Reply to: Project Management gigs

[MPwannadecentincome]

Jobsite vs Jobserve

I've noticed jobsite seems to have more non financial PM roles than jobserve and monster has next to nothing. Anyone else notice some sites better than others for PM roles?

[MPwannadecentincome]

That is not true. I have always given feedback on CV's and interviews and why I have selected one candidate over another. I am sure I am not unique.

Agreed, rare, but not unique!

[MPwannadecentincome]

Due to kids being sick (more than 1!), It's not going to be a good week for work or for gig hunting.

I'm supposed to be flying off for an important meeting with the client and the client's client on Wed morning returning Thursday night. I can't leave the family as is - I don't see any prospect of a miraculous recovery within 24 hours, which means that, if I'm not in the meeting, I can't write it up or take many actions and if I can't do that then the client has no real need for me at all let alone the 20hrs per week I was reduced to last week.

I was hoping to have polished off the CV this weekend and had a free place at a conference on Tuesday evening which would have allowed me to network with people in the same type of business - other consultants / managers as well as potential clients. Not sure if I can escape for the 5 hours required.

Hopefully my business travel insurance will cover the airfare cancellation costs, lets see.

No family to speak of to help out so just have to get some sleep whenever and take it one day at a time now.

Just got a kindly uncle to help out to watch the kids, boy is a little better now, other 2 better but still not well enough for school - missed out on the networking event this evening but now packed and checked in for first flight tomorrow morning and some real work for the week

And managed to get the CV polished off whilst everyone was sleeping!

[PM-Junkie]

All, please be very sceptical about all feedback you get from an agency or even a prospective client. Virtually all of it will be a fob off designed to get you off the phone.
Usually the client just says who they want, and forget the rest, no feedback is offered or asked for, it wastes time and doesn't generate revenue. This leaves the agent in a slight pickle to which there are solutions:
1. Never contact you again = preferred option.
2. If you track them down (don't bother) they will fob you with too experienced/qualified, gone internal/withdrawn/next chap had worked there previously blah blah blah.

Reality is - it's a no, they just weren't that into you.
DON'T base any judgements regarding dumbing down CV's on any of this, do this only to get a completely different job e.g. barwork !!
Good luck all.

That is not true. I have always given feedback on CV's and interviews and why I have selected one candidate over another. I am sure I am not unique.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Not a good week...

Due to kids being sick (more than 1!), It's not going to be a good week for work or for gig hunting.

I'm supposed to be flying off for an important meeting with the client and the client's client on Wed morning returning Thursday night. I can't leave the family as is - I don't see any prospect of a miraculous recovery within 24 hours, which means that, if I'm not in the meeting, I can't write it up or take many actions and if I can't do that then the client has no real need for me at all let alone the 20hrs per week I was reduced to last week.

I was hoping to have polished off the CV this weekend and had a free place at a conference on Tuesday evening which would have allowed me to network with people in the same type of business - other consultants / managers as well as potential clients. Not sure if I can escape for the 5 hours required.

Hopefully my business travel insurance will cover the airfare cancellation costs, lets see.

No family to speak of to help out so just have to get some sleep whenever and take it one day at a time now.

[lukemg]

All, please be very sceptical about all feedback you get from an agency or even a prospective client. Virtually all of it will be a fob off designed to get you off the phone.
Usually the client just says who they want, and forget the rest, no feedback is offered or asked for, it wastes time and doesn't generate revenue. This leaves the agent in a slight pickle to which there are solutions:
1. Never contact you again = preferred option.
2. If you track them down (don't bother) they will fob you with too experienced/qualified, gone internal/withdrawn/next chap had worked there previously blah blah blah.

Reality is - it's a no, they just weren't that into you.
DON'T base any judgements regarding dumbing down CV's on any of this, do this only to get a completely different job e.g. barwork !!
Good luck all.

[dozer]

Now I have to call the agent up from yesterday, they promised me a job spec and did not deliver....

beware the modis fisherman, talk of 'so what do you like so much about microsoft?' ends with me asking to email job spec or gtfo, suprisingly it never arrived.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Well 2 days in a row now that I have been able to speak to an agent.

Today, got a call up out of the blue. Not sure if this is a fishing trip or not, they want to put me forward even though I don't have experience in the right industry.

Even managed to get them to up the rate offered by £10 per day - anyway lets see what happens.

Now I have to call the agent up from yesterday, they promised me a job spec and did not deliver....

[Pickle2]

Good point - thanks! I'll make sure I get my spelling right though :-)

Yes, yes. F7 is the jobseekers friend.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Sure, thats sounds sensible. And then in your blub at the top of the cv you could say something like "A proffesional project manger with X years experince managing such and such type projects", bolding in the "x years experince" bit to drill it into the agent that you match his job spec exactly.

I look at it like this. Right now, you are up against 100+ people to get put forward to the client. An agent wont send any more cvs to the client than in the boom times, so, playing the numbers it makes sense to target your efforts on cv submission to the end client (ie getting past the agent), rather than trying to work out what you think the end client wants to see. If you get put foward for enough roles, soon enough the end client will call you for interview just because they dont see that many cvs - only the agent does.

And once you are in an interview, the cv is just a discussion point anyway. The floor is yours then.

Good point - thanks! I'll make sure I get my spelling right though :-)

[Pickle2]

Easier for me to switch 4 years over to a 'consultancy' role!

Sure, thats sounds sensible. And then in your blub at the top of the cv you could say something like "A proffesional project manger with X years experince managing such and such type projects", bolding in the "x years experince" bit to drill it into the agent that you match his job spec exactly.

I look at it like this. Right now, you are up against 100+ people to get put forward to the client. An agent wont send any more cvs to the client than in the boom times, so, playing the numbers it makes sense to target your efforts on cv submission to the end client (ie getting past the agent), rather than trying to work out what you think the end client wants to see. If you get put foward for enough roles, soon enough the end client will call you for interview just because they dont see that many cvs - only the agent does.

And once you are in an interview, the cv is just a discussion point anyway. The floor is yours then.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Or just not put your DOB on the cv.

Not as easy as that, have to change all my dates of employment too - its a major change as dates are aligned with company name changes. I can't do that anyway as everything will not match my linkedin profile.

Easier for me to switch 4 years over to a 'consultancy' role!

[Pickle2]

OK, so if I have to shave off 4 years Proj Mgr and Programme Mgr experience, I could make myself 4 years younger

Or just not put your DOB on the cv.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Thats certainly what I would do. If you arent ticking all the boxes, you arent getting put forward to the client. Agents = simples.

I always tweak the cv to exactly fit the job spec whenever possible (its a exercise in sales, not truth telling).

OK, so if I have to shave off 4 years Proj Mgr and Programme Mgr experience, I could make myself 4 years younger

[MPwannadecentincome]

Wait until it is said to you after an interview

which means they were not telling the truth at that point