Do you have a workplace dilemma?
If you have a work related question and are unsure where to turn for advice then click on the 'Ask a Career Surgery Question' button below and we could be helping to solve your career problems very shortly.
Facilitate a Move
I am a 47 yr old facilities manager looking to move on.
I have been using sites like Jobsite to post my cv and intially ,when I first started in July of this year I really thought this was the answer. I get constant calls from agencies saying how impressive my cv is and that they will forward my details onto thier clients and then hear nothing.
It is seriously getting me down and as I really feel I should have moved on by now my job is becoming harder and harder to sustain.
Any advice?
Comments
I had the same problem as yourself. In the end I found it more rewarding going directly to company's own websites. E.g NHS, Severn Trent, Cummings engines and Aston Martin.
Steve Edwards - January 1, 2007 6:52 PM
I have done similar and been unable to get anywhere by just registering and waiting to hear from them. This may be expecting too much from the other party, maybe contacting them directly yourself may prove more effective. This also show a potential employer that you have intellegence and abilities.
David Smith - January 27, 2007 4:10 PM
Yep recruitment agencies are mostly hopeless as you have found. Initially OK then you hear nothing. Best being more proactive as suggested or keep pestering your agency into submission.
Jas - January 27, 2007 5:50 PM
If you've mentioned your salary in your online searchable CV, you might find that, assuming at your stage in your career you have built up a respectable salary, while there are vacancies around, companies are just not paying well.
Nik - January 31, 2007 4:03 PM
Don't waste your time with job agencies, you are likely to be let down and dissapointed. It is best to apply direct to adverts placed by employers.
kevin - February 10, 2007 1:20 PM
i have had the same problem i have sent my cv off on line to local recruitment agencies and i agree that they are pants,i am in a job which was sorted by an agency which they said fits my profileand after just the first month of being there i am on the job trail again though with a direct approach to potential employers.. Best of Luck to you all
phil rverol - February 17, 2007 3:02 PM
I am an FM of a similar age age and think your comments echo what a great number of us have experienced for some years now.
On a personal note, some time ago, I was unemployed for a while following redundancy and had posted my CV on numerous agencies web sites. My CV had been checked for it's effectiveness and was deemed to be "certain" to get me in front of the competition because I had skills and experience that everyone wanted.
The actual return for my efforts through agencies was worse than pathetic. While I found Jobsite the most useful site and the one to provide the best match for the type of role I was looking for, I found I had far more success by going direct to companies and looking at their websites for current vacancies.
On two occasions, the company I contacted was not looking for anyone at the time, but did put me in touch with other companies that they did business with - and one of those gave me an interview immediately.
Networking is ok, but I feel it is over-rated because not everyone networks well. I am sure that there are others out there that dissagree with the comment, but there can still be a feeling of "jobs for the boys" about it.
Chris - February 19, 2007 2:16 PM
13 Years ago, after an 8 year stint with Microsoft UK, I started my own small Retail/Repair PC outlet in Essex, during the 13 enjoyable years, i focussed on 1 rule, Customer Satisfaction, whether it be the end user at home, or a Golbal Support Contract, Last December 2006 an ex employee of mine kindly emptied over £30k from the Business Account, emptied also my personal account and put my card to its limit, He is now serving his sentence HMP , but i almostlost my house, and out of desperation, sadly had to sell my established Business, Since then i am apllying online through web sites like this, but i have not even had an interview, I have BSc (Hons) Information Technology, MCSE, and soon finishing my MCSA, Maybe it's my style or approch to companies, but because it's been a long time since i applied for employment i amstarting to get very dis-heartened, as my skill and knowledge level is excellent, as is my Customer Relations Skills, I just dont know where i am going wrong, I am almost 40 now, is it my age? I thought Vista was going to make available thousands of IT vacancies(so i read) Can anyone give me any pointers please, i specialise in PDA,Laptop,Networking, HTML,XML,Java and pretty much anything IT related, what am i doing wrong?
Paul - February 27, 2007 11:43 PM