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Trees and Squids posted:Alright, here's my censored cover letter and resume for your entertainment. Going over it again, my cover letter is pretty garbage. I also just realized there's a programming interview/get a job megathread that this kind of material is probably better suited in. Wow, I'm actually surprised your response rate is so low. Your experience certainly seems relevant enough for a data analyst function, and making computer programs as a hobby should be a very big positive. Some things I thought were odd (side note: I'm European, so there might be culutre differences here): - In your cover letter you don't mention at all why you want that specific job, nor what sounds interesting about this job. Do you send the same cover letter to every single company? Seems weird to me, I always made sure to mention something from the job description. - It may seem silly, and I'm not sure how much it helps, but why don't you mention any positive things about yourself besides what you did/learned? I.e. non academic stuff like "I like to get to know new people and discuss problems and their possible solutions. I'm always looking for new things to learn and working with the colleagues at [company] would be ideal for this. " - Why don't you have your home address on your CV? I don't know, your technical qualifications are really good and I think you show that well in your CV and cover letter. Yet, the HR people who first read your letter might not understand anything about your technical qualifications and without that there's not much left? No idea. The job market where you are might just be totally different from the one here. If I look at my cover letter which got me my current job I had a paragraph of 8 lines explaining why I meet the requirements of the job offer (i.e. my studies + things I learned/am good at). Then I had a paragraph of 5 lines explaining what I like about their job offer + a description of my personality. Lastly I had a paragraph of 3 lines explaining that I was willing to move for the job + goodbye. By the way, I just mentioned the date of my thesis defense when I was looking for work while I was still studying and nobody bothered me about it. edit: added quote because top of new page Walh Hara fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Jan 26, 2016 |
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Jan 26, 2016 20:47
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Star War Sex Parrot posted:What's your expected graduation? I see it in your cover letter but assume that won't get read and your resume will just get skimmed. Your first job out of school you might want to have GPA on there especially if it's noteworthy. Otherwise I guess don't offer it if they don't ask. Also it's weird to me to put stuff like Excel, Powerpoint, WinSCP, or PuTTy on your resume. That's fluff. An example of something that hiring managers might actually care about in that list would be something like version control like git. You somewhat mention that you're familiar with it by linking a Github, but if you're reaching for fluff better to fluff with something managers might care about. Graduation is on track to be sometime this summer, assuming my thesis is accepted and my defense goes alright. That said, the reason I'm not really mentioning it is because I'm down to leave school right now and wrap up the MSc part time. I've got most of the data collection/analysis out of the way, now I'm just trudging through thesis writing. I want to transition out of academia ASAP, it's poo poo, I don't see myself finding a good career in my direct field, and I'm tired of making sub-minimum wage. It's a bit awkward to communicate, and I wonder if it's stupid of me to want to leave early. And good point about the fluff, I'll kick that stuff out. I feel ridiculous saying I know how to use Microsoft Office products on a tech focused resume. Walh Hara posted:Nice helpful things You're right, I haven't been saying much about what's interesting about the job/why I'm interested in the company. I typically modify the cover letter to match the job description/explain a relevant experience I've had. I don't mention the positive stuff because it seems like fluff. I figure that HR people barely read cover letters, so I try to keep that stuff to a minimum. Thanks for the tips. I'll keep them in mind for the next applications. Walh Hara posted:Why aren't you mentioning this in your cover letter? You really should mention this. You're right. velvet milkman fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Jan 26, 2016 |
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Jan 26, 2016 20:55
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Trees and Squids posted:Graduation is on track to be sometime this summer, assuming my thesis is accepted and my defense goes alright. That said, the reason I'm not really mentioning it is because I'm down to leave school right now and wrap up the MSc part time. I've got most of the data collection/analysis out of the way, now I'm just trudging through thesis writing. I want to transition out of academia ASAP, it's poo poo, I don't see myself finding a good career in my direct field, and I'm tired of making sub-minimum wage. It's a bit awkward to communicate, and I wonder if it's stupid of me to want to leave early. Why aren't you mentioning this in your cover letter? You really should mention this.
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Jan 26, 2016 21:00
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Try a summary up top too. Who are you and what do you do? Just so I can tell at a glance you're a data analyst with x years of experience specializing in xyz and with a bubbly customer service mentality yada yada yada. Might flipflop the education and experience too. Up to you...
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Jan 26, 2016 21:20
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how do you know if you can negotiate an offer? i gave them my salary requirements, so i'm guessing i can't. but i'm just curious how finalizing an offer goes.
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Jan 26, 2016 23:40
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Abel Wingnut posted:how do you know if you can negotiate an offer? i gave them my salary requirements, so i'm guessing i can't. but i'm just curious how finalizing an offer goes. There are very few situations where you can't negotiate *something*. Anecdotal but I gave a salary range when interviewing for my current position and was still able to negotiate a higher salary even when their initial offer was higher than the top of given range. Chaotic Flame fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Jan 27, 2016 |
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Jan 27, 2016 00:02
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When all else fails, acting disappointed by the benefits package compared to your current benefits is a good way to get them to ice the cake a bit.
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Jan 27, 2016 01:25
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Abel Wingnut posted:how do you know if you can negotiate an offer? i gave them my salary requirements, so i'm guessing i can't. but i'm just curious how finalizing an offer goes.
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Jan 27, 2016 03:32
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thanks, guys. had no idea there was a thread for negotiations. i'll post the particulars over there.
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Jan 27, 2016 05:09
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notwithoutmyanus posted:Your job should put you directly in line with some serious pay. I've been doing the monitoring side and working *towards* CCNA and basically getting CCNA should make that 6 figures no question. Networking guy + monitoring guy = $$. Same path. Keep searching and don't settle. Revise your resume and see what careerbuilder/monster/indeed/etc gives you, and aim *higher* than you are making. Entry level networking is easily *below* your skillset and capability if you have CCNA, regardless of real world experience. You're completely right, I was just a bit down from the anwser I got from the first recruiting company I spoke. Entry level networking is indeed way below what I'm capable of, but I'm not below doing grunt work to get hands on experience. I'm currently lining up an interview with a network/security monitoring company. They actually contacted me and I noticed there's an ex-colleague working there with whom I worked on a daily basis for about 5 years. Gonna get a drink with the guy and see what the company is like. And I got another job interview which is a combination of monitoring / it service management (which also asked me to come in for an interview).
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Jan 27, 2016 10:58
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Re: my thank you email with weird formatting and no subject line So they got back to me and were able to provide a very rough timeline on when I can expect to hear the outcome of their interviews. Two questions that I was hoping you guys could give some input on: 1. Do I send a "thank you for providing me this info, I look forward to hearing back soon" type of email? I'm thinking yes, but I don't want to be the guy sending a million emails. 2. Do I draw attention to my botched email and apologize for the lack of professional appearance, or just kind of ignore it and pretend it never happened?
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Jan 27, 2016 15:39
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Gin_Rummy posted:Re: my thank you email with weird formatting and no subject line Yes, ignore.
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Jan 27, 2016 15:44
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So I'd REALLY like to leave my job. I have a friend who might be able to get me an IN with her company but I want to make sure I put my best foot forward. Would anyone mind looking over my resume? I've tried to streamline it down to one page to showcase my skills and ignore my massive amounts of unnecessary experience. If anyone would be willing to give me any pointers and helpful criticism I'd be very appreciative. I can be PMed or would happily accept public advice. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nfbv7u4i1zvj28z/FuriousAngleResume.docx?dl=0
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Jan 27, 2016 18:38
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Can you possibly provide an imgur link of your resume or something to that effect as well? I'd like to provide some input, but I don't have the Dropbox app on my phone.
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Jan 27, 2016 18:42
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Gin_Rummy posted:Can you possibly provide an imgur link of your resume or something to that effect as well? I'd like to provide some input, but I don't have the Dropbox app on my phone. If you were talking to me... Thanks for your help! My Resume in JPG Format
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Jan 27, 2016 18:57
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Do you have a notable achievements you can list under any of these positions you've held? Something like, "completed X project two months earlier than projected and $Y,000 under budget" or anything to that effect? In my personal experience, recruiters and interviewers spoke more to the things I had DONE at my job, as opposed to things I had gained experience in or knew how to do. Plus, at the end of the day, hundreds of applicants will probably have a relatively similar skillset to you, but what sets you apart are these achievements and goals you've reached in previous jobs that help prove some of the statements in the final portion of your resume. For example, I think saying you have a long history in problem solving looks much better if you have another bullet under one of your previous positions that kind of helps back it up.
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Jan 27, 2016 19:14
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Gin_Rummy posted:Do you have a notable achievements you can list under any of these positions you've held? Something like, "completed X project two months earlier than projected and $Y,000 under budget" or anything to that effect? I dunno... that's difficult. I could put that I consistently finish my projects days under the deadline. But I could stand to beef up my work history descriptions, if that's what you're suggesting.
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Jan 27, 2016 19:32
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FuriousAngle posted:I dunno... that's difficult. I could put that I consistently finish my projects days under the deadline. But I could stand to beef up my work history descriptions, if that's what you're suggesting. Don't just say that you finish projects before the deadline, quantify it. You could say "reduced completion time by 20%" or something like that.
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Jan 27, 2016 19:43
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Omne posted:Don't just say that you finish projects before the deadline, quantify it. You could say "reduced completion time by 20%" or something like that. Noted! Thank you! I'll use that format with my one job that actually has deadlines. Everything else was really just rote transactions and balancing the books. My current job is the first one I've had that approaches IT work. My biggest concern is probably the wording, especially in the skills department. Should I leave it verbose like that, or just strip it down to the barebones skill bullet point? Most of my skills are self-taught and several of the more applicable ones aren't used in any of my jobs. So that makes it a little more difficult as well. <edit>Here's my second draft utilizing the advice where applicable: In Handy JPG Form FuriousAngle fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Jan 27, 2016 |
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Jan 27, 2016 20:07
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I would leave your skills section mostly untouched. I think it's wise to be upfront about how knowledgeable you are with certain things. If you just list HTML, they can interpret that however they want, but since you say you are competent, they know you get it, but it probably isn't your strongest skill.
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Jan 27, 2016 21:26
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YnpEE1cbE_HtrT2NHzRKKz8CPYJBv4QnFSQ2Vc7JvaM/edit?usp=sharing So, I went ahead and did a resume, I ended up taking out my headshot. (It had gotten me 2 or 3 jobs, but I read the thread and removed it.) On top of that, I've taken out the "Objectives" statement, and instead wrote a quick summary of my skills and qualifications. I turned the Headshot into a Red Block if only because it immediately grabs attention and would be more memorable without being unprofessional. I felt this wasn't inside the "lovely Gimmick" zone, but I have no honest idea. The only job I have that's relevant to my field is my current one, but the pay is poo poo, and I, as a full time employee, am working less then 24 hours some weeks. It's gotten out of control, and I want to find something better before the poo poo hits the fan. Is there anything glaringly obvious that I should remove? Is the font too small? Should I change the wording? The "Expectations & Standards" was a copy paste from my contract, so I want to re-word that, but I'm not sure the best way to state it without getting across that I was in an extremely high pressure environment, and am capable. Turtlicious fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jan 29, 2016 |
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Jan 29, 2016 00:27
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Writing cover letters is awful. I would rather break my own arms than write a cover letter. "Hi, random unidentified person. I am pertplus and I'd sure love to work at your company, which you already know because I'm literally filling out an application to do just that. You know those skills I say I have on my resume? Yeah, I have those. Let's get to the point; I'm an analytically minded cooperative leader with the self-motivation to keep my attention on the details. I know I will be of use to you, because I'm an effective go getter with the skills to communicate my extensive experience in every possible area of business to "the team". I will gladly bid to your every hearts desire with the passion and enthusiasm I know is key to company culture at MEGACORP INTERNATIONAL. I have solid demonstrated interest in utilizing planning skills to strategically increase efficiency and bring new ideas to the table. My conviction in the amazing vision of MEGACORP INTERNATIONAL is so great that I have always dreamed of the day I could finally sit in one of your cubicles. My time on this earth has consisted entirely of experiences which would serve to maximally enhance your team's vision and provide much needed creativity to randomdulltask. In fact, I am already an expert in successfully completing all twenty random tasks you list as a requirement for new hires even though it wouldn't matter anyway because even a dog could learn those things over the course of a week. I bow down in your almighty presence, PertPlus " Pertplus fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Jan 29, 2016 |
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Jan 29, 2016 00:58
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Pertplus posted:Writing cover letters is awful. I would rather break my own arms than write a cover letter. "Hi, random unidentified person. I am pertplus and I'd sure love to work at your company, but you already know that because I'm literally filling out an application to do just that. You know those skills I say I have on my resume? Yeah, I have those. Let's get to the point; I'm an analytically minded cooperative leader with the self-motivation to keep my attention on the details. I know I will be of use to you, because I'm an effective go getter with the skills to communicate my extensive experience in every possible area of business to "the team". I will gladly bid to your every hearts desire with the passion and enthusiasm I know is key to company culture at MEGACORP INTERNATIONAL. I have solid demonstrated interest in utilizing planning skills to strategically increase efficiency and bring new ideas to the table. My conviction in the amazing vision of MEGACORP INTERNATIONAL is so great that I have always dreamed of the day I could finally sit in one of your cubicles. My time on this earth has consisted entirely of experiences which would serve to maximally enhance your team's vision and provide much needed creativity to randomdulltask. In fact, I am already an expert in successfully completing all twenty random tasks you list as a requirement for new hires even though it wouldn't matter anyway because even a dog could learn those things over the course of a week. This is perfect! Unfortunately, the advertised job opening has been canceled.
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Jan 29, 2016 01:18
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Turtlicious posted:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YnpEE1cbE_HtrT2NHzRKKz8CPYJBv4QnFSQ2Vc7JvaM/edit?usp=sharing Hey guys, I've changed my Job Description again, and if anyone here could help me with how to phrase what I do for a living, I'd really appreciate it! If you're someone who hires people, and, instead of getting a list of vague sounding things, you instead got a few sentences on what a typical day is life, would you just trash it?
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Jan 29, 2016 04:31
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Gin_Rummy posted:Do you have a notable achievements you can list under any of these positions you've held? Something like, "completed X project two months earlier than projected and $Y,000 under budget" or anything to that effect? Does anyone have a good example of this sort of resume? I always try to emphasize these things in my cover letter, but I find it difficult to shift from a "here are my responsibilities"-type resume and into a more "here's what I've accomplished' resume. Can I mix and match?
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Jan 29, 2016 05:04
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Alright, hopefully I'm not spamming but I'm sending this in Tomorrow! Any final ideas, thoughts, suggestions? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YnpEE1cbE_HtrT2NHzRKKz8CPYJBv4QnFSQ2Vc7JvaM/edit?usp=sharing
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Jan 31, 2016 00:21
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For interviews I find that which I get for every 1/100 app: 1) I don't have enough exp other than p/t work 2) Should I use creativity to explain my amazingly empty work exp? 3) Professional references are missing but is that fine?
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Jan 31, 2016 00:55
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Turtlicious posted:Alright, hopefully I'm not spamming but I'm sending this in Tomorrow! Any final ideas, thoughts, suggestions? Bump up the font size to 11/12 point so that you don't have so much white space. Resume format should be bullet point then start with a verb, go line by line. So as an example: (and you can see some places where you could clean up)
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Jan 31, 2016 01:15
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Filling out an application and they want a "proof of English competency" in addition to my resume. I'm from the US, and don't speak anything except English. What do I give them? It says I MUST upload one. Google just brings up results for tests that colleges give -- do I really have to go take a $50 test at a college campus to prove I speak English now?
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Feb 1, 2016 21:53
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Write "ENGLISH IS MY NATIVE LANGUAGE" in a .txt file and upload that.
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Feb 1, 2016 21:54
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A copy of a diploma from an English language institution (e.g. University diploma, HS diploma) might also work.
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Feb 2, 2016 03:28
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Star War Sex Parrot posted:Write "ENGLISH IS MY NATIVE LANGUAGE" in a .txt file and upload that. Seriously, a combination of this and the other response. "My native language is English and my bachelor's degree from Whatsamatta U. was taught solely in English."
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Feb 2, 2016 05:55
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Any hiring managers mind answering some questions for me via PM? I am considering transitioning into the IT field from what I'm currently doing, and while I have some certs, I wouldn't mind someone taking a look at my resume and maybe giving me some direction.
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Feb 4, 2016 05:17
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AbrahamLincolnLog posted:Filling out an application and they want a "proof of English competency" in addition to my resume. I'm from the US, and don't speak anything except English. What do I give them? It says I MUST upload one. Google just brings up results for tests that colleges give -- do I really have to go take a $50 test at a college campus to prove I speak English now? This is why I'm seriously glad I got a letter of recommendation from an English professor in college. For anybody in college, pick up as many letters of recommendation as possible. They're virtually worthless but when poo poo like this comes up it's gold.
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Feb 4, 2016 15:57
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Two jobs I have recently applied for, and been rejected from have been readvertised. One I interviewed for and was told they'd phone within the next week regardless of the outcome, and they of course did not, and the other was a rejection at the first stage. Is it bad form to apply again for these given they already rejected me the first time? Or maybe they'll lower the bar for applicants if they didn't find anyone in the first round? Why is the job market in new zealand so loving dismal?
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Feb 6, 2016 02:57
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Shithouse Dave posted:Two jobs I have recently applied for, and been rejected from have been readvertised. One I interviewed for and was told they'd phone within the next week regardless of the outcome, and they of course did not, and the other was a rejection at the first stage. Is there any actual risk to applying again? I applied to the same position at one company 3 times before I finally stopped trying. (Which was good, in retrospect, because they had 4 figure staff cuts in the area I would have been in.)
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Feb 6, 2016 03:44
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I'm at my current job of a year and a half after not making the first cut but someone not taking the job offer and the company relisting the position. Worst thing that happens is they just don't call you this time.
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Feb 6, 2016 04:29
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Is it wise to refer to previous applications at all? For the one I interviewed for, they'll know who I am, the interview was only a couple of weeks ago. Is it better to start from scratch with a new cover letter, or should I be like "I applied for this position and I noticed it has been relisted, I am still interested"?
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Feb 6, 2016 06:51
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The last time I applied for a job was 2007 so I have no idea what I'm doing.
Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Feb 6, 2016 |
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Feb 6, 2016 09:19
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You might want to edit your information out Joyce
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Feb 6, 2016 12:50
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