Can someone look at my CV

dbnavan

Hi all,

I am blue in the face sending out CV's to jobs and recruitment agencies and getting a "thanks but no thanks" now its a while since I have been looking for work as I went back to college, but I remember if you sent your CV to a recruitment agency they at least invited you in for an interview, almost 2 months since finishing college night after night on monster etc, and I have had 3 interviews.

Taking a chance here dont know if it will get me where I want......

Is there anyone here in the know sort of speak that could look at my CV and advise where I am going wrong. I am not going to start sending my CV to just anyone, pm me tell me something that looks serious and relevant ie: I have 8 years exp in IT, I work in recruitment, something relevant don't want to send my CV to some 19 year old with nothing better to do then tear me to shreds!

Criticism is more then welcome if constructive.

Ponster

Yeah I'll take a look.

I hire IT folk.

trout

just wondering ... what kind of feedback are you getting from the agencies

if there really is something up with your CV, surely they would tell you ?

are you aiming at the wrong jobs, or asking for silly money ?

maybe you could post some more details on the feedback/responses and get specific advice on specific comments ?

i see maybe 10 CV's a year, both direct applications and referrals from agencies ... so if you want, I can take a look too ... but I'd go down the feedback route first if I was you

good luck with the job hunt!

dbnavan

trout wrote:

just wondering ... what kind of feedback are you getting from the agencies

if there really is something up with your CV, surely they would tell you ?

are you aiming at the wrong jobs, or asking for silly money ?

maybe you could post some more details on the feedback/responses and get specific advice on specific comments ?

i see maybe 10 CV's a year, both direct applications and referrals from agencies ... so if you want, I can take a look too ... but I'd go down the feedback route first if I was you

good luck with the job hunt!

I have no money requirements listed, my skillset is pretty good. Many people who I know, that arent hiring, say "it looks well and its to the point" .... But obviously its lacking something.

seamus

Perhaps you're aiming a little too high, or your CV isn't focussed towards the particular area you're going for.

Do you only apply to agencies, or do you apply directly to companies? Do you look at more sites than monster? There's a little more legwork involved by going to multiple sites, and by going directly to the companies, but it'll pay off. You'll have a much higher response rate by going direct, even if it is just a PFO.

The problem with getting other peope to look at your CV is that they will always have a change to make. Ask four people to have a look, and you'll find that at least two have polar opposite opinions on what you should do.

Remember that your CV says more about you than just what you write in it. If it's getting seen by agencies, you're also dealing with people who tend to care more about presentation and buzzwords. Some simple rules for IT jobs:

1. Keep your text neat, well spaced, properly aligned and with a simple style. You can't go wrong with an Arial or Verdana font in 10pt or 12pt. Times looks boring, and anything else looks silly. In I.T. you may spend a lot of time doing documentation, and if your CV looks neat, you've already scored a point on that.
2. Don't write essays. Keep your experience short and two the point - list what you've done, and list what you know. Fluff words or explanations make your CV less accessible. Try to write in the third person. So instead of "I was occassionally a stand-in team leader, looking after a team of 12 operators, co-ordinating their shift times, etc", write "Stand-in Team Leader for medium sized team". The latter says just as much as the former, in half the words - your potential employer already knows what a team leader does.
3. Remember the two great phrases: "Working Knowledge" and "Some experience". The former is used when talking about a technology which you've read about in a book, and the latter is used when talking about something which you installed on your home PC for a week.
4. Never underestimate the importance of exposure to a particular technology. You may never have been an exchange admin, but if you've troubleshooted mail in an exchange environment, then you're one step ahead of the guy who hasn't.

JayV

I'd be happy to give it the once over. Just sent u a pm.

kluivert

A CV is an advertising billboard for you. Make sure that it catches a readers attention. Facts and Figures are good but action words are better. Sell yourself if you need to.

Currently doing up my own CV, just keeping it up to date.