How many times have you told a white lie on a job application or applied for a role that doesn’t quite match your skill set?

Or, the big one, how many times have you applied to companies you’re just not interested in? 

From the moment we start thinking about the world of work, we’re told we must mould ourselves around job roles if we’re to compete in the brutal jobs market.  And to a large extent it’s true. Most companies openly admit that their screening process is based around experience and qualifications alone; if you don’t tick the boxes, you don’t get through – end of.

And so it begins: we inflate our achievements, spam the jobs boards, and feign excitement to get into companies that bore us.

When those recruiting us have no other way, it just becomes a game.

But what are the consequences of all this hoop jumping?

Well, your embellishments may get found out; leading to embarrassment and potentially even legal action (see CIFAS guide to CV Fraud here!).

But the worst outcome is that they never do, and you land in a job you’re just not suited for.

Square Pegs in Round Holes

As young professionals we don’t often know exactly what we want to do, or more importantly, what kind of work would suit us best. Our futures are hazy, but job descriptions aren’t; it’s easier to shape ourselves to a job role, than prove we have what it takes qualitatively.

So many times we know we love a company and would give it everything we have, but without already holding a similar position, we just can’t get our feet in the door.

But what if that changed?

What if companies started recruiting for potential, personality, and perseverance rather than A-levels and previous achievements?

This is my vision for the future of recruitment, and why I get so excited about myHRcareers and the potential of social or community based recruitment. In our network of aspiring and inspiring HR professionals I see people connection over true common interest and endless opportunities born from it.

And I’m not alone. 

People are starting to wake up to the fact that recruitment has got to change. 
Companies can no longer afford to employ ‘roles’, and we can’t afford to waste any more time applying to jobs and companies.

It’s time for people to start employing people; and next week three of the best thought leaders in Talent Acquisition are going to tell us how. 

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Interested in learning more about talent acquisition and the future of recruitment? 

Join me next week for the  myHRcareers Summer Networking Party on 29th July 2015 at Harris+Hoole in Central London. I’d love you to join me at this free recruitment focused to debate this crucial subject.