Unsuccessful looking for jobs

Pinkchick03

Hi!

I am on work experience in Budapest and am searching high and low on the Internet looking for jobs when I come home (Next Friday 10th)!

I have my honours degree in BSc IT Management, Diploma and Certificate in Computer Applications and Support.

Is there any advice anyone can offer me in looking for jobs? Should I send CV's direct to IT companies or what?

Help or advice please!

WhiteWashMan

cast a glance at the 'looking for a job' thread stickied in this forum.
then post back here some more details.

Pinkchick03

Sorry I didn't read the sticky!!!

My location.
- Dundalk

Positions looking for.
- Anything Network related (first preference)
- Database related
- Support related

My qualification

I have my honours degree in BSc IT Management (2:1) , Diploma and Certificate in Computer Applications and Support (Distinction).

How far you are willing to travel or relocate.
Willing to Travel or relocate(anywhere in Ireland really, but I would preferable like to work in the North, North East)

I am looking for a full time position - Monday to Friday preferably!

Thanks!!

ToxicPaddy

Do you have any experience in any of the preferred fields???

Tox

Pinkchick03

ToxicPaddy wrote:

Do you have any experience in any of the preferred fields???

Tox

Unfortunately no!

I was only finished college in June!

Currently I am on work experience in Budapest in a company building a dynamic website! So getting experiece working in a company and really enjoying it!

seamus

How frequently are you applying for jobs?

What's your response rate - i.e. how many roughly, would repl to you, and how many would end up with an interview?

The jobs market is tight, so don't get discouraged. If you want you could post up your CV here, so we can take a look over it. Just be prepared for some criticism!

Pinkchick03

seamus wrote:

How frequently are you applying for jobs?

What's your response rate - i.e. how many roughly, would repl to you, and how many would end up with an interview?

The jobs market is tight, so don't get discouraged. If you want you could post up your CV here, so we can take a look over it. Just be prepared for some criticism!

I apply for jobs almost every day! Usually via websites like www.recuitirleand.com or www.gradireland.com

I have maybe got about 1 or 2 responses in about 15-20 applications!

Mmm Don't know about posting my CV!! Ahh sure go on then! Just gonna take out personal details - hold on! ...
Don't be too nasty please !!

seamus

Pinkchick03 wrote:

I apply for jobs almost every day! Usually via websites like www.recuitirleand.com or www.gradireland.com

I have maybe got about 1 or 2 responses in about 15-20 applications!

Mmm Don't know about posting my CV!! Ahh sure go on then! Just gonna take out personal details - hold on! ...
Don't be too nasty please !!

Just right off the bat. Employers aren't interested in what you did in college, as much as what you took out of college.

Try to reduce the size of the education section, and incorporate that into your skills sections. Push everything you know, break it into sections if you must.

For example, think of the core skills you took from developing your website in college, and put them in the Skills section, under a "Web Development" heading. E.g. "Built interactive web site in (language) incorporating e-commerce, user login/management, site content management, and (insert more buzzword bull**** here)."

I'll do a bit more on your CV if you like...

Pinkchick03

seamus wrote:

Just right off the bat. Employers aren't interested in what you did in college, as much as what you took out of college.

Try to reduce the size of the education section, and incorporate that into your skills sections. Push everything you know, break it into sections if you must.

For example, think of the core skills you took from developing your website in college, and put them in the Skills section, under a "Web Development" heading. E.g. "Built interactive web site in (language) incorporating e-commerce, user login/management, site content management, and (insert more buzzword bull**** here)."

I'll do a bit more on your CV if you like...

Feel free to move it about/jumble it up as you see fit and post it back up! Only if you have time though! Cheers for this Seamus

newestUser

There's a couple of IT jobs posted in this weeks graduate vacancies section of the DCU careers website:

http://www.dcu.ie/students/careers/jobs/vacancies.php?function=3&publication=newsletter_pub&date=03-Sep-2004&startdate=27-Aug-2004

Dunno if any of these positions are *exactly* what you're looking for, but maybe this'll be of help to you.

*shrug*

Pinkchick03

newestUser wrote:

There's a couple of IT jobs posted in this weeks graduate vacancies section of the DCU careers website:

http://www.dcu.ie/students/careers/jobs/vacancies.php?function=3&publication=newsletter_pub&date=03-Sep-2004&startdate=27-Aug-2004

Dunno if any of these positions are *exactly* what you're looking for, but maybe this'll be of help to you.

*shrug*

Cheers newestUser!! i'll have a look!

seamus

OK, this is just a basic reworking, but I've included any main points.

One major thing you have to remember is that if you apply through a recruitment agency, the chances are that they guy who deals with IT recruiting only knows the buzzwords, and very little about the work. He's given a list of things that the employer is looking for, and he want's to match up those words against a CV. If your CV is in a narrative style (I did this, I did that, I know this, I know that) it makes it much more difficult for him to do this. You also need to include things, no matter how no brainer they are. Remember these guys aren't technical. So if you say "I wrote a database-driven site", he's going to pass you up for a job that has 'SQL' in the description, because he mightn't even know what SQL is, or how it relates to databases. My own CV includes references to web development, but I have included 'HTML' as a skill, because there is no guarantee that someone seeing "web development" will assume I know HTML, even though it's pretty much integral.

I know it sounds bad, it's like "I've a degree in IT for God's sake, of course I'm familiar with Windows 98!", but if you don't include Win98 in your CV, there's a good chance of missing out on a job, even though you feel like a spa including it in your list, because it's so obvious.

The same goes for applying directly to a company. My own manager told me that there were 50 CVs for my job, and they basically just scanned CVs, based on their initial appearance, going "No, no, no, no, yes, no, no, no, yes...", etc, until they cut it down to ten, and then they actually bothered reading and considering the CVs. It's horrible but that's they way it's done. Don't make them read your CV to show your skills, make your skills jump off the page at them.

Raskolnikov

Pinkchick03 wrote:

Cheers newestUser!! i'll have a look!

PM sent.

Pinkchick03

Seamus - do you use msn or yahoo messenger?

seamus

Pinkchick03 wrote:

Seamus - do you use msn or yahoo messenger?

Not in work. Feel free to PM me though.

oneweb

I'm not really in a position to criticise, but perhaps the hobbies section

I try to swim regularly or if time fails to do so I walk to keep fit.
I go to the cinema regularly, my favourite films being romantic comedies.
I love to read fictional books; one of my favourite authors is Jill Mansell.
I hold a full clean driving licence.

I doubt potential employers have any interest whatsoever in what type of films or books you enjoy. The swimming bit makes it seem like you are poor at time management. Perhaps 'I enjoy swimming, reading and going to the cinema' would suffice?

Perhaps spread the headers across the page? There seems to be a lot of wasted space there.

Best of luck

Pinkchick03

oneweb wrote:

I'm not really in a position to criticise, but perhaps the hobbies section

I try to swim regularly or if time fails to do so I walk to keep fit.
I go to the cinema regularly, my favourite films being romantic comedies.
I love to read fictional books; one of my favourite authors is Jill Mansell.
I hold a full clean driving licence.

I doubt potential employers have any interest whatsoever in what type of films or books you enjoy. The swimming bit makes it seem like you are poor at time management. Perhaps 'I enjoy swimming, reading and going to the cinema' would suffice?

Perhaps spread the headers across the page? There seems to be a lot of wasted space there.

Best of luck

What headers d you mean??
yeah thanks for the advice! I think i wil change it!

Kernel32

Pinkchick03,

Get rid of hobbies.
Move education down to the end.
Move skills and work experience to the top.
Get it on one page.

A point seamus made, this is extremely important..
Tailor each CV to the job description, somehow get every job keyword on there, IT recruiters tend not to be technical and if you don't get past the quick keyword match it will be filed away in the bin beside their desk.

The stuff taught in schools about CV's seem outdated with what happens in reality, at least as far as I can see in the IT world. I have had to read through peoples CV's and resumes before, its not fun.
I have 9 years IT background and I keep my resume to two pages, my education now takes up just one line, if they want to know more they can ask me at an interview. You are lucky if anyone reads beyond the first half page so make sure to put the relevent stuff there.

RicardoSmith

Kernel32 wrote:

Pinkchick03,

Get rid of hobbies.
Move education down to the end.
Move skills and work experience to the top.
Get it on one page.

A point seamus made, this is extremely important..
Tailor each CV to the job description, somehow get every job keyword on there, IT recruiters tend not to be technical and if you don't get past the quick keyword match it will be filed away in the bin beside their desk.

The stuff taught in schools about CV's seem outdated with what happens in reality, at least as far as I can see in the IT world. I have had to read through peoples CV's and resumes before, its not fun.
I have 9 years IT background and I keep my resume to two pages, my education now takes up just one line, if they want to know more they can ask me at an interview. You are lucky if anyone reads beyond the first half page so make sure to put the relevent stuff there.

THis is all excellent advice and I'd agree wth it 200%!

I redesigned my CV a while back along these lines and I'm getting better reponse to applications. Some have even commented on how good my CV is.

Pinkchick03

Kernel32 wrote:

Pinkchick03,

Get rid of hobbies.
Move education down to the end.
Move skills and work experience to the top.
Get it on one page.

A point seamus made, this is extremely important..
Tailor each CV to the job description, somehow get every job keyword on there, IT recruiters tend not to be technical and if you don't get past the quick keyword match it will be filed away in the bin beside their desk.

The stuff taught in schools about CV's seem outdated with what happens in reality, at least as far as I can see in the IT world. I have had to read through peoples CV's and resumes before, its not fun.
I have 9 years IT background and I keep my resume to two pages, my education now takes up just one line, if they want to know more they can ask me at an interview. You are lucky if anyone reads beyond the first half page so make sure to put the relevent stuff there.

Get rid of hobbies?
Ok i've moved it around - Seamus has helped me an awful lot redesigning and re-wording it! Cheers for that!
If i post it up here will u tell me wot u think now?!
Don't think i will fit it into one page unless i squash it in?
Cheers! Any more suggestions welcome (nothing nasty though!)

RicardoSmith

If you PM me your email I'll send you my CV. Your CV is getting there. But theres a lot of white space. I reckon you can get it a lot smaller. Also it doesn't look pretty. I spend some time with the formatting. Has too look good. Though avoid using tables as some CV systems can't handle that. Personally I try to incorporate your skills into your experience. That way you don't have two sections.