Category Archives: Job Applications

Job Applications, Job Hunting, Project Management, Project Management Job Boards, project management jobs, project management recruitment, project management resume, Q&A

Which Project Management Agencies should my friend be using – Q&A

Nicola Caswell-Thorp Leave a comment

Hi Nicola, a friend of mine who has been living and working outside the UK for some time has decided to move back to the UK with his new wife and has asked me which project management recruitment agencies are best for him to sign up to. He has a background in delivering software implementations on a contract basis and is keen to pick up where he left off. – Chris, Manchester.

Hi Chris, many thanks for your question. A starting point for your friend would be my blog on project management job boards as this lists some of the forerunners in the field both recruitment agency wise and good PM related job boards. However I also would like to point out that your friend will need to make sure he has his CV up to date and is in-line with current requirements of the employer as he has been away for a while. Being a contractor one of the first things I would suggest is to make sure the CV talks through his assignments and pays particular attention to why he was brought in and the state of the project on arrival (including how he picked it up and led it to success). Contractors are generally paid a premium day rate to “hit the ground running” and as such demonstrable experience of this is what hiring managers are looking for in a CV.

Coming home

Next I would suggest your friend creates a LinkedIn account (if he hasn’t already got one) and brings it up to date, ensuring it is searchable by everyone – this will open up opportunities for employers proactively searching for fresh talent. He should also make sure he has some recommendations from previous clients and managers so he has some good references to back up his work.

Job hunting also requires some further input from your friend such as posting his CV on the job boards – personally I would recommend some of the larger general job websites and also the specialist job websites such as the ones mentioned in my article. It is important to keep refreshing the CV on these websites as the longer they are in the databases the further down the searches they go. From a recruiter perspective I have found that when searching for CVs through such databases that I am offered a date selection – I would automatically assume that those over a month old have now secured a new position so they would be discounted from the search.

It is also good practice to keep abreast of organisations local to you to understand any changes and jobs which may pop up on their websites – your friend can set up google alerts on companies so he is emailed when something new is published online about them. Any changes such as new service offerings / mergers / product launches etc are a fantastic opportunity for your friend to make a speculative approach to the business and really sell himself to how he could add value. The speculative letter needs to be really tailored to the organisation and its changes and highlight examples of when he delivered similar changes.

A bit of fun, CV Tips, Job Applications, Observations

Amusing grammatical errors found in CVs

Nicola Caswell-Thorp Leave a comment

Over the years of working in recruitment I have seen all manner of CVs from students to Directors – one common mistake made on CVs is an inability to proof read the CV before making applications for jobs. Now it is hilariously funny seeing some of the mistakes but is catastrophic for the applicant as you are clearly demonstrating your lack of attention to detail, good writing skills and sometimes it just looks like you don’t care.

I didn't did I?

Here are some examples of where spellchecker is not your friend as it won’t pick up the wrong use of language:

Dealing with customer queries and multi-tasting

Uh oh, you may enjoy tasting from the biscuit tin but that is not addressing the task in hand!

Ruining corporate level strategy meetings

Ha ha well there may have been times where the meetings didn’t go to plan but running away from this gaff will leave you out in the cold with recruiters.

Accruing anal reports for senior management

We’ve all had to work on very detailed reports however year end reporting is not to be picked at.

Managing work odours

There may be a few nasty niffs in the office, I find that buying a plug-in air freshener usually puts things back in order 😉

Career break – maturity leave

After writing this article I feel some maturity leave may well be in order – it has certainly given me some belly laughs.

Responsible for coping, editing and print

A good coping mechanism can be to copy others maybe?

Demonstrable track record of poof-reading

This one just needs to disappear in a poof and some serious proof reading is required.

Pubic relations officer

Not to be made public I fear.

The lesson to be learned from this story is not to solely rely on spell/grammar checker when writing your CV. It is easy to make a mistake when you are trying to get down all your information and not re-reading the document several times before sending it out to employers and recruiters will be your biggest mistake of all.

12 days of Christmas, Careers Advice, CV Writing, Job Applications, Job Hunting, No, Project Management Careers Advice, Project management CV, Seasons Greetings

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Nicola Caswell-Thorp Leave a comment

On the 8^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

…8 Maids A-milking! Well all sorts could be read into that, but we’ll go for: On the 8^th day of Christmas the CV righter gave to me 8 mistakes of applications, 7 deadly sins of job hunting, 6 Key Achievements, 5 Golden Rules, 4 calling cards, 3 networks, 2 referees and a killer CV.

A popular article is “What’s the worst that can happen? 8 gaffs when applying for roles” – which talks through some very valid points which I have seen over the years in my recruitment capacity; although they seem obvious these mistakes are still made by eager candidates.

The key to making a successful job application is not to rush – yes there are deadlines but if you have planned and researched from the outset then you will be in a position to start making applications, rather than deciding off the cuff to just start applying one day.

Make sure your CV is up to date – I’ve lost count of applications from candidates who sent in CVs which hadn’t been updated since securing a new role 3 years ago. Or worst still, an updated CV which has a garbled one line about the current role which tells us nothing and doesn’t follow the format of the previous roles so it is obvious they have rushed something to make the application. It does not create a good impression and if anything, says a lot about how you work and where you are willing to put in effort. Not good for a project person – not good for anyone but really, for a project professional!!!

Research your field and understand the basics such as skill-sets required, salary bandings (and where you sit), recruitment agencies specific to your needs, job boards yielding your types of roles and get networking in the right circles.

Putting that extra bit of effort in can be the difference between securing interviews with the lucky few or being discarded with the hundreds of competitors also looking for a new job.

On the 1^st day of Christmas The CV Righter gave to me a Killer CV

On the 2^nd day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me Two Referees

On the 3^rd day of Christmas The CV Righter gave to me Three Networks

On the 4^th day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me 4 calling cards

On the 5^th day of Christmas The CV Righter gave to me 5 golden rules

On the 6^th day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me 6 Key achievements

On the 7th day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me the 7 deadly sins of job hunting

On the 8th day of Christmas The

12 days of Christmas, Job Applications, Job Hunting, No, Seasons Greetings

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Nicola Caswell-Thorp Leave a comment

On the 7^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

…7 Swans A-swimming! Ah lovely, as long as you don’t get too close and then they hiss like geese. So we’ll steer clear of the swans and go for: On the 7^th day of Christmas The CV Righter said to me 7 deadly sins of job hunting, 6 Key Achievements, 5 Golden Rules, 4 calling cards, 3 networks, 2 referees and a killer CV.

Lust – Lusting after a new role can land you in trouble. The recruiter in me loves passionate project people, they are so easy to sell on to clients and the need for challenge over remuneration package is truly a refreshing change. But calling up recruiters to tell them how much you hate them and will never work with them again because this IS the job of your dreams and you must be put forward is verging on the stalker / psycho behaviour.
Gluttony – move away from the job boards; stop eating up every role with the word “Project” in it. It is quality not quantity, pick your roles carefully and apply in bite sizes to keep track of your efforts.
Greed – money isn’t everything; look at what else is on offer and I don’t mean pensions and healthcare. What is the organisations training policy? What are the chances of career progression? Are the projects going to add something to your portfolio?
Sloth – make an effort, don’t just bulk apply with the same cover and CV. Tailor your letters and CV for each application. Making the effort does make a difference and lazy candidates become quickly apparent to employers.
Wrath – sits close with Lust this one; keep your cool when looking for a job. I know it is frustrating and scary and you feel like you are putting all the effort in to a black hole. If you come across aggressive and grumpy to others then you are not going to get very far at all.
Envy – don’t sit there thinking your colleagues / friends seem to have something you don’t as they seem to manage to score interviews and job offers whereas you never hear back from applications. Get some feedback on your CV and ask to see your peers CVs to understand what it is about them that attracts employers.
Pride – stop being so proud, ask for feedback and listen to what you hear. Just because your CV reads fine to you, doesn’t mean it is!