Dear John....

Clanger · Stirrer Joined: 27 May 2004 Karma :

....the 'sorry but we wont be inviting you for interview'....is starting to get on my nerves a bit now...aarrgh!

Gimme a bloody interview, and then decide - you buggers!

Anyone else going through the same thing at the moment? If yes come and cry on my shoulder and I'll cry on yours.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

dodsi · Dirty Carny Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Karma :

I would like to be, but I am not very good at writing a CV to get rejected for interviews, Need to get this sorted out before monday.

Crying or Very sad

<---------- there you go crying.

Sparks! · Sir Tart-a-lot Joined: 30 Aug 2003 Karma :

Your male?? I always thought you were a woman Shocked

sorry

Good luck with the job hunt!

djr · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 Nov 2003 Karma :

hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

She is a girl, you plonkers.

She was just referring in the "Dear John" title, as the sort of "badnews letter" scenario.

Rolling Eyes

God, got the "economy" low wattage brain power crowd in today.

hellkat
grouchy Mr. Green

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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Recently, I've had one girl go awol (she was a troublemaker anyway), one gone off on a personal-life hissy fit, one got the sack last week, and two have recently booked holidays at the same time, so I've errrr, got a vacancy or two for a Nice Girl Mr. Green

hellkat
rewriter of rotas
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Well, there will be only one of two reasons. Either you don't have the skills/qualifications they want or your CV didn't stand out enough. You can only deal with one of these in the short term.

Dunno what your CV is like. I always just did them like a list of qualifications, previous employment etc.

They have changed markedly in the last few years as I found when writing one for a friend, people expect something lot more like a piece of prose these days. Gotta sell yourself.

I have a rough draught of the one I did for my mate which I've attached. You really have to target them at who you are applying to though. This one for example is heavier on the 'work experience' side because we were a bit short on actual qualifications. You can also make a fairly technical one fo the situation demands it. Have a trawl of the interweb, there are quite a few 'careers' sites out there if you can filter out the people trying to do your CV for you.

hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

I hate reading those sort of CVs with all that "My objectives are ... " - what a load of waffle.

Its tedious to have to plough through people's wordy aspirations for their future with your company - and how they think their presence will improve it.

Just give me the facts, and I'll decide.

When I was working as a PA to a professor of vascular surgery, I had cause to recruit for a medical secretary, and had to plough through around 250 CVs which were torrid in their impossibly unrelevant qualifications.

Employers these days just don't have TIME to wade through all that irrelevant shit. They usually have to actually do their own job and probably a lot of that which they are recruiting for, as well as recruit new staff.

You have to catch their eye and point out any experience you have related to the field they are in.

When reading CVs, I prefer to see
(a) any relevant qualifications;
(b) a SHORT explanation of previous experience of each job the applicant has done ...

... which might draw my eye and cause me to consider giving them an interview.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

That's what I always thought too hellkat.

A CV was a brief list of your relevant qualifications and previous work history that they could use as a ready reference to decide if you have the appropriate skills. Save all the other crap for the letter which they will read if the CV is of the appropriate standard. They sort them into two piles on the basis of the CV (one pile to look at more closely, one to 'Dear John' because they've applied for a professorship of thermodynamics with three o-levels). I always tried to keep mine down to a single page.

In these days of 'human resource' departments and 'personel managers' (candidates for the Golgofrachian Ark-C if ever I heard them). It would appear that they are looking for something rather more verbose. Big companies have a whole tier of administrators with nothing better to do than scruitinise CVs.

Clanger · Stirrer Joined: 27 May 2004 Karma :

Cheers HK, if I lived closer I would take you up on that offer. For sure.

The problem with me applying for these jobs is that I am trying to head into a new career. Catch 22: the qualification I need to get to make me fully qualified is an NVQ which means I need a job to do it.

Not having much success in getting said position because Im only part qualified. I didnt realise that I'd be competing with so many people to work with teenagers. I thought we were a rare breed - obviously not. Connexions have advised me that I need this NVQ and with all my experience, counselling, TESOL etc. I could work for them.

So, what Ive decided to do is, go back to my former work (Graphic design, artwork, print production) then work for CAB (as they do training) or the Samaritans (inhouse training) and see if I can do the NVQ that way.

My CV is fine. Its just that I have worked within print production, photography, graphics environment most of my working life...everything I have done with teens is all part time, community work!

Disclaimer: sorry to all you who have read my other post, with similar points written - dont mean to bore you with my problems!
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

Kaben · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Karma :

what career exactly are you trying to get into?
Im sure you can write your CV with a focus on said career path, and if that cant be done without lying, then a covering letter explaining where your "extra curicular" experience ties in will help.

If you like, i can reformat your CV so it reads well and looks better and also ask my coleagues if there are better things for you to put in/highlight.

Send me a pm.
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Its Not a Melon, Its Clearly a Lime!!
Yamaha Fazer 600Now dead, MZ 125 SM
My Deviant Art homepage https://robabloke.deviantart.com/

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

queen of string · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Karma :

The format I prefer as an employer is a short inital statement that says " this is who I am, this is what I'm good at". They're easy to sort through and if the first statement is a good one, you are then encouraged to read on. This might be a good way to highlight your youth work before they have to wade through the print stuff Smile

.
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"Eat food, not edible, food-like items. Mostly plants."

hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

TOM M · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Mar 2005 Karma :

You have an interesting job hellkat Cool

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Now owner of a 1200 Bandit

hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

It has its moments Mr. Green

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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

Nath · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jul 2004 Karma :

Clanger · Stirrer Joined: 27 May 2004 Karma :

I rang one of the places to find out what I'd done wrong in said interview for them to reject me. They told me that there was nothing at all wrong with my interview, that I came across intelligent, and creative and interested and right for the job, its just they had lost some funding for a project - and this left only two positions open, and the other candidates they chose pipped me to the post because they a) knew the area b) could work late on Fridays (every week) and had worked for them before.

They would however, hope to be getting more funding in the new year and would be in touch then, if I was available.

So at least I now know it wasnt me, or my cv - it was just funding in their case.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

Annabella · Like a person, only smaller Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

Ive been offered 3 jobs now! Shocked

had interviews comming out my ears!
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Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

owdamer · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Karma :

I'm surprised you get letters telling you you were unsuccessfull. Most employers dont bother to write unless they are going to offer you a job.

Walloper · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Karma :

Simple.
Law of Averages.
Write to all of them/Loads of them.
If you don't get an interview from that approach then your not in/applying for the correct business.

Getting the job you want may need some insider trading type stuff.
It's about getting your foot on the 1st rung of the ladder.

Good Luck.
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