Could I ask for your opinions please - work related

Hi all

I know we have people from all walks of life on here, so I'd like to run an idea past you if I may.

Some of you will have seen my thread about redundancy looming. I thought I'd build a little website that would feature my CV and a bit more info about myself than would normally be shown on a CV. The idea being that my paper CV would make reference to the website and prospective employers could hop on and have a look.

I know there are some gaffers and former gaffers on here, and people in various different industries. Do you think prospective gaffers would ever take the time to look at such a site? If so, what sort of things do you think they'd like to see on there?

 

To be honest, you'd be better off creating a really slick (and not too long) CV, then putting it on job websites, such as Monster, Jobserve, Jobsite, Gisajob, etc, etc. You don't just have to use those sorts of sites to look for a job, you can also passively search by having your CV "out there" and let potential employers find you as well. I think HR departments and recruitment agencies would be inclined to use this method than spend the time looking at someone's website, regardless how good it is as they simply don't have the time otherwise. Especially concentrate on recruitment agencies...and keep bugging them, they can be a be rubbish if you don't.

That's how it worked when I was doing recruitment anyway.

 

You're right, I will be leaning heavily on the agencies too. I just thought my own website would be one more tool in my arsenal so to speak.

 

It won't be a detriment (unless it looks really amateurish!) but don't spend more time on it and less time on other options, regardless how tempting it is to do just that!

 

Clueless - I worked for 25 years for a very large company. But they closed their local divisional head office, so I applied for a job with the local NHS, when a friend showed me the job advert. The job was very similar to what I had been doing before as an financial accountant. Having never had a cv, I had to write one quickly to go with the job application. They had a list of experience that they were looking for. So all I did was to take their list, change the order and add a couple of things, and call it my cv. I got the job, and I was told it was because my experience fitted so well with what they were looking for!

Whilst a website would never do any harm - I suspect most organisations would not have the time to look at it. I believe that it is more important to have a good business like cv. When you have many applicants for a job, you must reduce the number down to a shortlist. With little to go on, things like bad spelling, poor presentation and the wrong experience is enough to get the application rejected.

Best of luck

 

Thanks for all the useful advice all.

Here's what I think I'm going to do. Firstly, get my CV in order. It is fairly up to date but I'm not happy with the layout. I know that with any document, be it on paper or on a computer screen, you have a matter of a very few seconds to get the reader's attention, so I'll be looking at that. Once you have their attention, you have a few more seconds to keep it so that they decide to read it.

Once my CV is in order, I'm going to register with the site JWK pointed out. I'm going to spend my last few months here (during quiet spells when work commitments don't get in the way) further tailoring my CV based on what is going on in the job market, brushing up my skills in areas where they are a bit weak (we all have gaps in our skill sets), and building my website.

I'm still going to do my site I think, because the industry I'm in is moving away from desktop applications to web based ones, so there are two reasons to do my site. Firstly, as a practice as most of my experience is in desktop application development as opposed to web based, and secondly because if I'm going to ask someone to give me a job building their web applications for them, I think it would be a bonus to have something to show them.

There is still no garauntee that I'll get made redundant this time round, but I'm not going to wait to see what happens. I'm taking the bull by the horns and trying to make sure I'm in the strongest possible position just in case. Current odds are that I have a one in three chance of keeping this job, but even if I do get to stay, it would only be for a few more months because the fact is the contracts we support are nearly finished.

 

Hi Clueles1,
I'm writing on behalf of my husband as I have no experience in this, but he has.
Before we moved to France my OH was a company director and hired & fired people as part of his job.
His opinion is that, yes a website as well as a CV, is a good idea as long as it's a good one.
I.e Spelling,grammar,design etc. should be A1. It's a reflection of you.
He said he definitely would have taken the time to look at the site as it would give him a better idea of your character.

Why not put the address on here, for an unbiased critique.

Lots of luck with whatever you go for.

 

Clueless,

There is generally a huge number of applications for each job. In shortlisting candidates there is not the time to read each one throughly let alone look at a website.

You should focus your CV and application letter to the job specification. Both must be neat and with correct grammar and spelling.

Use the website development to expand your experience.

Also research the organisation to which you are applying. Before submitting your application talk to someone who knows the post and definitely do this if you are shortlisted

If you just send off standard " I am very interested in your vacancy for a ......... and attached is my attached is my CV. I am available for interview at short notice." letter, then prepare to be disappointed.

Most public organisations put there vacancies online and often do not advrtise in the press etc. Look at the websites for NHS, local government, education etc in your area. Some have national sites eb Universities have a Jobs.AC.UK



Here's the current list for IT in northern England.
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/cgi-bin/searc...&salary_from=&salary_to=&location=03&x=20&y=9

 

I will do when it is somewhere near ready.

I've been in the software development industry long enough to know that we don't show off our work until it is somewhere close to complete Even an early test version has to look professional, and any features on it must work without raising error messages due to incomplete and untested features being published. We must have all seen sites with messages along the lines of "This page is under construction - please come back later". Who does come back later? I know I don't

Once I have something that looks like something, I'll be sure to let you all see it:gnthb: