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If you recall a couple weeks ago, I was ranting about where I work. I've been putting resumes out again, yet, oddly I'm not getting any responses. This is NOT normal for me. I'm used to getting a high percentage of responses (~80%). Though, all this is before my current employer. Simply put, our company's website is horrid. It's old, it's crap, I have no control over it, and the boss doesn't seem to want to change it. If a person likes my resume and starts researching the places I work...they're going to see this and cringe. And to top it off, the main site we run, is basically a forum for MLMers.
In short, would I be better off removing it, and having a gap on my resume for the past six months? Or would that be just as detrimental?
-Chad
[edited by: Gibble at 7:01 pm (utc) on Sep. 5, 2007]
j/k
Then you can have your interview to explain your situation.
You angered the wrong people with your "Educating your employer" thread in Foo.
LOL - You've been marked - big brother knows of the error in your ways ;)
It would scream 'Shady' to me, were I the person interviewing you. So long as you don't have any control over the website, your future employer shouldn't factor that into their decision. If they do factor it in, is that somewhere you really want to work for anyway?
I don't want to leave it off. I'm just getting frustrated and looking for ways to not have this company's image translate to me.
If the website looked as good as the position sounded when I took it, I wouldn't have a problem :p
I'd love to put a disclaimer on my resume right next to this place, but I know that would be awful! haha
RJ
That way you can showcase your web-talent and that will be the first thing your prospect sees.
Instead of submitting your resume submit your URL pointing to your resume. Given the line of work you're seeking this shouldn't seem out of the ordinary.
Better yet, create one of those fancy new avatar resumes..... nah, forget it.
This is NOT normal for me. I'm used to getting a high percentage of responses (~80%).
It's old, it's crap, I have no control over it, and the boss doesn't seem to want to change it.
Sadly, it seems your life is revolving around your boss. He controlled your working environment, your coffee machine and now he is trying to control your future job opportunities.
I can't get the idea of being controlled by one person. You are the common denominator of all the problems you mentioned.
Guess what, if I were you, I would start my life all over again.
May be including getting a new WebmasterWorld account
I've left it on my resume. No point hiding it I suppose. It'll save me having to explain why I want to leave this place, ha!
[edited by: Gibble at 2:03 pm (utc) on Sep. 6, 2007]
* Is your CV up to scratch - is it saying the right things? Ideally it should be tailored for every job you apply for. Seek third party assistance - get friends/colleagues/family members to read it.
* Is your covering letter saying the right things? Again, seek third party advice.
* Are you making speculative applications? If so, are you targeting the right people?
* Check you haven't done something obvious, like put a typo in your email address or phone number.
* If you're applying for advertised vacancies and are getting nowhere, ring up a few of these employers and ask what it is about your CV that they didn't like.
* Does your CV contain any negative comments about current or former employers. If so, delete them NOW!
* Are you in a saturated recruitment market, ie, there are many more applicants than positions available? If so, you need to find out how you can stand out from the crowd. That's best done by tailoring your CV to the unique needs of the companies you're applying to.
Keep plugging away...
Syzygy
You can't say "I'm a web guy but I had no involvement in my previous employers website". The future employer would then wonder "what DID this guy do with his time?".
If the position is a non-web - then you have no problem. It would be like an engineer applying for a job and not getting a call because of the website.
Bill
My resume, is up to scratch as far as I can tell. I've had some friends and colleagues review it, and have made some refinements on their recommendation.
I HATE writing cover letters, but I try to tailor each one to the place I'm applying to.
I have made the typo in the phone number mistake once before...I'm not doing that again! It wasn't so much a typo, as my phone number changed, and I never thought to change it on my resume...whoops! I believe I just gave the company a call to let them know the number had changed and it wasn't a problem.
I don't put in anything in my resume positive, or negative about the places I work, the environment, etc. I stick to my skills, and give a point by point list of some of the projects I worked on at each place, that highlight usage of different skills.
I'm actually going to make a call today to one company I applied to, as a follow up, to ensure they received the application and if they had any questions about it.
I did notice, one place I applied to, of which I heard nothing, reposted the job, with a new application deadline...which is making me curious what the reasoning behind it is. Not enough applicants? Whether they're not offering enough compensation and candidates are refusing? I suppose anything is possible.
Thanks :)
-Chad
That's the problem. I'm a programmer/developer (whatever you care to call it), I do the backend coding on our websites. I have little to nothing to do with the look of them. And what front end I do work on with out sites, is already designed by prior employees, and I have to work within it.
The site in question, is the companies "brochure site". Not one of the sites that provide revenue for us. It's a slapped together piece of frontpage garbage. But that's our company's site.
So, while the position I'm in doesn't technically do the front end work, it "could" and that would logically be reflected upon my work.
Not to mention, since nothing I've worked on here is a new site or application that's publicly visible, I'm judged by what is...which quite frankly...is awful.
I'm contemplating putting on a couple large projects I'm working on, on the side and including my freelance business as well. I've never bothered putting it on in the past, but I think it's time to add it, as it would be a better portfolio. Though I'm not sure how the overlap would look to a prospective employer.
since nothing I've worked on here is a new site or application that's publicly visible, I'm judged by what is
How about pushing some screenshots/code snippets of the projects/elements you are proud of, thus taking the emphasis away from the parts you don't like or weren't involved in anyway (ie their main website).
(It's unreasonable to *assume* good programmers are equally good designers or vice versa - some are, most are not.)
- If you're not happy with the coding you did because they gave you crazy specs, AND the result was something that would be obvious to a non-technical site visitor, do damage control on by pointing out how nicely you colored within the lines (programmed to meet the specs you were given, completed tasks on or before deadlines, documented your work ...)
