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Sloppy cut-and-paste CVs costing graduates top jobs: Employers struggling to fill vacancies due to glut of poor applications

Research found applicants pasting wholesale from previous attempts
Sometimes the graduates mixed up which company they were applying to
Findings come from employers including Procter & Gamble and Rolls-Royce

After years of study at elite universities, you could presume that our brightest students would emerge knowing how to apply for a job.

But top employers are struggling to fill graduate vacancies due to a glut of sloppy applications. A leading recruiter said students about to leave university take a ‘scattergun’ approach to sending out CVs rather than properly researching each position they apply for.

Some simply cut and paste paragraphs between cover letters, and even mistakenly refer to rival companies.

They do not always understand the basic requirements of the job they are applying for or even what the role involves.

This is despite the fact that many applications are from final year students at leading universities who are expected to achieve at least a 2:1 degree.

Research carried out by the Association of Graduate Recruiters – which represents leading firms including Procter & Gamble, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Rolls-Royce UK – has cast doubt on the calibre of today’s [...]