Employer red flag?

Was it competency based?

Children?? Why would that be on your cv?

No it wouldn't be a red flag, the hiring manager will have read it already.

Do you think men are going for roles talking about their children?

We have to sift about 80 CVs per vacancy. It's impossible to remember who is who, and we have a set list of standard questions to ask, so we look at every candidate with fresh eyes anyway.

Sometimes we're interviewing 10 people over 2 days, so we don't remember exactly who is who anyway.

Why would you write about your children on your CV?

didn't know .... or that you have children

What?? Why would a prospective employer know that?

Well I dont know how it works but in my industry (architecture) your CV is basically your pedigree, you are nothing without it.

Set questions for the interview

Only reason for having the CV & cover letter is to make sure I get the name right and spot any inconsistencies that indicate the CV is embellished.

not really

I'm so thrown by the idea you want your potential employer to know that you have children as if that's at all relevant to your role. Unless perhaps you need to show you have experience with children??

Have you put that you have children on your CV? Take that off!

My local council does set questions "give me an example of a time when..." So wouldn't need my CV or know my experience.

CVs are used to sift for interview. The interview is for you to talk about your skills and experience and demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the role.

Most organisations carry out competency based interviews these days - so no need to have a CV in front of you.

So instead of asking "I see you were assistant project manager at Acme Co for three years, tell me about that" you ask " tell me about a time when you had to manage a project on a tight budget"

@localnotail This has been the same approach in a Big 4 / professional services firm and in my current role in a third sector organisation.

Exactly, and that you can talk to your experience

Totally. Sounds completely disorganised, and I don't think I'd want to work somewhere like that. Did they ask you any relevant questions that pertained to you?

I guess this approach works in your profession - though not sure how it could would work unless you hire for something like a call centre? I cant imagine it would be suitable in an industry where your previous experience/ your previous work place is the most important thing for the employer to consider and where each position has to have a specific skill set based on the project you are hiring for

I might make notes from a CV and question anything specific like gaps in employment, but otherwise would ask direct questions and let employee explain themselves. Probably wouldn’t have CV with me.

Children are completely irrelevant- they shouldn't be in your cv and you shouldn't be asked about the.

I don't have cvs in front of me at interviews. I want to concentrate on the answers candidates give to questions.

No not at all.

We blind interview so I'd never see your CV. Not a red flag at all but a great driver of diversity!

I never put children on my CV. this is such an odd thing to say.

@localnotail I've interviewed people before without knowing anything about them other than their name (usually because I'm stepping in at the last minute). I don't need to know it really though because our questions are standardised and we have to ask people the exact same questions.

I rarely look at the CV during the interview, the CV gets you through thr sift. I want to hear from you now.

Well, definitely! Not only in childcare.

But you would need to have an idea where they worked before, even to ask the right questions? And to have an idea about their qualifications, or at least what they claim they have.

I just find it weird - how can you go into an interview without knowing anything about the person if front of you? Like, zero? In what kind of job would it be of any benefit?

Childcare. Some lies include reasons why they left their previous setting and their role at their previous settings and the amount of time they've spent at settings

It's as though they they think I won't check, especially as I have to be on top of these lies for safeguarding

I think it's pretty important the liars are weeded out, don't you? Given the job role.

Never have the cv in front of me but always read it shortly before the interview to refresh my memory. I often ask for people to summarise as it’s a good indication of which areas they think are important. It’s a red flag if they obviously don’t have a clue about any of your previous roles but it is possible that they just have standard list of questions that they ask each applicant (and much fairer).

employers shouldn’t know whether you have children or not and shouldn’t really be asking.

I worked for a charity where the interview panel would be the hiring manager and two other people. Only the hiring manager would have seen your CV to decide who gets an interview. The other two would know nothing about you at all. There'd be set interview questions (that candidates get in advance) and a scoring framework. Answers scored independently by panel members and sent to HR without any discussion between panellists. HR would then inform the hiring manager who scored highest and therefore will be hired.

So no, not having CV in front of them isn't a red flag necessarily. We did explain it to candidates though.