Job Hunting

[SSD]

Any tips for finding a new job? I'm out of work and I feel like it's getting harder just to even get through to the interview stage.  Recruitment agencies add fuel to the fire. You have to be interviewed by them before getting through to the interview process for the actual position. I can't stand constantly emailing places, I'm sure the majority of them never get read. I know this from previous experience! 

I call places and they keep saying, send me an email with a CV etc. Never read the email.......

Frustrating to say the least.

 

[LesterRam]

5 minutes ago, SouthStandDan said:

Any tips for finding a new job? I'm out of work and I feel like it's getting harder just to even get through to the interview stage.  Recruitment agencies add fuel to the fire. You have to be interviewed by them before getting through to the interview process for the actual position. I can't stand constantly emailing places, I'm sure the majority of them never get read. I know this from previous experience! 

I call places and they keep saying, send me an email with a CV etc. Never read the email.......

Frustrating to say the least.

 

 

Set up a profile on Linkedin and use the free 14 day premium trial (Jobs) and try your hardest.

p.s cancel your premium before the trial ends lol

[SaintRam]

What are you looking to do, out of curiosity?

[McRamFan]

Try cv library

[Stive Pesley]

I'm in work but looking for something else.

The agencies are a nightmare - I keep getting cold called about jobs that I have no interest in.

So maybe that's the opposite problem to you - what sort of work are you after?

[SSD]

44 minutes ago, SaintRam said:

What are you looking to do, out of curiosity?

Just a basic admin job full time whilst I build my online business part time ?

[LesterRam]

3 minutes ago, SouthStandDan said:

Just a basic admin job full time whilst I build my online business part time ?

whats your online venture?

[Stive Pesley]

1 minute ago, SouthStandDan said:

Just a basic admin job full time whilst I build my online business part time ?

All I did was apply for a job via monster - it involved uploading my CV, so I assume that this is now fair game for agencies

Try putting some key buzzwords in your CV (even if that means being creative) so that these agency goons get some hits on you

They get paid if they get people jobs, so it's in their interests to sort you out - in theory!

[Sith Happens]

First off get your cv reviewed. Needs to look clear and to the point. A nice font too..still see cv's in times new roman and about 3 pages long. Should be no more than two..think if you read a cv you want to see the relevant information within seconds. 

[GboroRam]

Read the job description and tailor your CV accordingly. Highlight everything that they ask for on the JD and make sure that you reference as much as possible somewhere in your CV or application form. The interviewer likely will skim your application looking for matches with the requirements, so hit as many as you can - tenuously if it's all you can do. 

[Angry Ram]

Just sending in your CV is a waste of time.. Don’t mention your online business at any point.

Linkedin is okay but you need a background to attract people to you. Why stick to just admin? Widen your search as much as possible.. Driving? Manual stuff? Temp work? 

[tomsdubs]

First thing you gotta realise is that agencies search all CV sites for key words. So when you list experience make sure you put in every software package and skill you have in detail. They are just looking at criteria and then they let the recruitment/HR at the company take a look at your CV for potential interview. Admin work might be a bit trickier to do this but use everything you've got.

I post mine on literally every CV site I can find. Reed, CV Library, Jobsite, Indeed, Monster and specialty ones. Then I apply for ones i'm interested in that might already be listed. It also might be worth your time ringing Derby based job agencies.

[WhiteHorseRam]

@Angry Ram @GboroRam @Paul71 all give very good advice.

I would add .... it's a numbers game and just keep blasting it, keep a score with yourself of how many applications you've put in each day/week and keep battering away.

I would reinforce Angry's point - DO NOT MENTION your online venture. It's a turn off for potential employers who always want you body and soul.

[EssendonRam]

The first thing you have to accept is that job seeking is, first and foremost, an exercise in not getting culled from the list of applicants, before you have even the slightest chance of showing your wares.

It's unfair but it is 100% true. As someone who has been on both sides of meat market, potential employers (and, by extension, the Ken and Barbie dolls of the recruitment industry) need to find any reason to reduce the number of applications to a feasible number of candidates.

So critically review your letters of application and your resume for anything that might be an excuse for you to be culled. If you can, employ an expert to review the format, style and content; it's money well spent in the end.

Also, consider your approach. If you're interested in a role, get your application in promptly and ensure it's tailored to catch the eye of a person who either has put a great deal of effort into the ad, etc...or will want to believe they have.

Be careful not to come across as too "desperate" or give the impression that you're applying for any and every job out there. 

Please don't be offended by this but even your response to the sort of role you're looking for came across (to me at least) as a little nondescript.

It's a cliche I know but you MUST have tight, punchy elevator speeches ready for questions like that (the type of role you're looking for); even on a forum like this is an opportunity to road test 'sales lines', if nothing else. (And who knows what else!)

Be aware that having your own business can be a double-edged sword. Some may see it as a problem, that you'll be treating a job as a secondary priority. I wouldn't; I'd see it as a sign of "get up and go" and, to an extent, people's reactions to it are already what they're likely to be.

All you can do is control the messages your putting out, use it to create the impression you want to create and understand that, with some individuals, their reactions will actually be driven by what they want to hear.

That's why your narrative, your messaging, needs to be as tight and as focused on your selling points - what you'll bring to benefit them - as you can make them.

Good luck. Keep your head up.

[SSD]

Cheers for the advice all. Got an interview lined up for tomorrow so that’s a start. I haven’t mentioned my online business stuff, I knew that anyway. Fingers crossed it’ll come good!