Reached 1000 mark...!!! Still no Interview call..???

[Fred Bloggs]

This will rather depend upon how unique your name is.

tim

Not really, nothing to do with my name. I changed the previously suggested search string to fit my work discpline that's all.

[ChimpMaster]

Darren - I just had a look at your CV and without having read through this whole thread I'd just like to add my 2 cents worth. Please don't take this harshly - I'm being critically constructive.

When I opened your CV it just hit me like a kipper on the face. It's like it just all fell out of the tin, garbled and tightly knitted together - not easy to read. There are hordes of bullet points firing out one after another, with little relevance to each other. Your headings aren't prominent enough and so your CV appears as one long stream of text. There isn't a flow to your career history. Where are you coming from? Where are you going? What have you got to offer? Why are you better than the next tester?

I couldn't answer these questions after 5 minutes of looking at your CV. And 5 minutes is a long time for any recruiter or manager.

My CV is 2000 words spread over 5 pages - yes, 5 pages. And I've not had issues with getting work based on that. I've made it easy to find sections and to read the main story of my career. There are bullet points but only where they add value, not across every page. I've tried to make my CV flow so that the reader wants to delve that little bit deeper.

I would seriously recommend doing some research on CV building - or even pay a professional to draw one up for you.

Remember - in a booming market, average is acceptable. When the belts tighten - that's when the real test begins.

[The Lone Gunman]

From a few of your posts I get the idea that you may not be a natural English speaker. Has that been part of your problem.

[Hicks]

3) Identify which key words or phrases you want to stick out on a quick glance over the document and put them in bold, or in red, or use some other way of them standing out. E.g. :

• 10 Years of IT experience, including 8 years in software testing & test management
...
...
AXIOSS Suite (O2S & IMS), Netcool/CIC, Cramer, Digital Fuel Service Flow, Service View, BMC Remedy (ARS), IBM Proviso, Mycom PrOptima, MagNet, MARSS, Omnix, Business Objects, MapInfo, WebMap, Amdocs CRM, Nexus METER/PPR, CPI, Torex Retail, Good Mail

HTH

I must admit, and as obvious as it sounds, this has never occurred to me.

Is it acceptable to do this or is there the danger it may come across as 'in your face' where you are telling the hirer what they should be looking at when, for all intents and purposes, they should be capable of picking out the salient points themselves.

Also, is there a time delay in posts for all users?

[ferret]

Also, is there a time delay in posts for all users?

No, just new users - you are not far off the threshold and will be able to post without moderation shortly!

[Dow Jones]

Telco-man

Mate, with respect, your CV is 100% suitable for Telco jobs, but not any other ones. It looks like you have put yourself in a 'pigeon-hole' with no 'retail' of any kind or other eg finance experience, which is arguably where most jobs are these days. Too technical and too wordy, it would go straight in a PM's (or other) bin... Can go on for hours here, but mostly you need to emphasise the generic and people skills that you have applied in your area (testing) and not over-indulge in the techie buzzwords. Only trying to help here.

[Darren_Test]

Mate, with respect, your CV is 100% suitable for Telco jobs, but not any other ones. It looks like you have put yourself in a 'pigeon-hole' with no 'retail' of any kind or other eg finance experience, which is arguably where most jobs are these days. Too technical and too wordy, it would go straight in a PM's (or other) bin... Can go on for hours here, but mostly you need to emphasise the generic and people skills that you have applied in your area (testing) and not over-indulge in the techie buzzwords. Only trying to help here.

Yes...mine is 99% TELCO CV, as I worked mainly for TELCOs. I can not change that though I ma open to other roles as well.

[Cowboy Bob]

Yes...mine is 99% TELCO CV, as I worked mainly for TELCOs. I can not change that though I ma open to other roles as well.

I may be wrong here (ignorant developer), but surely testing methodology is testing methodology regardless of industry. Personally I've worked in telco, retail, banking and insurance and never had a problem moving between them. Maybe you should apply for other sectors and not emphasise the Telco angle as much?

Remember that a good contractor is a jack of all trades and master of all

[thunderlizard]

I'd hire you: you've got the perfect tester mentality. You've gone through the same process 1000 times without complaint, realised it's broken, but need somebody else to fix it for you

Sorry, putting my serious pants back on...

had a look at the CV and would agree it's too bullety. Bullets lose their emphasising power if you put one on every line.

Main problem for me was that the relentless uniformity made my brain recoil and I physically COULD NOT read it. It's a 3 page list of unconnected facts and it makes you come across as more machine than man. (Having everything numbered feels somehow creepy too!) Maybe think of each placement-chunk as a chance to tell a mini-story: what the goal was, what the obstacles were, how you made a difference.

e.g. I'd personally change this:

• Co-ordination between different stake holders like Orange UK, Alcatel UK & Alcatel France
• Day to day test management, test reporting, defect management & analysis
• Test Strategy & Plan, Test cases for IMAGE OSS solution testing
• Broadband Product Order Management (Axiom O2S) solution testing for IMAGE
• Broadband Inventory Management (Axiom IMS) solution testing for IMAGE
• Alarm Management (Netcool) & Fault Management (Remedy) solution testing
• Performance reporting solution (Proviso) testing for IMAGE
• Defect reporting, analysis & management using phpBugTracker tool
• Successfully completed client’s ground breaking Broadband product testing in record time

to this:
"Managed the test phase of Alcatel's IMAGE project, an international £10m venture. Negotiated the overall test strategy with stakeholders including Orange, and Alcatel in the UK and France, and had responsibility for day to day test management and reporting. By introducing the phpBugTracker tool to the team, we delivered Alcatel's fastest ever test of a Broadband product."

A couple of people in this thread have recommended a "skills checklist" at the top. These are good because you don't have to get bogged down in technical detail when describing your recent placements - you've already fulfilled your buzzword-obligations.

Under "Certifications" - if any of them gives you the right to use a logo, put it on. Pictures are nice (if tasteful)!

Try and put some personal colour into it. Contractors needn't do as much as job candidates - e.g. maybe say where you got your degree, and maybe include your specialism. I'd rather meet someone who'd studied "nuclear power station design" rather than just "engineering".

It could do with more spaces between paragraphs - I'd rather see a 4 page CV that was easy to read than a 3 page one that was crowded. I also don't like all the "&"s instead of "and"s.

but fundamentally, 7 weeks is nothing. Enjoy the downtime!

[grey_lady]

Re the spelling, I hate to come across as picky on what for some might be a minor point but spellcheckers arent so good at telling in what context your using a word. This word would be correct in American English either way
but in UK English licence is the noun and license is the verb.
Go and look at said document or the DVLA's website to see how its spelt on there, its the very last line of your CV which i think is why it stood out to me.

Good luck btw, im sure you'll find something soon.