Forgot how bad job searching was :(

[NickK]

Ok, just found out that the feedback from the VP I met on monday was very good and that he also wants me to meet the VP of sales too - so just waiting details of the fourth interview. At this rate I'll have met the entire board too

I think they're just a little confused with where I could fit best (having done the majority of roles) but at the same time they like me and the experience I have.

 

[Amp34]

Well I finally got a reply for one of the jobs I applied for, from the company, not the recruiting agency so it took me a while to work out which one it was... Nothing special but stating they have my CV and sorry for the delay in emailing. Just need to hope they think it's good and I get an interview.

The company also have anothe job that looks interesting, i'm wondering about applying for that too, but it worries me slightly as they will see two applications for two jobs, which inmy mind would dilute the "would love to get the job"ness of the first (if that makes sense, i.e. i'm applying for loads of jobs not theirs specifically).

 

[Indy500]

Ok, just found out that the feedback from the VP I met on monday was very good and that he also wants me to meet the VP of sales too - so just waiting details of the fourth interview. At this rate I'll have met the entire board too

I think they're just a little confused with where I could fit best (having done the majority of roles) but at the same time they like me and the experience I have.

Good luck still not getting anywhere myself, decided to volunteer at a night shelter over christmas. Might turn up something in itself, at the very least its a nice thing to do and I meet a bunch of new people.

 

[NickK]

Well I finally got a reply for one of the jobs I applied for, from the company, not the recruiting agency so it took me a while to work out which one it was... Nothing special but stating they have my CV and sorry for the delay in emailing. Just need to hope they think it's good and I get an interview.

Cool

The company also have another job that looks interesting, i'm wondering about applying for that too, but it worries me slightly as they will see two applications for two jobs, which inmy mind would dilute the "would love to get the job"ness of the first (if that makes sense, i.e. i'm applying for loads of jobs not theirs specifically).

It's a hard one to gauge as it depends on the people in the company.

I was contacted by an agent that wanted to put my CV into a company for two roles- one product manager and the other as software architect (reporting to the development manager but with ties into CTO).

To me the type of roles would mean applying to both would appear "desperate" which I'm not. The software architect role was really too low level (I could have done the development manager role 5 years ago for example). So I declined the architect role in favour of the product manager role. In fact the Technical Product Manager role is almost like a mini CTO for the product.
I have a personal focus on Solution/Enterprise Architecture with the product management being a secondary focus.

Good luck still not getting anywhere myself, decided to volunteer at a night shelter over christmas. Might turn up something in itself, at the very least its a nice thing to do and I meet a bunch of new people.

I've known people that have done overseas volunteer work. It's seen as a very constructive use of time by employers and is a good demonstration of character.

 

[Indy500]

I've known people that have done overseas volunteer work. It's seen as a very constructive use of time by employers and is a good demonstration of character.

Well, having been in the situation that the clients of this service will be in, I have a good appreciation of what's needed. In fact it's part of my "job description" to befriend the homeless people that are using the shelter.

 

[NickK]

The other application has just got back and they'd like an interview too - this is the product manager one.. This one is a 3 month contract with possibility of going perm, or in other words a perm job with a 3 month trial without any risk if they want to finish.

Anyone that's interested here's the cover letter to the recruitment agency (rather than company). I know people have given lots of advice on CV/Resumes so this is something different.
The focus is just to target the job brief and give enough information that the recruiter doesn't have to think - their next step is to contact the company and often they'll just regurgitate the cover letter for them to accept the CV and request an interview. Simple language for the recruiter leaving the CV for the company themselves.
There the job spec has specific sentences on portfolio and shaping that portfolio for the business requirements in a marketing perspective (note I'm coming from the technical perspective). My approach is to show that I have worked with a single product for the points referenced, the technical side is obvious from my CV so I'm not hiding it as it's something they also mentioned is desirable (so you can tell if the product teams are telling fibs).

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express interest in the position of Product Manager where I believe my twelve years of experience within mobile operators and product management of an industry award winning product within global messaging leaders - Acompany - would prove beneficial to your client.

Key aspects of my experience that align with your client’s requirements are:

Creating, driving and maintaining the vision for products, understanding how a large portfolio works together to achieve the defined business strategy for the global market.

Interfacing with marketing, business development, pre-sales, operations within a 1200 strong global organisation. Customer facing through pre-sales, planning workshops and trade events.

Take-to-market of a new product including first customer qualification, sale and workshopping. Developing productised value propositions for repeat sales. Migration of customers from an End-of-Sale/End-of-Life product to the next generation replacement.

Rationalising product technologies across portfolios and delivering a product to fit commercial requirements including modelling costs vs pricing structures to maintain margins for the value proposition.

Solid technical basis with a formal Pragmatic Marketing certification, a certification that focuses specifically on software and hi-tech domains.


I wish to thank you for your time in reviewing my resume and I look forward to discussing the opportunity further.

Yours sincerely,

 

[NickK]

Minor update on the job (with the cover letter quoted)

Just went to a company for a contract interview this morning - offered the job this afternoon. 3 month contract with the option of going perm after..

Now I have to decide if I open my bottle of Bolly RD 1997 or keep it another 3 months..

 

[VeNT]

woot! I've been given the 6 month extension (not the perm posistion but who's to sniff at a job anyway!) also they want me to do some work in the NASA team (networks and security stuff) a few evenings to see how I get on there and thats band 4!

 

[Amp34]

Well it's after christmas, finished my christmas temp job and now sat back at home again... Need to get back on JSA again apparently...

The most depressing thing is after looking at all the recruitment websites there is still nothing there, just the same jobs as before christmas. I'm starting to get to the point of saying "what's the point..." waste of time searching...

So how is everyone else doing?

 

[craptakular]

Yup. It's a ****. Here's to a new decade though, eh?

How are you thinking of paying for a Masters?

At a guess, for a one year course we're looking at - what - £3,000? Add on living expenses, rent, books, possibility of running a car, etc. and it soon adds up to quite a large sum. Even if I were to drop all my plans of a holiday, etc. and start saving it's going to take me around three years to put myself in such a position at which point I'll be 26. I'm not happy with that. I need at least £18k pa at the moment so my life doesn't stagnate before it begins.

I think I'm going to see if anything happens come mid-year. Else, I'm going to seriously consider either teaching abroad for a year or doing a PGCE. I've said I don't like the way the little kids get away with murder, but I'd happily put up with that for a few years if it means I can emigrate.

i'm doing a primary pgce course and it is insane amount of work. You gotta want to teach. I nearly jacked it today but then realised gettting another job is near impossible.

Maybe I shouldn't have switched careers... grasses is greener and all that

 

[Amp34]

i'm doing a primary pgce course and it is insane amount of work. You gotta want to teach. I nearly jacked it today but then realised gettting another job is near impossible.

Maybe I shouldn't have switched careers... grasses is greener and all that

A friend of mine dropped her PGCE course a month or so ago, she didn't like it for various reasons. A shame as she seemed to be really in to it to begin with.

 

[Kurisu Makise]

unemployed for 13 months, will it get any worse?

 

[Indy500]

unemployed for 13 months, will it get any worse?

You should be on New Deal by now...what were you doing before that, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[aproctor]

unemployed for 13 months, will it get any worse?

Looking at your profile you have just turned 18, unemployed for a year.

So qualification wise i'm guessing GCSE at best, no offence meant by this but you need to get some skills behind you, whether it's a trade or Uni etc.

I imagine it's all you hear (if it's not, it should be) but it's for the best.

 

[Amp34]

Looking at your profile you have just turned 18, unemployed for a year.

So qualification wise i'm guessing GCSE at best, no offence meant by this but you need to get some skills behind you, whether it's a trade or Uni etc.

I imagine it's all you hear (if it's not, it should be) but it's for the best.

Then when you graduate you can sit on your bum looking for a job with a degree behind you rather than just GCSE's...

I'm guessing looking for retail jobs is going to be harder than any other time of year at the moment. Hopefully proper jobs are going to become more available in the near future.

 

[Indy500]

Then when you graduate you can sit on your bum looking for a job with a degree behind you rather than just GCSE's...

I'm guessing looking for retail jobs is going to be harder than any other time of year at the moment. Hopefully proper jobs are going to become more available in the near future.

Having experience doesn't guarantee anything either. Well, perhaps if you've worked in the same field for 10+ years...

 

[LiamC]

Ive tryed LOTS of places, but no luck.

Really Depressing TBH.

 

[Amp34]

Having experience doesn't guarantee anything either. Well, perhaps if you've worked in the same field for 10+ years...

True, however there is always that 1-2 year experience hurdle that is the hardest. Even with a couple of months experience I can't get anything as there are very few 0-2 years experience jobs but a big jump in the number of 2+ years experience jobs.

 

[Indy500]

True, however there is always that 1-2 year experience hurdle that is the hardest. Even with a couple of months experience I can't get anything as there are very few 0-2 years experience jobs but a big jump in the number of 2+ years experience jobs.

What really gets tiresome is when you've worked hard in previous (varied) jobs, have qualifications and still get shafted because the prospective employer isn't willing to train you on their proprietary software... things like that really make me feel I'm wasting my time.

At least when I volunteered at a homeless shelter the organisers were grateful and didn't whine about having to train me in certain procedures. But I can't work for free forever, I have to put food on my table and pay the rent..just like a few million other people.

 

[Kurisu Makise]

You should be on New Deal by now...what were you doing before that, if you don't mind me asking?

i was working for sky (installing boxs and dishes with my uncle as a 2 man team) it was good at 1st 500£ fortnight and then it got really bad where we both had no work to go out at all, so he left and that meant i had to leave ive been looking for a new job since. its driving me up the wall.

and after what iv seen with my friends goin college i dont think i want to go. some have finished but are now working in mcdonalds and have been for the past few months.