Agency can't put you forward as you aren't working?

LadyMissA

SarEl wrote: »

Oh dear, hear we go again. People try to help LadyMissA, or even sympathise, and it all turns into a slanging match about how awful we are. How many threads does this have to happen to before we learn? I for one have got it. You want neither sympathy nor advice - you want to be right. Right no matter what. I have more sensible conversations with my 4 year old nephew than can be held with you. I'm out.

and what is the advice? Have a wash, dress like a model and do not wear too much perfume

off I go for a shower then

Caroline73_2

LadyMissA wrote: »

and what is the advice? Have a wash, dress like a model and do not wear too much perfume

off I go for a shower then

My advice would be to look at yourself objectively, improve on your good points and tone down any negative aspect of your personality.

Do you keep in contact with any of your old colleagues? I'm always hearing about new posts this way. I got told last week there is a possibility my hours maybe cut so I called my old boss and got offered a post that's one day a week with an old client.

Are you doing anything at the moment that you can put on your cv? Such as volunteering at a school or charity shop, knitting cardigan for a special care baby unit.

Think outside the box.

Mischa8

Had to reply to this as I thought it may help OP.

I too have been made redundant a few times (different roles, different timescales) and yes, it really does dent your confidence, regardless of whether you've been there 9 months or a few years. My redundancies were basically *I didn't work out* reasons (well they didn't say that) and at the time I didn't stop and learn. The last one was unfair and due strangely enough to the boss never delegating and after 9 months I had been going to leave anyway.

I had a good PA role for 6 years before this and after I left this role and the 9 month redundancy role I took long term/shorter term temp assignments for central government at high level. I worked my posterior off but also used EVERY contact I had (the sister of a school friend is a recruitment consultant so I registered with her and she was honest). One of the other consultants owns her own recruitment agency and we networked together and are *friends*. I do agree that 12 agencies are too much.

A lot of the agencies (Office Angels etc) they didn't seem to bother or had hardly any jobs. Some smaller ones were a bit of a pain too - especially when I got job offers and say wanted to leave a short term temp role. You soon learn which ones to trust or not and then basically just don't use them.

I also retrained (something OP may not have considered), as legal secretary and got current job through family friend. But had I not retrained (where I also made friends/contacts) I wouldn't have had focus.

I can see in a way why OP is defensive but yes, I think her attitude on the boards generally comes off as *defensive* or *know all*. If it comes off this way then how on earth will it come across to an employer/agency recruiter.

There was a post yesterday where OP replied to me about having jobs in a cafe and confidentiality etc. To be honest in this day and age it doesn't matter where you interview, often doesn't have any bearing on the company/role and some companies use the interviews in coffee shop etc as a sort of *test* to the candidate.

But OP seems to get defensive at every turn! I'd be applying to companies, actually GOING IN PERSON to them. This day and age, yes you do have to beg sometimes. And say if job in hotel for accountancy personnel - well act keen and willing to learn and you may well get your break.

I hope OP is reading some of this - it isn't unkind - just I hope she'd listen, and also what on earth is wrong with trusting some people here in PMs? they could get her a genuine job!

Red_Elle

Magenta22 & Bitterandtwisted - please feel free to PM me if you want any information and help in finding a job.
I'm incredibly busy at the moment, but can help out with advice in the evenings. I wouldn't be prepared to work with someone negative and obstructive because most of the time it is just excuses.

I am confident that if I was out of work it would take me all of a few days to find something. I appreciate that saying that will irritate all the people who think it's impossible to find work, but after 11 years of doing my job I can confidently say it's not - even in a recession.
I set my business up in a recession. Two of my major closed down the same month I set up.

People go about finding a job the wrong way. They look online and in the paper. They apply for everything going with a CV that doesn't match the job closely enough and a substandard covering letter. They make little effort to unearth jobs that aren't being advertised. They do not fully utilise contacts or networking sites. They fail to see getting a job as a job in itself and so they fail. Once you are armed with the tools to become a professional job seeker you will get a job.

Wellery82

I worked in recruitment for a number of years, both in house and recruitment consultancy work, and am more than happy to review your CV if you are comfortable to send it over. Feel free to send me a PM to discuss if so.

Anyway my top tips when dealing with a recruitment agency would be -

1.) Put yourself in their shoes - in forwarding your CV to a client they are putting their reputation on the line. They have to trust you will represent them well - your attitude, general demeanour, punctuality, flexibility etc are all hugely important. Would you want to risk someone representing you who didn't come across as enthusiastic about a job, or wasn't keen to impress, or wasn't on time, or didn't have a smile on their face etc?

2.) Have a realisation they are a company to work with, and who are not working for you as such. You should approach this that you are working as a team, you both want the same goal for you to get into work.

Ultimately if you aren't as passionate as them about this, or expect them to put in the work they find someone else to work with. The same principle works the other way. You need to be flexible to listen to advice, change your CV and interview style, consider alternative job opportunities before simply saying "no" etc. Realise they are trying to understand you, and you have to help them to do so

3.) Don't go in moaning about your lack of opportunities, the job market, or ex employers. Go in showing a positive attitude. A number of times i didn't forward a CV as simply i didn't believe the person really wanted the job or would come across as negative. They had the skills, but not the right attitude for it

LadyMissA

Red_Elle wrote: »

They make little effort to unearth jobs that aren't being advertised

I pick a sq mile on a Google map of London and if you zoom in you can see certain companies show up on the map. I then go to their websites to see if they have anything advertised (found a few advertised that way) and if not set up accounts (if their site has that fucntion for job alerts etc) or send a speculative email with CV and my references.

I can see how you all think I am negative as I have nothing at all to be positive about.

Wellery82

LadyMissA wrote: »

and what is the advice? Have a wash, dress like a model and do not wear too much perfume

off I go for a shower then

Lots of ways you can improve your search and lots of recruitment professionals (myself included if you wish to take me up on it) would be happy to give guidance on some of the below

General advice is to think about -

1.) Where are you looking for work - newspaper ads, websites, speculative applications, agencies, social media sites, networking etc?

2.) How are you applying - does your CV and cover letter stand out to that specific job - does it give any warning signs (not your preferred industry/not your main skill set/you live too far away etc) and could you change to tackle these points

3.) How are you interacting with agencies - too much, too little, too many, too few, what are you saying to them, what aren't you saying

4.) What is your interview technique, what may put an employer off giving you a job and how are you going to make sure you alleviate these concerns, how are you going to get across your strongest points?

5.) How are you logging a track of applications and feedback you are getting, and working on this to improve your search - ie CV was wrong, failed at interview etc

Wellery82

LadyMissA wrote: »

I pick a sq mile on a Google map of London and if you zoom in you can see certain companies show up on the map. I then go to their websites to see if they have anything advertised (found a few advertised that way) and if not set up accounts (if their site has that fucntion for job alerts etc) or send a speculative email with CV and my references.

I can see how you all think I am negative as I have nothing at all to be positive about.

Maybe try a site like yell.com which can highlight many companies by location or industry sector. It can be a great way to start identifying a list of companies you want to approach speculatively. You may even want to set up Google alerts for industry news to try and see where companies are taking staff on for example, or simply drive around and take a list of companies in an area.

Remember if you can apply speculatively to a companynot only do you seem proactive but there isn't a recruitment fee for the company..... which means they have more scope for your salary, and also are more likely to take a gamble on you instead of for example placing an advert which has no guarranteed response and costs money

LadyMissA

Jimavfc82 wrote: »

Maybe try a site like yell.com which can highlight many companies by location or industry sector. It can be a great way to start identifying a list of companies you want to approach speculatively. You may even want to set up Google alerts for industry news to try and see where companies are taking staff on for example, or simply drive around and take a list of companies in an area.

Remember if you can apply speculatively to a companynot only do you seem proactive but there isn't a recruitment fee for the company..... which means they have more scope for your salary, and also are more likely to take a gamble on you instead of for example placing an advert which has no guarranteed response and costs money

I have done that & I have an online advert

Red_Elle

LadyMissA wrote: »

I pick a sq mile on a Google map of London and if you zoom in you can see certain companies show up on the map. I then go to their websites to see if they have anything advertised (found a few advertised that way) and if not set up accounts (if their site has that fucntion for job alerts etc) or send a speculative email with CV and my references.

I can see how you all think I am negative as I have nothing at all to be positive about.

I'm not interested in giving you advice, as you're not open to it. What I will say is that you're not doing anything particularly spectacular there and you're not doing anything that 101 other people aren't doing.
What you're doing ISN'T WORKING. I doubt even I could find work for my candidates using that approach.