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...and they haven't emailed me the background check form to fill out...will it seem very pushy if I remind them? I'm biting my nails off here. :(
 
Miss Caphat said:
...and they haven't emailed me the background check form to fill out...will it seem very pushy if I remind them? I'm biting my nails off here. :(
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well, I couldn't take it anymore so I sent them an email...:facepalm: well, it was worded v. politely. At least this way I'll know if they've just dropped me or something
 
Miss Caphat said:
well, I couldn't take it anymore so I sent them an email...:facepalm: well, it was worded v. politely. At least this way I'll know if they've just dropped me or something
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Hope it works out for you. Pain that they have left things to the last minute, I guess they don't know what it entails for you.
 
weltweit said:
Hope it works out for you. Pain that they have left things to the last minute, I guess they don't know what it entails for you.
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yeah, but it's not really their fault. the problem is me living too far away to be able to schedule meetings there easily. I basically had one day every two weeks I could actually get there, and the first meeting was scheduled during what turned out to be a blizzard.

and, no, they don't really know what it entailed on my part...and now on top of everything my car seems to be dying and I'm very broke waiting for payments from different things.

it's just been a shitshow basically, but sometimes that's how it is.

Happy I got the job though! :D
 
soooooo
in the middle of (read start!) of a job app that needs to be in on friday

stuck on a couple of bits of guff and wondered if anyone could deguff them please?

Ability to establish and maintain effective project and programme management systems; an understanding of project management techniques and sound analytical abilities
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thanks
 
ddraig said:
soooooo
in the middle of (read start!) of a job app that needs to be in on friday
Ability to establish and maintain effective project and programme management systems; an understanding of project management techniques and sound analytical abilities
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stuck on a couple of bits of guff and wondered if anyone could deguff them please?
Click to expand...

Does not look too convoluted.

I would say emphasise that you have "project management skills and experience" mentioning any software like microsoft project if you have used it and also somehow, perhaps in a seperate sentence that you can evidence that you have "analytic abilities".
 
I am persevering with covering letters, even to agents.
I have gotten quite quick at them now so no big deal to write one for each application.
 
It doesn't help that every job I see that I appear qualified and experienced for makes me think that I'd be dreading going to it within two weeks.

Even the ones more on the 3D side seem to mean "come help us rip money off parents' iTunes accounts" or "work on cloning a successful game that was shit to begin with".

Plus the salaries are shit. Even for ones listing a dozen complex required skills, frameworks and methodologies and wanting you to be "flexible" i.e. work all hours to make up for poor planning. Though even a shit salary would do me at the moment.
 
How honest should I be with recruitment agents? What approach does everyone else take?

In particular, how to answer "have you got any other interviews/responses waiting". Presumably they won't bother to send me anything if they know the answer to this one is yes?

Also "how long have you been looking"; is telling the truth (over six months) a mistake here too?
 
I was always honest with them - the more people they have, the more likely they might land someone in a role. I don't think they'll not send you in for stuff if you tell them that you have stuff pending. In fact, it might just be to help them big you up and maybe even bump up your salary if they can make it sound to potential employers that you are in demand.
 
job came up locally that I could easily do and have experience and a skill set appropriate for ... applied for a similar job at this place in november (didn't even get an email rejection/acknowledgement, fuckers). CV and covering letter emailed off today.

Another job has come up locally that has a closing date in a couple of weeks, going to complete the application form over the weekend and email off on monday
 
Another one sent off. Perfect match for skills/experience/quals etc. What's the betting I never hear anything?

:(
 
finalising an app today
it is for a 2yr secondment and they've asked for a CV and covering letter which sets out how you meet the essential and if relevant the desireable characteristics in the JD

so i've had to do a CV for the first time in years and kept it to 2 sides
my 'answers' to the JD bit takes up 3-4 pages maybe 5 with the covering letter

is this too long? and would you answer the JD characteristics point by point and put them in like a normal application form or should you do more or a shorter narrative style with a couple of examples?
thanks
 
Edinburgh Bicycle are advertising for mechanics and shop staff. This would be pretty much my ideal job - it's a worker's co-op, ten minutes away by bike and with my CV I should hope I'm pretty much guaranteed an interview. Oh God oh God. I don't even know what hours they want to fill but it says full and part time positions available so I've sent a CV with a covering letter saying please consider me for anything part-time.
 
I put in for two jobs last week both of which i'd pretty much taken for granted i'd get an interview... heard nothing yet... i keep checking my e-mail like some sort of obsessive and feeling bummed out every time because i havn't heard anything.
 
Just managed to fail my first major test in my job :oops: :(
Hope this doesn't mean a premature return to this thread
 
Have seen a job I really want, with a speech and language therapy team - part time and they say it can be flexible around school hours/term times. I more than meet all the essential specs and most of the desirable ones too. But, it isn't with the council, and I was holding on to my council job for the maternity leave...
 
jakethesnake said:
I put in for two jobs last week both of which i'd pretty much taken for granted i'd get an interview... heard nothing yet... i keep checking my e-mail like some sort of obsessive and feeling bummed out every time because i havn't heard anything.
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Pick up the phone, call them, if you don't know what to ask for just say you are calling to confirm that they received your application. If they say they have it, ask them for feedback.
 
ddraig said:
finalising an app today
it is for a 2yr secondment and they've asked for a CV and covering letter which sets out how you meet the essential and if relevant the desireable characteristics in the JD

so i've had to do a CV for the first time in years and kept it to 2 sides
my 'answers' to the JD bit takes up 3-4 pages maybe 5 with the covering letter

is this too long? and would you answer the JD characteristics point by point and put them in like a normal application form or should you do more or a shorter narrative style with a couple of examples?
thanks
Click to expand...

ddraig, I think a 4-5 page covering letter could be way way too long.
Just how many "charachteristics" are listed in the spec?

I think both your CV and your covering letter should answer the questions i.e. you should tailor your CV for the job. Also is your contact an agency or is it the employer. If it is an agency then they may not even pass your covering letter on to the employer.

I don't know if I am right, but I am treating covering letter and CVs as tools to get an interview, not more than that.
 
Thora said:
Oh no, what happened?
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Some teachers did not get the PowerPoint files that allowed them to conduct their lessons today. Luckily, I had forwarded everything to my assistant so no one couldn't do their lessons, but there was panic and nerves that we could have done without, as OFSTED are here. I can't be there today, so I shall get the blame whether it's my fault or not. I don't know if the debacle was cos I didn't send the right files or if the teachers did not read their emails properly!
It's shit sitting here 200 miles away, stressing over something I no longer have any control over.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid!
 
thankyou weltweit
the covering letter is half a page (just the same as the email being sent with the 2 attachments)
the CV is 2 pages
the characteristics bit is 3 pages, there are 9 essential characteristics and 3 desirable and i've not done more than a couple of paragraphs for each.

i appreciate what you are saying and the CV has been tailored a bit, especially with the last couple of roles.
it is nearly done now, just final checks.
the contact is the employer and no one applied last time, including me :oops: so hopefully it will just be me this time
 
A couple of paragraphs sounds like quite a lot for each to me - I think I tend to write a few lines for each, eg. "I have skills in doing xxx when I worked at xxx doing xxx with the outcome xxx" or whatever.
 
ta, it is wordy and it should be shorter but i don't have much direct experience for some of it as my position is a bit lowly and i haven't had many chances to work on more interesting stuff so have had to big up other things and waffle a bit
 
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