I was talking to a Canadian lady recently. We got onto the subject of my looking for work. I told her what I am qualified to do and expressed my surprise at not getting call backs for jobs I could easily do.
She said I should have 2 resumes. One correct one and the other that is "not as good"
She said that if I looked over qualified, then I would be ignored. I always thought, the more experience the better.
Has anyone done this?
I could see myself getting really confused remembering which one I had sent as I am applying for anything I see

Tina

Hogwash, send the best you can. How would you know which one to send where? Not getting call backs is a part of Canadian job hunting.

I know I have been advised to have one resume detailing my retail/hospitality experience and glossing over my better Admin experience (higher position) and one doing the opposite, tailoring the resume to what the employer wants to see rather than a bit of everything.

There are a couple of job fairs coming up - one at Bower mall and the other at the Westerner, both around the same time. I've had a really busy week, sorry we couldn't get together - next week should be better?

Hi
What has always worked for me was 'tweeking' a generic resume (CV), to suit the job applied for.
If necessary, as they say 'forgetting' to put down all your qualifications.
A few times here and in the UK I have overheard the ...

... 'x' would be 'over qualified',
... 'x' would get bored and soon move on to a better job.

cheers
Jerry

That is the key. A different resume for every job you apply for. Find out what the employer needs and tailor your resume to show how you meet those needs.

Agreed. This is obvious stuff that should be done by everybody as a matter of course.

Yeah you definately need to tweak your resume for each job, I usually made my key skills more applicable to the job I was applying for especially if I had no immediate experience in that job but had transferable skills.



....I have a folder with about 50 different resumes *hides*

Dont get too frustrated with not getting calls, I went months without any, and had 5 interviews in 2 days. Can happen at any time.

The only major thing I changed was my cover letter, I really improved it, using companies name in it when possible, describing what I am looking for, wage expected, why I think the job is suited for me etc.

My cover letter is now almost a full page and what I include depends on the position, but all my interviews coincide with the new cover letter.

Its very random how some companies hire and interview.

I agree, I think the cover letter is the absolute key. I and somebody else I know both had the experience of being contacted after "that superb cover letter", for myself, it turned out that the job wasn't suited to me at all, (but my cover letter was fantastic!), and the other guy I know, both his parents thought his cover letter was totally OTT, but the employer loved it!

I usually include some spiel about hoping that we can meet to discuss how my skills will meet the company's needs, and I know the other guy went with downright flattery of the company concerned!

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies. Over the last couple of months, I have tweeked my resume to make some of my duties sound more Canadian.
I do send individual cover letters too. Just a waiting game at the moment I suppose.
There are definitely more jobs being advertised as the weeks progress. Not necessarily for me but more actual paper space etc.
Piff, yeah I saw the job fairs. I will have a look. I'll email you later.

Tina

Maybe volunteer somewhere or take a lower job somewhere to keep from having a large gap?

I have a gap and one of the first questions I have been asked a couple times now, is why I didn't work in another industry, or volunteer somewhere.

It is worth calling a few days after you submit your resume. While this is an alien approach to us Brits....failure to do so can suggest that you are not interested and just fishing for work...

Another approach is to contact a company that you are interested in and ask whether you could have an information interview where you interview one of their senior people....stress that you are just interested in the company and what to see how some of the folks have made it to where they are etc....it massages a few ego's and if you hit if off you never know...they might have something available...or worse case will have a face to a name should you ever submit your resume....

I used to do the calling back thing, over all, the majority of the companies when I called requested that applicants not call, and they would contact those who are interested. It wasa rare event to get connected to anyone other then the person who happend to answer the phone.

Might work for jobs where there are less applicants though, depends on the type of work your looking for I suppose.

I think that it depends upon your point of view....if you are sending out countless resumes and receiving nothing in return....what harm can it do?

Particularly if it is the case, as it is with some organizations, that they appreciate that go getting approach....I know that my Canadian buddies were amazed when I told them that it was something that we didnt do...naturally they thought that it was the English reserve...

Like I said, all depends on the type of job. Most of the time all I know is a company name, and email address and thats it, they rarely if ever include the persons name or phone number.

But I am in the service industry where managers typically dont sit in an office nor have time to go talking to applicants.