Job Hunting Advice and Tips

[FlamesAddiction]

So after about 6 years of being out of the hunt, I decided to get back into it. I am employed still, but there are some things about my situation that I do not like right now and wish to improve it. Plus, I am hoping to relocate to a different city.

I have submitted many CVs and resumes recently, but I am starting to get a little discouraged at the lack of responses. I understand that it is really competitive right now, but there were some positions that I feel that I met or exceeded all the qualifications and received no interest. One of them really ticks me off because I know who they hired and she was under qualified going by their own employment profile. I actually trained her!

A lot has changed in the past 6 years. I remember submitting most resumes either in person or through email back then, but there was usually an HR contact. Now, it seems like everything in this industry (science and engineering) is less personal and through cloud services. The job I have right now, I was able to go to the office and talk to people in person which I think helped. I am more personable live than in print I think. Is this something that just isn't done anymore? I am afraid of doing it because the way the system works now, it almost seems unwelcome. For example, if I found out who the hiring manager was and contacted them directly, would it be frowned upon?

Also, I am starting to wonder if my CV/resume and cover letters are missing the mark. I used a free resume service and they told me that my resume is top notch and they didn't recommend changes. But being free, I am not sure the service is great. They do have a pay service, but they said that I didn't need it. I would be happy to pay for the service if anyone can recommend one geared towards the science and engineering fields. I am mostly worried about my cover letter to be honest. I am good at writing technical reports, but not great at selling. I also had feedback from a placement agency that was fairly positive, but I know sometimes those agencies are just padding their candidate lists for clients.

I am fortunate to have the luxury of biding my time right now, but it's still frustrating to watch good opportunities disappear. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[GreenLantern]

I am in a similar position to you FA and I've also been frustrated with how things works these days. My first job I got that led me into this area of work I went and dropped off a resume and talked to the person doing the hiring. Now that was about 6 years ago as well and it seems really hard to be able to do that these days. I have applied for quite a few positions with a few specific places and I am just shocked at the lack of response. One of the places I even applied for what would be considered about 2 steps below my experience and still didn't get a call back.

I did meet with a friend who had a resume format he had paid for (in Calgary, I forget the name of the company I could ask him though) and I basically just copied this format to update my own. I think that helped because I fired off both copies to HR friends and they agreed the second copy was a big improvement, but still the call backs aren't flowing in.

I am interested to see the advice in this thread, sorry I can't add more. I am also in a similar field, having a M Sc with mostly research background over engineering and industry though. It is a real tough go for this field right now, especially here in the prairies. Everyone I talk to in the research world says they are all waiting to see what Trudeau does about the grants he promised.

[Looch City]

I would say use your connections as much as possible. That's the only way a couple of my eng friends found their recent jobs.

[Jordan!]

I use the MyResume app to structure and build a nice looking resume. It's an iPad app. Check it out

[Weitz]

If someone you trained got a job over you it probably means you are overqualified?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Weitz

If someone you trained got a job over you it probably means you are overqualified?

I don't think so. I just think they underfilled the position for some reason. It was a job with a crown corporation and in the description, it did say that candidates not meeting all the required qualifications could be considered for underfilled. I am assuming that salary is adjusted or that there is an agreement to work on the qualifications in the mean time. I also can't help but wonder if the employment equity questionnaire played a roll.


It also was a long time ago that I trained her. Our levels aren't drastically different. I have a couple of years more experience and a professional designation that she has yet to get. It's not that she got the job with fewer qualifications, it's that I know that I meet them all and wasn't even considered.


Kind of OT, but she also copied parts of my LinkedIn profile word for word into her own profile. I messaged her about it she won't respond...lol.

[blueski]

My advice, be careful about your current company finding out you are looking. Only go after companies you are serious about. Everybody know everyone and you might be risking too much.

[Yanda]

Chances are your resume is not good, you just need to present yourself better on paper.

[blueski]

Originally Posted by Yanda

Chances are your resume is not good, you just need to present yourself better on paper.

There could be fifty+ people as good as him for every job he applies to. When it's that competitive, there is usually someone they know in play.

[Amethyst]

The fact that you stated you are better in person than on paper and the fact that you are already worried about your cover letters tell me that you need help with your cover letters. Cover letters are quite different than resumes, so even if your resume was fine, your cover letter, which is geared towards the specific company / job may be holding you back.

[_Q_]

She got the job because she's a female.

In engineering, women generally don't have to go a day without working if they don't want to.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

The fact that you stated you are better in person than on paper and the fact that you are already worried about your cover letters tell me that you need help with your cover letters. Cover letters are quite different than resumes, so even if your resume was fine, your cover letter, which is geared towards the specific company / job may be holding you back.

Yeah, I am open to that possibility. I would love to find a reputable online service for help with that. Lots of them are scams I heard. I tried one for resumes and they said that my resume was in the top 5% and they didn't even bother trying to offer me their pay service. My resume is also essentially my company CV that my firm's HR department wrote for company proposals (tailored by me of course depending on what I am using it for), so I don't think it is a format or content issue in that respect.

Cover letters are weird to me though. They are kind of counter to my personality type.

[HarryH93]

I'm not old enough to know what it was like to apply for jobs six years ago like you and another poster have mentioned. I'm in the same boat regarding CVs being my weakness, and personality being my strength. When I applied to jobs for post-graduation this school year, I got some contacts at firms and sent out emails to contacts at the companies I liked. I met with each one for coffee, scheduled subsequent coffee/lunch dates, and stayed in contact with them for as long as I could. I got offers from all of my top choices.

I think meeting with individuals from HR or the specific department you're looking for is a good idea if you think you have the personality to keep them interested in a conversation. Getting to know them in person and leaving a good impression goes a long way.

Some posters here may say otherwise, and it probably depends on what job you're applying for. What happened to me may have happened mainly because I'm going into a very junior role right out of university. But I think showing initiative and meeting with people from companies, knowing them on a more personal level than "so why do you like working at x company" helps. I talked hockey, current events, and other topics.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Yeah, I am open to that possibility. I would love to find a reputable online service for help with that. Lots of them are scams I heard. I tried one for resumes and they said that my resume was in the top 5% and they didn't even bother trying to offer me their pay service. My resume is also essentially my company CV that my firm's HR department wrote for company proposals (tailored by me of course depending on what I am using it for), so I don't think it is a format or content issue in that respect.

Cover letters are weird to me though. They are kind of counter to my personality type.

Unfortunately, my field is very different from yours, so I don't know a specific place to recommend. Maybe even showing it to a few friends who have recently changed jobs would help? Just make sure it's people who will be honest as opposed to just saying it looks good.

[Northendzone]

My wife is in HR at a large company and she is getting a lot of invitations to meet for coffee with various people she has worked with in the past. Some of those invitations are coming from people who have treated her poorly in the past, so she has no time for those meetings.

Additionally her linked in profile is also getting lots of views and connection requests.

I'd imagine the above is typical of most HR folks these days. The hardest part is that in some cases people who are working are busy because 4 others that they used to work with are no longer there.

[The Reverend]

First off, a CV and a resume are two different documents. Secondly, most organisations' use an applicant tracking system or "ATS." This ATS will scan your resume for specific words and if your resume doesn't have those words in it, the ATS will filter your resume to the "thanks but no thanks" pile automatically.

So if you don't want to use a resume service, have several people proofread your resume and look for information that is not pertinent. On the other hand, have someone in a senior position that you trust critique your resume. Hopefully you have a thick skin because what you want to know is the truth, not how great your resume is.

I would also say that the vast majority of people focus their resume's on activity, not achievement. You knowing a program is great and all but what did you knowing that program help you and your company achieve, for example.

In the interview be confident but not cocky and if you don't know the answer, just say you don't know; I'd rather know that you don't the answer and have the guts to admit it, that's a real leader. Humility goes a long way.

I've been in HR for far too long so trust me, you'll find something soon.

[Jbo]

My two cents on job hunting: The game has changed. Firing out a ton of resumes and CVs will usually put you in a big pool or database. Most HR will never even see them.

What does work. Create a Linkedin account, and make it look as professional as a resume. Reach out to contacts in the industry and connect with them. Try and communicate with professional HR recruiters. They will see a lot more postings, usually in advance of postings open to externals.

I probably get contacted by recruiters in my industry every 3-4 weeks. For those that think it does not work, I gave the same advice to my old man. Helped him get it all set up and he had about five calls and a new position within a few weeks (he was a professional engineer in the O&G), granted this was a couple years ago.

Good luck!

[FireGilbert]

I was out of work just under a year ago and hit the job search hard having very little connections locally. I was told I had an excellent resume and ended up getting numerous calls shortly after applying for work. In once case the recruiter literally called me five minutes after submitting my application (he was super excited he finally got a qualified applicant) and I ended up getting three job offers. I also found out the one I accepted had over 250 applicants! Here is my advice:

-Don't get discouraged if you don't have a connection. In some cases they are looking to hire an outsider.

-Understand the position and edit your resume accordingly. Use words in your resume which appear in the job description, change your opening paragraph to be job specific, and rearrange your skills/training/experience to have the most relevant ones near the top.

-Cover letters are important but don't need to be complicated. Something like I noticed this job opening, here are my qualifications, your company would be great to work for, please see my resume. It just shows you took a bit of time to research the position and are not just blindly applying for everything.

I will also add that it doesn't take that much effort to research the company and edit your resume/cover letter accordingly. If you are spending more than a few hours a week on job applications you are doing it wrong.

[T@T]

Want a job in this economy?, you need to act like this guy.

Lie your ass off