February 2004 Newsletter

Welcome to February's Newsletter!

This month we are concentrating once again on getting that all important first job in the Information Technology industry.

One of the most used - and abused - methods of circulating your CV is by using web job sites. Unfortunately, some of the results achieved by doing this are pretty hit and miss unless you use the following tips.

There are hundreds of job sites and places to forward your CV to, so you can waste a lot of time (and money on some occasions) by not being selective.

Tip 1: Never pay a big fee for posting your CV on a site or for using resources on a site. The site may look great, but you don’t know what they are doing with your CV. They could also be making up job postings.

Reputable sites should be getting their money from the companies that are searching for employees - not the other way round!

Tip 2: Don’t bother posting your CV to a job site that is national or international in scope if you are not willing to relocate - unless you can specify location.

If you don’t want to move, then spend your time researching companies in your area and sending them your CV instead. 

Check the local papers for jobs, and make sure to check the job postings on the papers’ Web sites also as some companies only advertise on the web and not in the hard copy newspaper.

Tip 3: If the IT job postings on the job site require so many diverse skills or an arcane mix of skills, then don’t bother applying for those jobs. 

Also skip job postings that require you to give your salary requirements or current salary. It's hard to believe, but companies use the online sites to test salary ranges and job descriptions. They have no intention of hiring, but they’re trying to do some research on the cheap.

Tip 4: Post your CV on a broad-spectrum job site only if you can quickly find at least five recent job openings that interest you.

Fewer than five means the companies that need your services don’t use this particular site as a regular resource. (This doesn’t apply to specialised IT job sites.)

Also, if you can’t read the job postings before you post your CV, then the site is of no use to you and you should skip it and go to one that shows you what jobs are on offer.

Tip 5: Look for sites that are specifically geared for what you do or want to do, such as trade associations and peer organisations.

Smart companies know to go there, rather than the general job sites, when looking for that one special person with the IT skills they need.

Tip 6: Seek out the company's web site you would like to work for. They often have job and CV posting sections. 

Tip 7: When seeking your first job in IT, don't go looking to be the head of IT at IBM! 

Your local companies are the ones to aim at. Smaller companies with 20 - 40 people will usually have a small IT presence and maybe an IT department of only 1 or 2 people. This is where your skills will be needed most - and used most.

Once you have your foot in the door you will gain experience in a broad range of skills - because you have to do everything!

The end result is you have even more skills and knowledge in a short space of time to add to your CV - and will be even more employable for your next move!

February is CIW month at ITlearneasy

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Fast Track CIW Professional Courses.

These courses offer you the opportunity to study for each individual exam needed towards the Professional or Master qualifications.

To celebrate the launch we are offering special discounts on all our CIW range.

Email us now for a full list of discounts - with savings of up to £400 on selected courses.

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