A CV Library is often used as a talent pool by organisations that recruit for the same roles time and time again. The way it works is that applicant details of candidates that are not succesful in being offered a job but nevertheless meet the job specification are added to the CV Library. Next time recruitment for the same post is being undertaken, the CV Library is accessed to source suitable candidates prior to the role being advertised. Generally CV Libraries used in this fashion are OK but quite often they are out of date, particularly as the candidates whose CVs are loaded on the library have often got new jobs, moved house, changed industry etc etc. Keeping a CV Library updated is such a mammoth task that few organisations will bother.
A CV Library provides organisations a mechanism of recruiting people who have previously applied for a similar job with that organisation. A CV library is also a database built by commercial job boards and others providing a source of Job seeking candidates to recruitment agencies and employers.
CV Library
A CV library is used by commercial organisations such as job boards to store CVs of candidates and sell access to the data base or library created for a fee. Some agencies value this as they beleive that accessing passive as opposed to active job seekers is a mechanism of identifying the best candidates and CV databses and CV libraries help then in this aspect of their recruiting business. CV library is actually the name of one such Job Site. Some of the larger agencies also build CV Library databases of their own. Facebook, LinkedIn, Viadeo, Xing and many other social and business network sites may also be regarded as CV Libraries since they also hold the CVs and personal data about their membership.
Which CV Library is right for you?
There are literally hundreds of job boards in UK offering CV registration to Job Seekers. The process allows a CV to be posted to the database or CV library operated by that site and these CVs are then accessible to recruiters as determined by your registration preferences and settings. Generalist boards such as Jobsite, Monster and Total Jobs cover the entire spectrum of market sectors and job functions; Consolidator sites such as Workcircle display jobs from a whole range of job boards and thus offer wider coverage and avoid duplication to some extent and specialist niche boards offer vacancies in one or more industry sectors, geographical locations or job functions. The niche boards tend to display jobs more highly appropriate to a desired job type or location whereas the generalist boards CV Library products offer better visibility of a CV to particularly recruitment agencies.
Whichever job boards are chosen to hold a Job Seeker's CV on their library database, the CV itself needs to be written in a manner that will make it highly visible to recruiters. To ensure the required visibility the CV should contain keywords and phrases relative to the job type desired that the recruiter is likley to use in searching the CV library. For more detail about keywords and their importance for CVs on a CV library take a look at our CV Tips page.
