Reply to: Anybody is using jobserve who could advise?

[istvan]

Thanks for your comments, it was very helpful. I keep changing my CV (only minor changes), I apply for lots of jobs, and contact the agents right after the application is sent (I still feel little awkward to call them pimps - after all what would I call myself). If I do not get any calls, I will change my CV. Anyway, I apreciate your help.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Just ran an experiment on job serve:

Deleted all old CV's

Put my latest CV on and put it as active (open to offers). Got a call about a job in the city after under an hour (with the bank being named). The agent informed me where they found the cv as well.

Not bad really...

[Clippy]

I personally don't like putting a(singular) CV onto a jobsite and wait for agents to call. I prefer to use very specific RSS feeds that email me jobs as they are advertised. I then follow up with a CV specific to that role & then follow up with a phonecall.

Ditto - I like to control the message I put out, via my CV, by controlling its distribution.

The approach I take, rightly or wrongly, is:

See role on Jobserve
Contact pimp (you may need to search further for his contact details) to sound out the position and get a direct email address
Tailor CV for role
Submit CV to pimp and contact him shortly thereafter to confirm receipt (and discuss CV vis a vis role)

Seems to work for me.

[JoJoGabor]

I prefer to come down to the pier, have a close look at the sea and if I see a fish swimming past I like the look of blast it with a shotgun, or dynamite, or spear gun, or marmite whirl. Go looking for the fish, don't expect them to come to you.

I'd like to blast a few agents with a spear gun

[Liamxtype]

I've followed up swveral Jobserve applications and the agents say that they haven't received it, I think that's bulltulip though as you do get an automatic response for each application. Best advice I've had was to change my CV to be an exact match for each role that I've applied for, the agents will scan your CV to see if the keywords in the advert are on there, if not then it gets binned. GL!

[Scrag Meister]

Jobserve I find is a useful way of phishing for agent details.

Update your CV at least twice a week while benched and looking, new CVs excite agents.

Agents rings you for a quick chat about a non-suitable role.

Get their details, and harrass the tulip out of them about finding a suitable role.

A number of the roles on Jobserve have already gone, the real game is getting the agent to remember you so he rings you as soon as a role comes in, before its on jobserve.

Even if its only cos he wants you off his/her back.

GL

[MarillionFan]

I've got most of my contracts from Jobserve over the years. I've done 35 contracts, I reckon 30 are from Jobserve.

When I loaded my CV to Jobserve I was phoned maybe twice, emailed maybe 4/5 times. Very little downloads.

I personally don't like putting a(singular) CV onto a jobsite and wait for agents to call. I prefer to use very specific RSS feeds that email me jobs as they are advertised. I then follow up with a CV specific to that role & then follow up with a phonecall.

My analogy would be putting a marmite whirl on a hook chucking it out to sea and wandering off and hoping that a fish is going to swim past who likes marmite whirls and gives it a little nibble. You're expecting the fish to do the work. I prefer to come down to the pier, have a close look at the sea and if I see a fish swimming past I like the look of blast it with a shotgun, or dynamite, or spear gun, or marmite whirl. Go looking for the fish, don't expect them to come to you.

[JoJoGabor]

I have the same, 170 downloads in total, but since uploading my CV for this season's gig-hunt, its only been downlaoded 3 times. I was also applying for exact jobs, and only got one callback, after applying for 8 roles. Makes sense what previous poster says about only seeing a summary and asking for a full copy of CV

[Bumfluff]

I've had luck with jobserve been offered 2 gigs where the agent found my details on jobserve, I know others a well who have luck, saying that Ive had no calls regarding it in last few weeks

[Zippy]

Agents have to pay to download your cv from Monster (or Jobswerve??), so if the summary they can view/search doesn't have the right keywords in it you won't get anywhere. The pay-per-view model is why you get agents ringing you up saying they've 'seen your cv online', but then asking you to send them a copy.

I'm finding I don't actually have to apply for anything to generate calls atm. My cv is quite short, just a few bullet points for each contract and mentions which technologies/processes I used. Also you'll find that the more contracts you do (successfully) the more interested the agents are. If they think you can generate them money for a few months they are more likely to push you forward.

I'd go for a re-write of your cv to cut out any waffle and keep plugging away.
Best of luck.

[SneakySimon]

Jobserve

Im a generic PM / or a developer on a niche system.

Funny, most of my agency calls are from Jobserve and a handful (maybe one every couple of months) from Monster. Certainly getting a lot more from LinkedIn and they tend to be more useful as they tend to spend more time looking at my resume.

When I first went on Jobserve, I looked at all of the jobs I was interested in and identified the common key words and made sure they were in my CV as that is how the agents search (obviously specific systems also need to be on there!!)

Good luck - I had a look at Jobserve last week for the first time in 2 years and seems a lot less jobs than what I remember - maybe things have changed?

[VirtualMonkey]

I have never had a call from an agent from jobserve. All of my calls have been from Monster despite me updating both at regular intervals.

Me either.
Monster is always the place they say they've downloaded my CV from.
All my gigs get applied for through jobserve but all the cold calls come from monster

[northernladuk]

I have never had a call from an agent from jobserve. All of my calls have been from Monster despite me updating both at regular intervals.

[istvan]

Thanks for your comments. Yes, I keep uploading my resume every week with slight changes. I also keep reapplying Settings, and of course applying for jobs almost daily. I had a call back in June, subsequently even with the client, but only two calls ever since. The stats show 30 views and 11 download ever since June. During the last two weeks there is no activity on the site according to stats even though I keep doing things daily.

When I apply for a job, perhaps it goes directly to the agent and it does not show up in the stats. Maybe that is the case, because I receive letters stating that someone else was selected (sometimes the next day . Hmmmm, it just occurred to me now.

Do you have any suggestion perhaps for a better jobsite?

[SimonMac]

Have you made any changes to your stored CV in that time? Even just uploading the same one flags it as a new CV so more likely to get picked up.

However I have never been approached by someone finding my CV on any site, most calls are in reply to me applying for a position, or an agent having my CV on file from a previous application.