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Need a job

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    Need a job

    Hi all,
    First post here, so please go easy on a noob.

    I dont want to add any tearjerkers, but the basic problem is that I lost my job at AIG at the start of October due to the recent problems the company has had, and am desperate to get a new job.

    I have education and experience, but I'm really finding it tough out there.

    So I need a job. I've been on a variety of forums, I have many alerts, I spend quite a bit of time chasing things down by phone within minutes of them being posted and applying, and yet its proving difficult.

    My field is project management, and I have an infrastructure background (10+ years as an MCSE). Hopefully I wont get a flaming for this, but I'm prepared to work for pretty much any salary, and any field thats even remotely close to what I was doing. I live in South London (SM5 area).

    All help greatfully received.

    Thanks,
    Rob

    #2
    Rob

    I dont think posting on this forum will help in the way you may want it to.

    It is a tough market out there and will be for many in the new year.

    Stick at it, and if you have 10 years experience have confidence in your skills and something will come by the way.

    Did you not build a cushion for times like these? [as in money saved up not the fluffy things you sit or rest on].

    Are you contractor or Permi? Assuming the prior?

    Another thing - dont call people within minutes of the ad going up! It will piss agents off! Agents generally give it 2-5 days for collating all the CV's and then short list and hand them to client. You calling and bugging them will not get your CV there any faster or have any better chance in all honesty.

    You are also coming across as desperate in the wording on the message and so this must also be coming across in your manner when you approach them? Times are hard fella - and you will not be the only one that needs a job.....

    L

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Liability View Post
      Another thing - dont call people within minutes of the ad going up! It will piss agents off! Agents generally give it 2-5 days for collating all the CV's and then short list and hand them to client. ..
      In my experience that isn't always true.

      If you apply through Jobserve, your CV/application is sent to a munged email address and more often than not is lost or buried. It's a good idea to chase it up with a phone call 10 minutes after applying, to confirm that the agent has seen it, and this is a good opportunity to sell yourself. I've never yet encountered an agent that resents this, in fact quite the reverse.

      However, once an agent has put you forward, there's no point whatever in phoning to check on progress, however anguishing the wait: If there is good news the agent will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth, and if it's bad news they will very rarely get back to you at all (for various reasons - in case the chosen candidate drops out and you're next in line, or to keep you hanging on in case another role suitable for you comes up, or just to avoid wasting time and a phone call).

      Remember, Rob, a CV serves one purpose only - to get you an interview (and a prerequisite for that is that it is seen by the agent and put forward).

      Also, don't hesitate to tweak your CV for each role you apply for, even if you have applied to the same agency and even the same agent. Trust me, they won't remember or care a hoot even if they did!

      But it's probably not a good idea to fib too blatantly, as you'll be found out by a clued-up interviewer or, worse still, when you start the job.

      Well I hope that helps. Good luck.

      P.S. Perhaps for now you should also consider applying for more techy development roles, if those are within your skillset, although I suppose it would be bad longer term to let your PM skills lapse.
      Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post
        P.S. Perhaps for now you should also consider applying for more techy development roles, if those are within your skillset, although I suppose it would be bad longer term to let your PM skills lapse.
        I think you should also consider other jobs. There will be some structural redundancy in IT for quite some time to go and this might put some people off the IT job market if you are away from it for a long time. This is a good time to cross-train yourself into something else and get new fresh skills and show that you are an active person ready to take advantage of all chances.
        Last edited by Francko; 27 December 2008, 10:05.
        I've seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark, Rome is the light.

        Comment


          #5
          Absolutely agree with Francko - go for anything. Once you're in the 'anything' job apply for suitable jobs in the evening and keep your mobile with you to view Jobserve RSS feeds, your web mail and make phone calls to agents etc during breaks and lunch.

          I also think that your CV may be letting you down if you haven't needed to use it for some years before last October. This article really is the best advice on the web for how to rewrite your CV to appeal.

          Take a look at the 1st timers guide, that will be a help to you.

          Fall back on your PM skills. Start with your mandate. Put together a plan. Create a spreadsheet to log your contract hunt (role, location, agent, status etc).

          My main piece of advice to you however is DON'T PANIC As a previous poster said, desperation is not attractive and doesn't inspire confidence for a role such as Project Management that (should) require a calm, 'can do' attititude.

          Good Luck.

          (See? we do treat newbies well if we have a mind...)

          PS.
          Oh, and be flexible - you may have to work away for a couple of months. You can't be too picky until you have come money behind you...
          Last edited by cojak; 27 December 2008, 11:29. Reason: There's a PS there...
          "I can put any old tat in my sig, put quotes around it and attribute to someone of whom I've heard, to make it sound true."
          - Voltaire/Benjamin Franklin/Anne Frank...

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by rob_m View Post

            All help greatfully received.

            Thanks,
            Rob
            If you have a house and mortgage, sell and rent immediately.
            If you have a house and no mortgage, sell and rent immediately.

            Consider that if you're not prepared to do this, you're not cut out to be a newbie contractor.

            Wife and kids? ditch 'em before you have to pay loads - A lot of contractors get divorced - Too much time away from the family

            Think about this last statement very carefully. its not as frivolous as it looks


            If you're smart, you control what happens to your life. Otherwise, life controls you.
            You haven't done very well so far and unless you quickly gain that attitude, you'll end up in a worse position.

            IMO, Sell up and move to where the permie role is.

            Comment


              #7
              Hi All,
              Some useful suggestions there.

              To talk a little more on some of the points raised, I'm not prepared to ditch my family. Its an interesting proposition, but I think thats too extreme for me.

              Some different opinions on how quickly to follow up with recruiters. Maybe all approaches are right, who knows?

              I have a cushion (and no, not the kind you sit on), but its more a case of me having been working for so long now, that when some "time off" comes along, it just feels very strange - to me it feels "wrong" to not be working, if that makes sense?

              Theres so much talk of doom and gloom on the news, with companies getting into trouble, that my big fear is that if I'm not in a job soon, it may be all over. I guess I'm just not used to being out of work.

              All good points regarding having confidence in your skills \ background. I do, but I just dont understand why I havent got a job, with, what I've been told by numerous recruiters, is a good CV.

              Am I desperate? I dont know. Maybe. Confused is the word I'd reach for immediately.

              I realise this might not be the best forum to post this on, but frankly, after pursuing many other forums, my view is that you can never try too hard if you're serious about chasing a job.

              Thanks,
              Rob

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Ivor Bigun View Post
                If you have a house and mortgage, sell and rent immediately.
                If you have a house and no mortgage, sell and rent immediately.

                Consider that if you're not prepared to do this, you're not cut out to be a newbie contractor.

                Wife and kids? ditch 'em before you have to pay loads - A lot of contractors get divorced - Too much time away from the family

                Think about this last statement very carefully. its not as frivolous as it looks


                If you're smart, you control what happens to your life. Otherwise, life controls you.
                You haven't done very well so far and unless you quickly gain that attitude, you'll end up in a worse position.

                IMO, Sell up and move to where the permie role is.
                So someone comes to the board obviously severely stressed about not having a job, and your advice is to sell his house and leave his family???

                You juvenile irresponsible pratt.

                Rob, please don't pay any attention to morons like this. Take a deep breath, take a step back and treat finding a gig almost like a project. Your family are a support and an anchor - use them.

                Please feel free to contact me offline and I'll help any way I can. I've been at this game a long time - many of us have been through this before and there are survival techniques.

                Enjoy what's left of xmas, and think positively about the New Year. You'll get there.
                Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? - Epicurus

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by cojak View Post
                  You can't be too picky until you have come money behind you...
                  Are you suggesting he starts to work the streets!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by PM-Junkie View Post
                    So someone comes to the board obviously severely stressed about not having a job, and your advice is to sell his house and leave his family???
                    Boy - you are thick! Just warning him thats all.

                    Anyway, time for a reality check here.
                    The guy is comfortable being a permie, has tried to get permie jobs and failed. As a last resort, he's thinking about being a contractor.
                    Maybe its a "fill in" before he gets another permie position

                    What's the point? I'm just telling him the inevitable truth. He should prepare to move so that he can take up his next "permie" role.

                    Surely, Its better to do it quickly. Or maybe you would enjoy it if he found out the hard way. All his redundancy money gone, his house taken off him and he's on the dole as a failed contractor.

                    After all, You're a fine one to give advice....you're on the bench (soon to be on it loooong time).

                    Comment

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