Opinions, please

[Stirts]

References are problematic insofaras I can't list many.
My working relationship with an employer is limited to one in recent times, and clients - well - I'm uncomfortable about the idea of them knowing I'm planning to chuck it in.
Friends are good towards character and then only with a pinch of salt, because they have a bias in the matter.

It's fecking depressing, I tells ye...

What about any past clients? Ones that no longer require your services ... Go through your "client database" surely there must be a couple.

[MSTRS:Me]

Prolly is - good suggestion.

[Maha]

What about any past clients? Ones that no longer require your services ... Go through your "client database" surely there must be a couple.

You make him sound like a man-whore..or worse...a swinger....

[jasonu]

Here's an example of the sort of letter I write...if you are in the recruitment industry, so to speak, your thoughts would be appreciated.

Looks way too wordy to me. It looks more like a story or speech and most HR people won't be bothered to read it. Imagine if a potential employer gets say 100 CV's to look at for a position listing. They will likely be glanceing over them looking for something that stands out immediately and will weed out the few that do this and ditch the rest.

Below is an example of a simple resume template I found in my MS Works. It is simple, to the point and quickly shows your skills and quals.

Just my opinion for what it is worth.

[Your Name]
[Street Address, Town, Country Postal Code] [Phone number] [E-mail address]


Objective [Describe your career goal or ideal job.]

Experience [Job Title]
[Dates of employment] [Company Name], [Town, County]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]


[Job Title]
[Dates of employment] [Company Name], [Town, County]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]


[Job Title]
[Dates of employment] [Company Name], [Town, County]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]


[Job Title]
[Dates of employment] [Company Name], [Town, County]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]
[Job responsibility/achievement]


Education [School Name], [Town, County]
[Dates of attendance]
[Degree obtained]
[Special award/accomplishment]

Interests [Briefly list interests that may pertain to the type of the job you want.]

References References are available on request.




.

[Voltaire]

I was self employed for 5 years and it teaches you a lot, anyone who dismisses an applicant with that experience is a bit short sighted. I now work for a US firm and I hired a suit for the interview.....got the job....went out and bought a suit....two years later never yet worn it....
What probably worked in my favour was being interviewed by the two guys I was going to work with and not some HR cretin with a degree.
Luck and fitting in plays a big part too. Good luck with your search.

[jim.cox]

and not some HR cretin with a degree.

Every time I see the term "HR" I think "Human Remains"

[flyingcrocodile46]

So I get the 'personal' email of the contact person that I was speaking to, and re-sent my details.
Exchange goes like this

Me...
Thank you and know that this is a relief. I am convinced that I have missed other opportunities due to emails not being received.
Your position is one which speaks to my skills and aspirations in a job, and I am VERY keen to secure employment in this role.

At the very least I've been noticed. Maybe this time I will get a fair shot at the job?

I think the last paragraph was unnecessary, makes you come across as worryingly needy and VERY desperate. I rather imagine that it alone would be a bin trigger. Otherwise good initiative.

As per my last post, my "requested" opinion and honest appraisal is given in good faith. Of course you and your doris can cry me some neg rep again if that's what brings you comfort. I have big shoulders.

[The Lone Rider]

I used to work in professional audio industry. I've met Hammond Peak, who won an Oscar for his work in Lord Of The Rings. He showed me his CV - it's one page.

He was adamant that if you can't fit it on one page, with a comfortable to read font size, then you have a lot on it that you don't need. His explanation is employers get thousands of applications sometimes. They don't read them all, they flip through them. Thus 1 page is enough, as long as it's to the point.

[Virago]

References are problematic insofaras I can't list many.
My working relationship with an employer is limited to one in recent times, and clients - well - I'm uncomfortable about the idea of them knowing I'm planning to chuck it in.
Friends are good towards character and then only with a pinch of salt, because they have a bias in the matter.

It's fecking depressing, I tells ye...

Any complementary-type business contacts? People you refer work to, and who refer work to you?

I do a great deal of networking within my own field, which results in some useful relationships. If you have any such relationships, their independent opinion may carry some weight.

[AllanB]

I used to work in professional audio industry. I've met Hammond Peak, who won an Oscar for his work in Lord Of The Rings. He showed me his CV - it's one page.

He was adamant that if you can't fit it on one page, with a comfortable to read font size, then you have a lot on it that you don't need. His explanation is employers get thousands of applications sometimes. They don't read them all, they flip through them. Thus 1 page is enough, as long as it's to the point.

Classic. One page - maybe a bit lean. But it is a valid point as I recall dumping many 'phone book' CV's.

[caspernz]

All the various opinions and bits of advice offered all make sense in one way or another. Here's my take on the whole 'getting another job' thing.

"It's not always what you know, but who you know" that makes the difference.

Now I can only speak of myself, have been in the workforce for about 25 years and applied formally for only a couple of jobs. For the most part it's been a combination of 'right time, right place' and lots of networking. In the transport industry I'd go as far as to suggest that by the time a job is advertised on any public media, the employer would have exhausted his contacts who may know of someone suitable that's interested. Now if you're a halfway decent employer or employee...guess what? You'll find each other without any CV, cover letter, email or heaven forbid, an HR cretin.

So by all means use the advice given by previous posters, but don't forget it's about you making it known in a non-offensive manner to as many folks as possible that you're looking for a certain type of work. Until then, take any kind of work you can get. Easy to say, hard to achieve in the current economic climate I accept.

Good luck and stay positive.

[MSTRS:Me]

Save us from HR drones....
Yet another nicely worded and oh-so-encouraging "Fuck off"

Thank you for your application for the above role and for your interest in working for -----. We received 110 applications for this position and the calibre of applications was very high which made shortlisting difficult. We regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful in this instance.Thank you for your interest in this position and the time you have taken in our recruitment process.
I wish you all the best with your job search.

Responded...

So you didn't like the way I wrote my application letter?
Would you prefer if I scribbled out a few buzzwords instead of some actual substance?
There is absolutely nothing about the job that I haven't done before and can't do (except the front-end loader) and do to the highest standards.
I would ask that you reconsider

[avgas]

If dealing with recruitment agencies, copy and paste the Job Description into your CV.
The meta filters will pick you up and short list you.
When they give you a call - ask if they have read your CV.

Both of you will have a good laugh and then start talking about the job at hand (that she would have never called you for if you BS your way in).

Worked for me twice now. Might not get you a job - but will at least keep you entertained. Recruitment industry is shot to hell here.

If you want to take a shot at recruiters (and their arrogance) - I find this website is a good place to vent http://riceconsulting.co.nz/thewhite...he-cv-is-dead/

[flyingcrocodile46]

Responded...

So you didn't like the way I wrote my application letter?
Would you prefer if I scribbled out a few buzzwords instead of some actual substance?
There is absolutely nothing about the job that I haven't done before and can't do (except the front-end loader) and do to the highest standards.
I would ask that you reconsider

.

You should count yourself lucky that you got any reply. It demonstrates that the consultant was at least polite and rewards effort with effort. Many won't even send out a message.

Your unnecessary reply will likely ensure that you are filtered out of future applications with that consultant.

Perhaps you should consider some training on how to communicate with and get along with people to get the best out of your exchanges. Dale Carnegie's 'How to win friends and influence people' is an old book now but the truths are still true and it's probably the most highly regarded advice of its type available. Not being a smart arse, it seems like you could use it.

A brief overview of the book can be seen here
http://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/...n-friends.html

This looks like a free copy that you could download or print.
http://pathologydocs.files.wordpress...nce-people.pdf
It really does provide excellent advice.

[MSTRS:Me]

I can see that you are trying to help, FC, and I thank you for that.
However, this was not a consultant, but the sole personnel person (HR) at a single company. I have had phone conversations with the woman as well. A year of frustration has soured my spleen, my self-respect is suffering fatal bruises and I dumped it where it belonged...it made no difference job-wise, but I felt better. Moving on...
Time to try the keyword, one-liner, feed their own words back at them bullshit, since substance counts for nil.