4 ms·

Word-only is HR lingo for "You're over-skilled for this job. Move along."

by rollypolly 14y ago

hogu 14y ago
or recruitment firms that want to remove your contact info from the resume before submitting it to their clients.
- wglb 14y ago
  Or worse.
- homosaur 14y ago
  If you're using a recruitment firm, that's fair game although I'm glad the one I've used from time to time asked me to do it myself and not try to be sneaky about what they are doing on the backend. It makes the whole dealings with them way more comfortable that they are upfront about everything they are doing on my and their behalf. From what I understand this is not exactly standard practice with a lot of these firms.
  - joezydeco 14y ago
    I've had the same thing asked of me when I submit a resume in PDF format. I always happily reply that I can generate a new PDF with the requested contact information removed. If they're not amicable to that, then we have no chance of working together.
ffffruit 14y ago
Not a fair generalization. I've seen very big consultancy firms only accept Word (or raw text) as input so their systems can filter you out before a human eye sees your application. Also, I think head hunters want text so their software can categorize you and match you with jobs. While LaTeX makes it look pretty, it might not always be feasible to use it.
- Silhouette 14y ago
  When most of us say something like that, what we really mean is "There are many reasons you might not be able to cope with a CV in a format other than Word, but all of them imply a high probability that I do not want to work with you." It doesn't matter all that much whether the employer is looking for somone who uses underpowered tools to produce their documents, or wants you to spend a lot of time preparing a CV but can't be bothered to have a real person spend half a minute looking over it before binning you, or has inflexible work practices that favour absolute conformity over using tools and processes that make each member of staff more effective. They all reflect badly on the employer's hiring process, and by implication on the people you are likely to be working with if you get the job. Perhaps rollypolly did want to single out one case, or maybe (s)he was just being diplomatic.
  - npsimons 14y ago
    "There are many reasons you might not be able to cope with a CV in a format other than Word, but all of them imply a high probability that I do not want to work with you." This. When I have recruiters calling me based on my very plain CV done in LaTeX, especially when I'm not even looking for work, I don't really feel any urge to respond to an interview request that starts with "please send us your resume in Microsoft Word." Some firms use strict criteria to whittle down their list of applicants; I feel justified in doing the same.

Word-only is HR lingo for "You're over-skilled for this job. Move along."

hogu 14y ago

or recruitment firms that want to remove your contact info from the resume before submitting it to their clients.

wglb 14y ago
Or worse.
homosaur 14y ago
If you're using a recruitment firm, that's fair game although I'm glad the one I've used from time to time asked me to do it myself and not try to be sneaky about what they are doing on the backend. It makes the whole dealings with them way more comfortable that they are upfront about everything they are doing on my and their behalf. From what I understand this is not exactly standard practice with a lot of these firms.
- joezydeco 14y ago
  I've had the same thing asked of me when I submit a resume in PDF format. I always happily reply that I can generate a new PDF with the requested contact information removed. If they're not amicable to that, then we have no chance of working together.

ffffruit 14y ago

Not a fair generalization. I've seen very big consultancy firms only accept Word (or raw text) as input so their systems can filter you out before a human eye sees your application. Also, I think head hunters want text so their software can categorize you and match you with jobs. While LaTeX makes it look pretty, it might not always be feasible to use it.

Silhouette 14y ago
When most of us say something like that, what we really mean is "There are many reasons you might not be able to cope with a CV in a format other than Word, but all of them imply a high probability that I do not want to work with you." It doesn't matter all that much whether the employer is looking for somone who uses underpowered tools to produce their documents, or wants you to spend a lot of time preparing a CV but can't be bothered to have a real person spend half a minute looking over it before binning you, or has inflexible work practices that favour absolute conformity over using tools and processes that make each member of staff more effective. They all reflect badly on the employer's hiring process, and by implication on the people you are likely to be working with if you get the job. Perhaps rollypolly did want to single out one case, or maybe (s)he was just being diplomatic.
- npsimons 14y ago
  "There are many reasons you might not be able to cope with a CV in a format other than Word, but all of them imply a high probability that I do not want to work with you." This. When I have recruiters calling me based on my very plain CV done in LaTeX, especially when I'm not even looking for work, I don't really feel any urge to respond to an interview request that starts with "please send us your resume in Microsoft Word." Some firms use strict criteria to whittle down their list of applicants; I feel justified in doing the same.