Graduates - Are You Playing Too Hard To Get?

Firstly, answer us this question: are you playing too hard to get? Not in a romantic sense, but when it comes to getting yourself out there and getting your CV seen by the right employers, are you putting up barriers? Every so often we see graduates underestimating the huge error that is making yourself difficult to contact. Here we aim to address this heinous crime.

Have a clearly stated reliable mobile number on your CV ?

And no, not your Aunt's landline, not your Dad's mobile (trust us, this has happened), your mobile number. Anyone who has found your CV and wishes to put you forward for a role will be crippled by your lack of information. You may never use your mobile to make a 'phone call' (noun. "a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party"), but recruiters and consultants do. Upon seeing no number, or 'mobile number available on request', your CV is likely to be skipped, as believe us, there are a lot of people to choose from. You may be the perfect candidate, but why would a busy recruiter working to a deadline take the time to investigate, when they can just as easily move on to the next person? You may think "if they really want to contact me, they will just send me an email." If this is your answer, then you're just closing doors on yourself while everyone is leaving them open - who do you think will get through first? And while we're on the topic, make sure you have a professional voicemail message. A common method of contact is voicemail as it takes just seconds for a recruiter to leave a voice message instead of an email. So if you aren't checking these too, which is likely amongst students and graduates, you'll miss out yet again.

Are you actually checking those job emails that you get, or is your inbox just chaos?

Are you one of those people whose email inbox is clogged full of newsletters, deals, discounts and news that you honestly never read? Recruitment emails can so easily slip through the net if you aren't on top of your inbox. Consider clearing through the dumping ground of information and unsubscribe from anything unnecessary in order to optimise your chances of spotting important emails. Be sure to read everything!
The point we are trying to make is that you need to be able to look at your current profile and work out whether your contact details are obvious enough (or there in the first place). If you can't spot it straight away, then maybe recruiters can't either. There could be one invisible little thing that's getting in your way of your dream graduate job.