the-ladder.com > Reviews > Get on the-ladder

Author's product rating:   

Database & Search Facilities	Good - narrowed down to fit my requirements fairly well
Navigation	Excellent - quick, simple, unambiguous
Validity of job postings	I trust virtually everything on this site
Frequency of content update	Good
Ease of registration process	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Employers can see more than the standard 2 page A4 CV
Disadvantages:	It takes a while to fill out the form

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I think the-ladder.com is brilliant. It offers the chance to get your real potential as a graduate employee on show for companies to see.

There are two "entrances" on the bright yellow site - 1 for students, and 1 for prospective employers, and access can be gained to either of them - which is useful in particular for students, so that they can see what sort of selection criteria a company is looking for, and fill out their cv accordingly.

After entering the site through the student entrance you are offered the chance to fill out details about yourself in a form (which can be done offline) which creates the basis of an extended and detailed cv. This enables employers to view more that can be fitted on to the usual 2 sides of A4 which make up a regular cv.

There are certain fields which you have to fill in, as well as optional ones. There are areas in which you can describe the sort of person you are, and thus this can enable a potential employer to see the kind of role you would be suitable for.

There is the chance to express on your key skills - such as in areas of Teamwork, Leadership, Problems Solving, and Communication - many of the key skills which ANY employer of graduates will be looking for. You can write as much or as little as you want, and it is really up to you to make your extended cv stand out - but the whole system makes this easier by design.

The very process of filling out the form helped me in my search for a graduate job, simply to think about what employers are looking for - the key skills I gained from my time at University. The different sections enabled me to break down my skill areas and write down examples of them -such as situations where I showed leadership skills.

The whole process is extremely beneficial and worth doing even if you don't sign up for the service.