Getting no where applying for roles

[TheAngryDog]

I am applying for new roles at the moment get getting no where fast. I am either getting radio silence, or the odd thanks but no thanks.

I aren't applying for roles that I cannot do, so I wondering if my lack of certifications, or just my CV is isn't good enough? Would anyone with the skills be happy to take a look at my CV please? (I am happy to pay for the service from a professional), and if anyone has any advice I would hugely appreciate it. I haven't been job hunting for long (around a month) so it has been several years since I last applied for a new job.

Thank you.

[TheAngryDog]

Oh, I am really sorry that a post I made on PH didn't meet with the grammar police code of practice, please accept my profound apologies.

The post was written in slight haste while I was on a call.

[TheAngryDog]

rog007 said:

Delighted to pass comment on your CV if you want to drop me a line.

Getting shortlisted is a real challenge, so a top drawer CV, absolutely personalised for the role you’re applying for is key!

Thank you, I will send you a message.

[TheAngryDog]

Scrump said:

You asked for advice on why you are not getting invited to interview, what else were we supposed to base our answers on other than your post?
Post your CV up and we can comment on that instead.
Username checks out!

That is correct, I asked for advice, I didn't ask for my OP to be given grief because I missed the odd word out it and put a comma or two in the wrong place.
I am hardly going to post my CV on here for all to see.
My username does indeed check out, especially when poked with a stick. Sticks are for throwing.

[TheAngryDog]

blueg33 said:

TheAngryDog said:

Oh, I am really sorry that a post I made on PH didn't meet with the grammar police code of practice, please accept my profound apologies.

The post was written in slight haste while I was on a call.

Well you asked a question and gave very little info, so people read your post and draw a conclusion. Seriously of you cant take criticism you wont get your cv right.

Its not about being PH grammar police, its about first impressions. The first impression you gave was poor. (even on a call, it was pretty horrible wording). I am typing this whilst on a call, I may have typos, but the grammar wont be as glaringly painful.

It will help us if you give us some idea o the sector and level of role. Applying for a job as a CEO of a multinational is very different from applying for a job as a trainee plumber.

I am applying IT Helpdesk Manager roles in various sectors, but mostly software and hardware based.

[TheAngryDog]

blueg33 said:

TheAngryDog said:

I am applying IT Helpdesk Manager roles in various sectors, but mostly software and hardware based.

Hmm. Thats interesting, as far as I can tell from my brother (works in IT data migration) the whole IT sector cant get enough people.

I cant help with IT sector cv's, but I can comment on professionally written ones. In my experience and for my sector (house building) they don't help. I get better results with the cv I wrote myself than the professional one done for me a few months ago. (note - I triple check my cv for spelling and grammar errors as my typing is dire)

But I do have a tip - if the roles are advertised by recruitment companies, don't just send in a c.v. Give then a call, talk it through with the recruiter. If they think you are right for the role they may look out for your cv. A lot of cv filtering is done by robots or a 10 second glance by the recruiter. You can convey far more in a phone call than you ever can on paper.

There are plenty of roles available, it may be that something in my CV or application doesn't fit. My CV is spell checked, as are my covering letters, but that doesn't always guarantee zero mistakes, especially grammar based ones.

A phone call sounds like a good idea. I've always felt that I could be wasting someone's time by calling them, but maybe it's the way to go about it, thank you.

lizardbrain said:

I screen a few applications most days. Perhaps you could post up your cover letter?

Especially with homeworking becoming more common, the initial impression is important, and your cover letter is full of clues on what it would be like to work with you. Some obvious attention paid to grammar and phrasing is super important in any industry.

Even if your are application is form based, in most cases I'd still advise following up with a well written cover email.

Most of the applications I have made do not give the option to include a covering letter, they just CV harvest. Perhaps following up with a cover letter sounds like a good idea, thanks. What I have been sending (and tailoring to suit) is below.

cover letter said:

I am applying for the role of XXX, in response to the advert, please find my CV attached.

I am an experienced Wintel / Infrastructure engineer, having worked in the IT sector in various roles for over 23 years. I have experience with Windows desktop and server operating systems, both physical and virtual, as well as cloud experience. I currently manage an estate of 70+ servers across on prem and cloud systems, which includes;

Physical servers
Virtualised servers
SAN
Switches
Hardware firewall
Web Application Firewall
Virtual load balancers

I have deployed both physical and virtual servers across on prem and cloud environments, having built from scratch the cloud estate for the company I currently work for.

I am an excellent trouble-shooter who enjoys fixing problems. I am tenacious, ambitious and I am keen to expand my knowledge and experience through adoption and implementation of new and revised technological solutions. I have a can-do attitude. I take ownership of the issues I am working on, happy to seek the advice of my peers and assist others. I am friendly, outgoing, self-motivated, focused, and pro-active.

Thank you for reading my cover letter and CV, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

I then tailor it to suit the role. Most of the roles I have been applying for have been managing a helpdesk while remaining hands on.

[TheAngryDog]

geeks said:

AngryDog, feel free to PM this but where are you located? We have a number of roles at the moment.

I have sent you a PM, thanks!

[TheAngryDog]

Thanks everyone for continuing to post, I do appreciate it.

I have some further applications on the go at the moment, but have paused any new as it is starting to annoy me that I am getting nowhere. If these do not to anything then I think I need to take stock of my current CV and skills and then look to open something with Rog.

[TheAngryDog]

Interestingly I have a job interview tomorrow, which I applied for before this thread was started, so who knows! Fingers crossed, otherwise I'll be back and using some of these techniques!

[TheAngryDog]

Thanks both! It's a step up in terms of pay and a job I feel that I can do, while also be challenged, so I am quite optimistic about it.

[TheAngryDog]

Just had the technical interview. Now for the wait to see if I progress to the second interview.

[TheAngryDog]

2nd interview confirmed. Fingers crossed!

[TheAngryDog]

Cheers! Nervous and excited about it.

[TheAngryDog]

Currently playing the waiting game. Had final interview today, find out early next week. I don't feel very confident.

[TheAngryDog]

Well, I didn't get the job.

[TheAngryDog]

rustyuk said:

Bad luck! Did you get any useful feedback?

Not really. I didn't expect much though tbh, I thought the interviewer was very poor and uninterested, which affected how I interviewed.

[TheAngryDog]

Back to applying next week.

I will be using some of the tactics mentioned, just not sure about calling the recruiter and asking about the role as they are likely to tell me it is all written down in the advert.

[TheAngryDog]

Thanks both, I will do that once I apply for the roles today.

Are there any key questions I should be asking, other than calling to check to see if my CV was received and then asking about further details about the role?

[TheAngryDog]

Thanks. I am very green to this as I don't tend to change roles often and generally have walked into jobs for one reason or another for most of my career (knowing people or nailing the gap with the employer), but it seems harder these days.

[TheAngryDog]

Another interview secured for next week, plus being put forward for 3 other roles. Fingers crossed!