JobJock - Iprofile filter?

**XperTest** · 25 October 2006, 12:58

I've received a couple of emails about this IProfile business I don't remember ever enrolling to.. What is it exactly, and why do you call it an abomination?

**Mordac** · 25 October 2006, 13:28

Originally posted by XperTest

I've received a couple of emails about this IProfile business I don't remember ever enrolling to.. What is it exactly, and why do you call it an abomination?

Pause. Deep breath. Stay calm. Breathe.

Begin.

It's an online profile of your experience and skills. Or it's supposed to be.
They run your CV through some sort of primitive word search system, so the text in your CV is converted to skills and entered on their database. The word search system doesn't work very well, so having Exchange on your CV together with the word Telecoms means they'll invariably have you down somewhere as having worked in a telephone exchange.
It's not secure (agencies hold your login details).
It's awkward to use and horrible to navigate.
Much of the data in my various profiles (and those of everyone else I've ever discussed this with) is inaccurate. Example: One of mine has an MSc instead of an MCSE. There's a bit of a difference. Another gave me an MBA - which was nice, but I could be accused of lying if was passed on to a client, who subsequently offered me a job. Lots of really amateurish errors like that.
The skills list is nowhere near complete.
It will list all the locations you have worked in previously as locations you are happy to work in the future. I'm never going back to Slough

Unless the agent who created your profile tells you, you may never know it's there.
You probably won't be able to change the details which are inaccurate.
If you do manage to change something, chances are the agent will overwrite tham again. For example, if they come across an old CV you'll find all your details overwritten with something that's 7 years out of date (as happened to me. Twice)
If you ever change your email address, you really bugger the whole system up completely.
If you try and email them to remove your details, they will ignore you. Rant, scream, swear, it makes no difference. Hats off to their marketing people for getting all these agencies to sign up for it, because it really is awful.

**XperTest** · 25 October 2006, 13:38

Hmmmm.. Sounds bliss. So there's nothing us contractors can do about this except ignoring any agencies enlisted to their service, potentially missing out on interesting contracts or taking the risk of falsely being exposed as a "liar" in an interview situation..? If it's so awful, why do agencies use it in the way they do rather than use your contact details to ask for availability and an up to date CV they can work with?

**Ardesco** · 25 October 2006, 13:41

Originally posted by XperTest

Hmmmm.. Sounds bliss. So there's nothing us contractors can do about this except ignoring any agencies enlisted to their service, potentially missing out on interesting contracts or taking the risk of falsely being exposed as a "liar" in an interview situation..? If it's so awful, why do agencies use it in the way they do rather than use your contact details to ask for availability and an up to date CV they can work with?

Lazy agent who would rather scan your cv in and let a tulipe proggy do the work rather than look at your CV themselves and see what you can do.

Lets face it, when was the last time you talked to an agent who had actually looked at your CV and didn't ask you to parrot the whole thing back at him?

**XperTest** · 25 October 2006, 13:45

Originally posted by Ardesco

Lets face it, when was the last time you talked to an agent who had actually looked at your CV and didn't ask you to parrot the whole thing back at him?

Hence the importance of a brief profile on the first page I believe..

**Mordac** · 25 October 2006, 13:47

Ardesco is correct, it's down to laziness. I don't mind clarifying aspects of my experience and even explaining technical terms to agents if they don't understand them, but they could at least take the time to read the first page of my CV. Instead they run it through some crappy software and then want to talk to me about stuff I've never even done.

**XperTest** · 25 October 2006, 13:50

Costs them money though, doesn't it? As well as being really annoying to contractors of course, but in the end they need us to pay for their bills so frustrating a large proportion of us is not going to help.

**Mordac** · 25 October 2006, 13:55

That's not my problem, it's theirs. In 15 years contracting I've had one short contract (6 weeks) with Hays and a 3 monther with Spring from that list. Both were pre Iprofile days. If all contractors stopped using agencies which use Iprofiles (OK, I can dream though) they'd soon bin it and use something better.

**rootsnall** · 25 October 2006, 14:08

I get please fill in Iprofile requests all the time. I was about to join slagging it off as I still get loads of pointless emailed jobs from filling in something on Jobserve years ago when times were hard and I must of really upped my buzzword count.

However in hindsight I have got a couple of jobs from agencies who contacted me completely out of the blue and must of used some sort of search to track me down, so you never know, for the sake of a bit of emailing deleting it may be worth it !?

JobJock - Iprofile filter?