IProfile, a UK based online CV management system is making its debut in Australia.  Ten selected IT recruitment firms will have a two year monopoly on using the system,  which seems a bit odd given the value of such a system lies in universal usage and acceptance. Surely, the more the participants the more successful it would be.

From where we sit, it is apparent that recruitment firms (the club of ten in this case) will be the main beneficiaries as the system is likely to reduce CV processing time and save money.  From a candidate’s perspective, it can easily seems like yet another administrative burden to cope with - maintain an iProfile CV to work with ten selected recruiters and continue to polish your Word CV in order to work with the rest of the recruitment community. Having said that, iProfile does have impressive features. It has been fairly successful in the UK . We will give it a closer look when the product is launched in September.

Writing and updating a CV is one of the more unpleasant aspects of a job search. Any job seeker, given a choice, would have less of it. Any tool that is quick to create and update, is universally accepted by employers and recruiters alike, creates value for the user. On that note, professional networking sites like Linkedin are increasingly gaining relevance as a substitute for CV. When a new service like VisualCV aligned their strategy with Linkedin, you have an inkling of where the future is heading. Perhaps, in an increasingly networked world CVs as we know them will cease to exist. Seth has an interesting take.

Meanwhile, a new resume service  Razume, which targets the  21-30 age group in their job search, brings network and community involvement in the resume creation process.  Watch this space.