Perfect CV, follow up phone calls, solid interview skills, what ELSE do you do?

[SueEllen]

No, sorry but being some distance away, I can understand you thinking this is the case. He doesnt sell himself well at all. How do I know? Because when you scratch the surface by asking some basic questions, there's nothing underneath.

I was very surprised he was asking me questions on very basic functions on a couple of applications we used. He clearly didnt have a clue.

To sell yourself, you need a good understanding of yourself, products and services. He displays none of these.

Then how is he getting through client interviews?

[BolshieBastard]

The mistake you are making is not realising that getting roles is about selling yourself. This guy is obviously very good at selling himself to both agents and clients while working in the wrong profession.

No, sorry but being some distance away, I can understand you thinking this is the case. He doesnt sell himself well at all. How do I know? Because when you scratch the surface by asking some basic questions, there's nothing underneath.

I was very surprised he was asking me questions on very basic functions on a couple of applications we used. He clearly didnt have a clue.

To sell yourself, you need a good understanding of yourself, products and services. He displays none of these.

[SueEllen]

How the **** agents are missing the fact he's been booted off projects quite frequently recently makes me think all agents look for is who's in work or has very recently left a position.

Just how good you \ your cv is, seems to have **** all to do with getting a job at the moment imo.

The mistake you are making is not realising that getting roles is about selling yourself. This guy is obviously very good at selling himself to both agents and clients while working in the wrong profession.

[BolshieBastard]

So you've got a sweet CV with all the right skills and experience (or in agent-speak; key-words). You've plaster bombed said CV all over the internet and registered with 9million agents. You've followed up most serious job applications with a call to the agent, even managed to get through to a few of them. And inbetween all that you've keyed up on your knowledge and gone over and over and over interview techniques and questions. You're primed ... or are you?

We all know agents just skim the first handful of CVs they get in response to a job advert and send the client the 3 or 4 or 5 that match the job spec (in their oh-so-clued-in key-word-based opinion). So what i'm going on about here is from the end CLIENT'S point of view.

Besides the above, how else do you go about grabbing the attention of a prospective client who's reading over your CV and securing an interview. Infact the ideal perfect case would be to solidify in the clients mind that you ARE the man for the job long before the interview and a face-to-face meeting would be a mere formality to make sure you're not a drooling, sweating man-beast with the social skills of a brick.

I know, I'm dreaming in that perfect case but surely since the invention of the curriculum vitae there must have been SOME advances in "position procurement engineering".

• Do you include links in your CV to either a blog (say a Java Problem/Solution blog for a JDev) or samples of your previous work from either past clients (website you worked on) or your own "free time" work (that WordNumbers webapp you worked on that time)?
• Do you rigorously maintain your LinkedIn profile?
• Do you include in your CV details of OpenSource contributor projects you've worked on (ie not really industry experience but still experience!)?
• Do you keep your twitter feed rolling hourly with tech related and insightful tweets about the latest Webapp Framework you're toying with?
• Do you keep your Facebook profile clean and up to date with a nice profile pic of you at that tech conference you went to last month?

I dunno, just a few ideas I had while sitting here thinking about how my contract is up in a few months and I'll need to start looking again soon (after a few months on the beach that is!).

Just wondering if anyone else had any unique or crazy ways they try and impress a client reading over their CV trying to decide if sharing a birth month is a good enough reason to pick Jane over John?

Put it this way, I personally know of a contractor who has been walked off site at two clients I've also worked at within the last 18 months. I know people who have worked with him say he is tulip, doesnt do a good job, is lazy and surfs the net full screen during work hours.

This person is not out of work or between jobs for long.

Personally, Im amazed at this. He was 'walked' at one client and within 4 weeks was working again supposedly in a role that needed someone to identify 'best practices' and mentoring. ******* amazing how he landed that one!

The other client he managed to stay about 6 weeks before being walked off site again, this time as a senior analyst! I heard recently that he has got another job, again after only being out for 4 weeks and that's in the current market.

Both these instances of being 'walked' are in the last 18 months when the market has been pretty weak.

How the **** agents are missing the fact he's been booted off projects quite frequently recently makes me think all agents look for is who's in work or has very recently left a position.

Just how good you \ your cv is, seems to have **** all to do with getting a job at the moment imo.

[lxt04]

• Do you include links in your CV to either a blog (say a Java Problem/Solution blog for a JDev) or samples of your previous work from either past clients (website you worked on) or your own "free time" work (that WordNumbers webapp you worked on that time)?

Although I'm a contractor, I tend to evaluate a lot of the technical CVs for my current client. Definitely put links to other work - particularly portfolios - but only if it's relevant. I had one CV where the applicant had put a link to their anime artwork site, which was nice, but given it was a C developer position not really a) relevant, and b) doing him/her any favours. Quirks are nice, but don't put them in the CV...wait for the interview until you can better judge the personality of the person hiring you.

Just wondering if anyone else had any unique or crazy ways they try and impress a client reading over their CV trying to decide if sharing a birth month is a good enough reason to pick Jane over John?

I know you're probably joking, but for god's sake never put your birthdate on your CV. Ever. :P

[SueEllen]

• Do you include links in your CV to either a blog (say a Java Problem/Solution blog for a JDev) or samples of your previous work from either past clients (website you worked on) or your own "free time" work (that WordNumbers webapp you worked on that time)? No
  
• Do you rigorously maintain your LinkedIn profile? No - I've annoyed a pimp by having a junk profile mainly because I have over 200 of them trying to link with me
  
• Do you include in your CV details of OpenSource contributor projects you've worked on (ie not really industry experience but still experience!)? Yes
  
• Do you keep your twitter feed rolling hourly with tech related and insightful tweets about the latest Webapp Framework you're toying with? No - though I do update them at least once a day
  
• Do you keep your Facebook profile clean and up to date with a nice profile pic of you at that tech conference you went to last month? No - facebook is private and personal only

[Joe90]

Do you rigorously separate your business contacts on LinkedIn from your mates on Facebook? Yes

My LinkedIn profile is professional, my Facebook profile isn't.

WHS.

Although a lot of people on my LinkedIn at the moment are guys I've graduated in complimentary subject areas.

[cojak]

Do you rigorously separate your business contacts on LinkedIn from your mates on Facebook? Yes

My LinkedIn profile is professional, my Facebook profile isn't.

[nomadd]

• Do you rigorously maintain your LinkedIn profile? No.
• Do you include in your CV details of OpenSource contributor projects you've worked on (ie not really industry experience but still experience!)?Yes.
• Do you keep your twitter feed rolling hourly with tech related and insightful tweets about the latest Webapp Framework you're toying with? No.
• Do you keep your Facebook profile clean and up to date with a nice profile pic of you at that tech conference you went to last month? No.

[AnthonyQuinn]

Have you ever interviwed someone for a position?

Do you EVER see the linkedin or facebook profiles of people who have sent their resume to you?

You have their resume, what more can you find out from facebook?

[nfoote]

So you've got a sweet CV with all the right skills and experience (or in agent-speak; key-words). You've plaster bombed said CV all over the internet and registered with 9million agents. You've followed up most serious job applications with a call to the agent, even managed to get through to a few of them. And inbetween all that you've keyed up on your knowledge and gone over and over and over interview techniques and questions. You're primed ... or are you?

We all know agents just skim the first handful of CVs they get in response to a job advert and send the client the 3 or 4 or 5 that match the job spec (in their oh-so-clued-in key-word-based opinion). So what i'm going on about here is from the end CLIENT'S point of view.

Besides the above, how else do you go about grabbing the attention of a prospective client who's reading over your CV and securing an interview. Infact the ideal perfect case would be to solidify in the clients mind that you ARE the man for the job long before the interview and a face-to-face meeting would be a mere formality to make sure you're not a drooling, sweating man-beast with the social skills of a brick.

I know, I'm dreaming in that perfect case but surely since the invention of the curriculum vitae there must have been SOME advances in "position procurement engineering".

• Do you include links in your CV to either a blog (say a Java Problem/Solution blog for a JDev) or samples of your previous work from either past clients (website you worked on) or your own "free time" work (that WordNumbers webapp you worked on that time)?
• Do you rigorously maintain your LinkedIn profile?
• Do you include in your CV details of OpenSource contributor projects you've worked on (ie not really industry experience but still experience!)?
• Do you keep your twitter feed rolling hourly with tech related and insightful tweets about the latest Webapp Framework you're toying with?
• Do you keep your Facebook profile clean and up to date with a nice profile pic of you at that tech conference you went to last month?

I dunno, just a few ideas I had while sitting here thinking about how my contract is up in a few months and I'll need to start looking again soon (after a few months on the beach that is!).

Just wondering if anyone else had any unique or crazy ways they try and impress a client reading over their CV trying to decide if sharing a birth month is a good enough reason to pick Jane over John?