I'm not being shortlisted for interviews :(

lolage

lolage

lolage

fiveub's Slave
Associate
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Hi

I'm basically trying to get a job working for a company creating video content. I've just graduated from uni but while studying I invested a lot of time and money into making sure I came out with a decent portfolio hoping it'd give me a head start. I graduated with a 2:1, and have a tonne of experience shooting video for real clients plus video I've shot myself for fun. The only thing with this type of job I'm looking for now is that there doesn't seem to be many jobs in this field as I've only found 2 suitable jobs the past couple of weeks.

The first was for a fairly big charity, but they got back and said they were looking for someone with more experience which was fair enough as the wage was £24k.

I then applied for a junior position with Halfords, felt fairly confident as it was specifically a junior position - but still again the same robotic response stating I'm not experienced enough.

I'm not sure if this is just a standard reply they send to everyone which gives me the idea my CV may be letting me down? I don't understand how I could have more experience just coming out of uni.

Any ideas guys/gals? Feeling a little disheartened to be honest, I wouldn't say I thought it'd be easier to get a job just a little disappointing I'm not even being considered for interview!

Here's my cv: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11365869/resume.pdf
And showreel: http://vimeo.com/106498086

Thanks!
 
it looks much better than mine. it must be the subway sandwich artist that puts them off. that would put me off. i would keep trying. Only applying to 2 places isn't really that much. Maybe try and broaden your search to jobs related with the jobs that you actually want to do.
 
Jumper118 said:
it looks much better than mine. it must be the subway sandwich artist that puts them off. that would put me off. i would keep trying. Only applying to 2 places isn't really that much. Maybe try and broaden your search to jobs related with the jobs that you actually want to do.
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True, only 2 jobs but just feels a bit gutting I'm not even considered!

Strife212 said:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/trainee-schemes-and-apprenticeships/production/pts when the 2015 intake opens

Edit: Also I noticed you spelled the word "seven" wrong in the first paragraph of your CV.
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Great thanks, will keep my eye on 2015 opening!

Uhtred said:
Your stuff looks good. It's a numbers game, just keep applying and try not to dwell on rejections.
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Thanks, yeah rejections are hard but I'll keep trying...
 
Dunno if its just vimeo - I've heard issues with them before - but those black levels look mangled in that showreel.

Other than that it looks pretty decent, can't see why anyone wouldn't atleast shortlist you even without experience (haven't looked at the CV).
 
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You have no experience and you're applying for jobs in a highly competitive area; don't get dispirited until you've put in a hundred or so applications without any bites.

You seem to have unrealistic expectations of your desirability. Right now, there are dozens of experienced people with similar skills to yours applying for the jobs you want; your chances of getting an interview are slim.

That doesn't mean you should give up; it does mean you need to look at a broad geographic area for jobs, tailor each and every application/CV/cover letter and individually chase companies and leads.

Good luck.
 
First sentence of your resume has a spelling mistake: severn -> seven.

Second paragraph "I am now very keen...", so you weren't very keen before?

I presume the format of your resume is appropriate for your chosen field but think you need to work on your resume a bit. I know it's embarrassing but get your family and friends to check it over for you. Is there a careers service at your old uni who can advise you further?

Above all stay positive and try not to get disheartened.

Edit:

Co-operative food section: Think it would be better phrased "The number one priority of the team was to provide memorable and excellent customer service"

Skills and interests section: "Fascinated" not "fasinated"

How do you keep up to date with the news in photography and video? Are there any publications you read?

I'd remove the bit about being a try anything once guy too :)
 
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Spell check it for the love of God.

I've literally just skimmed over it and already seen the word seven spelt 'severn' in your personal statement, 'fasinated' and 'pased' in your skills and interests and 'Independant' as your current job. These are all things even the most basic word processor will highlight so it just looks like you're lazy and don't give a **** when it's littered with mistakes like these.

Your work experience is also very wishy-washy sounding, informal chat almost, rather than outlining your skills and responsibilities. A lot of the wording could be improved significantly to sound more professional.
 
Rroff said:
Dunno if its just vimeo - I've heard issues with them before - but those black levels look mangled in that showreel.

Other than that it looks pretty decent, can't see why anyone wouldn't atleast shortlist you even without experience.
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Probably the way I've graded it, I don't really want any shadows - gone for more of a flat / lots of dynamic range look.

Mr Jack said:
You have no experience and you're applying for jobs in a highly competitive area; don't get dispirited until you've put in a hundred or so applications without any bites.

You seem to have unrealistic expectations of your desirability. Right now, there are dozens of experienced people with similar skills to yours applying for the jobs you want; your chances of getting an interview are slim.

That doesn't mean you should give up; it does mean you need to look at a broad geographic area for jobs, tailor each and every application/CV/cover letter and individually chase companies and leads.

Good luck.
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Thanks, you're probably right. I think I'm comparing myself to my uni peers too much rather than thinking about the bigger picture...

scorza said:
First sentence of your resume has a spelling mistake: severn -> seven.

Second paragraph "I am now very keen...", so you weren't very keen before?

I presume the format of your resume is appropriate for your chosen field but think you need to work on your resume a bit. I know it's embarrassing but get your family and friends to check it over for you. Is there a careers service at your old uni who can advise you further?

Above all stay positive and try not to get disheartened.
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Kenai said:
Spell check it for the love of God.

I've literally just skimmed over it and already seen the word seven spelt 'severn' in your personal statement, 'fasinated' and 'pased' in your skills and interests and 'Independant' as your current job. These are all things even the most basic word processor will highlight so it just looks like you're lazy and don't give a **** when it's littered with mistakes like these.

Your work experience is also very wishy-washy sounding, informal chat almost, rather than outlining your skills and responsibilities. A lot of the wording could be improved significantly to sound more professional.
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Fair points guys, will definitely go over the spelling again!

twist3d0n3 said:
not got anything to add, but what's that dnb tune pls :)
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Extan - Above the Clouds

Ace stuff, and relatively small fan base! Can DL his song here:
https://soundcloud.com/extandnb%2Fabove-the-clouds
 
CV looks nicely presented, however which software did you make it in? I notice that the text isn't selectable in the PDF which could be an issue in an electronic format.
 
valkia said:
Where are you based?
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Close to Birmingham, I drive though so travel generally isn't an issue.

rhyswt said:
CV looks nicely presented, however which software did you make it in? I notice that the text isn't selectable in the PDF which could be an issue in an electronic format.
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Cheers, photoshop - not thought of that to be honest...
 
Just watching the vimeo stuff, the blacks are all grey and it looks as if you're unable to properly set a black level rather than coming across as a stylistic choice. Makes the video incredibly flat and washed out in appearance, I think you'd get a lot more punch using the full range.
 
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Why are you even posting this after applying for two positions? Your CV is nearly 5MB and has only vector images in (or should), and looks more like a menu for an Italian restaurant than a CV.

Move the personal statement thing into a cover letter that you customise for each role. Remove the bit about references on request, that's a given. You don't need the stories about how you got the positions, just cut them down to what you actually did, what you were responsible for. Leave out mentions of your age, lose the paper round/newsagent job. Nobody cares that you enjoy nights out with friends. "Troubleshoot equipment that was playing up", don't you mean "responsible for maintaining a fleet of Nikon/Canon cameras and arranging servicing where necessary".

Turn the skills section into a bullet-point list of software packages you are skilled with. And contain a nice short URL to your portfolio. Also you've just graduated and don't really have any experience with video production, but you've said nothing about your degree course projects.

Oh and don't say "I know MS Office". You're under-50, it's expected.
 
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I would remove the detail on all jobs prior to jobs related to the jobs you are applying for. Just put where you worked and what date range, so that they know you had a job.

Just keep trying to get more jobs and add the best ones to your cv, eventually you will get one with permanent place. You should always look at ways to diversify your skills so that you can apply them to different industry.
 
Kenai said:
Just watching the vimeo stuff, the blacks are all grey and it looks as if you're unable to properly set a black level rather than coming across as a stylistic choice. Makes the video incredibly flat and washed out in appearance, I think you'd get a lot more punch using the full range.
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Hmm, will have a look in the project - may have gone a bit overboard at removing the blacks.

Caged said:
Why are you even posting this after applying for two positions? Your CV is nearly 5MB and has only vector images in (or should), and looks more like a menu for an Italian restaurant than a CV.

Move the personal statement thing into a cover letter that you customise for each role. Remove the bit about references on request, that's a given. You don't need the stories about how you got the positions, just cut them down to what you actually did, what you were responsible for. Leave out mentions of your age, lose the paper round/newsagent job. Nobody cares that you enjoy nights out with friends. "Troubleshoot equipment that was playing up", don't you mean "responsible for maintaining a fleet of Nikon/Canon cameras and arranging servicing where necessary".

Turn the skills section into a bullet-point list of software packages you are skilled with. And contain a nice short URL to your portfolio. Also you've just graduated and don't really have any experience with video production, but you've said nothing about your degree course projects.

Oh and don't say "I know MS Office". You're under-50, it's expected.
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Lots of good points, thank you!

valkia said:
I've sent you a trust message.
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Replying now!

anything I don't mind said:
I would remove the detail on all jobs prior to jobs related to the jobs you are applying for. Just put where you worked and what date range, so that they know you had a job.

Just keep trying to get more jobs and add the best ones to your cv, eventually you will get one with permanent place. You should always look at ways to diversify your skills so that you can apply them to different industry.
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Yeah I did think I waffled on too much about previous retail jobs - this perhaps doesn't look great.
 
Personally I kind of like the style of the CV - not one I'm used to and took a moment to get my head around it but it would certainly stand out amongst the usual ones (atleast for the area I work in).

With a little tightening up looks pretty decent.
 
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