Is Jobserve a waste of time?

[lotus_andy]

My last role didn't get renewed due to budget cuts so I've been on the hunt for something else for the past 4 weeks. I've been using Jobserve but of the 20 or so positions I've applied to I have received no response, let alone an interview. These are all jobs that I have experience for and are covered on my CV.

In most cases there aren't any contact details to follow up with, so is it a case of most of the adverts are just fishing for CVs or is JS just a waste of time?

[BrilloPad]

I have found jobserve a waste of time over the last year. I am always friendly to agents(at least to their faces) and this has been the only way forward. I have got a couple of roles the last 6 months via this route.

I tried calling the agents after I submitted via jobserve. They are getting hundreds of applications for each advert. I even tried offering £500 in a brown paper bag if they got me a gig. You would think I had offered to come and poo on their desk from the response.

Using your contact network seems to be the only way. Quit dispiriting really. The market is poor - though quite a few CUK posters got gigs the last couple of months.

Good luck!

[mattfx]

I have found jobserve a waste of time over the last year. I am always friendly to agents(at least to their faces) and this has been the only way forward. I have got a couple of roles the last 6 months via this route.

I tried calling the agents after I submitted via jobserve. They are getting hundreds of applications for each advert. I even tried offering £500 in a brown paper bag if they got me a gig. You would think I had offered to come and poo on their desk from the response.

Using your contact network seems to be the only way. Quit dispiriting really. The market is poor - though quite a few CUK posters got gigs the last couple of months.

Good luck!

Interesting; a recruiter I was speaking to last week said the market is incredibly candidate focused at the moment, and he's struggling to find people with the right skills to fill roles he has one. This is the infrastructure market rather than dev/coding though.

I secured my first contract via Jobserve 3 months ago. I found the best way to approach the recruiters was to find the name of the person in charge of the position, call them up, have a conversation about the role, get their email address and then send the CV direct to them. I was offered 3 interviews as a result of that approach and was searching for approx 5 weeks.

[Lance]

I've not had anything from the boards for 3 years now. Despite trying.
I've been lucky enough to have old contacts get in touch so only had 3 months of bench time.

[DaveB]

I've more or less given up on applying for roles via the assorted job boards.

If I'm looking then I make sure my CV is up to date on all of them and then post a fresh version once a week to make sure it stays at the top of the pile of "new" CV's.

Agencies all have access to the board API's or specific portals that they use to run their searches and will look for newer CV's rather than older on the basis that older ones are more likely to be unavailable.

[northernladuk]

Well I'll counter the couple of previous threads and point out I've still got 100% record over 10 years from Jobserve. I've got linkedin set up and come close to using that to get work but I'm either back in contractor or already in one so nothing has come of yet so jobserve is still king. I'm sure in the future other avenues will generate opportunities or me but so far I'm straight back on JS the week before a gig ends.

I'd be looking closer to home rather than blaming jobserve if I was the OP.

[northernladuk]

I secured my first contract via Jobserve 3 months ago. I found the best way to approach the recruiters was to find the name of the person in charge of the position, call them up, have a conversation about the role, get their email address and then send the CV direct to them. I was offered 3 interviews as a result of that approach and was searching for approx 5 weeks.

I am VERY surprised at this for many different reasons. I would be willing to bet you'd have been offered the interview even I the agent had sent it.

[CoolCat]

I have got the opposite problem.

I have mostly been sustained by a good reputation and contacts at senior levels of the IT biz, but last few years they have progressively retired.

So now my senior network is mostly retired.

Leaving me like a newbie with only the job boards to feed off.

Fortunately I dont want to work all of the time, and enjoy breaks between gigs. But its still its far from ideal.

Answers on a postcard.

[Dark Black]

I've more or less given up on applying for roles via the assorted job boards.

If I'm looking then I make sure my CV is up to date on all of them and then post a fresh version once a week to make sure it stays at the top of the pile of "new" CV's.

Agencies all have access to the board API's or specific portals that they use to run their searches and will look for newer CV's rather than older on the basis that older ones are more likely to be unavailable.

^ This

[northernladuk]

I have got the opposite problem.

I have mostly been sustained by a good reputation and contacts at senior levels of the IT biz, but last few years they have progressively retired.

So now my senior network is mostly retired.

Leaving me like a newbie with only the job boards to feed off.

Fortunately I dont want to work all of the time, and enjoy breaks between gigs. But its still its far from ideal.

Answers on a postcard.

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