unemployed awhile cover letter help?

celligraphy

Hi I have been applying to jobs lately and haven't got any calls or emails back , I'm starting to think maybe it's my cover letters .

I start off by saying
Dear sir/madam , saying why I think I would be ideal for the job , and what my qualifications are and finish on I hope to hear from you soon

Celligraphy

Any advice please I'm sick of being unemployed

rizzee

celligraphy wrote: »

Hi I have been applying to jobs lately and haven't got any calls or emails back , I'm starting to think maybe it's my cover letters .

I start off by saying
Dear sir/madam , saying why I think I would be ideal for the job , and what my qualifications are and finish on I hope to hear from you soon

Celligraphy

Any advice please I'm sick of being unemployed

Have you any experience in a exertion field of work or any qualifications/degrees?

If you're really stuck for jobs go through agencies, that's what I did and I'd highly recommend them.

celligraphy

Just office administration fetac level 5 and foundations of accountancy through acca , so like qualified bookkeeper . I'm applying to everything cleaner ,fast food worker etc.. Just sick of being broke every week

Also as a qualified dependent on my partners claim I can't apply for any internship/jobsbridge roles only he can

cerastes

rizzee wrote: »

Have you any experience in a exertion field of work or any qualifications/degrees?

If you're really stuck for jobs go through agencies, that's what I did and I'd highly recommend them.

Any agencies in particular that you recommend? I have been signed up with online recruitment sites. But just seem to get spammed with emails and nothing ever followed up with.
I think my cover letters may be a problem too.

Neon_Lights

Mold yourself to each job at hand, a generic cover letter is far less effective, even if its stacking shelves, originality sets yourself apart.

Tell them why you would be the bees knees.

rizzee

I haven't updated my cv in about 3 years come to think of it! I've never even wrote a cover letter before!

I don't know if it'd allowed to name agencies so if I'm in the wrong mods please delete.

If you go to jobs.ie and search for flexsource or Kaizen recruitment there's jobs going all over leinster in warehouse work and it's fairly easily.

I went with Kaizen, everyone will get a call back or email from them and they'll keep your cv on file (so they say). Obviously mightened suit if you're not in Leinster area or aren't interested in that line of work but it's definitely worth a try and they will contact you back.

Kaizen are based in Grafton St and Flexsource are in Blanchardstown.

drunkmonkey

Have you a genuine excuse for not working for a while(young kids etc?). If so put it down and you might not qualify for some grants but your employer may so check out jobs plus website and full in your details and they'll send you out a letter saying what your employer will qualify for.
If your cover letter states that if you employ me you'll get €10,000 back it won't take long for the phone to start ringing.

celligraphy

drunkmonkey wrote:

Have you a genuine excuse for not working for a while(young kids etc?). If so put it down and you might not qualify for some grants but your employer may so check out jobs plus website and full in your details and they'll send you out a letter saying what your employer will qualify for. If your cover letter states that if you employ me you'll get €10,000 back it won't take long for the phone to start ringing.

I haven't been working over my daughter she's 2 I didn't know I could list that as a reason thanks , what worries me is I don't have any recent references and would that not make me look desperate of I listed that on cover letter ?about the jobs plus scheme . I really do want to work again .

drunkmonkey

I'd put that in your cover letter, jobs plus is a big advantage for an employer if there thinking of taking a chance on someone and been out of work as your raising a baby anyone that has one will understand, just phrase it right, enthusiastic to get back into work after taking 2 years out to raise my daughter.
I'm currently going through cv's and people have put it in there cover letter and I've thought nothing of it, nobody mentioned jobs plus but again it would be worth taking to someone that did especially if they have a good excuse why a gap in their cv like you do.
Lots of people with gaps and no cover letter and no explanation of gap, they'll end up in the unlucky pile.

celligraphy

Never knew that thanks a million!! I never explained my gap from last work either so better just have a small explanation in my cv also I 'll start in the job search again in the morning and hopefully this week will have some luck , if not I 'll be back here asking for more advice

wandererz

A good many years ago (perhaps around 2005) i used a cv review service. I think it was by irishjobs.ie.

It was a minimal cost (about €50) however they restructured my cv and provided some valuable tips.

Since then i have used this as a template. I tailored it to suit myself and what i have to say or express about myself.

I have also used this template to re-write my wife's and friends CVs. They have all gone on to get an interview and/or the job following that.

My advice is to try it. Make it your own. Look at other CVs or LinkedIn profiles to get an indication of what to say.

If you have never done precis writing before, get online and learn about it. It will help to keep things precise and to the point. This helps with long CVs.

Each time you apply, tailor the CV to the role and your suitability for the role rather than just send off the same thing every time.

i.e.
If you had to fire a few missiles, you would tailor each one and improve and direct it specifically, wouldn't you, rather than just fire and forget... right?

Where possible, apply for jobs directly with employers rather than via recruiters - recruiters are mostly only interested in having you in their databases "just in case".

I send my CV in pdf format. If they ask for it in Word format (recruiters) then they just intend to add it to their mega database and i refuse.

Since that time i have moved jobs perhaps 3 times with almost a quadrupling in salary since then.
Yet I still get emails from recruiters who have no clue and email me about jobs regarding my qualifications and experience from 10 years ago...because they still have my Word format CV from then.

Also, keep in mind the Tayto advert about not holding yourself back when you where a kid, so why start now..

So just put your best foot forward each and every time.
Tailor your CV and a cover letter should not be required.

P.S.
I've gone through, reviewed, corrected, added to and removed stuff from this post several times already. There's still lots more to do.

If you can do the same with your CV, it will improve and so will your chances of the next job.

wandererz

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Have you a genuine excuse for not working for a while(young kids etc?). If so put it down and you might not qualify for some grants but your employer may so check out jobs plus website and full in your details and they'll send you out a letter saying what your employer will qualify for.
If your cover letter states that if you employ me you'll get €10,000 back it won't take long for the phone to start ringing.

OP, don't do this. I've just fully read these comments.
It is the biggest load of sh*t I've ever heard of. Hopefully there will be others supporting me in this assertion soon enough.

Compare this to the hopefully sane comments i have made above and make your own way.

Best of luck.

drunkmonkey

wandererz wrote: »

OP, don't do this. I've just fully read these comments.
It is the biggest load of sh*t I've ever heard of. Hopefully there will be others supporting me in this assertion soon enough.

Compare this to the hopefully sane comments i have made above and make your own way.

Best of luck.

I wouldn't call it a load of crap, she has a gap in CV and needs to explain it, I also don't see any harm of mentioning to a prospective employer that the gap has now created an advantage to employing her. I feel she needs to get that message across. A corporate might not care but €10,000 is a lot to some employers.

I'd 100% agree about the pdf format and tailoring the cv to each role.

celligraphy

wandererz wrote:

OP, don't do this. I've just fully read these comments. It is the biggest load of sh*t I've ever heard of. Hopefully there will be others supporting me in this assertion soon enough.

Can you explain why as to not do it ?

wandererz

celligraphy wrote: »

Can you explain why as to not do it ?

Sure. It's this bit specifically:

If your cover letter states that if you employ me you'll get €10,000 back it won't take long for the phone to start ringing.

Are you trying to bribe or or otherwise influence a potential employer?

If you do the above, then what does that say about your character (to the employer).
If you're willing to do that this time then what about what you may do later on once employed?

Better to maintain your integrity than succumb than to this for short term gain.

Yes, it is difficult right now. But adjust your CV and your approach to job applications in other ways first.

Cover letters don't really matter too much.

Improve your CV.
Get onto Linkedin and link with people.
Get previous employers and colleagues to post positive references about you on Linkedin.

Quote those references on your CV when applying for jobs.

Literally, if someone on Linkedin has said "She is the best this, that, whatever" then at the end of your CV copy and paste those comments along with the persons name and position.

It's about building trust, not eroding it.

Even if it is a job working at a till or at a sales counter and earning minimum wage, employers would want trustworthy employees who cannot be swayed with the slightest temptation and vice versa.

drunkmonkey

wandererz wrote: »

Sure. It's this bit specifically:

Are you trying to bribe or or otherwise influence a potential employer?

If you do the above, then what does that say about your character (to the employer).
If you're willing to do that this time then what about what you may do later on once employed?

Better to maintain your integrity than succumb than to this for short term gain.

On your point above:

1. Of course she's trying to influence a potential employer, is it a bride? NO! it's a state sponsored scheme that op may qualify for and an employer would be interested in.

2. What does it say about her character? Nothing, zip, nada. If anything it says she's smart enough to offer the potential employer an advantage to picking her over anyone else.

3. If she's willing to do that? Seriously do you think she's a dishonest person, a thief, possible mass murderer. It says nothing only she's smart.

4. Better be unemployed and not use your advantage to get a job because that would be evil??, honestly don't know what is going on in your head.

I get calls from the jobs agencies telling me this person qualifies for this type of grant etc the whole time and would I be interested in taking them on, most of the time those people have a disadvantage, no jobs yet and there 26, rough time in school/home, previous addiction problems etc.

If op's only problem is she had a kid and she qualifies for a grant I'd absolutely call her in for interview. The state job agencies use it when approaching employers like myself so why can't she put it on her cover letter or cv, of course she can.

Sprog 4

wandererz wrote: »

Tailor your CV and a cover letter should not be required.

I disagree here. There is only so much 'tailoring' you can do to a CV before it starts to sound strange. A cover letter will always be a better way of explaining your experience and suitability for a job.

Senna

Sprog 4 wrote: »

I disagree here. There is only so much 'tailoring' you can do to a CV before it starts to sound strange. A cover letter will always be a better way of explaining your experience and suitability for a job.

I would go with tailored cover letter and tailored CV, especially for the OP who is applying for a range of different roles in different industries.