Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

I see a few jobs that I'm interested in on things like Jobserve, you know, the ones that you are ideally suited and qualified for. What do you do? Send a CV or ring 'em? Me? I ring 'em 'cos for one you'll garner some more info re the position and also prehaps get a raport going with the recruiter...

Am I doing it wrong? It seems to me that every time I try to speak to the recruiter concerned, they are "away from their desk" & the collegue takes vague details, like phone number/name/job after & says that they'll phone you right back.

I'm still waiting

Surely they need to find out a bit more about the person before they never speak to them again or they might be putting the wrong candidate to the company due to lack of effort. Prehaps its just my name that puts 'em off, I dunno. But I am still waiting on a load of "they'll call you back straightaway" type calls

Any further suggestions?




PS - Anyone want to give me a job or point me in the direction of someone looking for someone like me, then please feel free to post here or email

ozzy

Puff,

I work for a company (RDF) who outsource customer projects. Since the majority of our work is 3-6 month contracts, we employ lots of contractors (about 90% of the workforce). Anyway, we have zillions of CV's, so the ones on file usually get hit first.

We have a sister company Aristotle (formerly known as Eurolink). They are based in Brighton, but have offices all over the country. They're a recruitment company, so if you need some help or advice then I'd recomment speaking to them.

What sort of work are you after?

There are a few other arms to our company but it depends on which part of the country you're looking to work and what type of job you want to do.

Stefan

Trashman

As a prospective employer, I get put off by his approach. Generally people are too busy to answer these types of queries over & over. Most employers would like to see prospective candidates details (i.e a CV and covering letter) in one lump so they can read thru when convenient and decide who they want to interview.

Best approach is handwritten covering letter and a smart eyecatching CV - with the relevant info. It's hard to write a CV and keep it relevant - you need to be ruthless at times as the employer wants to quickly make a decision about who to see. Use an interview as the time to expand on things.

Hope that helps.

pbee

Also remember a lot of Jobs posted on jobserve ect are made up to hoover up CV's for jobs that might come up in the future.

Also I have found a lot of companies no longer use agencies as it is more of an employeers market at the moment. And a lot remember how they bumped up their fee's during the boom years. I was at one job for 6 months, and when I left the HR director said "well thats the last time we use that agency we paid 8k to find you through them !!!!!"

Look for direct adverts on company websites and in the paper.

fast bloke

I used to get 4-5 times as many calls as CV's for any job we posted. Average response would be 20-30 CV's so if I took 150 calls per post I would never have had time to do anything else.
(We were also advised that if we took one call them we should take them all as it could be construed as being an unfair selection process otherwise)

Net result was that I only considered CV's.

catalunya199

im leaving the army and just done a course on how to conduct interviews and do c.vs the bloke is a recruiter himself and says they generally look at your c.v for about 15 secs so if it aint eyecatching then im sorry mate they usually discard it.

but he did say to lie abit never use good or o.k always use excellent as other hopefulls will lie slightly as well.

also never use i, me your profile has to hit him straight away just remember the first 15 secs

i did have a really good book i will try and find it if you want and get some stuff copied

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Tman

I'm contacting the agency, not the employer direct so wonder how the agency gets the info/prospective candidates other than trawling through CVs.

My thinking is that I'd prefer not to just blanket fire CVs on the basis they might not be read and understood correctly - obviously having a good CV helps, but there might be that extra piece of info about you that only comes to light in a conversation.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Posted the above before loads of replies in

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

So the advice is to whack in CVs left, right & centre?

With or without covering letter to the agency concerned? Letters for prospective employers only?

Trashman

I'd guess the agencies have the same if not bigger problem. It is all down to the CV and that needs to be the foot in the door. Most decent agencies will interview people who they keep on file, whether by phone or face to face, and that's when the extra info comes out.

It sounds really harsh but when your faced with loads of CV's for a job, the best ones will get the interviews. Yes, this does mean that Mr Or Miss Right could slip by but you have to have some way of evaluating the applicants initially.

You might consider going to one of these companies that does your CV for you - I tried one some years ago and the CV I got back was a completely different person. So different that I never used it as it dressed up what my experience was far to much and it wasn't a cheap service either. Better employment agencies will help with a CV - maybe try ringing and saying you want to register instead of asking for details of a specific job?

Trashman

Over the last year I've been thinking about a change and did the same as what I did 4 years ago which was basically keep banging the CV out. 12 months on and god knows how many applications and still no change At one point I was applying for maybe 5 - 10 jobs PER DAY with no joy - it took 6 months before I even got an interview. However, those were jobs advertised on the Web and would have had 1000's of more suitable applicants . I think it's still an employers market so don't be disheartened if you don't have much success intially.

NotoriousREV

Puff,

In my experience neither work because there's either 6 gajillion people applying for each job or the job doesn't actually exist (I've tested this by making my CV look exactly like the job advert )

Agencies suck, unemployment sucks, I'm off down the pub as it's about as likely that it'll yield results

Seriously, I'm not that bitter and twisted, but the IT sector has too many unemployed folk in it scrabbling for the same jobs so it's hard to get noticed. Last time I was in the job market, I was getting calls from agencies 6 months after I'd found work. The market has changed a lot in the past 2 - 3 years.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Tman

Thanks.





I got a response from one of my calls just now, sent the CV & he came back to have a chat.

From my CV, it was not immediately obvious why I was applying for the job. All my industry experience and examples of success has been in IT for the Express Logistics sector & I was applying for a role that wasn't. So why the sector change? Whereas I'm looking at the position as a simillar IT/management role, using examples to show my abilities, this was working against me

Upside is that I'm potentially in the frame for the position due to my eclectic range of skills that are 95% what the company is looking for, he's doing 1st interviews, the company 2nd & I'm off to see him tomorrow




Stefan

A wide range of things including Sys Admin, PM, Systems Designer and "innovator" of new products/ideas. Last 2 roles have been Technical Manager and Technical Director. Sameday and Overnight Logistics industry. Problem solving under pressure, together with change management and customer services. Wide range of commercial experience generally.

The majority of those skills are transmutable into other sectors, so not specifically targeting Logistics. Like a varied work load and a challenge. Looking in East Anglia, but not afraid of London or further afield for the right position.

Trashman

Great news Puff! Good luck !

John Catlin

You are in the most frustrating trial ever, take it from a very old timer.

I have tried many approaches and have come to the conclusion 95% of the jobs are non-existant are Companies that hope to get the job.

In many cases I am sure that the recruiter takes H.R. out for lunch etc and H.R. make up a requirement.

I have beeb approached by recruiters for jobs in a Company I am working at and are laying people off.

How do you explain that ?

Again I have written the C.V. to cover exactly what is stated, never get a call, reasons as above.

I have found any job that is a true job have got a phone call almost by return.

Another one I have found out is a number of Companies use recruitment as a form of information gathering and to see what other Companies are up to.

One thing you learn is to adjust the C.V. to suit and do not under any circumstane loose heart.

Use net working as much as possible.

All the best

John Catlin

Leslie

Seems strange to me that the CV is more important than the man submitting it!

Les

Scooby96

Puff - send your CV to Sean at:

www.jacksonrundle.co.uk

Mention that I referred you and he'll take a squiz at your CV a bit quicker.

BTW hes the MD of his own Recruitment Company


He used to run IwantaCV.com - so he knows a thing or 3 about CV's too

[Edited by Scooby96 - 9/19/2003 4:38:50 PM]

[Edited by Scooby96 - 9/19/2003 4:40:49 PM]

ian_sadler

Soz to hear about the no work thing

Good luck

ADP

I found the most success on jobserve was to call the recruiter, get him/her on your side - sell yourself - at the end of the day if they think youve got a good chance of getting the job they will want to put you forward. Once finished speaking to them say - Ill send my CV now, and literally email it to them there and then, that way it should get read by them on the spot now that you have "got them"

This worked quite well in my experience, quite often they would call back and say yes Im putting you forward etc. I got probably 6 or 7 interviews and a job like this

Foot_Tapper

My experiences with agencies is most likely what 1000's of peeps have gone through.
Some jobs don't exist...cv trawling
Some jobs do............but clients will most like have made their minds up to use in house staff (but agencies dont tell ya)

Those that do are offering sh!te money, in some cases you are actually better off on the dole.

Other than that , I've only been out of work for 3 months since contracting in '98.
The agencies are still scamming money off the top.
ie a client willing to pay £15 for u, agency says top wack they'll pay is £12; and pockets the rest. It has happened to me, as i discussed it with my employer who was kindly forthcoming.

But good luck to ya, send cv's to a job, soon as you see it...and fone them asap as well.(tailor cv to suit the job, relevant skills at the top).

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Thanks peeps

Keep 'em coming both here & via email Lots of good advice and help - thank you



Had an interview for an exciting job yesterday & got through the 1st of at least 3 interviews - they've had over 250 aplications, interviewed 15 & put 2 forward to the second & both those got knocked back! I'll be number 3. These guys know what they think they want obviously! Fingers x'd...