Does sending CVs to random companies work?

katiesmummy

I have just lost my job as the company I was working for has gone bust- went into work this morning to find it closed with a note on the door. Nice!

I am on my own with 2 kids so obviously I need to get another job asap- I have already sent my CV off to a dozen or so agencies and have applied for a few jobs from the local paper.

My query is: does sending your cv to companies on spec (is that the right phrase?) work or would it be a waste of stamps? Also, what would I say in the covering letter? I'm not great at covering letters at the best of times as I have never been one for seeing my own strengths and abilities.

I don't want to have to go back on benefits so am praying I will find another job quickly.

Thanks in advance.

MoneySavingUser

it depends if they have a job for you - and if they aren't advertising most likely they do not

I expect the vast majority of them won't reply, a few will say we don't have vacancies, a few will keep cv on file, maybe 1/2 will give you an interview

unless you do a specific specialist job that they really need this is unlikely to be productive

pinkshoes

Lots of companies advertise internally first, so by sending them your CV, then perhaps you'd be first in line for an interview if no one internal was suitable?

DCFC79

It depends to be honest, whether or not the employer thinks you have enough or the right skills to be of use for the firm to do a good job, the business may not have advertised for a job but there has been people thinking about employing another person to do a job

katiesmummy

Thank you for your replies.

My last job was as a general secretary, but my previous experience has been as a PA at director level- I took the secretarial position because it was what was available at the time.

Not really sure what to do at the moment- my brain is in a bit of a spin. I need to call tax credits and tell them that I am now unemployed, thus losing my childcare and giving me major problems should I find another position within the next week or two.

Am unsure whether I will even get paid at the end of the month now- because the company has gone bankrupt I am thinking no!

Life really has a way of kicking you sometimes!

heretolearn_2

If you can afford it, it can't hurt, but it'll take a lot of luck to get a result.

I get a few through and do look at them. Most go in the bin as they don't match up with the roles we have at work. A few I keep and do look at them if a vacancy comes along, as long as they are still fairly current. Once they get to about 12 months old I disgard them. I haven't so far interviewed anyone from a speculative CV as the problem is they aren't targetted for a specific vacancy, so the applications we get for each job are better. Might happen though, right place right time, sort of thing...

RedSoleShoes

My answer would be don't do it. You are much better off spending your time scouring the net and checking out company websites to see their recruitment pages. A lot of these jobs never get advertised elsewhere so you don't have quite as much competition as with jobs advertised on job pages.

It will take quite a bit of time browsing but at least you know there is an actual job to apply for.

Job hunting tip - when you are checking sites like Monster, total jobs etc, you can sometimes find out the details of the company by googling bits on info on the job, location etc. This means that you can check them out before you apply and tailor your application accordingly.

treetrunks

depends on the candidate and the company. We will always look at cv's that are sent in. Weve often taken people on without a vacancy because they had a skill set that would offer value. We use Agencies for all of our vacancies so its often good to see the odd cv. Whether it would work for you, i wouldnt know.

Jacka87

not sure how this would work for your childcare allowance but you could maybe try temping to get you something quickly?

With regards to sending a CV out, my company actually have the info for doing so on their website, I dont know if anybody has ever got a job out of it but I wouldnt hesitate to send in CV's electronically like that but wouldnt waste too many stamps on it.

shmeeko69

The first thing you want to do is write down a list of jobs that you like or have a skill for then, check out business pages or the local paper for companies in your area.

Before you send out another CV & covering letter, make sure you get the persons name & job title if you are writing on spec, otherwise, it is more likely to find it's way to the bin as it's not personalised.

Unfortunately you will have to spend extra money on your phone bill, to find out the names of the people to write away to, but that will be worth it, as not only will it not be another stamp wasted by it will get to the right person & show you have initiative.

In the current economic climate, you have to position yourself in the marketplace as best you can & put as much in your favour as possible.

You can find examples of job cover letters by typing into Google - Job Covering Letters. There are plenty of examples to get you on your way.

££ Best of Luck $$

Mark :j

hermum

My daughter did this a few years ago, but took her cv's into local estate agents. The road she covered had around 10 agents offices, she had 3 interviews & offers of jobs from all 3.
It may well be worth targeting smaller businesses & taking your cv in while suited & booted.
Good luck with the search.