job hunting

[kiggles]

ok so I graduated in a degree in physics and got a reasonable 2:1.

I graduated in july 2012. I have been job hunting since graduation for either part time work or a full time job.

I have had so many interviews, most of which i have spent lots of my time writing, studying and researching for. Yet every single job is rejecting me.

I am 24 and have spent 5 years of my life studying to get where i am to try get a job and nothing.

nothing but £20k+ of debt and living on job seekers. Exactly what i wanted to aviod by doing a F***ing degree.

i have even applied for alot of MOD jobs where I have had experience working yet NOTHING!

I pass every test I do and yet still get a rejection letter. If a company is going to reject my application why ask me for a full interview where i have to spend alot of spare time preping for it. I am more then sure there are aware what is in a physics degree and what experience i have is on my CV. But no they have to dragg me in and ask me questions about something i havent studied, although i do alot of back ground research i cant know everything!!! when i have a degree in physics.

I have filled many folders of notes for different job roles and still nothing, i dont make half hearted attempt i spend days ion the library. I have gotten to the end of my patients because i have just 5 years of my life for a crapy degree when i was better off working at the bottom of a company and working my way up. not only would i have a nice comfortable job by now but would have more then -£20k

one question that annoys me the most in an interview is why dont i have a job, the answer is BECAUSE NONE OF YOU C***s WILL GIVE ME THE CHANCE TO WORK. even for the small crappy jobs i am getting no where like weather spoons etc.


rant over



its cold today. 70mph on the bike is like sitting in a blast chiller

[Fallout]

My sympathies mate. I hope you find something soon.

How do your interviews go? How you come across as a person is half the battle. Too nervous and you're unemployable. Too cocky and you're unemployable. You need to come across as hard working, confident, a good team player, and also good at listening and understanding. You could be all those things, but it may not be coming across.

I'm just stabbing in the dark to try and come up with some advice. It's definitely tough out there. Perhaps it'd be worth ringing up some of the more recent jobs you've been rejected from and asking to get some balls out honest feedback on what went wrong, especially if you think you were qualified.

[Spank86]

Companys (usually) only take on one person per position they need to fill but they rarely only interview one person per position.

Some of the questions you aren't supposed to know the answer, its how you deal with not knowing that counts.

[jmsvuk]

I wish I was 24 again. I'm 41 and have been out of work for 15 months now. No formal qualifications and no trade to fall back on. Where I live at in Northern Ireland there isn't at lot of work about, most places are closing down. I have applied for loads of **** jobs and most times I don't even get a reply. I live in hope that someday my luck will change before I loose everything, home included. All I can say is keep the head up, something will turn up.

[Mako]

Spank has it on the money here. My stock response for something I don't know the answer to is "Being honest with you, I'm unfamiliar with x, however I'm very intuitive and capable of learning on my feet. For instance..." and reel off an example of when you've used your initiative to learn something new or had to pick something up fast.

I find that interviewers react well to telling them about real world situations that you've been in before, hence the buzz around competency based interviews.

[Pete7]

one question that annoys me the most in an interview is why dont i have a job, the answer is BECAUSE NONE OF YOU C***s WILL GIVE ME THE CHANCE TO WORK. even for the small crappy jobs i am getting no where like weather spoons etc.

TA Officer, perhaps Royal Signals or REME given your degree subject. That would give you a recognised employment record after a couple of years which employers could judge you by. Quite well paid as well and could lead on to other things.

Pete

[Spank86]

you need to adjust your CV for a bar job, make it look like less of a few month stopgap by playing down your more academic achievements

[Balky001]

Do you ever follow up the rejection askiing what you could do to improve your chances next time? Most HR departments are useless but some can be very helpful in discussing their own internal score rating systems and what you werre strong or weak on. Most never get asked so they might be surprised but I have done it in the past. Sometimes the info is useless but if something comes up regulalrly that's holding you back it might be worth knowing. Don't get stroppy if they wont tell you though just in case another position comes up (always asked to be kept in mind too). Unfortunately it is a horrible selling job these days to get any sort of job.

[ClunkintheUK]

I feel your pain. I was in EXACTLY the same situation 5 years ago. (same degree, same lack of experience). My problem was getting the interviews though. Got one interview and got the job, but had sent out hundreds of CVs to get that interview. My suggestions below are stolen shamelessly from a very good book on the subject.

You may have already done this, but can I suggest looking at it from the point of view of an employer. You have not done anything wrong to get rejected, but there are hundreds of people out there with good degrees going for these jobs, some will have work experience, some won't.

When preparing for an interview think what your unique selling point is. Make sure its just one, and that it is one that is going to make the interviewer/hirer (not necessarily the company) look good/their job easier.

Next think of the sort of questions that they will ask, and your stock of answers to these (the time I did X and Y blah blah). These will show all your backup skills (numeric, hard working all those things which everyone has).

Now how do all these responses back up your prime selling point. Every single response should back up your prime selling point, and therefore ultimately make the person with the power to hire look good.

Also have some questions. Written down even, taking in a few notes is no bad thing. Consider at the end of the interview and they ask "Do you have any questions for us" which is better; "No, I have asked all the questions I wanted to ask already" (this is the same response if you had no questions or just want any job), Or taking out a small note pad, quickly looking through and "I've made a few notes of things to make sure I ask, and I think we have covered them." (You are organised, prepared and interested in the company)

Sorry if this is a bit of a ramble or a teach-grandma-to-suck-eggs post, but hope it helps.

[SvNewbie]

You didn't do a significant amount of Computer programming in your degree did you?

[matt_rehm_hext]

I genuinely believe that you are no better off trying to find any job if you have a degree, experience seems to be what any employer wants at the moment, of course there are always going to be roles which absolutely require the relevant qualification.

Does make you feel worthless though, I have to agree. Constant applying then refusal.

[tigersaw]

You need to brush up your spelling and grammar.

[Ceri JC]

MOD is really slow in recruitment. Don't take hearing nothing for months as "we aren't interested". That is unfortunately just their recruitment process.

[Littlepeahead]

I have no degree and I flunked my A levels.

Having a degree means you, like many others, have spent a few years studying a subject that may or may not be useful to a future employer. In a specialist field then yes your degree will be useful/required. But if you are applying for jobs at Wetherspoons then a degree in any subject you care to name will be of very little use to you. What they are looking for is someone with the right personality, customer service skills, a quick learner who won't need a text book to explain everything to them who is prepared to work hard and show commitment.

You say: "If a company is going to reject my application why ask me for a full interview where i have to spend alot of spare time preping for it. I am more then sure there are aware what is in a physics degree and what experience i have is on my CV. But no they have to dragg me in and ask me questions about something i havent studied, although i do alot of back ground research i cant know everything!!! when i have a degree in physics."

This statement is very telling. You have a degree. So do thousands of others. Discount that bit of paper from the university and then ask yourself what else you can offer a potential employer? After all, it's about what you can give them, not the other way round.

You have to spend time prepping for an interview. Welcome to the real world. I spend much of my working day prepping for whatever project I am working on, that's called work and if you aren't happy doing it for an interview will you be happy doing it in your job?

They drag you in? Well why shouldn't they want to meet potential candidates. They want to give you a chance to back up your CV to show what skills and personality traits you have.

At the interview for MCC ten years ago they asked why, despite all my employment experience being in Music and Cricket PR, advertising and print production I had taken a month off and spent it as a live in volunteer at a monkey sanctuary in Cornwall with the blessing of my boss? After I got the job I asked my new manager why that interested him. He said it showed I was happy to try new things, be adaptable, learn new skills but also use my existing skills like marketing and databases, to assist the Sanctuary in their work. Mucking in serving in the cafe and weeding the gardens reassured him I wasn't too stuck up to get my hands dirty. And it showed I could work as a team and was happy to help others. These were the qualities they were looking for, he didn't care whether I had a degree.

Maybe you could consider some voluntary work yourself as it will expand your CV and show what you can do rather than what you can study.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but how many people have obtained a physics degree in the last 3 years? You need to offer more when there are so many people going for every job.

[Biker Biggles]

I think you need to get a job.Any job,even if it is minimum wage shelf stacking or care work.This will give you some employment history and demonstrate that you can hold down a job,something which employers will want to see.Only then will they take you seriously at interview for a "proper" job.Hard talk but thats the way it is.

[metalmonkey]

Everyone is getting turned down for jobs, figure out what you want to do then go make it happen if you want bad enough you will get it.

[MisterTommyH]

I hate to say this, but having the degree is most likely the basic criteria needed to get to interview. All of the other people who graduated with you will be applying as well. The company (rightly) wants the best person for the job... The face that fits... The person who can think on their feet... Who has the right attitude. The only way they can tell these things is by interview, and if they only interviewed one then they couldn't guarantee to get the best employee for the position and wouldn't be doing their job right.

What is it that these people getting the jobs have that you don't (only you can answer that). Is there something extra curricular you could do to make you / your CV more attractive? Voluntary work? We're you in OTC or anything at uni?

It may well be that you are the best person for the job, but that something simple is being missed. Keep trying. Keep doing everything you can to make yourself a more attractive prospect. Do not expect the fact that you have a qualification mean you are right for / deserve a job.

Good Luck!

[andrewsmith]

I have no degree and I flunked my A levels.

Having a degree means you, like many others, have spent a few years studying a subject that may or may not be useful to a future employer. In a specialist field then yes your degree will be useful/required. But if you are applying for jobs at Wetherspoons then a degree in any subject you care to name will be of very little use to you. What they are looking for is someone with the right personality, customer service skills, a quick learner who won't need a text book to explain everything to them who is prepared to work hard and show commitment.

You say: "If a company is going to reject my application why ask me for a full interview where i have to spend alot of spare time preping for it. I am more then sure there are aware what is in a physics degree and what experience i have is on my CV. But no they have to dragg me in and ask me questions about something i havent studied, although i do alot of back ground research i cant know everything!!! when i have a degree in physics."

This statement is very telling. You have a degree. So do thousands of others. Discount that bit of paper from the university and then ask yourself what else you can offer a potential employer? After all, it's about what you can give them, not the other way round.

You have to spend time prepping for an interview. Welcome to the real world. I spend much of my working day prepping for whatever project I am working on, that's called work and if you aren't happy doing it for an interview will you be happy doing it in your job?

They drag you in? Well why shouldn't they want to meet potential candidates. They want to give you a chance to back up your CV to show what skills and personality traits you have.

At the interview for MCC ten years ago they asked why, despite all my employment experience being in Music and Cricket PR, advertising and print production I had taken a month off and spent it as a live in volunteer at a monkey sanctuary in Cornwall with the blessing of my boss? After I got the job I asked my new manager why that interested him. He said it showed I was happy to try new things, be adaptable, learn new skills but also use my existing skills like marketing and databases, to assist the Sanctuary in their work. Mucking in serving in the cafe and weeding the gardens reassured him I wasn't too stuck up to get my hands dirty. And it showed I could work as a team and was happy to help others. These were the qualities they were looking for, he didn't care whether I had a degree.

Maybe you could consider some voluntary work yourself as it will expand your CV and show what you can do rather than what you can study.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but how many people have obtained a physics degree in the last 3 years? You need to offer more when there are so many people going for every job.

I agree with LPH on this (said what I was trying to write up on Lunch yesterday). I have a okay degree and s***e A-levels.

I graduated in 2010 and spent the next year working the bar trade in between the dole office, the reason the job I've got now is still mine (worked for over a year on contract) is I am willing to do any job and get stuck in. My degree is useful to my company as I can look at tender pack drawings and flag anything that I'm not happy with as long as I have good reasons for it, and I'm ring mastering contractors around employees of tenants (My job is a: Building Manager for a Global Property Management company)

When you go for jobs; no job is below you. Read the two bits in bold

[dizzyblonde]

Quit the attitude of 'I have a degree, I deserve a job' that chip on the shoulder comes through for employers.

Here's the very harsh bit. A 2:1 is a great achievement, but in reality there's folk out there with better.

I'm sorry if this sounds extremely harsh, but I spent five years in a relationship with someone chasing the degree will give me instant employment...... It didn't get them instant employment in chosen field, they got s 2:1 too.

I've worked amongst management of an international well known company, with no qualifications, they bloody hated people with degrees, especially wet behind the ears with a new degree.

Sorry :smt073

[Bri w]

Virtually every cv I see has a degree on it. Those that are looking for their first (career) job have a history of part time work and volunteer work.

If you've got through the paper sift and are sat in the interview, your degree means very little as a differentiator from any of the people I'll see that day. I'm looking for a personality that will fit in the team, and a passion for the job.

How you present yourself in the first few minutes of an interview is absolutely crucial. I've made up my mind how long much of my time you'll get in the first 10 mins.

Watch out for questions like, "why do you want this job?" If you give the impression that its a lifeboat to escape what you currently do, or a stepping stone onto something else, you won't get the job.

[Winder]

What MOD jobs have you been applying for mate? Might be able to put you in touch with some folk in the recruitment game. I was looking for work in and around your area a few years ago when i left the mob and most jobs i got were from gumtree, if people wanted a driver or labourer etc i was on the phone

[kiggles]

BAE systems, MBDA, AWE,DSTL, MI5/CPNI, GCHQ, Home office, other companies that require a sucruity clearnance.

I been expanding my search to almost any job at the moment. and i have been volunteering since christmas. starting to notice that third party recruiters are useless. REED/ graduate recruitment agencies / monster jobs/ total jobs.

[Winder]

securityclearedjobs.com and ex-mil.co.uk are pretty good sites and are updated regularly. If you are DV there'll be something out there with a good pay packet.

[MisterTommyH]

IMO those 'general purpose' recruiters are going to be useless for you.

I see them as more of a JOB recruitment consultant rather than a CAREER recruitment consultant. They are far too diverse and don't have enough specific knowledge or contacts for the area you are looking at - yes they can help you find out about advertised jobs that you may have missed, but at the end of the day they're just paper sifters.

Thats not to say that recruitment consultants as a whole are useless (although they are often a bit mercenary). Around my industry there are specialist recruiters, and you'll use a different one depending on whether you are site or office based, and contractor or consultancy based. TBH my company would only use one of these, and something coming from a company like REED would be treated no different to a unsolicited application.

Are you on LinkedIn? You can sign up for the free version, and there may be more targeted recruiters on there, and you can certainly look at industry groups.

Edit: Oh, and I know that this is just a forum and you're probably just tapping away, but tigersaw is right. Get into the habit of making sure everything you write down or say uses the correct grammar and is spelt correctly - and go back and check what you have written several times. It might seem pedantic, but it's an easy thing that you can do that may be giving another candidate the advantage at the moment. An employer who sees 'sucurity' on an application from a degree holder might be put off.

[suzukigt380paul]

as my son has told me when he left uni with a degree,the degreee wont get you the job,only through the door to get a interview,he spent 3 years on computer programing,and a year at home learning a different computer language as nothing he did at uni was any good in the real world

[yorkie_chris]

What sort of jobs are you applying for?

Yes it's crap, yes it's frustrating. At least you're getting to interview, the vast majority of the applications I made after I finished my degree didn't even get a letter back.

My advice get out there knocking on doors that are remotely in the same field. Your goal isn't to get a job directly from this, if they offer, they offer. Your goal is to chat them up, see who is doing what, if you get a cup of tea out of it then result.

[Pete7]

Civil Service offers a fast track scheme to those who may one day end up as Sir Humphreys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Minister) We see them in the MOD for a tour or two.

You must have a bit of nous to get a 2:1, so worth a try:

http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/How-do-I-apply/

Pete

[Owenski]

These two posts say it all.

I feel your pain. I was in EXACTLY the same situation 5 years ago. (same degree, same lack of experience). My problem was getting the interviews though. Got one interview and got the job, but had sent out hundreds of CVs to get that interview. My suggestions below are stolen shamelessly from a very good book on the subject.

You may have already done this, but can I suggest looking at it from the point of view of an employer. You have not done anything wrong to get rejected, but there are hundreds of people out there with good degrees going for these jobs, some will have work experience, some won't.

When preparing for an interview think what your unique selling point is. Make sure its just one, and that it is one that is going to make the interviewer/hirer (not necessarily the company) look good/their job easier.

Next think of the sort of questions that they will ask, and your stock of answers to these (the time I did X and Y blah blah). These will show all your backup skills (numeric, hard working all those things which everyone has).

Now how do all these responses back up your prime selling point. Every single response should back up your prime selling point, and therefore ultimately make the person with the power to hire look good.

Also have some questions. Written down even, taking in a few notes is no bad thing. Consider at the end of the interview and they ask "Do you have any questions for us" which is better; "No, I have asked all the questions I wanted to ask already" (this is the same response if you had no questions or just want any job), Or taking out a small note pad, quickly looking through and "I've made a few notes of things to make sure I ask, and I think we have covered them." (You are organised, prepared and interested in the company)

Sorry if this is a bit of a ramble or a teach-grandma-to-suck-eggs post, but hope it helps.

Virtually every cv I see has a degree on it. Those that are looking for their first (career) job have a history of part time work and volunteer work.

If you've got through the paper sift and are sat in the interview, your degree means very little as a differentiator from any of the people I'll see that day. I'm looking for a personality that will fit in the team, and a passion for the job.

How you present yourself in the first few minutes of an interview is absolutely crucial. I've made up my mind how long much of my time you'll get in the first 10 mins.

Watch out for questions like, "why do you want this job?" If you give the impression that its a lifeboat to escape what you currently do, or a stepping stone onto something else, you won't get the job.

[jambo]

Just to point out something here, you're getting interviews. Your CV is clearly strong enough to rise to the top which is an achievement. If in any doubt get someone to read through it that has some experience sorting similar CVs. I threw my whole CV out and re-wrote it from scratch twice in the last 3 years.

The chances are that interview technique is letting you down. It's unlikely they're interviewing you to waste your time, they're interviewing you (and perhaps 10 other people with very similar CVs) to find out if you'd be a good fit to their company, reliable, hard-working and competent.

I've been both sides of the table, and one thing I'd say is there's a huge difference between people who talk to you like someone giving school textbook answers and someone talking confidently about how they'd practically get stuck in.

Be confident, really listen to their questions and make sure the answer you're giving fits. I've had to ask people to stop answering in an interview before as I got the feeling I was going to get pages of text regurgitated, I can read a textbook myself thanks. Generally the people in the room know at least as much as you do (in all probability more) about a given subject. One interviewer I knew always used to throw in a question that they couldn't be expected to answer given their CV. The ones that tried to bluff their way through it lost marks. The ones that said "I'm not sure on this one, but I'd find out this way and get back to you" did pretty well.

Don't let it grind you down, I've been in a similar situation twice before and found it very frustrating, but got a useful job at the end of each dry spell.

My job is currently decidedly at risk, so this isn't advice I'm giving without having to follow it myself.

Jambo

[Berlin]

The older I get the more I realise it's all about the who you know and not the what you know. Everyone applying for those jobs has pretty much the same qualifications as you and so you have to stand out.

A lot of companies now use automated software to search for candidates and so the more catch phrases that pertain to the advert you put in and the more times they appear the more the software likes you. But none of that compares to actually knowing someone on the inside.

Time to start stalking people. find out their interests, and casually bump into them while they are doing it.

I feel for you on the response thing! An Email costs nothing for them to sent at at the very least they could be courteous enough to send one saying good luck for the future etc., etc.,

and +1 on your spelling and grammar, there are quite a few mistakes in the OP. Then and than especially!.

The best piece of advise I can give you? Start drinking in the bars of Business hotels. Lots of lonely Executives, who've been on the road for weeks, dying to talk to someone and they'll buy the beers because they have the expense account. I know because I used to be one of them.

Oh, and there's nothing wrong with being a bit sneaky too. If there's an interview for a particular job you fancy, call the company and ask for the name of the person that's head of the department (and likely to be overseeing the interviews) and send *two* CV's. One to HR and one, in a brown envelope, directly to the guy that runs the department. That way he'll already know your name when the interviews start. Even better if you can find out who's under him too and send them one too. ;-)

C

[bathwiggle]

If it's any consolation, i got my degree in 2010, and it took me until 5 months ago to get a permanent job, even with the years training working as a scientist in the NHS. Apparently what made me stand out was i offered cake and had a motorbike, so they reasoned i'd be mad enough to fit in.

The only thing i learnt was to ring up and ask for feedback, i kept getting told i didn't have enough experience, so in the end started pointing out i needed training, but at least they didn't have to correct ingrained habits.

[Ceri JC]

A bit too late for the OP, but for anyone else studying who might be reading this:

I got my foot in the door* by going on a placement part way through my degree. After year 2, I worked for a year (although including the holidays on either end that I worked, it was nearer 18 months) with a company my university placed me with, before I went back to uni for a year to complete my degree. Two months before I graduated, I rang the old company up and asked if they were hiring. They took me on in an instant.

It's a nice low risk option for the hiring company; they get to see what you're like cheaply and if it doesn't work out, well, you're gone in a year anyway. If you're any good, a year will be more than enough to make yourself indispensable.

I was amazed how many of my peers didn't do this, despite the university pushing it. Their (short-termist) rationale was "I'll earn more money in that first year with the degree than on the placement without, so I'll start with more money." This is true, however:
A) Finding work with no relevant experience is vastly harder.
B) If you're good, you'll be able to negotiate a better starting salary post-degree, following a placement than you might be restricted to (due to pay scales, rules about annual % rises, etc.) if you were at the company both years.

*that lead to a successful career over 10 years with the same company.

[pegasus]

For what it's worth,

I am ruthless when it comes to job hunting!

1. Search the ads and pick the jobs you want.

2. Research the company, the role offered, and the person responsible for the interview.

3. Prepare a CV specific to the role in question ( spend some time on this, and check all grammar )

4. Visit the premises and just sit and watch until an opportunity to present yourself arises (make sure there is not a queue or reception is not on the phone), when you are ready walk in bold as brass and ask for a manager, supervisor, someone in charge, always offer a handshake, and present your CV be brief and straight to the point, "hello my name is xxx. I understand you have a vacancy for a xxxx, My CV shows that I can do the job, can I please have an interview".

5. Prepare a presentation folder outlining what you could do to benefit the company, eg. use diagrams and phrases which show positive actions. Sometimes the simplest things can provoke a reaction, and get you noticed. Make 2-3 copies of this 1 for you and 1 for each person in the interview, customise the front cover to show the names of the person(s) interviewing (This attention to detail & personalisation always gets noticed)

6. Practice your presentation format with a friend or family.

7. Remain relaxed in your interview, be prepared for every question and be open and honest.

8. You will probably be asked something along the lines of "why do you want this Job" or " why should we choose you"
This is the crucial point in the interview. if you have followed the above guidelines, then you have already hopefully stood out as someone who is a go-getter with a positive will do attitude, willing to go that little bit further to get the job done. At this point you need to have the balls to close the deal and secure the job.
Make a statement along these lines " I am sure that you have plenty of candidates applying for this position, what makes me different is my belief in my ability to achieve, but I can only prove this once I am actually doing the job in question, so here is my proposition and promise to you, I will work for you for 1 calender month, for no fee, If I prove myself then you can pay me for the month worked and we can negotiate a full time contract, if for any reason, i do not fill the brief, then I will leave, and you can continue your search, I know that this is an unorthodox approach, but also straight to the point. I understand that you will need to have a think about this, would it be okay if I call you tomorrow to discuss your decision?"

9. Call the interviewer the next day and remain positive, if the decision is yes, congrats!!!. If the decision is no, then ask for a reason and say thank you for the feedback, at this point I would also ask if there are any other positions available. and start the process again.

I have used this method previously and succesfully, however, I would only recommend it if you have total faith in your abilities.

Good luck and remember that nobody will hand you anything on a plate, you have to go and fight for it.

I did, and it worked for me.

P

[smithy17]

I feel like I'm gonna be in the same boat as you, still currently studying but looking for jobs when I graduate in the summer. Had a few phone interviews and even a skype interview where they didn't turn their camera on so I was talking to a black screen for 45mins.

recently had the best bit of careers advice to date from an ex student on my course. She missed the opportunity to do a placement year as well stating this as one of the best ways to enhance a CV straight out of uni. she however knew what field she wanted to go into and so set about asking smaller companies to give 3-6 month placements. She got a couple and after 3 years of moving a lot between these she finally got her current job in the original role she hoped.

from all my applications feedback it seems they look for experience and skills, but its a viscous circle, you need experience to get jobs but the places to get experience want more experience blah blah... anyway, from this it seems to be that you've got to be fussy about what experiance you get, if possible make sure they are all related and building in a given field and hen hopefully something will come up

good luck though!

[Littlepeahead]

The point 2 from Pagasus about doing your research is crucial.

If you work in our media department, as I used to, you would be expected to write press releases so attention to detail was vital. The candidates who sent in CVs to me, no matter how strong, with the word 'Lord's' spelled incorrectly without the apostrophe would not get an interview. Or if they emailed me 'Dear Sir' or wrote Claire with an 'i' the CV went in the bin because if they can't even get the company name right or bother to find out who I am or how to spell my name then do I really think they will be happy ensuring that every fact in a press release is accurate?

I'm sure the same goes for many companies if you are going to be expected to write anything it needs to be accurate, and don't rely on spell check.

Dress smartly, no matter what the job. Make sure your fingernails are clean and preferably un-bitten. Polish your shoes. Iron your shirt. Have a shave. It seems obvious but I'm always amazed by candidates who turn up looking scruffy.

A few days before the interview do a few Google searches to see if the company have recently done anything newsworthy, good or bad. This worked for Lew Speight - I sent him a link to an interview on Radio 4 with the Curry's head honcho and by mentioning the sales figures and a few things that were talked about in the interview he sounded very well informed about the company and they mentioned this to him when they offered him the job. You can also ask a company for a copy of their annual report. It may contain a lot of dull facts and figures but you may also glean other info that will help you.

[Littlepeahead]

Oh and if you are serious about looking for pretty much any employment at the moment then we need stewards. You don't have to know anything about cricket, lots of our stewards end up working for MCC full time in other roles too.

http://www.lords.org/mcc/staff-vacancies/stewarding-vacancies/

Got to be better than sitting at home bored all summer.

[Ceri JC]

If you work in our media department, as I used to, you would be expected to write press releases so attention to detail was vital. The candidates who sent in CVs to me, no matter how strong, with the word 'Lord's' spelled incorrectly without the apostrophe would not get an interview. Or if they emailed me 'Dear Sir' or wrote Claire with an 'i' the CV went in the bin because if they can't even get the company name right or bother to find out who I am or how to spell my name then do I really think they will be happy ensuring that every fact in a press release is accurate?


I really visibly do this: :smt083
When a candidate writes something along the lines of:
"Strong writen report writing skill's"
I immediately discount all the stuff they claim they're good at and just mentally envisage working with them as hours of painfully having to do the job of their spell checker and teaching English at a level a 12 year old should be comfortable with.

SPAG is not remotely important for many jobs. Even for those, get someone to check you CV; it shows you care, if nothing else. For jobs where it matters, the people hiring you are not 'gramar natzis' or whatever the internet has led you to believe. They may not even personally care much about SPAG, but they will almost inevitably not want to deal with the consequences of your poor SPAG.

Working with people for whom English is not their first language is a different matter entirely.

[dizzyblonde]

Pegasus. The man without a degree, who always gets his interview and a choice of jobs to turn down.....from ONE piece of paper, charm, and big balls.

He's a very confident bloke though. That comes across when I spy on him at work :)

[Littlepeahead]

I got my first job by 'bumping into' the same record company executive at lots of gigs and always being friendly and reminding him that when he needed an assistant he had my CV in his files somewhere. The day his PA resigned about 6 months later he called me first and asked if I'd like an interview before he advertised. He said he gave me the job because I had a lot of cheek and lots of charm and that's what was needed for the role. He also said he'd never even read my CV other than the phone number! Charm and confidence go a long way as long as you are happy to do the work to back it up.

[fizzwheel]

Market is tough, many people with on the job experience searching for to few jobs. Just having a degree wont make you stand out. TBH when I was interviewing I paid no attention what so ever to what degree the candidates had I scanned that bit, looked at what job history they had, and then I looked at what their hobbies section said.

When I did interview, I was looking for somebody that would fit with my team. I've had technically brilliant people in for interview, one guy I knew would rub the other people in my team up the wrong way so we didnt employ him.

Alot of it when you are interviewing ( or for me anyway ) was done on instinct and gut feel. Its all about how you come across in those first few minutes.

Some tips that I think helped me get jobs.

1. Knowing somebody that already worked where I was looking to move to.
2. I got a job based on a work experience placement whilst at college
3. The job I have now. I sent me CV in, I left it a couple of days and then phoned the person who I had sent it to ( here's where insider knowledge helps a little as it was easy to find out through a friend who I needed to talk to ) I introduced myself and asked if he had some time to talk, I then explained I had sent my CV in and that I wanted to check he had received it and asked if there was anymore information he wanted from me. We had a very brief chat at which point I thanked him for his time and we finished the call.

I got an interview a short time later, followed by a 2nd one and then a job offer.

Once I got settled, he told me I had got the job after the phone call where I rang him to check he had got my CV. He liked my approach and he liked people who made things happen by being pro-active.

Sometimes you had to get creative / be cheeky which if done in the right way, as per the many great tips in this thread. Will make you stand out.

Remember to some people all a degree means you know how to learn stuff from a book. IMHO I view it as nothing more than that.

Some of the best people I have worked with have no degree for anything other than a set of GCSE's. Its not the be all and end all...

[Littlepeahead]

This website has lots of voluntary work listings. I know sometimes job seekers allowance gets a bit stupid with volunteering then making you 'unavailable for work' but there must be ways round this.

http://www.do-it.org.uk/