Job Hunting experience till date

[aspirant99]

Hi,

Since I have not been visiting this part of the forum for quite some time as I have been blurring my eyes throughout the day searching and applying for jobs from India.Now after 3 weeks of searching I have got a couple of F2F interviews lined up in london and a couple of telephonic interviews. Till date on my very little experience of UK job search i would like to share the following points I have noticed and might help others.

1) Prepare a good, short & precise CV.Keep the CV upto 2-3 pages else u might kill the recruiter if he/she has to go through a 10 page epic.Put in your top skills, knowledge, certifications, domain etc right at the top in the profile, synopsis section.
2) I would advice to get a skype UK number as it helps...it helped me.
3)Make a strong cover letter highlighting your main skills..sometimes u have to modify it as per the requirements
4)Keep on updating & upskilling yourself as and when necessary.
5)When you get a call from the recruiter ...have a very specific and clear opening to your call..dont be overexcited, dont be dull...have a polished & shining answer ready when the recruiter asks as to when you can be in the UK or available for the interview..take your buffer time(maybe a week from the time the call came in) and give them an honest answer as to when you can be there..
6) Get the JD from the recruiter and prepare
7) One thing that I have noticed is that the max calls till date that i have got are on thursdays & fridays..maybe an entire coincidence..but in case you are travelling to the UK for a job search maybe you can keep a note of it and arrange your tickets for arrival departure around these days and keep a buffer week after..but this is entirely my experience so choose at will.
8.) Be PATIENT...after applying for jobs it took me almost 2 weeks for calls from recruiters/consultants to start flowing in...
9) If you got any contact in the UK...start seeking help from them from day one and dont't wait.
10) most importantly BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

Dont know what is going to happen next week but i thought of sharing my experience if it can help anyone...good luck!!

[innu]

Hi aspirant99..Did you got the interview calls while searching job from India itself or did you travel to UK to start ur job search?
I am also currently applying from India but dont get reply. Regarding Skype which option have you selected and how much did it cost you?

Rgds
Innu

[aspirant99]

Hi aspirant99..Did you got the interview calls while searching job from India itself or did you travel to UK to start ur job search?
I am also currently applying from India but dont get reply. Regarding Skype which option have you selected and how much did it cost you?

Rgds
Innu

Yes, I got the interview calls searching jobs from India. Following is what i did to get a skype number:
1) go on the skype website i.e http://www.skype.com/intl/en/features/a ... ine-number
2) Click on "get Skype" and download it on your PC/mobile whatever is comfortable to you
3)Click on Features and get an "online number"..it depends what deal you subscribe to..i took the 3 month subscription.
4) I also took the call forwarding facility to my indian mobile number on so that i do not miss a call when I am at work....in al it cost me GBP 32 ..hope this helps!!

[venugopal1118]

Hi,

From here through which sites you applied and did you kept your resume in portals or just you taken email id from the openings and applied please let me know

and also what is your domain


thanks

[aspirant99]

Hi,

From here through which sites you applied and did you kept your resume in portals or just you taken email id from the openings and applied please let me know

and also what is your domain


thanks

I applied through the generic sites that everyone applies on:

1) jobserve.co.uk..to get to UK jobserve site you have to use a webproxy url as in India user is directed to the jobserve indian site where you wont find Uk job openings
2) cwjobs.co.uk
3) monster.co.uk
4) reed.co.uk

And some random websites where i could find openings after googling...

I uploaded my CV on the above portals and spend some time( twice a day atleast )on these websites and search for my skill set related openings..In some cases i applied to the email addresses given on the job postings

I am in the s/w testing domain...

[venugopal1118]

Hey

Very intresting i too in software tesing iam planning to move to UK on oct1st

1.so did you get calls for testing right

2.can you please let me know what type of questions they are asking

3.howmuch exp you have i have 6yrs exp
4.where you are from

thanks

[aspirant99]

Hey

Very intresting i too in software tesing iam planning to move to UK on oct1st

1.so did you get calls for testing right

2.can you please let me know what type of questions they are asking

3.howmuch exp you have i have 6yrs exp
4.where you are from

thanks

Yes, I got calls for testing..currently the interviews have been scheduled so i am still not aware of what technical questions they might ask but recruiters/HR just get a feeler of your skillset, your availability, the salry you expect and brief you about the position that the opening is for..then if you are interested they would set upa schedule

I have got 5+ yeras of experience. I am from Delhi.

One thing just out of interest, is there any specific reason that you have chosen oct to fly to the UK as during that time the attendance at work is thin and might hamper your search for some time as you might not get the relevant people to call you or schedule or conduct ur interviews...this is my two pence...

[venugopal1118]

yes correct,we got visa from oct1st only

1. as per your suggestion better to avoind applying now right

2. better to apply from august ending seems

3. friend dont mine can you please send me resume formate to venugopal1118@gmail.com

thanks

[aspirant99]

yes correct,we got visa from oct1st only

1. as per your suggestion better to avoind applying now right

2. better to apply from august ending seems

3. friend dont mine can you please send me resume formate to venugopal1118@gmail.com

thanks

Yes i would suggest that start applying aug endish/september startish...meanwhile you have got the opportunity to eyeball the market and upskill yourself accordingly...hopefully things will work out!!

I am still working on the format as I have to trim down the format a bit for better responses..i wil send it across to you in a couple fo days..good luck!!

[ashishashah]

Better fly to UK before OCT ..Else wait till Jan/Feb..As there is hardly any activity happening between Oct mid till Jan mid (Xmas and new year period)

[prisat]

Better fly to UK before OCT ..Else wait till Jan/Feb..As there is hardly any activity happening between Oct mid till Jan mid (Xmas and new year period)

Not true... Seems like a illusion in most of the cases.

[aspirant99]

Not true... Seems like a illusion in most of the cases.

If HR or recuitment officer is on holiday then how do you expect people to call you or take the process further..the turnout of employees at work is thin so there is more probability of the turnaround time of your application process being more than expected...that is why it is being suggested that to maximise the probability of landing with a job interview/rounds in a decent duration it is a good idea to plan when you have more people to look at you CV and call you back...

However, in the OPs case as he has no other option than to fly post 1st oct...all said the above suggestion even in the remotest sense does not mean that one will not land up with a job if they fly & serach during oct to mid jan...only thing pointed out here is that the process of getting interview calls, interviews, offer letter etc etc will take longer which might increase the cost if u are seraching in the UK or increase the entry time on your visa to the UK if you are searching from India.

[ashishashah]

Also weather is cold and dull after OCt...Its not a major issue if you are already in UK,but if u r landing for the first time then its a BIG turn off...

[*FC*]

Not true... Seems like a illusion in most of the cases.

If HR or recuitment officer is on holiday then how do you expect people to call you or take the process further..the turnout of employees at work is thin so there is more probability of the turnaround time of your application process being more than expected...that is why it is being suggested that to maximise the probability of landing with a job interview/rounds in a decent duration it is a good idea to plan when you have more people to look at you CV and call you back...

.

Well, clearly, this is an illusion. There is no strong case to prove that the job market slows down between October and January. Infact, contract job market picks up for small contracts during this period.

Also, if HR/Recruitment officer is on a holiday then there will be a substitution and nothing is dependant on a person's holiday.

[aspirant99]

Also, if HR/Recruitment officer is on a holiday then there will be a substitution and nothing is dependant on a person's holiday.

My experience says it does impact if a person is on holidays..however, this is my personal experience ..everbody has one

[kenfrapin]

There is a noticeable difference when it comes to making fresh investment into the business in terms of new hires over the Christmas months. While it may not be from Oct to Feb, the months of Dec and Jan are the worst for recruitment.
As its best to summarize with few points, let me do the same here. I am only speaking of IT at the moment and no other profession

1. Christmas is a marker to wind down for the year be it Telecoms or Product Companies - if there were any projects geared towards releases, it happens before Christmas day. As a result, come November, unless there is an urgent requirement, new projects are rarely kicked off

2. Budget allocations are usually made in Oct/Nov or year end for the NEXT year - thats the cycle in many companies but this is not generic. I am trying to state that funds available for work and hence projects that kick off from Feb/March etc are a LOT more in number compared to just few in Nov/Dec. This naturally means a lot more jobs from Feb/March onwards

3. As projects wind down and allocated budgets near exhaustion, companies do not tend to take on any senior recruits towards Nov/Dec - Especially Dec as, with XMas nearing, almost everyone has a holiday planned so they dont prefer taking a person on board who has already planned for an XMas break. And yes, thats how it works in the UK - when you join a new company, they ask if you have planned a holiday and if you say yes, they try their best to allow you to go ahead with it even if you dont have any leaves accumulated

4. Since there are no major projects kicking off plus no absolute requirement of senior resources until post Feb, contractors have an opportunity at this point in time. There will be quite a few jobs from mid Dec to mid Jan but chances of extension are close to zero as these are genuine contracts to fill the XMas gap

5. Finally, as every one will agree, the weather is crap. And going ahead, if its anything like the one this year, then its better not to be here. Many companies actually delayed key projects until Feb 2010 as Jan was bad and everyone was snowed in!!!! There was hardly any work, people stayed home, worked from home but major projects could not kick off with people working from home. This would also have a DIRECT impact on hiring. If projects get delayed so does the hiring part of it as well

Even for all other professions and trade, if it snows as bad as it did this year, everything in the UK comes to a standstill. And when people cant make a simple journey from home to work and back, when people already working for a company cant make it to kick start work, when many public services come to a stand still - do you really think there will be any sort of hiring goin on?
So, in general, it is very true to state that the duration from mid- Nov to mid-Feb is bad COMPARED to rest of the year and it only makes sense for a person to avoid this time period. Apart from really unsuccessful job hunts, the bad weather and few hrs of sunlight will make you feel miserable especially if its your first time here

Regards
KP

[kenfrapin]

I forgot to add a very important point

While there are replacements work wise for anyone who goes on leave, when it comes to recruitment and taking on a new employee, it will be the actual Business Manager or Head of an area who signs it off. Even if they have a replacement in place when the top honchos go on a Winter break, the replacement cannot make a decision to hire.

Hence, keeping this in mind, companies tend to not initiate any recruitment as they know at one point or the other, atleast one top executive who is part of the entire recruitment process will not be in which will derail the final offer being made and hence stall the process itself

KP

[innu]

Thanks aspirant99..i will follow the Skype approach of taking the UK number. I agree with you that in UK and EU people are on leave because i am working in an tech support environment for EMEA region and customers are on leave already and others are planning as well.

[aspirant99]

Posting my experience of the telephonic round.

Hope this helps..

I was called excactly at 11:00 am Uk hours as promised a week before when the interview was scheduled, of course the punctuality of timing was scary....However, the interview started and followed the below course:

Initially the interviewer(HR) introduced herself, explained the format of the interview that is going to follow in the next 45 minutes.The interview was divided into the following set of questions:

1) Previous employment checks--In this the interviewer will ask you about your previous employments and specifically the reason why you left the organisations if you have worked in more than one.

2) Questions related to the area of expertise & as per your job profile--Mine is testing so a lot of questions around what all types of testing, what types of tools i have used, what roles I have performed etc etc

3) Questions related to behavourial aspects--This was more like where i was asked to give examples where I have shown aspects, like team management, team leader, assertiveness, exceeding client expectations, initiative, resilience. I had to give expamples of situations for each of the behavourial aspect..phew!!!

4) Generic questions--like salary expectations, preferred location where i would like to wrk if successful , visa status etc etc.

The above in all took me 35 minutes exact. Tips--Just be your confident self and be prepared for the calls as per the schedule as these kind of organisations are very well prepared...good luck!!

[samAG]

aspirant99,

The experience shared by you is too good! I mean I am pretty sure that this will help other folks trying for a job out there. Keep it up dude.

-samAG

[aspirant99]

aspirant99,

The experience shared by you is too good! I mean I am pretty sure that this will help other folks trying for a job out there. Keep it up dude.

-samAG

Thanks for the kind words mate!!..Will continue trying to give back as much as I can!!

[sapvish]

aprirant99 i greatly appreciate you sharing your experience with everyone.

I was not sure how things move or work when we are in India and try to apply for jobs in UK. You have tried with having Skype number. I have one question. When recruiters got to know that you are still in India, did they have any second thoughts? Or are the recruiters comfortable if you give them the exact day when you can land in UK for a FTF?

Also, were you still employed in India when you applied for jobs in UK?
I am very keen to have any info in this regard bcos considering the current UK job market I am skeptical of quitting from current job and trying in UK. It may take days to months to fetch a job.

[prisat]

Not true... Seems like a illusion in most of the cases.

If HR or recuitment officer is on holiday then how do you expect people to call you or take the process further..the turnout of employees at work is thin so there is more probability of the turnaround time of your application process being more than expected...that is why it is being suggested that to maximise the probability of landing with a job interview/rounds in a decent duration it is a good idea to plan when you have more people to look at you CV and call you back...

However, in the OPs case as he has no other option than to fly post 1st oct...all said the above suggestion even in the remotest sense does not mean that one will not land up with a job if they fly & serach during oct to mid jan...only thing pointed out here is that the process of getting interview calls, interviews, offer letter etc etc will take longer which might increase the cost if u are seraching in the UK or increase the entry time on your visa to the UK if you are searching from India.

Really ????

I don't go on vacation for months.... And companies cant wait for months. I can take up and talk on this from business perspective. Again it would look too much here

PS - I am not a consultant. But i do provide consultation as and when required. 'I' is just myself here

[aspirant99]

aprirant99 i greatly appreciate you sharing your experience with everyone.

I was not sure how things move or work when we are in India and try to apply for jobs in UK. You have tried with having Skype number. I have one question. When recruiters got to know that you are still in India, did they have any second thoughts? Or are the recruiters comfortable if you give them the exact day when you can land in UK for a FTF?

Also, were you still employed in India when you applied for jobs in UK?
I am very keen to have any info in this regard bcos considering the current UK job market I am skeptical of quitting from current job and trying in UK. It may take days to months to fetch a job.

I told the recruiters that i am currently in India but will be available in the UK next week which was pre-planned in my case as i did want to come to the UK within the 28 days of my star of visa..so the recruiters were cool about it..not sure how will they reast if you give them a landing of say 3-4 weeks from the date of call ...

Also, yes i was emplyed when i applied for jobs and I am still is emplyed..i am in UK on leaves taht i have taken from my current employer in India....one thing just to add I know the market is tight but the right candidates are still wanted so weigh your risk accordingly and test the water first before going in for the shark kill..all the best

[sapvish]

Thanks for ur suggestion aspirant99..