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How to consider which recruiter to send your CV

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How to consider which recruiter to send your CV and avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyberstalking or CV misuse

You should consider whom you are sending an application and a CV or when you fill out their web based application form with your CV data.

what's insideAlways remember the famous short tale by Hans Christian Andersen “The Emperor’s new Clothes” and ensure you know what what’s “inside” the recruiter.

Maybe the picture on the left can inspire you – remember to act on your eventual findings – don’t wait for the “the child” telling you the truth late if ever!

 

  • Who is the recruiter or the company – a real or a fake job

Check for the recruites name – No name of the recruiter mentioned – Forget it

Research the recruiters: Fake recruiters watch for news of company layoffs and often use that to look for potential victims finding names on websites or using company emails.

  • Who is the company having the job

See our example of a scam as is might be the best way to tell you about job scams

  • What information are requested by the recruiter

A recruiter would never ask for the following until very late if ever – and you should consider carefully before you hand over this information (and never give a copy)

  • Social security number or central register personal number or similar
  • Password number
  • Picture
  • Mothers Maiden name

and remember never give any money to a recruiter until you are employed.

  • How are they handling my CV data
  • What can the use my CV data for
  • How long time can the keep my data

All of these questions should be possible for you to answer if you look at the recruiters website for their privacy policies and their terms and conditions. Normally a recruiter would also describe the application and test process.

  • How can I ensure they have updated data over time / always ?

If you use Comoto it is easy as we offer a feature that lets you link information in several CVs easy and fast and you only need to do it once.

The team

 

My name is Lorem Ipsum and a I have just been contacted by a headhunter regarding my nonsense CV!

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My name is Lorem Ipsum and a I have just been contacted by a headhunter regarding my nonsense CV!

nonsense CVIn the last couple of weeks I have illustrated some of the dirty tricks and issues with CV’s and the job process and I have with examples illustrated that both candidates and companies not always behave with the appropriate ethical standards and moral – but what about the CV database owners and their behavior?

Comoto have over the last couple of years tried to learn and understand our competitors and potential partners better. To evaluate features offered by these we have on a regular basis added a profile to their CV databases. To ensure that the administrators of these CV database understand that these CV from us is only for testing we use names that makes it clear for the reader that it is for test purposes only. We use names like Test Tester or Lorem Ipsum and the CV’s data field’s, text or resume template is without any doubt complete nonsense.

Even though we believe it is clear for everybody that nobody could have any interest in our test CV we have received many emails from CV databases providers informing us that our CV is or have been of interest to some of their customers and therefore we need to do particular actions – actions that only have the purpose to illustrate for the CV database’s customers that their CV are more often updated, their users are alive and also more active than the candidates actually are!

This questionable behavior and by purpose deceiving emails have been received from many CV databases and also some of the biggest CV Monsters of the industry as well as international players of the CV Industry and clearly illustrate that several of these CV database providers have built automatic systems to generate an artificial interest in your CV / Curriculum Vitae for you to be positive and use that particular CV database and/or to perform their wanted actions.

From our side we believe this behavior is another example of why you should take control of your Resume dialog and manage your Resume, Resume Templates and your job process carefully as well as to protect your privacy.

For you as a candidate the above described behavior also have the negative side effect that you over time will stop reacting on mails from CV databases – unfortunately and in particular if the contact was actually correct and valid.

If you have experienced similar behavior or other doubtful actions to increase a CV database traffic and user interest please let us know at theteam@140.82.38.88

BTW: – For your information – Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s – like “dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In non tellus eros. Vestibulum ac nulla nibh, at posuere leo. Proin mollis blandit lorem eget consectetur. Maecenas sodales vehicula odio, vel commodo neque adipiscing a. Sed ac dolor suministros turpis. Maecenas tincidunt skabelon aliquet massa, malesuada como to adipiscing justo egestas vitae. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus”

My name is Lorem Ipsum and a I have just been contacted by a CV Database regarding my nonsense CV!

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My name is Lorem Ipsum and a I have just been contacted by a CV database regarding my nonsense CV!

nonsense CVIn the last couple of weeks I have illustrated some of the dirty tricks and issues with CVs and the job process and I have with examples illustrated that both candidates and companies not always behave with the appropriate ethical standards and moral – but what about the CV database owners and their behavior?

Comoto have over the last couple of years tried to learn and understand our competitors and potential partners better. To evaluate features offered by these we have on a regular basis added a profile to their CV databases. To ensure that the administrators of these CV database understand that these CV from us is only for testing we use names that makes it clear for the reader that it is for test purposes only. We use names like Test Tester or Lorem Ipsum and the CVs data field’s, text or resume template is without any doubt complete nonsense.

Even though we believe it is clear for everybody that nobody could have any interest in our test CV we have received many emails from CV databases providers informing us that our CV is or have been of interest to some of their customers and therefore we need to do particular actions – actions that only have the purpose to illustrate for the CV database’s customers that their CV are more often updated, their users are alive and also more active than the candidates actually are!

This questionable behavior and by purpose deceiving emails have been received from many CV databases and also some of the biggest CV Monsters of the industry as well as international players of the CV Industry and clearly illustrate that several of these CV database providers have built automatic systems to generate an artificial interest in your CV / Curriculum Vitae for you to be positive and use that particular CV database and/or to perform their wanted actions.

From our side we believe this behavior is another example of why you should take control of your Resume dialog and manage your Resume, Resume Templates and your job process carefully as well as to protect your privacy.

For you as a candidate the above described behavior also have the negative side effect that you over time will stop reacting on mails from CV databases – unfortunately and in particular if the contact was actually correct and valid.

If you have experienced similar behavior or other doubtful actions to increase a CV databasetraffic and user interest please let us know at theteam@140.82.38.88

BTW: – For your information – Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s – like “dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In non tellus eros. Vestibulum ac nulla nibh, at posuere leo. Proin mollis blandit lorem eget consectetur. Maecenas sodales vehicula odio, vel commodo neque adipiscing a. Sed ac dolor suministros turpis. Maecenas tincidunt skabelon aliquet massa, malesuada como to adipiscing justo egestas vitae. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus”

How to consider which CV database to send your CV to avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyber stalking or CV misuse

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How to consider which CV database to send your CV to avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyber stalking or CV misuse

You should consider which CV database you are sending a CV and when you fill out a CV databases  web based entry form with your CV data

CV risks

  • Who is the CV database – a serious player

Research the CV databases for reviews, number of jobs, owners, etc. Fake CV databases watch for news of company layoffs and often use that to look for potential victims finding names on websites or using company emails.

  • Who is the company having the job

See our example of a scam as is might be the best way to tell you about job scams

  • What information are requested by the CV database

A CV database would never ask for the following until very late if ever – and you should consider carefully before you hand over this information (and never give a copy)

  • Social security number or central register personal number or similar
  • Password number
  • Picture
  • Mothers Maiden name

and remember never give any money to a CV database (until you are employed).

  • How are they handling my CV data
  • What can the use my CV data for
  • How long time can the keep my data

All of these questions should be possible for you to answer if you look at the CV databases website for their privacy policies and their terms and conditions. Normally a CV database would also describe the application and test process.

  • How can I ensure they have updated data over time / always ?

If you use Comoto it is easy as we offer a feature that lets you link information in several CVs easy and fast and you only need to do it once.

The Team

How to prepare before you send CV to a company and avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyber stalking or CV misuse

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How to prepare before you send CV to a company and avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyber stalking or CV misuse

Comoto CV Risks

You should consider which company you send an application and a CV to company or when you fill out their web based application form with your CV data

  • Who is the company – a real or a fake job

Check for the company: – No real or searchable company mentioned – Forget it

 

Research the company: Fake company watch for news of company layoffs and often use that to look for potential victims finding names on websites or using company emails.

Se our example of a scam as is might be the best way to tell you about job scams

  • What information are requested by the company

A proper company would never ask for the following until very late if ever – and you should consider carefully before you hand over this information (and never give a copy)

  • Social security number or central register personal number or similar
  • Password number
  • Picture
  • Mothers Maiden name

and remember never give any money to a company until you are employed.

  • How are they handling my CV data
  • What can the use my CV data for
  • How long time can the keep my data

All of these questions should be possible for you to answer if you look at the company website for the company’s HR privacy policies.  Normally a proper company would also describe their application and test process.

  • How can I ensure they have updated data over time / always ?

If you use Comoto it is easy as we offer a feature that lets you link information in several CVs easy and fast and you only need to do it once.

The Team

Comoto‘s aim is to become “The Central Place” where you can create, clone, copy, manage, backup and distribute your CV and Cover letters fast and easy. To create your first Comoto CV, signup for free and just add your data (or use one of the many easy import features), pick one of our special designed templates, preview your CV and finally export to your favourite format (.DOC – .PDF – .PNG) or publish it in a Web Profile (Public/Private). Now you are ready to have full control of your CV. Notice other unique features – like multiple CVs – a few clicks and you can create a CV targeted for a specific job or Export to many different formats.

How to ensure the correct time for CV updates to avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyberstalking or CV misuse

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How to ensure the correct time for CV updates to avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyberstalking or CV misuse

How can you ensure your CV is not to updated to early?Comoto update CV

To early updated can bee if you publish company secrets or internal information from you current employeer.

Have you considered what would happen if your current employer or your current employers competitor got hold of your (updated) CV? Or a Colleague?

  •  Dont show your responsibilities for a new secret project a bit to detailed
    • For example – working on Apple TV or Microsoft new car – craxy examples or is it – see what happened in HP here
  • Dont show a new responsability or a new job if the person having the position have not been informed yet.

To detailed can bee you show to much details in your CV – but that you handle easily on Comoto with our multiple CV feature – read here – even smarter if combined with the Comoto Commenting system – read here.

Besides the above examples have you ensured what you state is correct and understood correctly – both in the yeses of a recruiter and in the eyes of your current employer – ensure this by using the Comoto verify feature – read here

The team

Comoto‘s aim is to become “The Central Place” where you can create, clone, copy, manage, backup and distribute your CV and Cover letters fast and easy. To create your first Comoto CV, signup for free and just add your data (or use one of the many easy import features), pick one of our special designed templates, preview your CV and finally export to your favourite format (.DOC – .PDF – .PNG) or publish it in a Web Profile (Public/Private). Now you are ready to have full control of your CV. Notice other unique features – like multiple CVs – a few clicks and you can create a CV targeted for a specific job or Export to many different formats.

How to ensure the correct level of CV details and avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyber stalking or CV misuse

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How to handle your the correct level of CV details to avoid CV risks like Identity theft, cyber stalking or CV misuse

How can you ensure your CV is not to detailed?

To detailed can bee if you publish company secrets or internal information from you current employer.

Comoto CV risks

Have you considered what would happen if your current employer or your current employers competitor got hold of your CV? Or a Colleague?

  •  Don’t show your responsibilities for a new secret project a bit to detailed
    • For example – working on Apple TV or Microsoft’s new car – crazy examples or is it – see what happened in HP here
  • Don’t show a new responsibility or a new job if the person having the position have not been informed yet.

 

To detailed can bee you show to much details in your CV – but that you handle easily on Comoto with our multiple CV feature – read here – combined with the Commenting system – read here.

Besides the above examples have you ensured what you state is correct and understood correctly – both in the yeses of a recruiter and in the eyes of your current employer – ensure this by using the Comoto verify feature – read here

The team

Comoto‘s aim is to become “The Central Place” where you can create, clone, copy, manage, backup and distribute your CV and Cover letters fast and easy. To create your first Comoto CV, signup for free and just add your data (or use one of the many easy import features), pick one of our special designed templates, preview your CV and finally export to your favourite format (.DOC – .PDF – .PNG) or publish it in a Web Profile (Public/Private). Now you are ready to have full control of your CV. Notice other unique features – like multiple CVs – a few clicks and you can create a CV targeted for a specific job or Export to many different formats.

How to decide which CV details and personal information to include in a CV

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How to decide which CV details and personal information to include in a CV

You have to consider the information you should include in your CVs and remember on Comoto you have a multiple CVs feature (see here). Remember to make the evaluation for each CV based on purpose and receiver?

Comoto Lock

Should you include:

Name

On a public profile you could consider only showing your first name or an abbreviation for first or surname.

Full Address

You should leave out the precise home address completely off your public resumes for Identity Theft reason – read here. Afraid you wont be contacted – today all communications happens by e-mail and by phone!

Email

Depending of your current email provider and email address you should consider having a job email address. On a public profile you should definitely consider which email to use as it properly will be hijacked and spammed. You can either create a temporary email address or create a specific free email address (like Gmail) for this purpose and forward received emails to your normal mail (for gmail forward see here).

Email provider – Certain email providers will not be accepted by all spam filters – just consider how disappointed you will be if you learn your application ended in a spam filter.

Email address –  How would you regard you email address – showing your are a serious person. Avoid words like lover, girl, boy, motor, gold, father, etc.

In fact, we encourage you to use a separate e-mail account for your job search also to be able to isolate job related e-mail – both in general and for security purposes. It also makes it easy to keep track of job correspondence.

Twitter, Facebook and other social network information

This is more difficult and depend on the social net and how you use it and what a reader would find out about you there. I regard a researcher would be able to find the information easily therefore you should consider (as always) what you show on a social network – read more here about the conflict between “Ambitious CV, Party Animal on Facebook!”

Phone number (land line or mobile)

In a public CV I would consider before I show a land line number as it is easy to get your address. Mobile I would consider leaving out and ask for contact by email but it would depend on the situation.Comoto CV RIsks

Social security number or central register personal number or similar

Simple – never show or give away before needed as part of a (real) job contract signing

Tax payer number

Simple – never show or give away before needed as part of a (real) job contract signing

Password number

Simple – never show before needed as part of a (real) job contract signing and never give away your passport

Picture

Difficult – there are numerous evaluations of the effect of having a picture or not but that’s outside this pages purpose on privacy. On a public profile I would not show a picture as it could be misused.

Mothers Maiden name

Simple – never show and never give away

Drivers’ license number and information

Simple – never show or give away before needed (not number but the information you have one) as part of a (real) job contract signing

Bank account number or the information that you have one

Simple – never show or give away before needed as part of a (real) job contract signing

What about specific information about:

Height

It can unlawful for an employer to ask for this information.

Weight

It can unlawful for an employer to ask for this information.

Religion

It can unlawful for an employer to ask for this information.

Marital status.

It can unlawful for an employer to ask for this information but is often stated

Professional license number.

I would just inform that you have a special license if relevant

Gender and Age

Notice it can unlawful for an employer to ask for this information. Your name will often tell reader your gender. Age I would show as leaving out often raises more thoughts and your age is a fact you can hide but every day change to the better or worse!

The reason why you left a past employer

Considerations will depend on the actual reason but I would recommend it should on be mentioned briefly if relevant – else I would wait for an eventual interview to explain.

The team

 

Privacy – ”You have no privacy. Get over it” – or handle it!

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Privacy – ”You have no privacy. Get over it” – accept it or try to handle it – if that is possible at all!

PrivacyThe above quote from the CEO of Sun in 1999 seems to be more evident than ever – after a week where it was illustrated that Apple is tracking our phone calls and our geolocation – just one week after Facebook was advised to “better protect its users and improve overall security” by Sophos is seems more then relevant to touch this important subject, once again.

In several blog posts I will focus on and describe several privacy issues and especially their effect on your CVs and job process related risk and behavior – it is as very difficult balance between giving and controlling information, being open or being closed in behavior!

Some of the subjects I will comment is:

  • Public / available information
    How to find the right balance between being found by headhunters on social networks and not show to much information making it possible to misuse the information.
  • Cyberstalking
    Is an increasing problem and often it is easy to find the necessary information in your CV to either harass you or stalk you.
  • Your web history is being tracked with cookies and other smart tools
    Who to seem what and when – what if shared
  • Search engine results
    What can We find out about you if we search you on Google and others – if the information is not the same as in your CV – what is the correct information and how can you – or can’t – change the search impression
  • Social networks
    We all love social networks – the LinkedIn of this world  – but what happens if your network is with the wrong guys ?
  • Fake job offers
    Increasing in numbers trying either to get you to do something you should have avoided or just to get information from you – see my CEO comments here on this matter LINK
  • CV Database scams
    Inventing traffic on the CV Database site or fake interest in you – can make you make the wrong decisions – see my CEO comments here on this subject LINK
  • Spam
    An old friend – still there and stronger than ever!
  • Bacn
    The new recipe – mails from a provider where you accepted – or did not remove the check-mark within the 44 pages standard terms – is increasing and drowning you in mails missing the important one

Please let me know  if I should take similar matters into consideration – feel free to mail us at theteam@140.82.38.88

CV databases system often irritates me – also you?

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CV databases system often irritate me – also you?

I have to say I am sorry for the person, who actively wants to search for a job – it is an extremely tedious process!

Comoto will offer solutions to reduce this tediousness – making it faster and easier for you to send in the information – but unfortunately we can’t do anything with all the unnecessary questions and requests for information you are being asked to answer or deliver.

As an example – In our region of the world we have a very popular CV database / Job Application system that asks if you have a particular youngster driver license for a moped (required for those between 16 and 18). This question is asked independent of your age or other driver’s licenses. Why not start with the most common option and ONLY if it makes sense then ask the additional questions.

It would also be simple to add some links between your job interests or actual job position – and add some intelligent links between your age and educational level to ensure you get asked the right question and thus having a smooth experience using these CV database / Job Application systems.

But this seems not to be the case – therefore we need to add these data request to Comoto for you to be able to feed / forward / link the data to your favourite CV or resume databases.

This example is just one illustration of the lack of intelligence in the systems but sometimes also the people behind these systems could also be better in their planning and prioritization of data request instead of having a system that must fit everybody – i.e. questions asked for particular industries needs to be answered by all users (or actually not answered).

I look forward to present in details some of our forthcoming solutions in making Comoto the central place for your CV management – as we wants Comoto to be the best CV Builder / Creator and CV Manager for you.

CV Inconsistencies between Google and your CV!

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Be aware of any CV inconsistencies between Google and your CV!

CV Inconsistencies Well, is it a lie or is it a mistake when your CV is not consistent with easy search able information? The judge of that I think will be the recruiter not you!

Have you ever considered checking your CV
data and other information – which can be found within seconds on the Internet – and compare that to your CV data. It can be titles, responsibilities, task carried out or exams that you state but a search engine source shows differently hereby pinpointing a potential conflict or breach in
data consistence.

At some time during a hiring process either the recruiter or your potential new colleagues might do some checking or preparing before meeting you, and your CV can be completely correct as the search information might be outdated but when it happens the doubt have been raised and they might as a consequence prefer another candidate.

The best idea would be to do the same tests yourself – and remember not only on Google, also test some of the other search engines as well as industry specific pages and other relevant sources.

Remember to search as if you were a headhunter – it might be that the job and title you claim you have is also shown by somebody else – and make other similar logical tests.

If you find some information you would like to have corrected or deleted which I doubt you can – but it might be worth a try – then the second best thing you can do is to be prepared and have a good and reliable explanation to the inconsistency in the information.

The Comoto Team

 

You fight to protect your data and take care of privacy – but your password stinks!

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How many passwords do you have ? Take care of privacy!

take care of privaciesIt seems that the world can be divided into two – those of us who have 1 password for everything and those of us who have 3 passwords. The later – which actually used to include me – have a short one for fast access, a in-between and thus more protective password for those more private logins and a third and complicated password for the bank accounts and other important stuff ! Remember to take care of privacy!

How can I make that postulate – unfortunately some at the large hacks of password at Sony and Gawker showed that a lot of the people using both systems used the same
password – and please notice that the passwords on these systems were not encrypted –
anybody working at these sites or at similar sites could actually see the
password. It should be an unspoken requirement that passwords are encrypted (at
Comoto your password is encrypted and we cannot see it – we take care of your
privacy).

How strong is your password ?

A strong password would for instance be 2hCP7quTEufK – where qwerty12345 is not. Making passwords like that is not always easy and I have personally started to use Roboform to generate and remember my passwords (I choose Roboform password software because it works in my IE Explorer and Firefox and both on Mac and Windows as well as my phone and my tablet). If you don’t like or dont trust password software then start using some logical combining and higher numbers of characters – for example combing a complicated password 2hCP7qu**** by changing the last 4 characters with something related to the site or use – 2hCP7qu**** becomes 2hCP7qucomo at Comoto.

You can test the strenght of your password here.

You might wonder – why a password is important on a CV builder and CV databases – first and foremost because it is your data and privacy – but have you ever considered
what could happens if somebody you didn’t know, started using your data and CV just to harm you  – applying for a job in general, mailed an application to your
current employer’s worst competitor or…. I will leave it up to you to think about
other nasty examples – or use the time instead to make sure you have a proper
password strategy.

I have just found the perfect job!!

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I have just found the perfect job

– and spent time on an application – but the dream job was a fake just to attract attention to a CV or Job database!

perfect jobIn the last couple of weeks I have illustrated some of the dirty tricks and issues with
CV’s and the job process and I have with examples illustrated that candidates,
companies and also the CV database providers can have doubtful behaviors !

This week I will continue to illustrate misconduct from CV database owners – the subject for this week is an example from our home country as a large recruiting company
here had guidelines that each of their departments should have at least 25 job offers – and if they did not have enough actual jobs they should simply invent some fake jobs!

Regrettably – this example is not the only example but seldom have the misconduct been as clear a part of the corporate guidelines – it seems to be an often used practice for some headhunters, CV database providers and even companies  to show they are successfull.

To avoid any doubt this is illegal in Denmark and will be prosecuted should anyone get any smart ideas!

How can you avoid being misused by a fake job provider – sorry to say but you can’t – but if you believe it might be the case for an interesting job wait a few days before applying or call the provider to check – and hereby you also might get additional information – as the provider often will not spend time explaining anything to you if the job is a fake.

Remember, if you as a candidate applied for a fake job you will often be told – sorry but you are not relevant for that job – but remember to add your CV to our database – and apply again as your background is relevant for these types of jobs. Hereby you are not only wasting time but also get the wrong advice, you might also believe you wrongly have had a chance for getting a particular job or that particular type of job is available . Unfortunately if neither of these facts are correct as you might be taking erroneous decisions for your  future career!

I really hope you will not encounter a “fake job” and if you do, that you will discover in time and save the extra work that it brings with no result at all.

Do you need a fast CV or the right CV?

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Do you need a fast CV or the right CV?

Need a fast CV now or a well considered and specific targeted for that one particular job you want! – by the way this is what we call a Comoto CV clone.

Seeking a new job is not just about sending the usual and standard CV you made ages ago – most of the time it requires an evaluation and maybe a Curriculum Vitae created/build especially for that particular job opening.

Sometimes you just need a fast CV, here and now because you have been contacted by a recruiter or found a job opening through your network – with Comoto it is a matter of seconds to send one of your CV’s (and if you don’t have one yet you can import it from LinkedIn or Europass in less than 32 seconds our latest tests shows).

But as mentioned most of the time you have enough time to consider and prepare the optimal strategy for the application and accompanying CV – what is important for you in the job, why are you the perfect candidate, which are the skills needed, which are the skills to emphasise – are some of the questions to ask yourself. Use an existing Comoto CV to create a clone (our word for a copy as you copy sorry clone everything – not just the text but also the structure, etc.) change and add to ensure all the considerations you have made in advance are covered – save and test several templates – which designs fits you and the situations best (if none send us your ideas) – before you pick the optimal one.

Impeccable reputation – Mine is! – but what about my social network!

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Impeccable reputation – Mine is! – but what about my social network!

But the guys in my social network might not be likewise!

impeccable reputationsHave you ever considered making a comparative link between your CV and the connecting thread of your strong skills and your objective description and the people in your social network?

Have you ever considered how a third party would look at your network – it could be as harmless as your friends showing a pictures  of you or friends who have radical or bizarre viewpoints (depending on the eye of the beholder) – would this be interpreted as negative with respect to a particular job?

To avoid any unwanted negative consequence, it would be recommended to look at your social network on a regular basis or ask somebody to take a look as if he/she was a third party looking at your profile.

The obvious alternative would be to have several profiles with a nickname for the fun parts and a serious one with your real name – but this would in many social networks be a violation of the Terms of Use – for example at Facebook “Maintaining multiple accounts, regardless of the purpose, is a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Use”.

Therefore, sometimes it is better to think before you act.

Differences between CV templates, example, design and sample used in relation to a CV

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CV templatesWhat are the differences within using the terms CV Templates, Sample, Example and Design, when working with your CV – and what are actually your needs?

Have you ever considered what the differences are when using these terms, because these terms are used differently and might create a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. Have you decided how you will use them and how they fit into to your vocabulary?

To give you some inspiration we will try to describe how we see the differences between the terms in the following article.

Comoto has a clear distinction between the terms and their functionality.

Template

A  template is a fixed format for your CV to present your data within a certain structure.

The advantage is that you don’t have to change any data to see or use another Template – just change the Template with a few clicks and see the effect.

Actually in Comoto the phrase “fixed format” would be wrong as we gives you the option to save Word format and change the final version as you like. This can be useful especially for page formatting and minor changes.

At Comoto we give you access to download our templates for free if you prefer to use them manually, but we strongly believe that you soon learn the advantage of using our builder instead – just a few clicks and you have created a new CV with your already existing CV data.

Example – the text

We use the term Example to describe a CV with texts describing actual jobs, experiences, objectives and professional summaries. Often without any thoughts of presentation. We have also examples here of text you should consider or not consider.

An example could also be an example on a specific job type for instance a salesperson example and how it is valid to write a CV for these types of jobs. We do not show live examples containing actual candidates data (but you can find them if they are made public by the owner).

Sample – the outcome

We use the term Sample to describe an illustration of how a CV could look like – i.e. how it would be presented to the receiver. This is typically with dummy content so no real content just the design and structure  showed to you with dummy content.

For example we have small sample pictures illustrating all our templates and designs, that would be called samples by us.

Design – the graphical parts

The Design of a CV is the term for the presentation format for your data. At Comoto we give you the option to either leave out or add graphics to pinpoint your strength, your belief or interest – or simply an option to make the CV more personal and compelling to look at.

The advantage of having your Data separated from the Template and Design is that you don’t have to change any data to see or use another template – just choose another template to see how it looks, and remember exporting your data to another template only takes a couple of seconds and can be done with “one” click by you mouse.

Hope this has given you and idea on how we see the differences between Templates, Samples, Designs and Examples.

The hard life of a CV on a CV Database!

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Have you ever considered what happens with your CV after you have keyed in all the data or submitted your file?

“To begin with, here are the hard facts! Almost nothing will actually happen!”

  • Your data is not read or looked at!
    Nobody looks at your data manually/human maybe your data is checked for relevance on a niche site. Some CV databases count words or do other automatic checks to see if the CV has some substance at all. Funny email addresses can be deleted – else they only look of those not fulfilling atomized test or requirements like having an email accepting a welcome mail, word counts above X words, certain words in the text or similar. See more comments about this here.
  • Your data is made searchable!
    Often not very advanced search features will make it difficult to find you – any spelling errors in your data? Or maybe if someone is looking for a sales director would perhaps find your references title instead of yours! If you have only attached a CV file the likelihood it will ever be used is limited! How can someone find anything useable from indexed word or pdf files?
  • Your data is not tested for quality!
    No CV databases do any tests or check the quality of your data or even comment your likelihood of getting a job. A few niche CV databases do some checks just to test if your CV is relevant for the niche.
  • Your data is often being sold!
    Or rather access to your data is being sold to recruiters, headhunters and/or companies – all looking for that particular person for that particular job. They don’t spend much time looking at the data therefore make sure the data is precise and updated. They often have access to more than one source.
  • Your data is like milk – short lifespan!
    A fresh one is better than an old on. CV database holders talk about “freshness” – now you know why you get all of these mails from the CV database – the want you to update and be active as the customers of the CV database values “freshness”. See my comments here.
  • Your data is used to get in contact with you (if you’re that lucky)!
    Make sure the contact details are correct (and as source for finding people LinkedIn is good)
  • Your data is often used to find someone instead of you!
    Maybe your CV shows you are the manager of the type they need or they need your boss instead and wants names – maybe that explains why you are not contacted after the first contact.
  • Your data is not relevant anymore (you have a new job)!
    What happens if you get a new job? Wants to focus on that and don’t spent time updating CV databases for a while – delete your profile – if you can! Many CV databases puts focus on the numbers of CV’s in their marketing they hate when people delete their CV and therefore deleting a CV can be tedious, difficult or even not possible (remember in many countries you have to accept with a fixed frequency to be regarded as active – but what happens if you say no – are you deleted, is your CV deleted and you stay in the newsletter database?

The above illustrates that getting a job just being a passive member on several CV databases might not be the best way to get the job you want – be (pre-)active and use Comoto to handle your active job searching process and use Comoto to ensure you data on every CV database is the same and updated.

Also remember to be judged on a full CV – not just a short profile describing the past – show your goals and achievement to be sure you get a better job than the current you might have and hereby a new job that develops you.

Contacted by a headhunter and need a fast CV or a full CV?

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CEO comments –  Have you been contacted by a headhunter/recruiter and need a fast CV or a full CV?

fast cvHave you been contacted by a headhunter? Need a fast CV or a full CV?  Comoto can create one in 32 secs. Read about the differences between Comoto and LinkedIn.

We have been asked several times about the difference between LinkedIn and Comoto. Comoto is a CV builder and your personal CV database and LinkedIn is a relationship database so from our perspective the difference is clear – in particular if you wants to separate between building a network and getting a job.

Differences:

  • The relationship network (LinkedIn) is based on people and people interconnections. Your CV  illustrates your personal background and achievements.
  • Profile versus a full CV. Get judged by a the full CV you can create in
    Comoto, instead of the public profile in LinkedIn
  • One profile versus many CV’s – target each CV for that particular job by using the
    unique multiple CV feature in Comoto
  • Profile in English versus many different CV’s in whatever language you want

Similarities:

  • The facts – Always remember to ensure facts are the same. Short in LinkedIn –
    detailed and precise in your Comoto CV.

As Comoto works closely with your LinkedIn profile it is easy to ensure the data consistency – and the same feature makes is fast to create your first Comoto CV or update a Comoto CV.

The Comoto Team

Comoto‘s aim is to become “The Central Place” where you can create, clone, copy, manage, backup and distribute your CV and Cover letters fast and easy. To create your first Comoto CV, signup for free and just add your data (or use one of the many easy import features), pick one of our special designed templates, preview your CV and finally export to your favourite format (.DOC – .PDF – .PNG) or publish it in a Web Profile (Public/Private). Now you are ready to have full control of your CV. Notice other unique features – like multiple CVs – a few clicks and you can create a CV targeted for a specific job or Export to many different formats.

Ambitious CV, Party Animal on Facebook!

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Ambitious CV, Party Animal on Facebook!

Ambitious CVMy ambitious CV depicts me as an ambitious leader and I always know how to behave correctly but on Facebook I am a Party Animal! Beware, the inconsistent information or signals can be an issue!

In the world of fast data exchange and social network your history and presence might
not be neither consistent nor showing the person you might be trying to show in your CV.

I am not saying you should avoid to use social networks and the like – just be aware
that the information about you might not be consistent or underestood by a recruiter
as you had expected, hereby raising an issue that moves you away from the top
spot and the dream job!

Therefore be consistent and use Social media wisely!

It can be difficult to remove information after they have been published – deleting, changing might be possible else pausing or deleting a profile might be necessary if it is possible or even an option. The last option is to drown the unwanted information – lots of new pictures and text depicting you as a different person, as the Recruiter seldom reads all availbale information about you.

Comoto‘s aim is to become “The Central Place” where you can create, clone, copy, manage, backup and distribute your CV and Cover letters fast and easy. To create your first Comoto CV, signup for free and just add your data (or use one of the many easy import features), pick one of our special designed templates, preview your CV and finally export to your favourite format (.DOC – .PDF – .PNG) or publish it in a Web Profile (Public/Private).

Your use of the internet is being followed – also on a CV database !

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CEO comments –  your use of the internet is being followed – also on a CV database!

cv databaseSting’s famous song lyrics from 1983 is as actually as ever !

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take

as an illustration of what happens when you use the Internet. Cookies, flash etc. collects and records every step and click you make to ensure the site-owners knowledge about you and your peers.

Is this good or bad – all depends on how the data eventually is used – it can
actually be nice to be recognized – for example to start on the same page you left
earlier – but it can also be misused either to pinpoint information and/or adds
to you.

If you combine the information trail you leave behind and the info
in your CV / Resume it would actually be a lot of private information that
could be of harm to you (or great benefit for a guy trying to sell you
something).

What can you do to avoid it – The latest versions of browser either have features
or add in’s that lets you turn of cookies and similar website user data registration tools.

Can you completely avoid it – hardly !

The EU rules for cookies seems difficult to Implement by the member countries and
is delayed. Other new features not covered In full by the EU rules is evolving
– in particular your web fingerprint seems to give even more information to
site ownership.

The web fingerprint is the almost unique combination of information about you (your
browser, computer, etc.) making it possible to know when you return.

Be aware out there and remember the words…..

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take