Reply to: Applying for contracts and ringing agents

[TOSH1]

One very reliable agent I know deals with job ad responses by only skim-reading the first 50 responses, if that doesn't get him 10 serious CVs that he wants to look at in more depth then he'll keep reading until he gets those 10. If he can't get 3-4 good CVs out of that short-listed 10 then he may go back and look again at the applicant pile. Any beyond that that are unread are normally "archived" into the deleted items folder.

My top two tips for Jobserve applications are:

- Don't do the online apply thing. Use the "contact this agency" link that allows you to format and send your own email. Agents are far more likely to look at different email titles, all "apply now" applications come through with the same header allowing them to be sorted (and deleted) en masse meaning you'll get lost in the crowd.
- In your email, 3 bullet points that point the agent towards the bit in your CV that says why he should select your CV from his skim read pass of applications. Relevant experience, relevant expertise and any previous roles that are very similar. If you can answer the agent's question "what's in it for me?" then you'll get short-listed.

Thanks for the info. I'll be using this technique from now in.

[VectraMan]

It does make me wonder what happens when you're pretty much a spot on match and your details just disappear into the Jobserve ether. I guess I am just being miffed because there was a good looking contract just 15 minutes away with a rate I would have been more than happy with. Applied yesterday with zero response - arse! Back to the DIY I guess...

I'm sure we've all been there: the job that sounds so perfect it could have had your name as a requirement. You apply, hear nothing, and all the agent will tell you when you phone is that the client is deciding.

Thinking back, of my 6 contracts only the first came directly from an ad. All the others have been agents contacting me. I even had an agent contact me to see if I was available and interested in a job I'd applied for the previous week with them on Jobserve - which just shows how seriously they take the Jobserve applications.

[The_Equalizer]

One very reliable agent I know deals with job ad responses by only skim-reading the first 50 responses, if that doesn't get him 10 serious CVs that he wants to look at in more depth then he'll keep reading until he gets those 10. If he can't get 3-4 good CVs out of that short-listed 10 then he may go back and look again at the applicant pile. Any beyond that that are unread are normally "archived" into the deleted items folder.

My top two tips for Jobserve applications are:

- Don't do the online apply thing. Use the "contact this agency" link that allows you to format and send your own email. Agents are far more likely to look at different email titles, all "apply now" applications come through with the same header allowing them to be sorted (and deleted) en masse meaning you'll get lost in the crowd.
- In your email, 3 bullet points that point the agent towards the bit in your CV that says why he should select your CV from his skim read pass of applications. Relevant experience, relevant expertise and any previous roles that are very similar. If you can answer the agent's question "what's in it for me?" then you'll get short-listed.

Thanks very much and it's pretty much what I guessed. I'll have to get a faster Jobserve trigger finger for the next few applications. Right, back to the painting...

[DanielAnthony]

One very reliable agent I know deals with job ad responses by only skim-reading the first 50 responses, if that doesn't get him 10 serious CVs that he wants to look at in more depth then he'll keep reading until he gets those 10. If he can't get 3-4 good CVs out of that short-listed 10 then he may go back and look again at the applicant pile. Any beyond that that are unread are normally "archived" into the deleted items folder.

My top two tips for Jobserve applications are:

- Don't do the online apply thing. Use the "contact this agency" link that allows you to format and send your own email. Agents are far more likely to look at different email titles, all "apply now" applications come through with the same header allowing them to be sorted (and deleted) en masse meaning you'll get lost in the crowd.
- In your email, 3 bullet points that point the agent towards the bit in your CV that says why he should select your CV from his skim read pass of applications. Relevant experience, relevant expertise and any previous roles that are very similar. If you can answer the agent's question "what's in it for me?" then you'll get short-listed.

Thanks for this info, I'm an 'apply now' person but what you say here makes alot of sense so I'll be changing the way I apply through sites like these in future

Right, off to find some jobs...

[craig1]

It does make me wonder what happens when you're pretty much a spot on match and your details just disappear into the Jobserve ether. I guess I am just being miffed because there was a good looking contract just 15 minutes away with a rate I would have been more than happy with. Applied yesterday with zero response - arse! Back to the DIY I guess...

One very reliable agent I know deals with job ad responses by only skim-reading the first 50 responses, if that doesn't get him 10 serious CVs that he wants to look at in more depth then he'll keep reading until he gets those 10. If he can't get 3-4 good CVs out of that short-listed 10 then he may go back and look again at the applicant pile. Any beyond that that are unread are normally "archived" into the deleted items folder.

My top two tips for Jobserve applications are:

- Don't do the online apply thing. Use the "contact this agency" link that allows you to format and send your own email. Agents are far more likely to look at different email titles, all "apply now" applications come through with the same header allowing them to be sorted (and deleted) en masse meaning you'll get lost in the crowd.
- In your email, 3 bullet points that point the agent towards the bit in your CV that says why he should select your CV from his skim read pass of applications. Relevant experience, relevant expertise and any previous roles that are very similar. If you can answer the agent's question "what's in it for me?" then you'll get short-listed.

[The_Equalizer]

It does make me wonder what happens when you're pretty much a spot on match and your details just disappear into the Jobserve ether. I guess I am just being miffed because there was a good looking contract just 15 minutes away with a rate I would have been more than happy with. Applied yesterday with zero response - arse! Back to the DIY I guess...

[herman_g]

A wise contractor I met in my very early contracting days one said "if there's something happening, the agencies will call. If there's nothing happening, no point in calling them". That is so true - it is particularily disadvantageous to call them repeatedly about a job you spoke about 1 or two weeks ago - that will only result in them telling you the rate you quoted was too high and maybe you should come down 50 a day or so.

That said, I am finding at the moment the market is full of agencies that are clueless ( typical at this point in the economic cycle ) and when I send the a CV without calling, they seldom even retrieve the thing from wherever the job site sends it.

I always find calling them, telling I am perfect for the role and then sending the CV straight to their email address while I'm on the line works best.

From there I don't dare call them again until they call to arrange the interview.

[Scrag Meister]

You'd be amazed at how many agents contact me who don't read my CV...

Absolutely, over the past few months I have been asked at ClientCo to fix a couple of bugs and make a couple of small enhancements to a C# project, never touched it before, so I did that, no problems.

I mentioned in my CV that I had done these small pieces of work, and now I have agents ringing me with Senior C# Front Office Developer roles!!!! The first page of my CV states that I am a pure Novice and the "other interests" section says that I am looking to enhance this area of my skills.

I have arranged with a mate of mine who runs a business in Southampton to do some free C# work for him while I am benched, so hopefully move out of the Novice stage in the not too distant future.

[craig1]

It's always worth regularly* calling/emailing agents you know and trust when you're looking for a new role as it keeps you in their mind when a new position comes in. Many agents are quite quiet just now and are actually available to just gossip about the industry compared to busy times when they've little free time for long idle chats.

* regularly = once every six weeks or so, not daily

[Support Monkey]

I send my CV and then give it an hour and i ring the agent using the line "i just wanted to check you received my CV" 9 out of 10 times they say "oh let me check, yes i have it here so what have you been doing recently, and I'm in

[nomadd]

Too right. I got a mail yesterday about a contract position I'm not suited for at the client I'm currently at!

...and it was your current role. How crazy is that!

[VirtualMonkey]

You'd be amazed at how many agents contact me who don't read my CV...

Too right. I got a mail yesterday about a contract position I'm not suited for at the client I'm currently at!

[Wanderer]

IYou'd be amazed the number of cvs I recieve from people who don't read the advert

You'd be amazed at how many agents contact me who don't read my CV...

[Spacecadet]

If the agent wants you they'll phone you. Always found it pretty pointless phoning them over the last 18 months of scarce roles and sh it rates.

WHS

Unless a job spec looks like it was written specifically with your CV in mind apply and forget

[nomadd]

If the agent wants you they'll phone you. Always found it pretty pointless phoning them over the last 18 months of scarce roles and sh it rates.

This.^

Save the money on your phone bill for something more useful. Like beer.