Foo - My Marketable Job Skills Do NOT Include...

...the ability to successfully get a resume past the computer systems that do the initial screening and in front of a real, live person capable (one would hope) of interpreting qualifications and skills in the context of a position's needs.

http://planetsmilies.net/angry-smiley-203.gif

Bugger. Keep trying, you are bound to win eventually. For any of these positions can you take your CV in personally?

I agree with gnome: human engineering is much more effective than a sharp resume.

You have to walk in and say, "Hi" a few times. Just be seen somehow. If you're really bold, you could just show up like you work there and offer to help with whatever. Just say you have some down time and want to help out. No one needs to know the downtime is unemployed time. ...That's my off-the-wall idea.

Didn't George try that on Seinfeld?

You have to walk in and say, "Hi" a few times. Just be seen somehow. If you're really bold, you could just show up like you work there and offer to help with whatever. Just say you have some down time and want to help out. No one needs to know the downtime is unemployed time. ...That's my off-the-wall idea.

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Depending on the industry and the company's policies, this may get you arrested.

-1

Depending on the industry and the company's policies, this may get you arrested.
Even if it doesn't, it won't come off well to just offer to help out. People sometime approach me, but it actually comes across as desperate or psycho rather than motivated and willing. Besides, free work is not free work -- training someone to do anything worth doing takes a lot of time, so you don't invest this in anyone you can't hold onto for awhile.

However, making the human touch is highly worthwhile. Just making contact in a normal way is effective.

Yeah, I'm not so down with barging into a workplace, especially in engineering where intellectual property (and sometimes guest safety) is a legitimate concern.

I'm doing the motivated and willing gig right now by volunteering in my time off...which is a bonus because one of the gigs is restoring an old steam-powered tugboat for a museum. That's a lot of fun.

I'm working what human contacts I have, but many of their companies aren't hiring at all, and a lot of the others are doing work that honestly doesn't excite me. I'll keep them on the backburner.

Techno-temping?

Didn't George try that on Seinfeld?

Yeah, that's probably where the idea came from. It was just buried in the recesses of my mind somewhere. :rolleyes: :lol:

But the idea of temping is a good one. That way, you actually get legitimate clearance to help out. You also get exposure to companies that may hire you full-time.

I've done a lot of temp jobs over the years, and I've loved it. I've always had my "main job" with benes, security, etc. But the temping provides extra cash and an additional sense of security. The best part is that you work when you want, and don't when you don't. I still get a little postcard each year from a seasonal job that I work, and it always comes at the right time. :) Even if I don't need the money, I work and stash it away.

I've got another one that I haven't worked in a while, but I enjoyed that company, too. The director there said that she loved all of her temp workers because we were "like gold" to them. Sometimes, she'd send me on harder assignments and pay me more than the standard rate.

I also worked one where the company was looking to hire temps on a full-time basis. They already had an arrangement with the temp agency. I wasn't interested in full-time employment with that company, but many others treated the job as an extended interview and got what they wanted.