Applying for jobs online - is it just a numbers game?

[Undirection]

I am looking for a new job and am finding it, no doubt like many, to be an utter ballache. I've got a pretty well written CV and good skills/experience. I apply for jobs which I know fit with my skills and experience but when I follow them up, often just days later, I find they've been filled. It's so mind numbing. Every day I see a job and apply and know that I'll never hear of it again. I wonder why I bother tbh. There must be a better way than this?

[creampuff]

I'd get someone in your field to read your CV and make sure it is OK, not just you think it is OK.

But there are are a lot of non-jobs advertised, i.e. advertised job does not really exist. It doesn't stop there, you can go for interviews for jobs that don't actually exist.

[FrankAbagnale]

When recruiters search for CV's they do so using key word searches and the results are then returned to them based on the number of key word matches, often combined with distance from job role. The actual description of your job role doesn't really matter until it gets properly read.

Have a look at your CV and see how searchable it is for the roles you want. Repeatedly put the key words in to your CV. On techincal roles, a lot of CV's that match best have a list of skills under the description of the role.

Job role 1
Description written here
"C++, Java, PRINCE, Agile, SCRUM, Development, Senior, applications, iphone, gaming, mobile"

Job Role 2
description written here
"C++, Agile, Project Manager, Mobile, Telecoms, 3G, RAN, Developer, Development"

It doesn't work on Monster etc as they have wised up to it, but on a lot of in house agency software you could just put the following at the bottom of your CV to match highly on your specific skills.

C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++

Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App Mobile App

Some sneaky ones even put the words in all the line breaks and turned the text white so the naked eye can't see it but the system still matches!

I'm not sure why jobs disappear so quickly. Unless agents are blasting out quick adverts to harvest CV's and then not wanting to speak to anyone about a fake role.

Edited by FrankAbagnale on Wednesday 14th October 17:14

[TheAngryDog]

creampuff said:

I'd get someone in your field to read your CV and make sure it is OK, not just you think it is OK.

But there are are a lot of non-jobs advertised, i.e. advertised job does not really exist. It doesn't stop there, you can go for interviews for jobs that don't actually exist.

This on both counts. I have been through both of these, and it was a recently modified CV that got me noticed, and subsequently got me an interview for which I was then offered the job.

Good luck OP, I hope you manage to find a job.

[creampuff]

I've flown to Abu Dhabi to go for an interview for a job which didn't in the end exist!!!! I didn't have to pay for the airfare or hotel but it was still 3 days of my life I'll never get back.

IMHO a lot of jobs which are advertised do not exist. Some of the non-existent jobs are agent originated - the agent. wanting to collect CV. Some are end employer initiated. They get some inkling of a new project and immediately advertise, only for a week or more later for it to turn out that they have sufficient resources already. My wife who has watched me apply for about 100 jobs over the last couple of months, has her own theory that in a downturn, people can't figure out what to do in the office all day long with no paid work, so they say to themselves "lets get somebody in for an interview"!

Anyway I'm in the oil/gas industry which is undergoing a severe downturn. I've applied for about 100 or 110 jobs in 2.5 months in all sorts of industries, not just oil and gas. Most times the application disappears into a black hole.

I've had 2 oil and gas interviews, one the job turned out not to exist! The other one I've heard from the agent I'm going to get offered it in the next couple of days.

I've had 3 x non-oil/gas interviews, one the job turned out not to exist, the other one I think I'll also get offered in the next week and one I got a reject for.

=

I'd still recommend an independent person to look at your CV.

I'd also look on Linkedin and read over the profiles of people doing similar work and see how their Linkedin profile is written and what they have been doing.

At the moment you think you have good skills and you think you have a good CV, but the mustard test is an independent opinion and ultimately somebody who wants to give you a job.

Edited by creampuff on Wednesday 14th October 18:11

[Undirection]

An independent review sounds a good idea but there's no one I know who I trust enough to take their word for it. I need a friend who is a HR expert. Alternatively perhaps a CV review and writing company may be the best bet but how do I choose one?

[Undirection]

Also, I looked on LinkedIn and underneath one job it says 'See how you compare to the competition (upgrade now). How does that work?

[creampuff]

Undirection said:

Also, I looked on LinkedIn and underneath one job it says 'See how you compare to the competition (upgrade now). How does that work?

Don't worry about that. The paid Linkedin services do not give you anything you need. The free service is fine.

Just type in your current job title in the search box and look at the profiles of people with the same job as you. Or type in the job title of the job you would like.

If you are hell bent on the paid Linkedin service (which as I said you don't need if you are a jobseeker) then they offer a free 2 week trial.

Undirection said:

An independent review sounds a good idea but there's no one I know who I trust enough to take their word for it. I need a friend who is a HR expert. Alternatively perhaps a CV review and writing company may be the best bet but how do I choose one?

How helpful this is will depend on your situation. If you have a technical job, then your random chump on a low wage doing a CV review won't know jack about your job. All they will be able to do is tidy up the grammar and formatting of your CV, which is still very important if you have a poorly written CV but it won't help with the technical content.

Edited by creampuff on Wednesday 14th October 18:40

[creampuff]

Here's an article about fake jobs:
http://www.jobacle.com/blog/the-dirty-truth-why-em...

Which also brings to mind another common reason for fake job ads. Large companies have hiring procedures where they are required to advertise. But they already know somebody who they want to give the job to. So they advertise it and sometimes even conduct interviews, but the interviewee has zero chance of getting the job.

But again! Get your CV reviewed!

[Undirection]

Some handy tips at the end there.

[andy-xr]

I spent a period of about 6 weeks applying for anything and everything that vaguely matched, as in, I could do it. I was out of work at the time on JSA, so was somewhere between hoping the right job would magically come up and seeing jobs where the pay was better than JSA, so a possible stepping stone.

I found all of the jobsites complete ste if I'm honest. Most of the agents were online CV submissions with 'we'll let you know if you're successful' autoreplies, when following up I was met with 'the client tells us who they'd like to see, I dont know anything else'

I dont think I ever got back anything other than 'sorry, you havent been successful, dont ask us why' emails so gave up on them as a waste of everyone's time.

I found a job by going out to a list of companies I'd put together who I wanted to work for, either because I knew them already or I saw they needed someone with my skills. I think I had about 15 companies on the list so tailored a CV for each of them and checked the boss and the bosses boss out on LinkedIn, then sent them an email with my CV.

11 of them got back to me, 3 of them had active roles, I interviewed with 2 and got an offer from 1.

So it kind of is a numbers game, but you've got to look at where you're spending your time and energy to make sure you're putting yourself infront of the right people.

[rog007]

creampuff said:

But again! Get your CV reviewed!

This is an absolute in order to ensure that your CV isn't the weak link in the whole process.

Once that's sorted, I support clients in targeting their search efforts more intelligently. If you go fishing in a random lake with a big hook you'll pull up all sorts of crud. Do your research, identify your prey and hunt for it in the correct environment with the right tools and you will get a better outcome.

Good luck!

[Gargamel]

Undirection said:

An independent review sounds a good idea but there's no one I know who I trust enough to take their word for it. I need a friend who is a HR expert. Alternatively perhaps a CV review and writing company may be the best bet but how do I choose one?

YHM