put everything else you do into context.

How do you think the online Bio helps to better represent oneself than the paper CV?

I prefer it personally. CVs have become a formulaic to the point where they lack the individuality to give you any real insight into a person.

I sometimes read my own CV and think; it’s all true but that’s me talking myself up in a way that I never would in person. It presents a sanitised, best-case version of me and I think employers know that. Giving someone the freedom to be personal in their Bio is a step in the right direction.

As the digital marketer, what do you think is the main advantage of representing oneself online?

I think this one is a no-brainer, it’s a fundamental part of pitching yourself. You probably don’t want a position in a company that’s unwilling to use its full potential and employers want to see that you are using yours. That means having an online presence, there is no reason not to when you consider how easy it is.

How easy it was for you to build your Bio on Jobbio?

Really straightforward, the Bio was the only bit that took any significant time but that was more down to getting it perfect than it being difficult. I appreciated the addition of formatting tools in the text inputs fields; it made the organisations and presentation cleaner and more personal.

What is your top advice for the talent just trying to enter the market?

Don’t feel restricted by convention! If you think you could be great at something or there is a product or company you admire then get in touch yourself. It’s really easy to be disheartened when you look through job postings on places like Linkedin. It seems like there’s an endless sea of jobs that aren’t quite right or the only one that is, has hundreds of applicants.

Get creative and be direct, choose companies based on your passions and not just existing job postings.

Share your top tip for the talent to stay motivated while job hunt.

Treat it like a job. Do it for as much time as you put into it if you were getting paid, give yourself some boundaries for when you are hunting and when you aren’t. Maybe that’s 9 to 5 with weekends off, at the very least keep yourself in a routine and give yourself some free time.

Why would you recommend the talent to use Jobbio?

It worked for me so sure, what have you got to lose?

 

Want to work with Paul and the Neuxpower team? They are currently looking for a Digital Marketing Executive here.

 

Author Jobbio

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