You're only 21? That's young enough to consider seeing a military recruiter (Navy, Army or Air Force) Not only a job in itself (possibly a full career) but a chance to learn a trade.
Job market
- Thread starter dubc
- Start date
*Puts on tin hat*
I am an employer.
*Pops head over parapet*
Maybe it will help you to understand my perspective.
I get so many no hope CV's. My job ads are carefully crafted and very detailed as to the skills and experience required to do the job but I still get a tonne of applicants who haven't bothered to read the ad, or tailor there CV to show they can do it or who just thought it was worth a go shoving me their CV. Some do this again and again and again. (which makes me wonder if they don't have to shovel CV's out the door to prove something to the Job Centre)
If you hate the cost of sending out applications then imagine at the other end someone getting 300 applicants for that job. 250 probably rubbish/unsuitable CVs. Having to consider them, grade them, creating a short list, telephone interviews, short lists, face to face interviews, all backed with a heap of formality to show we are not discriminating. No I won't write back to anyone I'm not going to take forward. I don't have time! The hiring process doesn't make me money.
I use an online job site that allows me to put in a screening questionnaire and it says if you can't answer yes to the following 10 questions then you are unsuitable and don't apply. I still get CV's with 6/10. Hiring is a pain in my ****. Hiring the wrong person even worse.
Companies mostly only have the budget for the jobs they want to fill. When they have a role they will create a job spec. It's really unlikely chancing your arm will get you anywhere BUT walking around an industrial estate dropping off your CV ( cheerfully, never pushy) shows gumption and I can see a small business owner being impressed with your ethic and considering you for an entry level job.
Be realistic in your expectation. If you don't have the skills an qualifications for a £30k job why apply? If a company car is involved then why apply if you don't drive? (It's happened) Make sure you can get get to the place of work before you apply. What will you do if the Canadian company wants to meet you?
Make sure your CV is as good as it can be and comes with a smart covering letter. (Not text speak) I have actually taken time in the past to write to the odd candidate who has a CV so utterly poor that it damages their chances of any employment. Remember this is your sales brochure. You say you are 21 and smart. Don't then send out a CV with a spelling mistake or typo and make sure your letter is formally formatted. I just dump candidates who haven't proof read their own application (flags poor accuracy and attention to detail which would cost me eventually) You have one chance to make a first impression.
At 21 don't use terms like "vast experience" this makes me laugh because at 21 you have vast experience of nothing and ideally you would be just finishing education. A degree these days perhaps means to me you could draft a report, do a health and safety assessment and not embarrass my company by sending an email in text speak. Failing this, go and get a professional qualification in a field you want to work in.
If it helps you PM me and I will arrange with you to review your CV to make sure it's doing what you need it to. Genuine offer!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am an employer.
*Pops head over parapet*
Maybe it will help you to understand my perspective.
I get so many no hope CV's. My job ads are carefully crafted and very detailed as to the skills and experience required to do the job but I still get a tonne of applicants who haven't bothered to read the ad, or tailor there CV to show they can do it or who just thought it was worth a go shoving me their CV. Some do this again and again and again. (which makes me wonder if they don't have to shovel CV's out the door to prove something to the Job Centre)
If you hate the cost of sending out applications then imagine at the other end someone getting 300 applicants for that job. 250 probably rubbish/unsuitable CVs. Having to consider them, grade them, creating a short list, telephone interviews, short lists, face to face interviews, all backed with a heap of formality to show we are not discriminating. No I won't write back to anyone I'm not going to take forward. I don't have time! The hiring process doesn't make me money.
I use an online job site that allows me to put in a screening questionnaire and it says if you can't answer yes to the following 10 questions then you are unsuitable and don't apply. I still get CV's with 6/10. Hiring is a pain in my ****. Hiring the wrong person even worse.
Companies mostly only have the budget for the jobs they want to fill. When they have a role they will create a job spec. It's really unlikely chancing your arm will get you anywhere BUT walking around an industrial estate dropping off your CV ( cheerfully, never pushy) shows gumption and I can see a small business owner being impressed with your ethic and considering you for an entry level job.
Be realistic in your expectation. If you don't have the skills an qualifications for a £30k job why apply? If a company car is involved then why apply if you don't drive? (It's happened) Make sure you can get get to the place of work before you apply. What will you do if the Canadian company wants to meet you?
Make sure your CV is as good as it can be and comes with a smart covering letter. (Not text speak) I have actually taken time in the past to write to the odd candidate who has a CV so utterly poor that it damages their chances of any employment. Remember this is your sales brochure. You say you are 21 and smart. Don't then send out a CV with a spelling mistake or typo and make sure your letter is formally formatted. I just dump candidates who haven't proof read their own application (flags poor accuracy and attention to detail which would cost me eventually) You have one chance to make a first impression.
At 21 don't use terms like "vast experience" this makes me laugh because at 21 you have vast experience of nothing and ideally you would be just finishing education. A degree these days perhaps means to me you could draft a report, do a health and safety assessment and not embarrass my company by sending an email in text speak. Failing this, go and get a professional qualification in a field you want to work in.
If it helps you PM me and I will arrange with you to review your CV to make sure it's doing what you need it to. Genuine offer!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
go for Canada young man, it's booming at the moment, the oportunities once you get there will be amazing, Canadian companies hold recruitment fairs over here in Dublin on a regular basis
i wish i was 21 with Canada calling
lets face it, if you don't like it, go back to Scotland.....simple really
i wish i was 21 with Canada calling
lets face it, if you don't like it, go back to Scotland.....simple really
widu13
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
If you just want a job; do a free National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (you only have to be able to swim 50m in 60 secs). You are almost guaranteed a job afterwards; BUT it is and always will be minimum wage with little to no progression prospects. However, if you just want a tide me over job that's usually a goer.
go for Canada young man, it's booming at the moment, the oportunities once you get there will be amazing, Canadian companies hold recruitment fairs over here in Dublin on a regular basis
i wish i was 21 with Canada calling
lets face it, if you don't like it, go back to Scotland.....simple really
+1
I originally came to the UK at about your age because I was offered a job.
21 is a great age to be more adventurous with your decisions.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
go for Canada young man, it's booming at the moment, the oportunities once you get there will be amazing, Canadian companies hold recruitment fairs over here in Dublin on a regular basis
i wish i was 21 with Canada calling
lets face it, if you don't like it, go back to Scotland.....simple really
That was my initial reaction. I've been to Canada with work and there is definatly a can do attitude.
My only concern would be you can't just turn up and work. My understanding, and I could be very wrong so check, is that the Canadian company has to be able to prove no one else can do that job and so go elswhere to fill it. Window cleaning, unless its tower blocks, doesn't seem a difficult position to fill.
I was based in Calgary and had the oppurtunity to drive across the Rockies a couple of times, great place. If you can, GO!!!!!!!! I was going to move the family across, but it didn't work out for me for other reasons.
Go!!!
Canada has a real shortage of people to fill jobs at the moment.
One of my friends works in Alberta for a roofing company, all their staff are from the UK, they can't hire Canadians.
One of my friends works in Alberta for a roofing company, all their staff are from the UK, they can't hire Canadians.
Canada has a lot of openings for skilled workers. Nursing can offer better pay and perhaps conditions and if you are prepared to work in more remote regions and have the required skills the pay can be very good indeed.
+1 on getting applications/CV sorted.
When I used to recruit so many applications didn't get through the first screening due to their poor quality. Doing some voluntary work whilst unemployed always looks good and shows you are willing to do something, not sit on your a**e. Make mention of your bushcrafting hobby too - its hows you are adaptable, resourceful, a problem solver.
Some really good info on this site about CV's, covering letters, interview questions/answers etc - http://www.businessballs.com/curriculum.htm
When I used to recruit so many applications didn't get through the first screening due to their poor quality. Doing some voluntary work whilst unemployed always looks good and shows you are willing to do something, not sit on your a**e. Make mention of your bushcrafting hobby too - its hows you are adaptable, resourceful, a problem solver.
Some really good info on this site about CV's, covering letters, interview questions/answers etc - http://www.businessballs.com/curriculum.htm
There are a lot of job adverts in the medical journals for job opportunities in Canada. Unlike America they do recognise the British qualifications and training so there are only a few extra modules that need to be covered that the average GP over here wouldn't have. If you can also speak French you are almost guaranteed a well paid job as they can't fill the positions in places like Quebec.
I have been on both sides of the application process and I can definitely say that that it is stressful from both perspectives. On the applicants side you are faced with the Job Centre telling you that you have to prove you have made a good effort to apply for work or they would stop your benefits, even if it means applying for jobs that pay half of what you need to get by. Then you have the hassle of applying for many jobs and each application means another tweak of the CV and another custom covering letter, which all takes time.
From the employers side you have the inevitable job of separating the diamonds from the dross and then, as Countryman says, you have the job of interviews and shortlists etc. I always made a point of writing back to every applicant either personally or through my HR department. If we were particularly busy then a basic generic letter and mail merge would have to suffice. I know how it feels to send off my CV and not hear a thing back, its not nice, especially if its a job you really want or a company you want to work for. If there were any applications that were really shoddy then I would offer assistance to sit down and tweak their CV and give them guidance on how to write a proper covering letter.
Speaking of covering letters, many people do not realise the importance of a good covering letter. The letter must show that you fully understand the role of the position applied for but written in such a way that it is concise, and clear to the reader that you have all the relevant qualifications, skills and experience to fulfil the criteria. If you are applying for an advertised vacancy then you must gear your letter (and CV for that matter) to show all the relevant information asked for. It is basically an abridged version of your CV. I have even offered an interview on the back of a covering letter and without even looking at the CV.
It can be a cutthroat market out there and the key is to shine above all the others. Last year, a chap took it on himself to get all his offshore survival certs and then put an advert in the paper offering his services to any company that would have him. He even offered to work for nothing for a month and let the company decide whether he was right for them or not. He then said he would leave it up to the company that had taken him on to decide his wage should they want to keep him on. I thought it showed true initiative and rang him up to offer him a chance to work for us, unfortunately he had been snapped up by another company and I had to be content with giving him a secondary offer should the first company decline a permanent position. I never heard back so I assumed he had been kept on.
From the employers side you have the inevitable job of separating the diamonds from the dross and then, as Countryman says, you have the job of interviews and shortlists etc. I always made a point of writing back to every applicant either personally or through my HR department. If we were particularly busy then a basic generic letter and mail merge would have to suffice. I know how it feels to send off my CV and not hear a thing back, its not nice, especially if its a job you really want or a company you want to work for. If there were any applications that were really shoddy then I would offer assistance to sit down and tweak their CV and give them guidance on how to write a proper covering letter.
Speaking of covering letters, many people do not realise the importance of a good covering letter. The letter must show that you fully understand the role of the position applied for but written in such a way that it is concise, and clear to the reader that you have all the relevant qualifications, skills and experience to fulfil the criteria. If you are applying for an advertised vacancy then you must gear your letter (and CV for that matter) to show all the relevant information asked for. It is basically an abridged version of your CV. I have even offered an interview on the back of a covering letter and without even looking at the CV.
It can be a cutthroat market out there and the key is to shine above all the others. Last year, a chap took it on himself to get all his offshore survival certs and then put an advert in the paper offering his services to any company that would have him. He even offered to work for nothing for a month and let the company decide whether he was right for them or not. He then said he would leave it up to the company that had taken him on to decide his wage should they want to keep him on. I thought it showed true initiative and rang him up to offer him a chance to work for us, unfortunately he had been snapped up by another company and I had to be content with giving him a secondary offer should the first company decline a permanent position. I never heard back so I assumed he had been kept on.
I'm not sure about nursing, but as far as doctors, the US does recognize the training and qualifications of other countries (or more properly, I should say that the individual states do, as it's they rather than the federal government that issues medical licenses and nursing) if it's roughly equivavlent (remember the time of study here to qualify for a GP is roughly 10 years / 4 years of pre-med leading to a bachelor's degree, then another 4 years medical school, then a 2 year internship leading to the doctoral degree before being allowed to take the medical exam. 2-4 years of study for nursing) There's a shortage of doctors here (has been for about 30 years now) and many are coming from India and Asia.
Each individual state administers its own exam before issuing a license but if the education from other countries is good (and if the person taking the exam has done his/her studying) then there should be no problem, as evidenced by the numbers of immigrant doctors.
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If you are seeking a job in Canada, I suspect you will need to drive whether a company car is involved or not.
Regarding CVs in North America (generally called resumes here) many companies don't actually read them. First they will scan them into a computor which seeks out keyword before flagging which ones the PR manager will actually read. Some companies go so far as to disregard any that aren't actually submitted electronically. And under NO circumstance should your CV be more than a single page over here.
Regarding CVs in North America (generally called resumes here) many companies don't actually read them. First they will scan them into a computor which seeks out keyword before flagging which ones the PR manager will actually read. Some companies go so far as to disregard any that aren't actually submitted electronically. And under NO circumstance should your CV be more than a single page over here.
It must have changed in the past couple of years then because although they recognised my wife's medical degree, they basically told her she would have to start back at the beginning and work up through the qualifications and experience she had gained to become a GP in the UK. My wife is originally from California and a US citizen so naturally, when we thought about emigrating the US was the obvious choice. Even though she has a lot of experience in, no matter where she enquired she was basically told the same thing, time after time, that she would have to start at the beginning (House Officer) and work her way up. We couldn't afford to take the hit financially so we dismissed the idea and decided to stay put for the time being.
I would expect that from a school leaver or for an unskilled applicant over here but not a skilled worker. My CV is 3 pages long and I know my wife's is like a small novel!! If I got a CV from someone applying for a skilled position and it was only a page long, no matter how good they said they were I would probably reject them.
Is the resume in the US a different format from the UK and counts for a lot less in the application process? I'm asking as I find it very interesting.
It is a pain trying to find work doing something you like, I have 20 years voluntary experience working for the woodland trust, honours degree in conservation and woodland management (1st), chainsaw license, clearing saw and spraying tickets too, I could not even get an interview for anything related 3 years ago when I lost my last job, I had to resort to sending the wife out to work while I stay at home to look after our son.
Some countries are easier to get work permits than. About twelve years ago a New Zealand trust wanted my wife to go and setup a substance abuse treatment centre and the idiots that we are we never went
My nephew applied online for a mental health nurse post in NZ a few days later his phone rang and a chap asked him if he'd mind being interviewed over the phone; Carl thought it was a chum messing about and told the fella to bugger off and hung up. The phone rang again and it was indeed a telephone interview. He got the job and was out there working within a few months and absolutely loves it there. Another nurse I worked with applied and had a skype video interview and she's now working in Australia. Two others went to nurse in the USA, one in New England and one on the West coast although she only stayed a year or so and moved to Australia.
If I could get my grown children to move to Canada or NZ we'd sell up and retire over there to be near them.
There is a lot of work overseas but you need a skill thats in demand.
My nephew applied online for a mental health nurse post in NZ a few days later his phone rang and a chap asked him if he'd mind being interviewed over the phone; Carl thought it was a chum messing about and told the fella to bugger off and hung up. The phone rang again and it was indeed a telephone interview. He got the job and was out there working within a few months and absolutely loves it there. Another nurse I worked with applied and had a skype video interview and she's now working in Australia. Two others went to nurse in the USA, one in New England and one on the West coast although she only stayed a year or so and moved to Australia.
If I could get my grown children to move to Canada or NZ we'd sell up and retire over there to be near them.
There is a lot of work overseas but you need a skill thats in demand.
Some countries are easier to get work permits than. About twelve years ago a New Zealand trust wanted my wife to go and setup a substance abuse treatment centre and the idiots that we are we never went
My nephew applied online for a mental health nurse post in NZ a few days later his phone rang and a chap asked him if he'd mind being interviewed over the phone; Carl thought it was a chum messing about and told the fella to bugger off and hung up. The phone rang again and it was indeed a telephone interview. He got the job and was out there working within a few months and absolutely loves it there. Another nurse I worked with applied and had a skype video interview and she's now working in Australia. Two others went to nurse in the USA, one in New England and one on the West coast although she only stayed a year or so and moved to Australia.
If I could get my grown children to move to Canada or NZ we'd sell up and retire over there to be near them.
There is a lot of work overseas but you need a skill thats in demand.
Spot on! Being flexible and brave enough to travel for work is a good thing and is one of the best ways to beat recessions. I moved to the UK because I wanted the change. When there were problems finding work in the UK I shifted to Holland for a bit and other times I moved to other parts of Britain.
There are far more opportunities if you are prepared to adapt.
