How to gain experience?

universe777

I've been unemployed for 2 years, since i graduated from college in engineering.
since then i've been applying to every job going,any type of job, sometimes up to 15 jobs a week.
I have excellent admin./computer skills etc..
I've been given the run-around by agencies and I'm ready to murder the next one that messes me around.

Sometimes I hear back from jobs, very rarely i'd get an interview,as with
almost every job, whether it states it or not in the ad, I get turned down by having lack of experience, even if it states "no experience necessary"..
Its a catch 22 situation..

I have worked in retail, warehouses, factories etc from 1996 until 2001, I am unable to work at any job involving heavy lifting nowadays.


I am looking for an office based admin. type job in Dublin, preferably city centre, and I am looking for tips/suggestions on how to gain experience, I am willing to work for free,for up to 20hrs a week, to gain experience. Any help much appreciated.

mick.fr

universe777 wrote:

I've been unemployed for 2 years, since i graduated from college in engineering.
since then i've been applying to every job going,any type of job, sometimes up to 15 jobs a week.
I have excellent admin./computer skills etc..
I've been given the run-around by agencies and I'm ready to murder the next one that messes me around.

Sometimes I hear back from jobs, very rarely i'd get an interview,as with
almost every job, whether it states it or not in the ad, I get turned down by having lack of experience, even if it states "no experience necessary"..
Its a catch 22 situation..

I have worked in retail, warehouses, factories etc from 1996 until 2001, I am unable to work at any job involving heavy lifting nowadays.


I am looking for an office based admin. type job in Dublin, preferably city centre, and I am looking for tips/suggestions on how to gain experience, I am willing to work for free,for up to 20hrs a week, to gain experience. Any help much appreciated.

What do you mean exactly by "unable to lift heavy stuffs" ?
Some disability ? But with what you are saying you can do well behind a PC.

What do you know to do ? Please detail your exact skills.

r3nu4l

Hang in there, I know someone who qualified with a mechanical engineering degree and was unemployed for over a year. Over one hundred CV's sent, hardly any replies.

He's now working in Intel on a computer monitoring flow through pipes or something and is well paid for it.

Try doing voluntary admin work for a charity, it might coutn towards something.

universe777

mick.fr wrote:

What do you mean exactly by "unable to lift heavy stuff" ?
Some disability ? But with what you are saying you can do well behind a PC.

What do you know to do ? Please detail your exact skills.

Not a disability, but i hurt my back working in a factory, in 1999, its grand until i lift anything heavy,then it hurts like hell.

Skills?as in just admin type skills? approx typing speed of 40wpm, proficient in MS Office, Autocad, Solidworks..
basically i could do anything an admin. person would do in an office, its not rocket science, but i dont have the experience.

universe777

r3nu4l wrote:

Hang in there, I know someone who qualified with a mechanical engineering degree and was unemployed for over a year. Over one hundred CV's sent, hardly any replies.

He's now working in Intel on a computer monitoring flow through pipes or something and is well paid for it.

Try doing voluntary admin work for a charity, it might coutn towards something.

yeah, its impossible finding engineering jobs, I've given up on getting one.

I was thinking about the charities thing, i checked them out,but they are run like multinational corporations nowadays,with recruitment processes the same..

Mrs_Doyle

I cant believe you are finding it so difficult. Perhaps your CV/ Cover Letter or interview technique require some attention?

I got into admin through a temping agency. I had zero experience in the field, but was degree educated and quite proficient with computers.

It was through my temping contract that I eventually landed my current job.

My BF's brother is only 19 and as yet has no 3rd level qualifications, but based on a strong cover letter and interview he managed to land a fairly decent waged Admin job in the City Centre.

Have you asked these agencies what they think the problem might be?

universe777

I had my cv re-done a about 6 months ago, and I usually write cover letters tailored to each job.
I come across as confident etc in an interview, but the main thing is, they pick through my cv emphasizing the fact that I have no experience.

Mrs.Doyle : would you be able to pm me the name of this agency? thanks.

Mrs_Doyle

Ah they were very good to me, so I don't mind telling ya here. I went through sigmar. (www.sigmar.ie)
I was called into interview, explained what I was looking for, I then had to type from some notes, and was timed, so that they could gage my wpm, etc.

I had only just left the office when they called me to offer me my first, and as it worked out, only assignment.

They were great to work for, paid a good hourly rate and really looked after me. I would recommend them to anyone.

Them, and irishjobs.ie, of course

universe777

Cheers, nice one, i'll check them out.

gucci

i agree that it is difficult to get into the engineering sector with no experience, i was 8months of annoyingly applying for any job available doing interviews etc. i ended up getting my present job by applying to a company that actually had no vacancies advertised, i just knew they were expanding and were working in an area that i would like to be in.

i suggest that you try this approach and apply to meet someone on a less formal way, and prepare some of your college work (projects pictures, drawings etc) to discuss your strengths and areas you have focussed on in college. perhaps of you could track your old lecturers/class mates for contacts?

good luck

Raiser

Hey - just wanted to say hang in there, I know of lots of people who were in similar situations & I myself have done my time in the factories, warehouses and general low-paid dead end jobs etc. etc. before getting a break via lucky circumstances & a friend.

Your attitude and ethos comes across very well & seems to me like you'd be an asset to any company. R3nu4l's Charity suggestion sounds great - I would also mention that the whole HR dept./Employment Agency territory is a minefield populated in the main by idiots and Gob$hites......

- Remember its a game so go play! Peoples CVs are generally 67.29% lies and exaggeration, if yours only contains the actual facts then maybe you're putting yourself at a disadvantage in comparison to other peoples fiction - If you put a mates mobile number down as a reference then you can possibly fill any troublesome CV gaps which these nit-picking, air-head HR goons despise

I'd also recommend saying you travelled for any time you've been unemployed, how are they gonna prove otherwise ? - tell them you saw the world and worked in a number of Bar jobs in Sydney, Saigon and San Francisco etc. etc.

Definitely consider any further training, courses etc. - you trade your time and effort for a piece of paper which usually has nothing to do with the job its meant to qualify you for in real or practical terms - but hey thats just another part of the dumb game.........

Best of luck with it...........

universe777

gucci wrote:

i agree that it is difficult to get into the engineering sector with no experience, i was 8months of annoyingly applying for any job available doing interviews etc. i ended up getting my present job by applying to a company that actually had no vacancies advertised, i just knew they were expanding and were working in an area that i would like to be in.

i suggest that you try this approach and apply to meet someone on a less formal way, and prepare some of your college work (projects pictures, drawings etc) to discuss your strengths and areas you have focussed on in college. perhaps of you could track your old lecturers/class mates for contacts?

good luck

I've tried all of the above, the responses from companies if i even got one at all was "If we are recruiting we usually place ads, good luck in job hunt" etc
most of my classmates were from outside of Dublin and returned to where they came from.
I am not interested in a career in engineering.

universe777

Raiser wrote:

Your attitude and ethos comes across very well & seems to me like you'd be an asset to any company. R3nu4l's Charity suggestion sounds great - I would also mention that the whole HR dept./Employment Agency territory is a minefield populated in the main by idiots and Gob$hites......

Amen!!

Raiser wrote:

I'd also recommend saying you travelled for any time you've been unemployed, how are they gonna prove otherwise ? - tell them you saw the world and worked in a number of Bar jobs in sydney, Saigon and San Francisco etc. etc.

Best of luck with it...........

Thats a good suggestion, i've never thought of that.

Raiser

As an afterthought - once you do get that job, and then the house with its accompanying mortgage and in time a kid or two then you aint gonna get to see the World until you're 62 have a dodgy hip and can't sit down without saying ahhhhh!

- I sometimes look back at my time in crappy jobs and wonder why I didn't get on a plane during those times and see a different side of life......You might get your lucky break in London, Lisbon or Lima........You may also find that if you throw yourself into a different pool your skillset may be better appreciated/sought after. You'll also be out there, being proactive and in a whole new game instead of feeling like your passively stuck in a rut at the mercy of Tristan I]"m'kay yah, yais - well let me jast photocopy this CV and bin it yaw?" [/Ifrom Sooper-Dooper Recruitment Inc.

Depends entirely on your particular situation of course.........

Moonbeam

Maybe try a masters?

Or temping for a while?

Dundhoone

Universe, what area of engineering did you get a degree in?

While you may not want an engineering job, maybe you could consider applying for an eng. techician job? They are in huge demand. How are your CAD skills?

mastermind2005

Hey, what do you like doing? i personally wouldnt bother with a job type i wasnt interested in....maybe thats why i dont have one:rolleyes: , no but seriously one little trick to add to your campaign of mass mailing, call the company your applying to, ask is the job available and then tell them your sending your cv in by mail just now is there anyone in particular it should be addressed to. that will have 1000 times more impact than a smelly old email comming in from a complete stranger with the usuall bull**** we all write on our cv's

Smiley101

There are Fas courses available and Fas will provide you with work placement once complete. That could get the ball rolling for you and its a case of working your way up the ladder then. Once you establish a good work etiquette, your engineering qualifaction will stand to you

the_syco

Smiley101 wrote:

There are Fas courses available and Fas will provide you with work placement once complete. That could get the ball rolling for you and its a case of working your way up the ladder then. Once you establish a good work etiquette, your engineering qualifaction will stand to you

I 2nd the bit about FAS. If you're unemployed for a set time, you can do a course for free (and get paid for doing it), and then get put into some job afterwards. Some sh|te job, yeah, but stick with it for a bit, and it'll be experience.

As for your mix of jobs, you may be listing them incorrectly. By this, I mean that "ensuring the well being of the customers, and handling cash" sounds better than "picking up glasses in a pub, and taking some drink orders". What you did is half of it. Correctly explaining it, in refrence to the job your applying for also helps. If you want, post up what jobs you've done (no dates, or names), and the people here may point out if you've worded it wrongly.