Tempted to exaggerate my skills to an agency...

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by Alex399, Nov 17, 2009.

  1. Alex399

    Alex399 Byte Poster

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    I have been asked to state what kind of skills I have with Windows in an email by a recruitment agency.

    Ive been told its for a firm that produce Anti-Virus Software :blink which is way more on the software side than I had originally hoped for but realising its not a time to be fussy about jobs in the current market Ive decided to give this one all my efforts in terms of writing a cover letter for this position as it sounds really appealing in other ways.
    The agent also told me that they have grown from a team of 6 to around 30 employees in 5 years.

    The role is an IT Tech Support role and would invole supporting corporate users and home users in post installation of the software and the main installation itself and general support to already existing users of the Anti-Virus software. It sounds fantastic to me to get my foot in.

    My question is should I exaggerate my "software skills" to my advantage of course for my application as its mainly software based support or would that not be a good idea, as it could put me out of my depth if I were to get the job then leave me jobless as a result?

    Opinions please :D (take into consideration how hard it is coming across jobs these days)

    I would also add that the basic is £15,000 per annum and going up to £18,000 so its a big salary gain for me from my current of £12,000.

    I need to write the agent an email tonight explaining my skills regarding this job, so please advice is appreciated!

    Thanks in advance! :D
     
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  2. onoski

    onoski Terabyte Poster

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    Honesty would be the best policy and might not take you far but at least every employer know this up front. I would look for a role that's for an entry level i.e. IT service desk and work my way from there on.

    Best wishes and keep on keeping on:)
     
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  3. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    What software support skills do you have mate?
     
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  4. simongrahamuk
    Honorary Member

    simongrahamuk Hmmmmmmm?

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    What I would emphasize is your people skills and ability to problem solve with the windows system, say how you have guided people through fixing their systems remotely or over the phone.

    I would comment more on the connectivity side of windows than the user interface, i.e. connecting to domains, networks, internet, etc. Anyone can navigate windows, but not everyone knows how to connect to update servers.
     
  5. Alex399

    Alex399 Byte Poster

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    Good question.... I have no qualifications certifications as it were with any software what so ever...

    makes me wonder how he shortlisted me for the job in the first place :blink

    I am very computer literate with Windows... anything more than that and I would be exaggerating :(

    I did tell the agent that I have minimal software experience (none in actual fact) and he did say that it isn't essential to have software experience but is preffered.

    In these kind of cases be it I get through to interview stage I have to work miracles at interviews to have a realistic chance
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2009
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  6. Trogdor

    Trogdor Kilobyte Poster Gold Member

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    Hi Alex,

    I know very well how difficult it is in the current climate, but essentially lying to recruiters is definately not a good idea. I see from your profile you have the A+, Network+ and the MCDST; if I were in your shoes, I would look up the objectives for each of the certs you have and pick out the ones that you feel would appeal most to the people offering the job.

    I think that if you lie to recruiters and / or potential employers you can land yourself in a lot of hot water when you are expected to apply skills you have claimed to have and can't. Keep in mind that the job descriptions companies give to recruiters usually represents the perfect candidate. Many times the person they end up hiring will not have all of the skills they claim they need on their job spec. Hope this helps...
     
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  7. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Depends on the nature of the job tbh. You may be first line support and just need to assist with installation issues etc, which may have a script of things you need to check before assigning to a senior tech.

    If this is the case then people skills are very important and you can increase your technical skills as you get up to speed with the products you are supporting. 8)
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2009
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  8. Alex399

    Alex399 Byte Poster

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    I should point out that I have no previous experience working in any IT enviroment what so ever, I work on computers on a daily basis and tend to be the go-to-computer-guy at work other than that it just a big interest Ive had that I feel is worth expressing

    I work as a recruitment consultant at the moment so I feel people skills is the only thing I can be truly honest about and my only skill I feel I can emphasize on.
    Otherwise I could blabber on to express my interest in IT and drive to suceed in the IT Industry... but they are only words at the end of the day and they probaly hear that from every single applicant.
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2009
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  9. simongrahamuk
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    simongrahamuk Hmmmmmmm?

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    Yes, but when you Auntie's Cousin's Brother's mate rings you to ask for help you tell him how to fix things over the phone don't you! :biggrin

    You also say that you're the one that people go to at work with their IT issues, this means that you also do a lot of face to face troubleshooting.

    You're the Recruitment Consultant, be creative. So long as you don't say that You're a PC and Windows 7 was your idea you should be fine. :biggrin
     
  10. Alex399

    Alex399 Byte Poster

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    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

    that one made me laugh, good one mate! 8)

    I may come across as pretty anxious but its really not the case just good to get everyones feedback thats all! I will make a start on this cover letter anyway, Thanks for the feedback Simon :D
     
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  11. Bluerinse
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    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Alex has these under 'WIP' (Work In Progress) so, they are his wish list and not something he has yet accomplished.
     
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  12. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Just be honest with them. Say what you can do. Certainly sell yourself, but be truthful when doing so. If you're the best candidate for the job, they'll hire you.
     
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  13. Alex399

    Alex399 Byte Poster

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    I HAVE FOUND THE COMPANY! The anti virus company! So I can cut out the middle man recruitment agent! and I CAN SEE THE COMPANY FROM MY BEDROOM WINDOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    This is too good of an opportunity to miss... I must lie.. If I have to.. to get this job... I COULD WALK TO WORK IN A MATTER OF 30 SECONDS!!!!!!

    Didn't take me long either, took me about 20 mins of research and I found it!!!!!!! It is easy to do these things as Ive resorted to doing this to steal vacancys off other recruiters!

    A recruitment agency charging that company as much as 20% of my annual salary to employ me makes me look alot less attractive as a potential employee. They tend to expect the best of the best for paying that charge! but now I can avoid that WOOOOT :p

    The recruitment agent made a bad mistake telling me what kind of IT company they are :twisted: and Anti-virus narrows it down alot he should have known better.
    Great! now I can approach them direct and speculatively tailored to the vacancy they have (the one that I'll pretend I have no Idea about) as its not on there website either. This has made my day! :D
     
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  14. Sparky
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    Nice one mate, try and keep your feet on the ground though, eh? :biggrin

    Its good for you that the company is walking distance from your house but thats not gonna mean much to them I would imagine.

    Is the job being advertised on their website btw?
     
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  15. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    It really depends on what you mean by "exaggerate". If you mean tell them you have experience you dont, then no, its best not to do that. However, if you mean place much more emphasis on the experience you do have, then by all means knock yourself out.

    For example. When I was looking to move into development, I had no qualifications, wasnt employed as a developer, etc. But I did write scripts, I had done a 6 week secondment with our developers, and during that secondment I helped support a few applications. What I did do, was take a slight liberty by modifying my job description to include "Developer". A slight lie, but all backed up in the description. I spent a great deal of time describing the development work I did, and the other functions (possibly the core of my job) were summarised in a single line.

    The effect was to play up my development experience, however I still represented the job I was paid to do. Nothing was a lie, just the emphasis was skewed to put me in a better light.
     
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  16. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    That, right there, is why recruiters are viewed in a dim light.
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2009
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  17. BosonMichael
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    Keep in mind... if you can see them from your bedroom window...

    ...then they can see you in your bedroom. :twisted:
     
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  18. Sparky
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    Yeah, they probably think "why is that guy talking about us on certforums?"

    That's what you were getting at, right? :eek:
     
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  19. Alex399

    Alex399 Byte Poster

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    No Its not Sparky :lol:

    In response to fergal. Telling them I have experience in something when I don't will get me in too much hot water even if I would be successfull in getting the job I would then face the risk of getting chucked out as they would be likely to pick up on certain things I said I had experience in that they could clearley see I don't have experience in.

    Emphasizing my basic skills is coming across to be hard when I haven't worked in an IT position before but using the most fancy technical terms possible sounds like it could be worth the punt, I am experienced with the Graphical User Interface of Windows... but then most people are, or I perhaps just add that I'm experienced with the Firewall and Security side of things on Windows (using more fancy technical terms than that just can't think of the right technical term atm) which I am more less and other bits to add on top of that.
    What approach would sound plausable to you guys?

    Edit; They could see my window but not in my bedroom THANK GOD :eek:
    The amount of money companys pay recruiters is daft another reason why there viewed in a dim light, I think the service they provide is in most cases some what ridiculously over priced. The agency I work for mind you only charge 5% which is a small amount if you compare it to 20% 4x the price.
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2009
    WIP: A+, N+, MCP, MCDST
  20. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Opps, been a long day. :biggrin


    Just be honest but always highlight the skills you have that are relevant to this particular job role. Fergals post shows this, “exaggerate” what you know, not what you know nothing about.

    Whatever you do, don’t talk BS.

    I`ll give you an example from a guy I interviewed a while back.

    Me: “Do you have any experience of rack\cabinet builds? I have a couple of projects that are coming up that may require the successful candidate to install some new servers in a rack, cable up and prepare the basic build of Windows before another engineer can connect in remotely to continue the migration.”

    Candidate: “Well I build PCs so that the same thing, innit?”

    Me: :eek: :eek:
     
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