Job hunters need to face the reality of recruitment

While I have every sympathy with graduates’ and freelances’ frustrations at being unable to present their work to potential employers and the lack of feedback they receive, I feel that the utopian ideals expressed by Tom Ward (Letters, DW 3 July) and Dennis O’Neill (Letters, DW 10 July) are just impractical in the real world.

If a contact name isn’t readily available either from a receptionist or a website, it’s usually an indication that these people don’t want to be called 12 times a day or have their desk bombarded with a small forest’s worth of self-promotion. Even if your work did manage to get through to the intended person and they’re not actively recruiting, it’s unlikely that much interest will be shown.

Ward’s desire for us to reply to all CVs with a few words of encouragement is laughable. Sure we could respond to all CVs with a standardised letter, but why should an employer spend time writing to an individual whose CV isn’t up to scratch or whose work, to be frank, just isn’t good enough?

Companies aren’t advice centres: they’re businesses looking to recruit the best people available. If there’s talent on show, the company would recognise this and respond to that particular person accordingly.

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but despite Ward and O’Neill’s best intentions, the fact of the matter is that companies don’t give out certain contact names or reply to CVs for very good reasons, not just because they can’t be bothered.

It’s more realistic for students to pick up advice from industry magazines rather than to expect advice from companies on the back of a recently sent CV.

James Robertson

Hire co-ordinator

AVC Productions

Slough SL1 4PH

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: Design Week, 50 Poland Street, London W1F 7AX Fax: 020 7970 6730, e-mail: lyndark@centaur.co.uk, website: www.design-week.co.uk

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