Why you may not need a CV

The almighty CV, once the primary introduction document for job hunting is often now becoming a clerical formality, says Carol Lee Andersen, director of Vision Recruit and Tourism Recruit.

"You need your CV for HR purposes and for something to file away."

But for actually going out there it's not needed in the same way it used to be. It's not paramount."

Andersen was offered a job in the technology industry by a company which never saw her CV.

"I know for myself it was a matter of, 'we have to get something on the record for HR. Can you type something and just put it together so we have something to put with your records'."

It's your reputation you should be paying attention to more than your CV, she says. Especially in a small country such as New Zealand, it's not your CV but your reputation which must stand up in the end.

"It's not hard, particularly in some industries, to see what their reputation is and what's happened. It's not just the high flying jobs but even some of the lower level jobs because we only have that half a degree of separation here in New Zealand."

And technology is making that half a degree even less.

"If you talk about the technologies that are out there with email and cell phones - it's easy for us to check out anyone nowadays. The borders have broken down a lot between companies. Industries are in some ways much smaller now."

Interviewing someone without seeing their CV may have been pretty rare several years ago, but nowadays it's quite common.

"Frequently we can get people to the interview stage without even having that CV but just based on their reputation. I think it's more prevalent in New Zealand because it is such a small community."

The more frequently someone changes jobs makes what they did several years ago even less relevant. Recruiters today are only interested in the most recent work.

"It's really what you've done in the last five years. That's all we care about. You're only as good as your last project, your last assignment, your last job, your last accomplishment, because people do reinvent themselves so many times."

Networking far surpasses the importance of circulating a CV. Today recruiters have instant access to much more information on candidates. A referral, a Google, a mobile call to a referee and they'll probably have more information on you than you've put in your CV.

"It's actually your experiences and your ability to articulate those and your reputation that's the important thing. A CV is not as much of a sales document that it used to be."

Not as much of an introduction tool, but Andersen admits, the CV is still an necessary document.

"We still need to see a CV so we get an idea of their background and skill capability, but we rely a lot more on interviewing people. References are more important than the CV."

CV writer Thomas O'Neil, managing director of cv.co.nz, isn't prepared to declare the death of the CV just yet, but says it is possible to do without CVs in some circumstances.

"Probably 10-15 per cent of white collar workers do not have CVs. They don't think of going into a structured job hunt. They just see an ad in the paper and apply. A CV is not mandatory to work."

You might be able to apply for a job through a recruitment consultant who will then type up a report about you, but O'Neil says, going to a company without a CV can cause problems.

"Let's say I'm the HR manager of a large firm. I have 200 applications for a customer services manager. I'm not going to interview every single one of them. Anyone who thinks they can just turn up and not have a CV and expect me to sit there and interview them for an hour is mad," Says O'Neil.

O'Neil says the CV also gives employers a valuable tool.

"I want to have a bit of a backup in case this person isn't remembering everything accurately about their career or something doesn't quite stack up. If I have their CV it helps me with my risk management. From a legal point of view it's handy to have a CV."

A website now suffices for a CV for many people. O'Neil says that's fine as long as you can print it properly. He recommends a downloadable PDF version which will look well presented once printed.

"At the end of the day an HR person or a recruiter is going to sit down with one giant cup of coffee and just trawl through the CVs," says O'Neil.