Job Hunt Approach???

taceistagam

Hi!

I finished up college a few weeks back and have been looking for a job ever since and am daunted by how little there is out there/ the lack of responses from places etc. I had a couple of my friends (one is in HR) look over my CV and they said it is grand. Each day I'm mainly looking at Nixers, Recruit Ireland, Findajob.ie, Irish jobs. Are these the main jobs websites to try?

I'm also wondering is how did other people find jobs?? Im considering just emailing my CV around to places that aren't advertising but if I do this should I do a tailored cover letter for each place and would it be better to physically post the CV to these places? Also if emailing my CV should I use Word or PDF?

I'm starting to panic now as Christmas approaches as places seem to advertise less. Are recruitment agencies worth dealing with and if so can anybody reccommend any? (I swore off them a few years back when I was given the incorrect time for an interview by a chap who made Dougal McGuire look like a genius!!) I'm based in Galway.
Thanks in advance.

vangough

just pick the area of the city where all the business is for eg the ifsc website and then pick out all the companies and email them your CV! same cover letters just change company name and address etc!!

avoid executive connections anyway!!!

RogieBear

vangough wrote: »

just pick the area of the city where all the business is for eg the ifsc website and then pick out all the companies and email them your CV! same cover letters just change company name and address etc!!

avoid executive connections anyway!!!

Hey vangough,

I'm basically in the same situation as the OP, but I'm just wondering what happened with executive connections? I met with them for the first time last Friday, and although I found them a bit patronising, they seemed helpful enough!

vangough

RogieBear wrote: »

Hey vangough,

I'm basically in the same situation as the OP, but I'm just wondering what happened with executive connections? I met with them for the first time last Friday, and although I found them a bit patronising, they seemed helpful enough!

only my personal opinion on them but I was getting a call from one of the women in there who said she had a role for but I had to basically decide now if i wanted to go ahead and apply because she had to CVs over by close of business! next morning i got the exact same phone call,same sale pitch but i told she i wasnt interested in the role. a bit unprofessional i felt! this happened twice! same woman!

then last week i got a call from another lady in there offering me roles but again they were jobs that i was not qualified for...supervisor roles that needed 5+ years experience but they said that didnt really matter at this stage!

i think there are a loads of recruitment places there and i think you might be able to choose better! be careful though they will hound you and throw some crappy jobs your way,just stand your ground and say no if needs be. I think you can find something yourself.

RogieBear

vangough wrote: »

only my personal opinion on them but I was getting a call from one of the women in there who said she had a role for but I had to basically decide now if i wanted to go ahead and apply because she had to CVs over by close of business! next morning i got the exact same phone call,same sale pitch but i told she i wasnt interested in the role. a bit unprofessional i felt! this happened twice! same woman!

then last week i got a call from another lady in there offering me roles but again they were jobs that i was not qualified for...supervisor roles that needed 5+ years experience but they said that didnt really matter at this stage!

i think there are a loads of recruitment places there and i think you might be able to choose better! be careful though they will hound you and throw some crappy jobs your way,just stand your ground and say no if needs be. I think you can find something yourself.

That does sound a bit unprofessional! I'll definitely be more viligant when it comes to dealing with them now. Thanks for your advice vangough.

Add jobs.ie and the fas website to your list.
Always send your cv in word format and tailor each covering letter to the role. Look at the list of qualities they ask for and show how you have them.

Irish_Elect_Eng

I would reccommend Collins and McNicholas

They have found me 2 great roles over the years and they know all the Galway businesses very well.

Give them a call and ask to meet with them rather than just tossing a CV in by email.

franco25

Many thanks for that suggestion. I am in a similar boat to OP, finished up work and college in the past few weeks! Applied for a good few positions the past 4 weeks through agencies, monster.ie, indeed.ie etc. Hearing something back nearly every day with different positions but interview process goes very slow. Also trying to use linkedin as much as possible. It would be ideal if there was some forum for people in the same boat to discuss their experiences as at a time like this it is patience and self-motivation that gets you to the end!

LimeFruitGum

Don't fire off CVs to every job post you see. That is honestly a total waste of time.

Actually, don't underestimate the value of voluntary / freelance work. I know the pay will be **** to non-existent, but it is experience and it is a good way of answering the typical "Initiative" question in interviews.

Last time I was looking for a job (mind you, this was in celtic tiger days), I went with an agency that specialised in my sector and that worked a treat. So do a bit of research in to the agencies out there - plenty of them are driven by commission and couldn't give a **** about ensuring you're a good fit for the client.

I'd also suggest touching base with your college alumni network and careers office.