A question to Recuruitment Consultants/recruiters?
Question:
1). Is it true that most of the jobs advertised on Job sites (even moster/ totaljobs/ jobserve/ etc.)are bogus & false? That is why when you send a CV you never get a reply and if you try to call the consultant, you are told you will be called back later which u never are.
2).I have Business/System analysis skills as well as skills for programming & I have to Separate CVs for both(as each one Appeals in different manners). I send both to different jobs opportunities BUT to the same Recruiter. Will he/she think I am trying to forge/make a fool out of them?
3). How can I make a point that I have both the Skills & Experience and am capable to performing even one of the role fully?
Answer:
The jobs are not bogus, although adverts are sometimes intended to grow a database and accumulate a bank of attractive candidates which we can "sell" into companies. When sending CV to recruiter just stick to the basic facts. Your qualifications/experience, don't worry too much about making it "appeal" We are sales people with expertise in this area, plus we know what exactly a company is looking for/not looking for and tailor CVs accordingly.
You need to realise that recruiters do receive a lot of application and it hard to keep up. Unless you keep reminding them am sure your CV goes to the forgotten clause.
No you will not look like a fool, infact you will look more of a genius and your ability to multitask might be an advantage both to you and the organization making you a very good asset.
you can have a portfolio highlighting all your skills and experience. remember unlike a CV which is limited to 2 pages mostly or 3 to some organization a portfolio is unlimited.
1) It's against the law to advertise a position that doesn't exist (not sure what the legislation's called, although it might be worth looking it up). If you're getting fobbed off then it's likely that they've had so many people apply and you're just too late, or that you haven't got the right skills and they're just not decent enough to tell you. Make sure you ask them whether you look like a decent match for the job and if they say no then ask why.
2) I'd recommend having just the one CV which is quite generic. Not a lot of recruitment databases/systems can hold more than one current CV for a candidate, so you're never going to be completely represented anyway. When you get a call about a job, tell them you've got a couple of CVs and they might ask you to send a more appropriate one.
At the end of the day, getting a job is difficult but make sure you keep at it. Ensure that you tailor your CV to each job you apply for (i.e. make sure the skills on the job spec/advert all appear in your CV), be open an honest with the consultant, and never drop out of an interview. Recruitment Consultancies keep records on candidates, and if you come across as unreliable then you'll get less opportunities put to you because you're too much of a risk. The best bet is to make yourself available, and if it's not for you then you've lost nothing.
Good luck for the future!
I work in technical recruitment as a consultant for permanent positions.
We place jobs on a lot of job boards like Monster or Planet Recruit and they are all genuine. We get a quota of how many jobs you can have on the board at a time so if you were posting fake ones it would be wasting space. Also, the charge for using job boards per month or year or whatever is pretty high so again it would be stupid to waste your quota and money with fake jobs.
If you send your details for a position, you should always get called back or emailed to say that your application was unsuccessful or is being processed. However, this isn't always the case. What I suggest to candidates is if they haven't heard from us for a couple of weeks and are still looking, ring in to see what the situation is. Usually if you don't hear from somebody for a while, you tend to think they've got themselves a job and are no longer looking. You'd be surprised about the number of people I contact who are registered on those sites and they never bother to return my calls and I'm thinking, do you want a job or not?
In my opinion, I don't like separate CVs. If you can't detail all your experience and skills on one CV, its not very well written. Separate covering letters are better. Mot agencies type up CVs in their own format anyway so if you were to send in two CVs to one agency, chances are they would merge them together into their own set format. I wouldn’t think you were being deceptive by having two CVs. Its common practice, I just don't think it that neccessary.
It is illeagal to advertise a position that does not exist. That does not mean that there are some cowboy agencies that do not do that sort of thing. Make sure you are with an agency that works to ISO current standards and is audited accordingly. They will have this advertised in their offices. There is nothing stopping you going into the office and having an opportunity to make an impression. Some consultants will pay you lip service, don't stand for it but do not come accross as haughty, this can be agency suicide. Ask sincerely that you would really appreciate feed back of any kind. Some agencies are horrendously staffed and consultants are snowed under with a million different jobs to do, stressed out and under paid (clearly not me as I am wasting time on here).There is also a chance your are just not suited to the job and they do not have time to acknowledge your CV just yet. Clarify the double CV with the agency to avoid confusion.
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