Need a job right now

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What should i do right now to get a job or even an apprenticeship in IT?

My CV is good it was done by someone at college and i must of applied to 50 or so jobs and not one reply.

 

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What type of position are you apply for?

As i'm sure you are aware the job market isn't great at the moment. Some jobs are getting 100's of applicants at the moment, so it is very hard to stand out.

 

I have said this many times before, if your not getting interviews then either your CV is pants, or you do not have what the employer is looking for.

If your applying for a first line helpdesk jobbie, then focus on your Customer Service skills more than your IT skills.

Might be an idea to post your CV for some feedback, but having a title 'need a job right now' could put peoples backs up.

 

That's like asking for Christmas to be moved to June because it suits you. It just doesn't happen that way. You need to register with IT agencies, apply for jobs online, go to recruitment centres etc etc. Right now - and I know you don't want to hear this - you couldn't be unfortunate enough to have picked a worse time to be looking for your first IT job. Not sure if you've noticed - but the economy isn't exactly in the best state. There will be hundreds of people competing for the exact same jobs you are going after, so if you need 'a job' (to pay bills, your rent, eat etc etc) then I suggest you look at taking ANY job that you can get. Much less stressful searching for a job when you've got enough money to survive on!

 

Well here is my CV

That is the one i used to apply for a software apprenticeship

 

What is DD, is it a bra size? Seriously means nothing to me.

I'm not a fan of the logos on your CV, personally I would have a heading stating Professional Qualifications, something like this:

Professional Qualification

CompTIA A+ Certified IT Technician (A+)
Microsoft Certidied Professional (MCP)
Working Towards......

Have you got any work experience, that you can use?

Also, you state that your strength is programming, why have you done the A+ and MCP which are not related. Have a rethink about this statement.

 

DD = Double Distinction its how BTECs are graded its like getting two As in A levels

 

I guessed it was that, but my point is DD, looks as if you could have gotten an A, but got to DD's.

 

This may well be true, but people who are not familiar with BTEC may not realise this.

I agree with the with the comment about the logo's. Also the Grammar is excellent in places (Although my grammar is so good, so i can't really comment).

 

What do i need to do to get a job?

 

You know the issue I see right away? No work experience. So you have a whole lot of learning and not much in the way of any real world working experience. In the last 2-3 years, have you really had absolutely no jobs? Even if it was a part time job stacking shelves, I'd put that into your CV since its so light.

No work experience means that you havent been proven in a real world environment. Education is a secluded, safe environment and bears little to no relation to the real world.

Agree with Craigie, your chosen MCP, and the A+ arent really going to hold you in any stead for a programming job.

You state that you have:

so.... MS word then?

You make a lot of bold claims in your statement, yet little to none of it appears to be backed up by any evidence. You say you class your strength to be programming, yet none of your qualifications indicate that you have even worked on a piece of software. More so, you make no mention of any of the languages you have developed in, or the sorts of things you have developed.

You say you

Wheres your evidence of this?

Basically, your CV isnt bad for a generic CV, but if this is the one you are sending in for Developer roles, I can see your problem right there. Its generic. Theres no tailoring for a software development role. You havent provided any evidence that you would make even an average developer on any level, let alone a good one.

You really need to tailor that CV to each role that you apply for. Specifically, it needs to be reworked with a Developers slant on it.

 

Your CV, is the first thing that people look at, if you apply for a job manually.

Normally, on a job site such as jobserve, an recruitment agency will scan you CV for keywords such as 1st Line Support, MCP etc, so having these on your CV rather than the logos will help.

Also, listen to the advice you have recieved so far, have you changed your CV yet to reflect:

- Remove logos, and type up your qualification, also stating what your working towards.
- Change DD to Double Distinction
- Reword your personal statement as it is not consistant with the qualifcations you have undertaken so far.
- Add in any work experience, with is relevant, customer service type roles.

Then look at your CV and read it from a employers point of view, would you give you a chance, for the job your applying for? If not, why not?

 

I understand your frustration, but there is no simple answer. All you can do is, tweek your CV, keep applying for jobs. Apply to companies even if they are not advertising. Even try to do some voluntary work, to try to gain a little experience.

 

just a quick one. You class one of your skills as programming but don't outline what language you have worked in what sort of projects you have completed. Speaking as a programmer I can't see anything to give you a job on in terms of programming. You have a couple of quals geared towards computer support though. Why don't you try and apply to smaller business see if they need a technician this would help you learn the ropes. If you can't find any go to someone like Computer People (agency) and tell them you are looking for an entry level technician / support role.

Regards,
Dom

 

May i add this was for an apprenticeship in programming i think it was about £5,000 a year full time.

I just phoned the college who are dealing with the applications, over 500 applicants for this one apprenticeship.

Contacted a huge list of agencies i was given by college and did not find one office or IT vacancy.

 

Welcome to the world of job hunting.

Try the following sites:

www.reed.co.uk
www.jobserve.com
www.cwjobs.com

 

So what programming languages have you learned?