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

SarEl

Reverbe wrote: »

Theres lots of reasons including employer prejudice.(for whatever reason - some times the most odd) I'm not a dollybird nor young and TBH that can go against you for example..plus these days employers will employ the young as they are paid a lower NMW rate...not always a good thing as we find in my place of employment

I don't think anyone has suggested that these things are not true of some employers. But the fact remains that the OP asks for advice and then attacks anyone who gives it to her!An attitude like that might also be an explanation for why she isn't getting offers?

LadyMissA

SarEl wrote: »

I don't think anyone has suggested that these things are not true of some employers. But the fact remains that the OP asks for advice and then attacks anyone who gives it to her!An attitude like that might also be an explanation for why she isn't getting offers?

I don't think you can be offered a job without an interview

SarEl

LadyMissA wrote: »

I don't think you can be offered a job without an interview

You have had interviews. Maybe not as many as you would like, but you have mentioned them previously. You had a work trial too - but you refused that. And if you aren't even getting interviews, all the more reason to listen to some of the things that people have been saying to you here - failure to even get interviews indicates that your CV is at fault somewhere, no matter what you are being told.

LadyMissA

SarEl wrote: »

You have had interviews. Maybe not as many as you would like, but you have mentioned them previously. You had a work trial too - but you refused that. And if you aren't even getting interviews, all the more reason to listen to some of the things that people have been saying to you here - failure to even get interviews indicates that your CV is at fault somewhere, no matter what you are being told.

And I can't pay for someone to look at my CV

magenta22

Reed offers a free CV check if I remember rightly.
If you speak to the agencies nicely, they might look over it for you.
You had a recruitment consultant on here tying to advice you but all you did was give loads of verbal, so you need to be able to take constructive criticism for them to be able to help improve your CV.

LadyMissA

magenta22 wrote: »

Reed offers a free CV check if I remember rightly.
If you speak to the agencies nicely, they might look over it for you.
You had a recruitment consultant on here tying to advice you but all you did was give loads of verbal, so you need to be able to take constructive criticism for them to be able to help improve your CV.

Reed have my CV and they haven't changed it, so I don't know.

magenta22

By the Fuller CV bit?

Ask another agency to have a look at it then, I had agencies tell me my CV was fine and then another looked at it and said if you do this, this and this it will look and sound better.

LadyMissA

magenta22 wrote: »

By the Fuller CV bit?

Ask another agency to have a look at it then, I had agencies tell me my CV was fine and then another looked at it and said if you do this, this and this it will look and sound better.

I would but probably do not want to get involved with any more as a lot have it already but they obviously re do it to their own template is they send it to jobs.

However the next job I apply for I will get the agency (if it is) to give me feedback on the layout and content and see what they say.

magenta22

All the agencies have sent my CV as it is, just taking off my contact details and putting theirs.

Get in contact with the agency you feel is the better one and ask if you can make an appointment with them to go through your CV. If they are any good, they will agree.

SarEl

LadyMissA wrote: »

I would but probably do not want to get involved with any more as a lot have it already but they obviously re do it to their own template is they send it to jobs.

However the next job I apply for I will get the agency (if it is) to give me feedback on the layout and content and see what they say.

Hallelujah

Now we appear to have an in... I agree that when I get agency CV's they are on their own template, but you can still have some control over the content they include. For esample - if you have been out of work for some time, can you include details of some voluntary work that fills in the gaps? Ask to see what they are sending to employers - you can ask for changes if you feel that they aren't refelcting your CV to best advantage.

Agencies aren't the best people to be commenting on your CV - they might be able to make some comments, but if your CV is going to an employer directly, perhaps something in there is not doing you a service? And another thing about CV's - do not send one if the employer askes for an application form. I see a lot of application forms for vatious things and you would be amazed at how many people cannot read the instruction "Do not send a CV, fill in the applicaton form" - so they write please see CV across all the boxes and staple the CV to the form. These might be brilliant applications but they go straight in the bin as having failed the reading test!

You mentioned that you are on the work programme - could you ask to discuss your applicarions with someone (I presume they have mentors or advisers somewhere) before you finalise them and send them in? Someone with the right experience may be able to spot things that you can't and help you tailor them a bit better.