Early career decisions

V

vanilla

Active member
I'm coming to end of my grad scheme and meant to apply for main roles soon so, I'm trying to work on my CV, which I've not looked at since I first applied for a few schemes two years ago. Been advised to include a profile section at the top with some punchy statements with words like 'motivated' and 'committed'...I don't really see the point of it, as surely everyone writes the same thing and no one would say things like 'lazy' and 'lethargic'...?

Also I've been pretty annoyed with some of the company bureaucracy and am considering leaving (even though it's a really good company)...particularly if it means finding a job in London, as pretty much all my friends and family are there. BUT it's very hard to find mech eng jobs near London...so I have to decide whether to change to something like software eng or some kind of consultancy...or to stay with current company until I get chartered maybe.

How did you guys make the difficult decisions at the start of your careers? And am I trying to be too idealist about jobs?
(also if I work in London it would sadly probably be more prudent to replace the zed with something more economical for light city use).
 
In my experience a few introductory paragraphs can be a very good thing, ultimately you want your CV to stand out from the countless CVs interviewers will be trawling through when deciding which candidates to interview, just try not to make it sound OTT, like you've been a regular attendee at cheesey US style motivational seminars, or wake every morning and scream "yes i can" at your reflection in the mirror several times! :P

When I last had to spruce up my CV I treated my intro as a kind of personal brand/mission statement, so talked more about my career goals etc rather than just stating that i am motivated and committed - i think that comes across as more genuine and there is more of a point to it! also your career goals are bound to be different from others, so won't just be the same thing as everyone else.

career decisions, especially in the early stages, are always tough. Take a good long look at options and try to work out whats best for you in the long run.

would be a shame to lose the zed - remember you need something to unwind when you're not slaving away! :)
 
Agree that you should keep the profile punchy, but not by excessive use of superlatives. When screening CVs I tend to look more for candidates calling out experiences/accomplishments that they are proud of, e.g. "recently led a team of four fellow grads in the completion of a project to produce a prototype X for Y, successfully winning the Z category of some competition...".

Advice re. London would be do it while you are young! If you hang about in the suburbs too long your mates will all start moving home again while you're still umm-ing and ahh-ing.

I've ended up in a large consultancy company (now in what has become the software eng & creative/UX arm) because I couldn't decide what to do with my career, and it seemed like a good place to hang out. 7 years of awesome projects later and I've no intention of leaving. Nothing wrong with not having a "proper" job. :D
 
P.S. if you live in London, a Zed makes even more sense. There is no point getting a boring car - you can go everywhere here on public transport, and when you want to blast out of London for a cheeky weekend away, two seats and no roof is the only way!
 
I say go with what you think you'll enjoy, and it'll all work out.

When I left uni having done a Network Computing course I was offered a job at Barclaycard doing some programming for a significant amount of money. I decided to go for the other job at my current place as a network engineer on significantly less money, and based in Derby (I lived in Wolverhampton at the time). It was a really tough call because at the time I could barely afford to turn up for work, given that the cost of doing 40,000 miles a year on such a (relatively) low salary was certainly a bit of a push.

I stuck with it though and 7 years later I'm still happy I made the move I did.
 
Ah by the way I don't mind plopping my slightly out-of date CV on here. I stuck with a basic two-page, "menu" style CV that isn't too wishy-washy. This got me another job offer this year so still relevant...

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23175294/mg.pdf
 
2 seats and no roof is catorgorically Not the only way, ! a coupe with 2 seats is an even better way as easier to avoid the windscreen washers at the lights !!!!!!, they cant chuck yr half eaten ham sandwich back into your z that the east europeans have just valeted !!! :headbang: . London! , dont you just love it ?
 
Have you looked to see if there are any jobs in Ford in Dagenham? There is a powertrain product development centre there, and has good public transport access if coming from London.

I think there are a couple of agency jobs opening up, which are usually pretty secure...

Just a thought...
 
I don't think you're being idealist at all. At the start of your career when (presumably) you have less responsibilities (kids etc.) you are still finding the path you want to take and the industry/ role that is best suited for you so moving around makes more sense. If you end up staying where you are for another 5 years you could find yourself in a position which makes it much harder to move around.

If you are fed up with the bureaucracy within your company already I doubt it'll improve any time soon, so be prepared to move on if a decent opportunity presents itself.

I think a profile (only needs to be one paragraph) can be beneficial, but I (and others I've spoken to) have found that a decent cover letter can often prove very beneficial. A few paragraphs explaining your background and what you are interested in and why you want to work in the role you're applying for can make all the difference.

Good luck, whatever route you choose.
 
I read a lot of CVs in my role. What will always make me take time over a cv is not necessarily someone branding themselves with a profile, but someone who has taken the time to customise their cv to the role they're applying for. An "objective" for the CV, rather than a profile is a good way of doing this. It also allows you a bit of "relevant branding" :)
 
If you're applying for a specific role, as opposed to just shoving it up on a job site, then you can use the "profile" bit at the beginning as a way of making yourself sound like a suitable candidate in subtle manners.

Pick out key skills/achievements that would be of benefit in the role you're applying for and hopefully it'll make you stand out.
 
vanilla said:
How did you guys make the difficult decisions at the start of your careers? And am I trying to be too idealist about jobs?
(also if I work in London it would sadly probably be more prudent to replace the zed with something more economical for light city use).
Click to expand...

This is the key part to your question IMO vanilla. I'd stick it out and get the experience where you are now. Look at it as using them in a difficult economic climate to get what you want and play the long game. I left Uni back in the late 90's after training as a graphic designer. The competition for jobs generally (and especially London) was incredible so I decided to go where the work was and 'do my time'. Spent two surprisingly great years living in Oxford learning to become a professional designer for a medical company and after this period of time made the move to London. The rest is inkey$ history! My ideal job back in 97 was what I'm doing today and I'm now at the every top of my chosen career. It can work out, you just have to plan it and adapt should the game ever change (redundancy etc).

Good luck and just remember to enjoy it all too!
 
there is a process i heard about that a trainer once told me about and he claims that recruiters sometimes use called vertical reading, the process is to only read the first line in each sentence in a list of achievements or capabilities.

The thinking is that people put the power word or the word that they feel is most powerful first. So someone delivery focused might begin a sentence with words like "delivered" "implemented", "built" and sales people might use words like "won" , "achieved", "booked"

I dont know how true it is, but I admit that i do flick through CVs "vertically" to give me a quick picture of what the candidate really thinks he is. Maybe once you have written yours - you might just have a quick look to see what - if anything it portrays
 
I guess i've just kinda done what you're trying to do - i chose to move to London as the work was here and it all seems to have worked out OK.

The city isnt very forgiving (lots of hiring, firing, redundancy, bankruptcy, dull office jobs and exciting..riskier.. ones!), but if you work hard there's plenty of opportunity to succeed (and likely do much better than you would outside of london, much quicker).

If you don't know what to do - try and pick something broad that can give you some experience and fill your CV with skills that will allow you to pick a more specific path later. If you like MechEng there may be a few companies that can offer you something - engineerboard and cwjobs tend to be the IT/engineering job boards.

The main question is where do you want to be in 5 years time, then try to aim for that. Living in london aged 20-25 is the same as being a student, except you have a bit more money.
 
inkey$ said:
vanilla said:
How did you guys make the difficult decisions at the start of your careers? And am I trying to be too idealist about jobs?
(also if I work in London it would sadly probably be more prudent to replace the zed with something more economical for light city use).
Click to expand...

This is the key part to your question IMO vanilla. I'd stick it out and get the experience where you are now. Look at it as using them in a difficult economic climate to get what you want and play the long game. I left Uni back in the late 90's after training as a graphic designer. The competition for jobs generally (and especially London) was incredible
Click to expand...

I agree with the sentiment, but isn't there a shortfall of "engineers" around at the moment? I doubt the competition for jobs will be on the same level as a graphic designer.

Vanilla has just finished a grad position with a reputable company (as he says). Chances are to get on the graduate position was tough and to get there Vanilla achieved an excellent degree just to get a "foot in the door". Both these factors would only look good on a CV and whilst it may be a difficult economic time the world of Engineering does have its opportunities and there is no time like the present.

I think Vanilla could end up just wasting time in the current role.

I left university in 2008 and joined a company almost immediately (a large Mechanical and Electrical Engineering company, based outside of London). However, like Vanilla, I started to grow tired of the bureaucracy and the general "office politics". I moved to my current firm in 2011 (based in London) and have never looked back. Both my salary and job satisfaction have reached a point significantly higher than I would have achieved in 10 years in my old position.

Personally I don't think there are any prizes for the "wait and see" approach. Vanilla sounds to be a excellent candidate and one with a lot of appeal to prospective employers. Take advantage.
 
StevenH72 said:
inkey$ said:
vanilla said:
How did you guys make the difficult decisions at the start of your careers? And am I trying to be too idealist about jobs?
(also if I work in London it would sadly probably be more prudent to replace the zed with something more economical for light city use).
Click to expand...

This is the key part to your question IMO vanilla. I'd stick it out and get the experience where you are now. Look at it as using them in a difficult economic climate to get what you want and play the long game. I left Uni back in the late 90's after training as a graphic designer. The competition for jobs generally (and especially London) was incredible
Click to expand...

I agree with the sentiment, but isn't there a shortfall of "engineers" around at the moment? I doubt the competition for jobs will be on the same level as a graphic designer.

Vanilla has just finished a grad position with a reputable company (as he says). Chances are to get on the graduate position was tough and to get there Vanilla achieved an excellent degree just to get a "foot in the door". Both these factors would only look good on a CV and whilst it may be a difficult economic time the world of Engineering does have its opportunities and there is no time like the present.

I think Vanilla could end up just wasting time in the current role.

I left university in 2008 and joined a company almost immediately (a large Mechanical and Electrical Engineering company, based outside of London). However, like Vanilla, I started to grow tired of the bureaucracy and the general "office politics". I moved to my current firm in 2011 (based in London) and have never looked back. Both my salary and job satisfaction have reached a point significantly higher than I would have achieved in 10 years in my old position.

Personally I don't think there are any prizes for the "wait and see" approach. Vanilla sounds to be a excellent candidate and one with a lot of appeal to prospective employers. Take advantage.
Click to expand...

Good points made especially as an industry insider [future employer?!]
 
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