By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent
Young women are being urged to transfer their social media skills into life skills by Barclays’ Lifeskills project, which aims to improve students’ confidence and employability opportunities.
A new survey has revealed that although young women have plenty of ‘selfie-confidence’ on social networks, that doesn’t apply to the written word.
While they post an average of eight daily social media updates – mostly with pictures – they lack the same assurance when it comes to promoting themselves professionally.
Over a third confess they don’t have or have never written a CV and six in ten said they feel self-conscious talking about their achievements when job-hunting.
More than 40 per cent of 1,000 British females aged between 14 and 25 said they were intimidated by the prospect of writing a CV, with over half (51 per cent) not knowing how to promote themselves without sounding “boastful”.
Barclays’ Lifeskills project offers a ‘CV builder’ and practical tips to entering the world of work. Kirstie Mackey, Head of LifeSkills, created by Barclays, said: “In a competitive jobs market, it’s important to present yourself in the best possible way, and your CV is normally the first encounter with a potential employer.
“Our research shows that there is a significant number of young people without a CV or who would like help formulating one. That is why LifeSkills has created a smart CV Builder, to provide practical help to young people to present their best self and skills to employers so they can successfully transition into work.”