Yvonne Said:

The TRUTH about Job searching! (long question)?

We Answered:

Totally agreeing with you! I've just finished my BSc in Animal Behaviour. Over the three years of the course I did every work experience possible. I worked with just about every animal on the planet. I did cleaning, feeding, training, research, office admin etc etc etc. Finish uni, go back to all the places I've worked at and who gets the job.......the bosses son of course. I didn't have the money to do any more experience so 7 months on still no job. I've now started my own company, been up a week and getting there so thats a fourth option for you're list......... If you can't get a job, make one!!!

Good luck in the job hunt, hope you have better luck soon!

Enrique Said:

The TRUTH about Job searching! (long question)?

We Answered:

Recruitment firms (headhunters) really only work for people who have post-bachelors work experience. They don't tend to work with people coming right out of uni. So if you're spending a lot of your job hunt time sending stuff to recruiters, you may not want to bother.

It's not the case that if you apply to a job in June, and the job is still listed in Jan, and you haven't heard anything, that it's a fake job. It's probably that you aren't qualified, so they didn't bother contacting you; and that the job requires specific skills, which is making it hard for them to find a qualified candidate.

It's not uncommon in tech fields for the recruiter to perhaps not know that X software is equivalent to Y software. Knowing that, rework your resume/CV and cover letter. Make those sorts of things quite clear. And still, you may have employers who insist you need X software, not Y - there's little you can do about that. But at least by making it clear, in your written materials, that you have X, equivalent to Y, you may be able to get past the recruiter. If the recruiter is interested in recent uni grads at all.

Interviewers aren't particularly interested in your random extra curriculars. They're interested in what you've done that's applicable to the job they have open. So what sorts of career-related experiences did you gain while you studied? Did you do a work placement in programming, for example? Did you do programming work for clubs and orgs on campus, or via volunteer work? And even with this, it'll only work for jobs where they want entry-level, recent uni grads. If the job specifically states you need two years of experience in X software, then they mean two years of experience in full time employment, and you are not qualified.

Know that if it's the case that you're sending in your resume and CV, and hearing nothing, there's something about your CV that's a mis-match for that job. But if it's the case that you're sending in your resume and getting an interview, and then not getting the job, then your CV is fine - there's something about your interviewing skills that are an issue. And that, your old uni's career center can help you with.

Evaluate the market for the job you want in your local region. Is it the case that if you moved to, say, Brighton, or Edinburgh, or London, you could get a job? Then that may be something you need to seriously consider. Go there, find a job in your field, work for 2-5 years, and then use that experience to get a job back at home, if you want to do that.

Even at home, use your network. Most jobs are found not because you're family, but because you know someone, so make sure that everyone you know, and everyone they know, knows that you're looking, and for what. That means friends, old professors, people at your mom's church, your uncle in East Nowhere, old coworkers from part-time jobs, everyone. You never know who knows someone who knows someone, and since most jobs are found this way, do not skip this.

Do informational interviews with companies who say they aren't hiring, but where you'd like to work. In such a meeting, which is max. 15 minutes long, you tell them up front that you're not coming in for hiring purposes, but instead to learn more about the type of job you're targeting, their company, and what they look for in new hires. You do bring your CV/resume to this meeting, as a leave behind. And then you follow up occasionally, first with a "thanks for meeting with me, very helpful" message, and later with a reminder "We met, thanks again, if you're ever hiring, I hope you think of me" message. What these meetings do for you is help you better understand what skills and experience these employers are looking for, so you can try to go get it, and also puts you in their mind, so that if a job does open up, they remember you for it.

Claude Said:

The TRUTH about Job searching! (long question)?

We Answered:

The economy is bad and they say you just have to be persistent and willing to do any job , I guess!

Don Said:

Cali or Medellin? Which place would you recommend for teaching English in Colombia?

We Answered:

Definetely Bogota is the place to go, is the biggest city and looks like another country compared to Cali or Medellin. Theres a lot of bilingual schools over there as much as language institutes and companies that want their employees to speak english. Nonetheless, I think Medellin is also a good nice, its a pretty small city, has a very gentle weather and warm people. There's also a considerable amount of rich people and biligual schools who are the more probable target for teaching english. The point is that is not that safe and there are just 3 or 4 safe and pretty areas, the rest are not recommended at all but it's still a good idea.
Cali is not the best idea, its far more unsafe than the other two cities, way too hot and most of the young people over there are looking forward to either study or work in Bogota or even Medellin, a good reason for not going there for work, but for holiday could be ok.
Dont hesitate about going to Colombia, is a great place, especially if expecting to teach english due to the high interest of people in learning languages and travel abroad (Bogotaneans and Paisas -ppl form Medellin-love to do that).