Can technology help to liberate the British from their reserved approach to self promotion?

We are not naturally a nation of boasters. Our cultural and social background is rooted in self depreciation, modesty and irony. This is in contrast to the US, for example, where there is a more self confident, brash and optimistic approach.

You only have to compare our contrasting styles of television to see the difference- the British struggle in the rain of a gritty London or Manchester, whilst the Americans enjoy excessive wealth and success somewhere in the eternal sunshine. Broad brush admittedly, but generally true nevertheless.

But how does this relate to recruitment? Our reserved approach to self promotion means that what we Brits find most difficult in the job market is selling ourselves, or indeed, being overly sold to by others.

How do we use technology to push ourselves, and in a way that is acceptable to equally reserved employers?

It’s just not cricket! - what we don’t like

The traditional CV- shouldn’t we just leave it alone?

The first point of contact within the recruitment process has traditionally been the CV- and up until recently, the British CV has resisted change, especially where that change goes against our national character.

Would you put a photograph on your CV?

Look at photographs on CV’s for example. European, North American and Asian applicants use photographs of themselves to personalise or rather humanise their CV’s. The British think differently.

A straw pole we carried out recently elicited the following comments from the UK based professionals we approached; “photographs are cheesy and embarrassing”, “very American…..I would never include one”, “I always think photographs on CV’s are the preserve of the slightly weird”.

Although photographs are used in some of the more creative industries, their use has never really caught on in the UK. We looked at 2000 CV’s of IT and Finance professionals of which less than 2.5% included a suitably business-like mug shot.

As a recruiter, are you swayed by a photograph? Positively or negatively? Perhaps it is our British sense of fair play that makes us shun the photograph. Or perhaps we just think it’s naff and embarrassing. Either way, it is indicative in a small way, of our reticence to sell ourselves to an employer or be sold to by a potential employee.

This is the first in a series of 5 articles. Next week, 'The Video CV – how happy are you on camera?'

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