Job hunting methods

Published : 01/07/2009

Are recruitment agencies ignoring you?

Make recruitment agencies notice you

Growing unemployment is resulting in increasing demand for every IT job out there. Recruitment consultants have been a receiving record numbers of CV’s that they need to scan through to find the ideal candidate for job.

Do you know what a recruitment agency is looking for in a CV?

A number of IT professionals we have spoken to have raised concerns about recruitment agencies lack of response to their applications. This has created the myth that jobs which are posted are ‘fake’ or don’t exist’. The reality of it is however that recruitment consultants receive hundreds of CV’s a day. As they are targeted on the number of placements they make CV’s that aren’t relevant at first glance wont be considered.

Being an IT professional it is hard to understand exactly what it is that recruitment consultants are looking for in your CV. The IT Job Board wanted to provide you with top tips straight from the recruiters mouth.

Technical/ Non-technical – Talk about your skills both technical and non-technical. This will make your CV really stand out as its displays your technical capabilities as well as commercial understanding and business acumen. Recruitment consultants will often just scan the page so it is vital that you communicate your experiences clearly so you tick as many boxes as possible

Allen Sutherland from Real Resourcing advised :

“ Be as clear as you can about projects you have worked on and skills you have acquired, for example if you have worked as a developer, be specific about the technologies you have used as well as the project based skills you have acquired. This will really make your CV stand out from the generic ones”

He went on to say:

“Don’t include anything and everything on your CV, make sure you are honest about your skills, we find that a lot of candidates these days seem to list every skill just so their CV comes up on searches”

Timing

- A common myth is that the quicker you apply for a job the better chance you have of being put forward by the recruitment consultant. The IT Job Board spoke to various recruitment consultants and the general consensus was that there is no "right time" to send in an application. It depends on the level, complexity and urgency of the role and how well the applicant matches the job requirement. We would advise however that if the job has been advertised for a couple of days then call the recruitment consultant first to ensure the vacancy is still open. If so then take the opportunity to gather as much detail about the role before submitting your application.

Tailoring the CV

-Recruitment agencies look for the extent or degree to which the CV demonstrated that a candidate is suitable for the role. Tailoring your CV to match the job requirement means that you have a high chance of being noticed by recruitment consultants. Avoid slipping through the net because the details they are looking for don’t stand out enough. If you do feel as though your application has been overlooked then follow up with a phone call to find out what’s happening.

Length of CV

- Laura Cooper from manage SAP stated the following on this topic;

“Don't worry about how many pages your CV is as most technical CV's can be between 1-3 pages. If you did contracts in the past, are quite senior or have had a colourful career, its a good idea to just say 1990- 1999 and list the company, position and dates worked there in a list. People are only interested in your technical work in the last 5-9 years anyway but they are interested in seeing your progression”

Learning Ability

- Candidates rarely make or demonstrate the link between their learning ability, practice and work experience. For example showing that one had learned C# from scratch to master's level, and then produced a workable and well supported application, all within six or nine months, would demonstrate something quite remarkable. Any project manager will want to know that a candidate can contribute positively and speed up the progress of their project. Recruitment consultants will be looking for additional information like this that will give you the edge, giving you a better chance in securing the role

Don't Assume

- IT professionals often make assumptions about the people reading their CV - by assuming that daily jargon, acronyms and references will be understood. Recruitment consultants might be clued up on the job they are recruiting for but this doesn’t mean that they are expected to know every piece of jargon in every industry.

One final piece of advice from us would be from us would be :

Build Your Network

- Building relationships with recruitment consultants can often help your application. As a first measure pinpoint the recruitment agencies that can be of most benefit to you, if you need help on this refer to our Linked In group to find out which agencies were voted the best for IT recruitment.

It's always best to meet with the recruitment agent face to face, so pick up the phone to try and arrange a meeting, this will be a great opportunity to really sell your skills and experience. Make a good impression to ensure that you stay top of their mind so if a suitable role comes up you will be the first to be considered.

Source: www.itjobboard.be