A simple addition to upgrade your CV and snag a job

Of the 1.2 million who entered the labour market each year, only a third managed to find employment, but a recent study has found that something as simple as having reference letters in their applications increased job-seekers’ prospects by more than 50%.

According to Statistics SA 2019 figures for the first quarter, the youth aged 15 to 24 were the most vulnerable in the country’s labour market, as the unemployment rate among the age group stood at 55.2%, and President Cyril Ramaphosa conceded in his state of the nation address that something needs to be done about the substantial number of the youth struggling to find employment.

The study conducted in collaboration with the Department of Labour by professors Martin Abel of Middlebury College, Rulof Burger of Stellenbosch University and Patrizio Piraino from the University of Cape Town, surveyed unemployed youth aged between 18 and 34 at labour centres in Gauteng and Limpopo.

About 70% of the participants in the study had a secondary school qualification, with limited work experience in short‐term, low‐skill jobs.

“A common challenge for job-seekers is that their curriculum vitae (CV) reflecting limited credentials, can leave hiring firms with very little information with which to assess job applicants,” found the researchers.

Focus group discussions indicated that while many hiring managers noted the benefit of references from previous employers, most job seekers did not have contactable references listed on their CV and less than 5% included a reference letter with their applications.

“Faced with a lack of information on the skills of applicants, South African employers often rely on informal referrals to fill vacancies.

“This can lead to mismatched placements and the exclusion of groups who benefit less from referrals, such as women,” added the researchers.

Standardised reference letters gave previous employers the opportunity to list their contact details and indicated how well they knew the candidate – giving them the opportunity to rate employees from very good to below average on skills and attitude.

Reference letters were found to be particularly useful for female job-seekers, with a much higher probability of finding work.

However, employers were wary of reference letters that seemed “too good to be true”.

“While positive letters increased a job seeker’s chances of being contacted, letters with perfect ratings in all categories were ineffective – underscoring the importance of employers viewing the information in reference letters as credible,” the researchers said.

Said Burger: “If employers know that they will be appointing the most suitable person for the job, they might even be willing to employ more people.

“Our conclusion is that these reference letters present a cost‐effective tool for reducing information gaps between job-seekers and employers, increasing job-seekers’ employment prospects.”

brians@citizen.co.za

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