We received an emailed CV today from someone approximately 20 years old looking for a landscape gardening job - a speculative email shot, but that's not my issue.
The problem is the covering email and most of the CV is written in some form of 'txt' speak. I may not be young any more, but I'd like to be able to read and understand it.
No structure, no grammar, little punctuation. What a poor first impression this 'lad' has given ! Ok, we would not be looking for someone that could write 'War & Peace', but are expectations that low?
I could never imagine writing a 'formal' letter, email or forum post in anything but the best 'English' I can (and admittedly, I make mistakes).
I hate reading "TLA's", Txt speak etc in written correspondence. To me it comes across as sloppy, lazy & unprofessional.
Is our education system now that bad, that people leave school/college with no appreciation of what they need to do to apply for a job !
Am I just 'too old' ?
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Agree totally Gary - I can forgive the younger generation a little more than those who were in school before the advent of this form of communication. I have to concede that I use TLA's, as ex RAF it is in the DNA (there's two for you!) I'm convinced that Secondary teaching is aimed to pass examinations and that preparing young adults for working life is not high on the agenda.
Lee said:
I see no reason to accept we take the lowest common dominator or accept dumbed down education. I would be appalled if my children could not string together just a simple application letter, even if they needed or asked for help.
I would have had more respect if it had been written in English with mistakes. To write in txt speak and still make little sense is unforgivable.
Maybe why this country's workforce struggles and is seen in a poor light?
Regards, Mr High Expectations ;-)
Lee said:
Ive seen and get this - At lot of the time its down to our education system being happy to get the kids to memorize what they need to to get an A-C in a GCSE and then churn them out, having NOT taught them HOW to communicate or HOW to learn! They can remember simple facts but cant actually understand, assimilate or process them, so you get lots of 18-21y olds looking for work but who are totally unsuited for any work other than learning how to spell, speak and think... oh what was that again? They were supposed to learn that at school.
My fav CV so far stated [copied straight from file] " I have always wantd to work outside in weather that is nice without deadlines and I prefer gardening to a job as it would not challenge me"
Yep - they dont want a job... they dont want to be challenged.
Didn't reply obviously!
A CV with text speak on it would go straight into the recycling paper bin. If someone can't be bothered to write using proper full English words then that speaks volumes to me.
Lee, that is the most pathetic excuse for deliberate illiteracy I have seen out of so many to date. Somebody enquiring for a job in deliberately bad English is most certainly not worth a try.
Do I need it in my team? No, absolutely not. As Gary RK so rightly points out, we as business owners or managers are legally liable for our contractual liabilities. That includes accurate reporting.
Illegible txt is hardly accurate. Maybe a result of the education system or education as a political football for so many years, arguable whether or not it is the "fault" of the applicant but in practical terms a no go for the employer. Too dangerous by half.
If our unemployed are incapable, or for some egotistical or other unfathomable reason unwilling, to conform to our needs for written accuracy why on earth should we consider them as potentially viable employees? The fact is, it is far too risky for us to do so.
dinosaur here I hate it when I get a text in text talk as it takes me 15 minutes to decipher it then another 15 minutes to answer (talk about fat finger)a few years ago I had a young lad working for me and used to give him the phone and ask him what it said in a nut shell it is quicker for me to talk to someone rather than text
Being one who screams at the TV when I hear a presenter say 'Haitch' and not 'aitch'or the misplaced apostrophe on a menu or advertising board etc - I think you know what I think!
My wife's in the medical profession and she sees this all the time and this is from people with degrees!
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