2003-11-05 - 7:08 p.m.

In Europe they ask and add a lot of stupid things in the resumes.

Sex. Wait, didn't I hear somewhere it is illegal in most professions to prefer people of a certain sex? Besides in most cases the name tells what's your sex. I feel stupid having to state I am female. Which I don't do anymore. Do it the US way. If they want to know your sex, obviously they should also ask you for the sexual preferences... discriminating all non-male, not-in-stable-relationship-and-so-on. C'mon. Either you should base your choise of the person to be employed in base of all other criteria, such as experience, competences .. or just ask. Or maybe this is asked as in Europe it's still normal that women get 50-70 % of the pay of the equivalent job when compared to men's salaries.

Date and place of birth are the annoyance number two. Are you going to base the choise of the personnel in base of the astrological charts? Or prefer the Libras, Aquarius or Cancers as you just like them? Can't you just copy those from the ID once you have chosen the person? See the work experience and other competences. Rely on those. In too many cases the screening takes away you as you a) have studied and worked too much for your age (the person deciding on the choise of personnel is over 40, has had 1 job in her life and so on) or b) they are looking for someone specific ("under 25 (or similar)" read: we want you to work like a slave, and we don't want to pay you as much as your work tasks would require us to pay you. "women" read: we are conservative, and need women for this job only to pay less)... Why place of birth? Is this to prefer people from the same city or just to ignore the people who come from far? If the Europeans asked for race or ethnic origin in the resumès, it would not be to support ethnical diversity. It would be (apart from UK maybe) to prefer the white natives.

Marital status. Hey, I am supposed to be working only. Isn't my private life my private life? Well, I am of the wrong sex. What I find interesting that in most countries in Europe you are not allowed to ask too much about the marital situation. But in practise for a wrong-sex (not male) applicant it goes "So, are you in a relationship?" "No" Well, that is the wrong answer if you are over 16. A woman can't be without a relationship. Try again. "Yes, in a steady relationship (married or whatever, depending on the conservativeness level of the job you are applying for)". Next you will be asked what you are not supposed to be asked: when are you going to (get married if you are not, and) start to reproduce kids and stay home for the next xx years? If you anser "never" you have a problem with your sexuality. If anytime at all, they will not hire you. A better choise will be a man - unless the European men start to stay home to take care of their kids too. I really wish to see once if anything of the relations are asked from a male applicant. This whole being scared of the potential reproduction is ridiculous. If I ever will apply to a European job, I will state (whatever desired relationship that will qualify for the job) AND can't have kids. Whether I can or can't, it should not be their business. But to get business is my business, so play dirty and don't be amazed for answers to the questions you were not supposed to ask.

At least they don't ask for religion. I assume. One more thing that is yours. Don't express your religion in the work hours, unless working for a church. What I believe in or don't is none of your business. Unless I really would be working for a church.

So. Work and Education experiences and backgrounds. Too many of those that I have seen are too generic. A degree in this and that. Well, what other subjects did you study than mathematics or art? And what did you do for that and that company, working for that and that long time? I for sure am not the only one who has the problem of too many short work relations. A few months. If you hire someone for x months, probably the company gets tax deductions. So, temp workers flourish in Europe, except in Italy where Adecco and Manpower advertise in their home page of having 900,000 resumès online ... look closer and you see they have 2,650 jobs available. To their friends.

So, save your taxes and hire the people for a few months. Adapt to it, and do those works for a few months. It's not just a few people living with those jobs now. You know you will have the job for 4 months, then? Live your life now, and then .. wait untill you have another job? What happened to the stability? Live month by month and .. save for a house, car, computer? In many cases, utopy.

Oh, list the applications you can use and have used. Why do those who use Internet Explorer to view hotmail, yahoo and aol list Internet Explorer .. and with a lot of experience? Email .. if you don't use hotmail or outlook express many have no idea what you are talking about. M$ Office. And so on. And then if your list of the OSs and applications that you have used is too long, they get suspicious.

Languages .. fine. "We have no need for that language now" > whatever excuse is fine to pay you less. "Excellent" skill in some language can be someone who does not understand the spoken language or can't speak it - but with typewriter and 30 minutes he or she is able to produce a paper of relatively comprensible text. In South only the local language and English are required, in North they don't hire you if your local language is not perfect and you don't look perfectly native. And they could not care less about the non-English/German/French languages.

I can drive and have that and that patent, and have no car. At least one thing I would specify on the same way here than there.

I wonder when the Europeans will reinvent their resumès?

I am called soandso, live in thisandthis address, my educational background (a few points, specified), job history (specified), other skills (computers, languages, other practical jobs you can do, certificates etc), and why I would be a good choise for you company. Why is it more normal to tell when and where were you born and that you are (un)married than WHY you would be the person they are looking for?