Would you change your CV?

bijou

Evening boardsies,
A bit of advice needed here - would love to know your thoughts:)
I needed a change of direction from admin work and took up job as a Trainee IT Assistant and was really enjoying it until I was laid off in June this year, was there for 18 months – I’ve been looking for work since sadly without any luck (sign of the times I know) but I’m still persevering.

A couple of jobs I’ve applied for have told me I haven’t been called for interview because I’m over-qualified and that I would be bored. I was chatting with a friend about this and she said I could be scaring prospective employers off because of the IT job (it was IT in a particular area and where I live there’s no companies of a similar nature).

I know I’m in the same boat as many other people these days – have a mortgage, 2 small kids, bills etc…. and I’m now starting to panic about the mortgage and even if there’s gonna be enough for Santa to find our house this year if you know what I mean:o. I am prepared to take up anything that I know I’d be capable of.

My question is; should I amend my CV in some way to disguise the IT job? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I’m afraid frustration is now kicking in.

Thanks
bijou

Red Hand

bijou wrote: »

Evening boardsies,
A bit of advice needed here - would love to know your thoughts:)
I needed a change of direction from admin work and took up job as a Trainee IT Assistant and was really enjoying it until I was laid off in June this year, was there for 18 months – I’ve been looking for work since sadly without any luck (sign of the times I know) but I’m still persevering.

A couple of jobs I’ve applied for have told me I haven’t been called for interview because I’m over-qualified and that I would be bored. I was chatting with a friend about this and she said I could be scaring prospective employers off because of the IT job (it was IT in a particular area and where I live there’s no companies of a similar nature).

I know I’m in the same boat as many other people these days – have a mortgage, 2 small kids, bills etc…. and I’m now starting to panic about the mortgage and even if there’s gonna be enough for Santa to find our house this year if you know what I mean:o. I am prepared to take up anything that I know I’d be capable of.

My question is; should I amend my CV in some way to disguise the IT job? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I’m afraid frustration is now kicking in.

Thanks
bijou

...Santa to find our house this year if you know what I mean

What are you saying about Santa!!!???:eek::)

I wouldn't disgiuse the fact that you were doing something completely different like IT if I was you. You were doing for 18 months so it would hard to minimise that chunk of time.

In fact I would use it to my advantage if I were you, and perhaps phrase it in such a way that it shows how dynmaic you are since you're able to work in differing environments.

She Devil

I'd change your cover note if i were you rather than your CV,

bijou

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

...Santa to find our house this year if you know what I mean

What are you saying about Santa!!!???:eek::)

Lol - well I'm bothered about not being able to afford the carrots, mince pies n milk for the big night:D

Yeah I think I might have to rethink the application strategy and as you say turn it round to my advantage.

Thanks guys for the response:)

bijou

AARRRGH

She Devil wrote: »

I'd change your cover note if i were you rather than your CV,

Yep, that's what I would do too.

You could say something like you wanted to see what working in IT would be like, but you gave it a shot and didn't like it and now want to return to admin work. You know, before you settled on an admin career you wanted to see what else you could do... in your case, it didn't work out.

I also have a fairly colourful CV (finance, HR, self-employed, developer, tester...) but it has never held me back probably because I put a lot of effort into my cover letter (employers have told me they wanted to meet me based on my cover letter alone!)

You have to sell yourself and make yourself stand out from the crowd.

bijou

AARRRGH wrote: »

Yep, that's what I would do too.

You could say something like you wanted to see what working in IT would be like, but you gave it a shot and didn't like it and now want to return to admin work. You know, before you settled on an admin career you wanted to see what else you could do... in your case, it didn't work out.

You know I never thought about it like that:o
It's funny how you sometimes can't see these things till some one points it out to you. I was racking me head trying think how I could change the cover letter, now I have a better idea.

Thanks everyone:)

Mr Clonfadda

My brother changed his CV for every job he applied for. He put a specific emphasis on the experience he had that answered what was looked for in job Advert. He got interviews for jobs that he shouldn't of (my humble opinion) because his CV and application letter were exactly what they were looking for.

The fear of employers if you overly qualified is that you become bored and leave. Understate your IT experience where necessary but keep your answers honest.

3DataModem

bijou wrote: »

)
My question is; should I amend my CV in some way to disguise the IT job? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I’m afraid frustration is now kicking in.

I advise that you keep the main part of your CV the same, but have a "personal profile" at the top of the CV (maybe two paragraphs) that summarises your experience in a way meaningful to the new job. This can be changed each time you apply.

e.g.

"Since starting my career in XXXX I have gained experience in many types of work, including XXXX and XXXX. While I initially filled XXXXXX and XXXXXX roles, I became interested in XXXXXXX so moved to XXXXXXX, where I learned a lot.

In XXXXXX I took on the role of XXXXXXXXX, and since XXXXX I have been responsible for XXXXXXXXXXXXXX. While gaining this experience I have developed strong XXXX and XXXXX skills, as well as experience in XXXXXXXX.

I am now seeking a fresh challenge where I can continue to utilise the XXXXX and XXXXXX skils I have developed."

(with apologies to the applicant I cogged this off)

tHE vAGGABOND

My brother changed his CV for every job he applied for. He put a specific emphasis on the experience he had that answered what was looked for in job Advert.

I would go as far as to say you would be crazy *not* to do this...

You have to tell the truth, but feel free to edit the cv and move stuff around to show them what they want to see earlier. Make the stuff they want to see look better

If your going for a job with NASA highlight your Maths and Space experience [but they could not give a monkeys about your college work experience]

If the same lad is going for a job with McDonalds when times are tough. They could not give a monkeys about your space experience, but they may be interested in that summer job you had in in college, with Burger King [where that may be a negative point with nasa!]

So you edit your CV to suit what your applying for [what the job spec asks for]..

bijou

Well thanks everybody for your answers - it's appreciated.

I've now played about with the CV and have drafted a couple of varying cover letters so (hopefully) I might get something positive back.

Cheers everyone, we'll see how it goes:)

Bijou