CV help worth paying for?

lightspeed

Hi all

Im just recently unemployed and whilst ive not yet applied for many jobs as of yet, ive not received any reply from the jobs i have applied for.

Im a bit surprised by this but it may be down to a number of reasons although im not sure how to address them going forward.

I have over 10 years work experience in office admin and customer service based roles. For the past year i worked as a trainee auditor in a big 4 firm but it didnt work out and my probationary period was not successful hence why im now unemployed.

I have a 2.1 degree in business and law and 2.2 postgrad in accounting and finance, both of which i did whilst working full time.

So i have applied to graduate roles requiring just a business degree, graduate financial analyst positions and more recently i applied for a night time data entry position in my town and have heard nothing back from any of these positions.

Ive considered fund accounting as i noticed a lot of jobs in this area and met with a recruitment agencies who said they would expect to have something the following week. That was about a month ago and ive heard nothing further.

My confidence is starting to dip as I cant understand how ive not even been able to get an interview. I only officially finished with my last job on Friday so perhaps that is why some recruiters have been reluctant to interview me as they may think i am not available to start work immediately.

When i met with the recruitment agency i asked about my cv and they said they thought it was fine. I submitted it to a website for review and they came back saying that my profile should be written in 3rd person e.g "An experienced professional" as opposed to "I am an experienced professional".

Im debating whether or not to pay a company to redesign my cv, cover letter, linkedin page. It seems to cost over €100 and its hard to be sure what ill get back for that. As im now unemployed i dont want to spending money unnecessarily but on the other hand if it helps get me a job than its of course not a waste of money.

Can anybody advise if they ever used such a service before and was it worthwhile?

Avatar MIA

lightspeed wrote: »

Hi all



I have over 10 years work experience in office admin and customer service based roles. For the past year i worked as a trainee auditor in a big 4 firm but it didnt work out and my probationary period was not successful hence why im now unemployed.

The bit I bolded is possibly your problem, how have you handled this?

Your CV is likely okay if the recruitment agency said it was.

There is a lot of jobs going in the Funds Industry.

So, it comes back to how have you worded your time as a trainee?

lightspeed

Well i just worded it the same as my previous employment history which is to mention my main duties and responsibilities.

My experience was that the training was pretty poor in the firm i was with. I would get placed on jobs where there was often little to do and when i asked questions i was just an inconvenience so senior agents on the job resulting in me getting a poor performance rating on some jobs. I found that on other jobs I was placed on, there were a lot of communication issues. For example one manager could advise one approach that a senior manager would disagree with and subsequently give me a poor appraisal rating. So generally, i found the communication and management to be so poor that i knew i didnt want to stay and they were not happy with me either. I dont think id like to work in audit in general as its horrid job with lots of confrontation and uncertainty. I would have quit before the end of my probation period but that might have meant having to repay large exam fees and also i would not be entitled to the dole for 6 weeks if i quit with no other job to go to.

So ive been applying to jobs elsewhere and just worked up to the end of my probationary period. i have to meet with a social welfare officer in 2 weeks to sign on for unemployment benefits but I really dont want to remain unemployed.

Im not sure how i can best describe the above on a cv as surely, my reasons for leaving should be something left to be discussed at an interview?

Tony EH

lightspeed wrote: »

Hi all

Im just recently unemployed and whilst ive not yet applied for many jobs as of yet, ive not received any reply from the jobs i have applied for.

Im a bit surprised by this but it may be down to a number of reasons although im not sure how to address them going forward.

I have over 10 years work experience in office admin and customer service based roles. For the past year i worked as a trainee auditor in a big 4 firm but it didnt work out and my probationary period was not successful hence why im now unemployed.

I have a 2.1 degree in business and law and 2.2 postgrad in accounting and finance, both of which i did whilst working full time.

So i have applied to graduate roles requiring just a business degree, graduate financial analyst positions and more recently i applied for a night time data entry position in my town and have heard nothing back from any of these positions.

Ive considered fund accounting as i noticed a lot of jobs in this area and met with a recruitment agencies who said they would expect to have something the following week. That was about a month ago and ive heard nothing further.

My confidence is starting to dip as I cant understand how ive not even been able to get an interview. I only officially finished with my last job on Friday so perhaps that is why some recruiters have been reluctant to interview me as they may think i am not available to start work immediately.

When i met with the recruitment agency i asked about my cv and they said they thought it was fine. I submitted it to a website for review and they came back saying that my profile should be written in 3rd person e.g "An experienced professional" as opposed to "I am an experienced professional".

Im debating whether or not to pay a company to redesign my cv, cover letter, linkedin page. It seems to cost over €100 and its hard to be sure what ill get back for that. As im now unemployed i dont want to spending money unnecessarily but on the other hand if it helps get me a job than its of course not a waste of money.

Can anybody advise if they ever used such a service before and was it worthwhile?

Your CV is probably fine. But it just isn't easy getting a job in this country. It's as simple as that. You just have to keep firing out CVs until one lands.

It might be a better idea to attend an interview course rather than paying for CV help. But most of them are nonsense too. They might help with with the bullshitting required these days for interviews though.

Other than that, it's merely a case of first, actually finding a job you can go for.

So i have applied to graduate roles requiring just a business degree

If you're going for jobs like that, they'll take one look at your 10 years and bin the CV. It doesn't matter what you've written.

You say you only finished on Friday. Be prepared for 6 months looking. Not saying it'll be that long, just be prepared for it.

lightspeed

Tony EH wrote: »

Your CV is probably fine. But it just isn't easy getting a job in this country. It's as simple as that. You just have to keep firing out CVs until one lands.

It might be a better idea to attend an interview course rather than paying for CV help. But most of them are nonsense too. They might help with with the bullshitting required these days for interviews though.

Other than that, it's merely a case of first, actually finding a job you can go for.



If you're going for jobs like that, they'll take one look at your 10 years and bin the CV. It doesn't matter what you've written.

You say you only finished on Friday. Be prepared for 6 months looking. Not saying it'll be that long, just be prepared for it.

Yeah you may well be right. I noticed that the recruitment agency i spoke with instantly said to me that there was quite a large gap from when i left school in 2005 to getting my degree in 2014. However, that was only because i began and continued working from i left school and did my degree part time, going to college 3 evenings a week for 4 years.

Im a part qualified accountant but would also consider a career in law. I would consider intern positions to gain legal office experience but the ridiculous thing is that i wouldnt be entitled to any unemployment benefit. So i have not even signed on for the dole but will need to staying unemployed for at least 3 months to try obtain an intern position via jobbridge.

Tony EH

Go down and make your claim at the social welfare office asap. You've been paying taxes for this very eventuality. It's something that will tide you over.

Then hit the web a couple of times a week looking for something that might suit your needs. That's really all you can do in reality.

Be careful of recruitment agencies. Most of them aren't worth a shite, to be perfectly blunt, and don't mind what some clown has said about a "gap" between leaving school and your degree. Many, many, people do a degree later in life and most have none at all.

It's tough, but you just have to keep plugging away. Try, if possible, to enjoy the break.

livedadream

plenty of free advice out there.

most recruiters will do you CV their way o register with a few and follow up with them.

syklops

The key, is not to use the shotgun approach, but instead become a sniper.

Instead of applying for 20 jobs in a week, apply for 2 or 3, but put real effort into your application. Tailor your CV for each position, and include a cover letter which points the recruiter or potential employer to the relevant experience or skills in your CV.

What industry are you applying for/in?