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Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Employers looking for workers, people looking for employers: Get connected here.

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kratosvastik
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Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Post by kratosvastik » Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:37 am

Hi,

I have been a silent viewer of this forum for quite some time now. So have decided to contribute a bit.

I arrived in London on 28th Jan. Absolutely no problem at the airport. They did not ask for my XRAY or any other weird questions. In short even less hassle than getting off in India.

Now we all know recession is here. My advise is if you are not the adventurous type and a family man with dependents on your current job, do not come here right now.

I came because I wanted to be here, recession or not. Knowing I could have a hard time finding a job here, I started freelancing work and can at least earn enough for my rent in the little time I devote to it, Rest of the time will be for job search.

If things go really bad for the next two months, I will take up some partime/full time supermarkets kind of job anywhere, just to get along. The point is I am enjoying my stay here even with the cold and wetness :)

I am a j2ee/atg developer with over four and half years of experience. I have a couple of certifications with pretty good marks, worth advertising in the resume.

Resume is important. Please don't shy away from showing what you did, how it benefited, your strong points.

Now a day ago, I reformatted, added more details of my past work experience, in general "professionalized" the resume spending a good half day on it and put it on some job sites and begun applying for jobs also. Providing a cover letter for each is a bit of pain.

I got a call for working in Egypt. then Amsterdam. Both of them really pushing me to go to those places, sponsoring my visa and everything. I had to refuse as I don't want to be out of UK much. The Amsterdam guy said that my resume is really great and will be on the lookout for me. They both did not ask me if i have applied anywhere else, or other stupid questions.

I just now got a call from a consultant , he asked me if i applied anywhere bla bla get back to me. Its easy to filter these ones out :). I just told him I have just started applying.

While on the lookout, do try to keep your travel to a minimum here as its expensive and also food can be managed very well under 4 pounds per day. Its great for non vegetarians :).

My humble opinion is: for the long run, its not the money you will stay here for, take all this risk right now only if you can really appreciate in your own way or reasons, the life here.

I will keep this thread posted on my success and failures both. Please feel free to ask me any questions about steps after you get the visa and stuff as they are still fresh in my mind.

Try to be positive always :)

T1_Mainframe
Member
Posts: 190
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:10 pm

Post by T1_Mainframe » Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:57 am

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Can you please share how to get Freelancing work? I am also jobless and struggling to cope with rent.

Thanks.

kratosvastik
Newbie
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

Post by kratosvastik » Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:02 am

this http://freelanceswitch.com/finding/the- ... job-sites/

should help.

Keep in mind though that its not easy in beginning :)

kalstime
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:47 am

Re: Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Post by kalstime » Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:01 am

Hi

Good to read your experience.I have plans to visit UK on march 22nd and start same way as you are , "Searching job". And your words has given enough courage to me to come there for searching jobs.

I have certain doubts which i feel you will certainly help me out in those.

1) What is the frequency of genuine job calls we will be getting on dot net/ Java platforms ?
2) What will be the monthly expenditure for food, rent etc on shared basis?

By the way i have valid tier 1 visa and have 6+ years exp in Microsoft tech.

Always positive ...
kratosvastik wrote:Hi,

I have been a silent viewer of this forum for quite some time now. So have decided to contribute a bit.

I arrived in London on 28th Jan. Absolutely no problem at the airport. They did not ask for my XRAY or any other weird questions. In short even less hassle than getting off in India.

Now we all know recession is here. My advise is if you are not the adventurous type and a family man with dependents on your current job, do not come here right now.

I came because I wanted to be here, recession or not. Knowing I could have a hard time finding a job here, I started freelancing work and can at least earn enough for my rent in the little time I devote to it, Rest of the time will be for job search.

If things go really bad for the next two months, I will take up some partime/full time supermarkets kind of job anywhere, just to get along. The point is I am enjoying my stay here even with the cold and wetness :)

I am a j2ee/atg developer with over four and half years of experience. I have a couple of certifications with pretty good marks, worth advertising in the resume.

Resume is important. Please don't shy away from showing what you did, how it benefited, your strong points.

Now a day ago, I reformatted, added more details of my past work experience, in general "professionalized" the resume spending a good half day on it and put it on some job sites and begun applying for jobs also. Providing a cover letter for each is a bit of pain.

I got a call for working in Egypt. then Amsterdam. Both of them really pushing me to go to those places, sponsoring my visa and everything. I had to refuse as I don't want to be out of UK much. The Amsterdam guy said that my resume is really great and will be on the lookout for me. They both did not ask me if i have applied anywhere else, or other stupid questions.

I just now got a call from a consultant , he asked me if i applied anywhere bla bla get back to me. Its easy to filter these ones out :). I just told him I have just started applying.

While on the lookout, do try to keep your travel to a minimum here as its expensive and also food can be managed very well under 4 pounds per day. Its great for non vegetarians :).

My humble opinion is: for the long run, its not the money you will stay here for, take all this risk right now only if you can really appreciate in your own way or reasons, the life here.

I will keep this thread posted on my success and failures both. Please feel free to ask me any questions about steps after you get the visa and stuff as they are still fresh in my mind.

Try to be positive always :)

kratosvastik
Newbie
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

Post by kratosvastik » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:36 am

got posted twice :)
Last edited by kratosvastik on Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

kratosvastik
Newbie
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

Post by kratosvastik » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:37 am

Hi kalstime,

To be honest I have started search only two days ago and have got six or seven calls. Not a rush of calls or anything.

The market is dead somewhat (that is the general idea floating around) and as I see things in UK for job hunters are not as they used to be.

Having said that, think about this, a company, development house, growing online, in retail or any service , which due to some miracle is still running, now they want to add new features to the system, they need new developers. Its not that recession is a switch and all companies/business just put their hands up and stop trying to grow.

The difference is now there are really qualities guys on the market in competition. So its now not more of years of exp or anything, its about who you are and what you can do. If you feel you can be the best among your peers , then please do come. I am sure you will find a way.

Housing cheapest you can get at 240 per month sharing the room with someone + i think max 150 for food . travel cost depends on you and circumstances. Come with enough for 3, 4 months so you have relaxed mind and not worrying about money all the time.

Jk2007
BANNED
Posts: 378
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:19 pm

Re: Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Post by Jk2007 » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:57 am

kalstime wrote: 1) What is the frequency of genuine job calls we will be getting on dot net/ Java platforms ?
2) What will be the monthly expenditure for food, rent etc on shared basis?
(1) Job Search / Agency calls:

It is often difficult to say which calls are genuine. If the Agent starts talking about the role and the end client name in the first 30 seconds, it is likely to be genuine.

On the otherhand, if the agent asks questions like this, he/she is wasting your time:

-How long you have been looking for job? Where have you applied so far?
-How many job interviews you have got?
-Can you provide two references (phone number and name) for your work?
-How do you find the market now?
-Can you send a copy of your Visa? [Before even any interview takes place]
-I have an urgent phone interview available. Can you attend the interview in the next 10 minutes with the client [without mentioning the name of the client?

Tips:

- Avoid spending your time answering to the above type of questions.
- Ask the Agent specifically what the role is and what the name of the end client is. Be vary of the Agents who claim to be recruiting for 'big' names. They may not really be the representatives. For these companies better apply through their company websites.
- Do not send your copy of Visa until you have been offered the job
- Do not send or provide your reference details until you have atleast interviews.
- If the caller is not disclosing his/her number and your moble reads it as "private number calling", then first ask the caller to identify him/her. If you are not desperate to find job, avoid answering the calls from undisclosed numbers. If the Agent feels your resume is good, he/she will leave a message on your phone, then you can call back.
- If the Agent asks you to attend face to face interview and this involves travel (meaning train ticket and hotel expenses), ask the Agent to arrange a telephonic interview first, before you go for face to face interview.

(2) The approximate cost living (food+housing) in London areas:

For singles : £1500 to £2000 per month
For families (husband, wife, one kid): £2000 to £2500 per month

nshar1
Member
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:03 am

Re: Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Post by nshar1 » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:03 am

kalstime wrote:Hi

Good to read your experience.I have plans to visit UK on march 22nd and start same way as you are , "Searching job". And your words has given enough courage to me to come there for searching jobs.
I don't know what has given you this courage.. Anybody thinking of coming to UK in this environment is risking way too much.

I think people are not looking at the implications of leaving their well settled jobs to look for jobs in uk.

Its not easy in UK even for those who are in jobs - the sword of a layoff is always hanging around the neck.

According to bill gates this slowdown will last for 4 years.
Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.
UK is among the worst hit from this crisis and doesn't have much to offer for next few quarters(atleast for 2009).



9 out of 10 recruiter calls seem to be fake.
Again, within first two days of your registering on job sites you may receive as many as 50 calls, but these calls have no meaning.
The desperation of fake recruiters is growing and they are falling any depths to extract information from job seekers.

nshar1
Member
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:03 am

Re: Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Post by nshar1 » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:04 am

The geist of my previous post is:

Before coming to UK evaluate your options, answer questions like...
what if I don't get a job in the next 3-4 months.
What I the job market worsens even further.



Even seasoned professional who have been in UK for 5 years are getting very few interview calls.
One or two big bankrupcies like woolsworth,which resulted in 37000 redundancies, will be devastating for the already dead job market and this is a highly likely scenario.
Last edited by nshar1 on Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

gotcha
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Posts: 478
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 5:34 am

Re: Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Post by gotcha » Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:22 pm

kalstime wrote:Hi

Good to read your experience.I have plans to visit UK on march 22nd and start same way as you are , "Searching job". And your words has given enough courage to me to come there for searching jobs.

I have certain doubts which i feel you will certainly help me out in those.

1) What is the frequency of genuine job calls we will be getting on dot net/ Java platforms ?
2) What will be the monthly expenditure for food, rent etc on shared basis?

By the way i have valid tier 1 visa and have 6+ years exp in Microsoft tech.

Always positive ...
kratosvastik wrote:Hi,

I have been a silent viewer of this forum for quite some time now. So have decided to contribute a bit.

I arrived in London on 28th Jan. Absolutely no problem at the airport. They did not ask for my XRAY or any other weird questions. In short even less hassle than getting off in India.

Now we all know recession is here. My advise is if you are not the adventurous type and a family man with dependents on your current job, do not come here right now.

I came because I wanted to be here, recession or not. Knowing I could have a hard time finding a job here, I started freelancing work and can at least earn enough for my rent in the little time I devote to it, Rest of the time will be for job search.

If things go really bad for the next two months, I will take up some partime/full time supermarkets kind of job anywhere, just to get along. The point is I am enjoying my stay here even with the cold and wetness :)

I am a j2ee/atg developer with over four and half years of experience. I have a couple of certifications with pretty good marks, worth advertising in the resume.

Resume is important. Please don't shy away from showing what you did, how it benefited, your strong points.

Now a day ago, I reformatted, added more details of my past work experience, in general "professionalized" the resume spending a good half day on it and put it on some job sites and begun applying for jobs also. Providing a cover letter for each is a bit of pain.

I got a call for working in Egypt. then Amsterdam. Both of them really pushing me to go to those places, sponsoring my visa and everything. I had to refuse as I don't want to be out of UK much. The Amsterdam guy said that my resume is really great and will be on the lookout for me. They both did not ask me if i have applied anywhere else, or other stupid questions.

I just now got a call from a consultant , he asked me if i applied anywhere bla bla get back to me. Its easy to filter these ones out :). I just told him I have just started applying.

While on the lookout, do try to keep your travel to a minimum here as its expensive and also food can be managed very well under 4 pounds per day. Its great for non vegetarians :).

My humble opinion is: for the long run, its not the money you will stay here for, take all this risk right now only if you can really appreciate in your own way or reasons, the life here.

I will keep this thread posted on my success and failures both. Please feel free to ask me any questions about steps after you get the visa and stuff as they are still fresh in my mind.

Try to be positive always :)
Never, ever enter UK without arranging atleast 2 interviews. Start applying from India itself, you can judge situation from India. If you have good skills, you will get calls, tell agents that, you will be comming on so and so date if you are able to arrange interviews. If you think your CV worth entering UK, then you can get response in India as well(but mention that you are willing to come to UK to attend interviews).

kratosvastik
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Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

Post by kratosvastik » Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:33 pm

I agree with gotcha 100%

custodian
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Posts: 86
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:09 am

Post by custodian » Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:55 pm

Here is my experience (so far...)

I'm reaching London on the 15th of Feb 2009 and have sorted my accommodation through gumtree dot com. Paying 125 pounds per week (incl. council tax, internet and power). It is a well connected place - only 10 mins to London City centre by train. I will be sharing a flat and expect my expenses to be 100 per week (food, travel, cell phone) - So a total of 225 per week isn't bad at all !

Like kratosvastik I too want to go to London - hopefully making a mark there ultimately in getting a good job. Its like a feeling that a small towner has when he hears fab stories of opportunities in metro cities... All that matters is dream big and self-motivate yourself. (Others may disagree to this comment of mine - but its true for me)

I am into Business Intelligence (Actuate), Messaging (Domino), Appn Servers (Websphere) and involved with a lot of product pre-sales demos and client presentations. My job searches on jobserve dot com have given me enough confidence to leave my little town (in New Zealand) and take the plunge.

What I have observed so far is atleast the market for IT Infrastructure, Support and maintenance is better than dot net or j2ee programmers / developers. I guess there are just too many programmers in the market and it has reached a saturation point for them.
But hey! The market for technical product pre-sales is still strong. I have seen jobs all accross UK and Europe for speciality products (Health sector)

Positivity for me all the way so far. Not sure if it because I consider myself a little above the average or what? But its been a joy ride so far...
Can't wait to get to London now... !

my two cents... !

kratosvastik
Newbie
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Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

Post by kratosvastik » Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:53 pm

@custodian

If you can adapt to room sharing, costs are even 55 pounds per week at outskirts of London. Being near to the center is of course nice but I think only when you have a job in center so you save on the travel costs.
you would be going to London center only when you have job interview there (minus the times you go for fun :) ) . That would only be like I very few times.

Anyway if you can afford no place like it :D have fun!,

Disclaimer: Please do not be over encouraged by my posts, situation for programmers is really bad if you are not brilliant. I had prepared to come here for four months and go back if nothing happens. I have nothing much to loose and have a successful freelancing work going on with no dependents. Please evaluate your risks very very carefully.

Jk2007
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Post by Jk2007 » Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:35 am

kratosvastik wrote:@custodian

If you can adapt to room sharing, costs are even 55 pounds per week at outskirts of London.
Room sharing is a good idea to save money, but be very careful with whom you are sharing the room. Whether you are liable to pay council taxes or utility bills. Whether the deposit you pay will be returned when you vacate. Please note that the address will be in your history of staying at UK. If your roommate defaults in anything, ensure that this does not affect your credit history.

In my opinion, if you are single, it is safer option is to rent a one bedroom apartment.

custodian
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Post by custodian » Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:53 am

Jk2007 wrote:
kratosvastik wrote:@custodian

If you can adapt to room sharing, costs are even 55 pounds per week at outskirts of London.
Please note that the address will be in your history of staying at UK. If your roommate defaults in anything, ensure that this does not affect your credit history.
Very good advice Jk2007. Thanks.

kratosvastik
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Post by kratosvastik » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:03 am

Monday and I have begun getting fake recruitment calls. I do not mind these guys, but they do sound desperate and a bit angry as they waste my time :evil: . Also getting some genuine ones.

Moment someone asks you : have you got any interviews scheduled?- its a fake. Real ones are more interested in skills and experience.

QEF8DD
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Post by QEF8DD » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:10 am

kratosvastik wrote:Monday and I have begun getting fake recruitment calls. I do not mind these guys, but they do sound desperate and a bit angry as they waste my time :evil: . Also getting some genuine ones.

Moment someone asks you : have you got any interviews scheduled?- its a fake. Real ones are more interested in skills and experience.
tell the fakes that you have received calls from their office itself to join them as hiring consultant... Should get them thinking at least for a second :-)

kratosvastik
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Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

Post by kratosvastik » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:35 am

QEF8DD wrote:
kratosvastik wrote:Monday and I have begun getting fake recruitment calls. I do not mind these guys, but they do sound desperate and a bit angry as they waste my time :evil: . Also getting some genuine ones.

Moment someone asks you : have you got any interviews scheduled?- its a fake. Real ones are more interested in skills and experience.
tell the fakes that you have received calls from their office itself to join them as hiring consultant... Should get them thinking at least for a second :-)
:D :D :D :D Good one!

garimasharma
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Post by garimasharma » Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:32 pm

any good news there......anybody got any call??????

jack_p
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Re: Feb 2009 Job search experience and tips

Post by jack_p » Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:11 pm

kratosvastik wrote:Hi,

I have been a silent viewer of this forum for quite some time now. So have decided to contribute a bit.

Try to be positive always :)
Not necessarily that fake recruiters always ask silly questions. There are multiple instances where they do not give a call because all they wanted is collect as many CVs they can. When we try to contact them, they probably will tell you the profile doesn't meets the expectation for some silly reasons. There was one guy (I wouldn't mind disclosing the agency name - RFL Resourcing) who said that the particular client is only looking for British people for that job !!

But the bottomline is those fakes are collecting the CVs now to consider you at later point of time.

nshar1
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Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:03 am

Post by nshar1 » Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:56 pm

garimasharma wrote:any good news there......anybody got any call??????
The market is full of fake recruiters doesn't mean that nobody is getting calls.

On an average I have been receiving one genuine call a day. But just one interview in the past one month.

sarahsukhen
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Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:17 am
Location: India

Great info!

Post by sarahsukhen » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:26 am

Thanks for all the info:)

Just wondering if the same would apply for advertising professionals/graphic designers?

Thanks again

garimasharma
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Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:26 pm

Post by garimasharma » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:59 pm

i missed one interview in start of jan,don't when i will get agaim.my husband has not got even single interview call :(

kratosvastik
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Post by kratosvastik » Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:19 pm

well guys, heres the update:

was pretty busy past couple of days and homes internet broke so couldnt keep you updated. now at a cyber cafe just to post this.

now here is my timeline again:
arrived in uk on 28th jan
started job search i think on 3rd feb when posted resume at a lot of sites. till then was finishing up some freelancing projects.
on average 2 genuine calls per day.
friday interview call direct from employer for interview on tuesday.
gave interview yesterday, work is my dream and they liked me a lot. 2 hours interview , left very positive and happy. they asked for references from previous two employers which i said i will send on a mail later on.
call from them in evening: to not worry about references, we can sort that all out later, want me on onboard right now :D :D and start tomorrow hehe :D
so i told them its just been around a week i have been in London, want to explore a bit, so will join them coming monday :D

thats it for now , will keep you all posted.

only moral i can summarise is: if you really really want something, you will get it. job is in central london and i love the area! lots to explore and a great library nearby :D

jack_p
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Post by jack_p » Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:37 pm

Congrats.Thats good news and you seem to be the luckiest guy on the planet right now..2 hrs of interview is quite surprising BTW..

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