[BizCareers] What am I doing wrong?

I have been job hunting for the past year-and-a-half and with no success. I have a Diploma in Marketing, agency experience and a bit of FMCG experience. I have tried every angle to secure a job with no success. I am currently working for a marketing company, but I feel that the current job I am doing is not in line with the marketing field.

I have sent my CV to professional CV writers, but still no positive results have been achieved. I have attached my CV so you can give me pointers. I would really appreciate your input. - T

Hi there,

Thank you for your question.

I've had a thorough look and you have a very good CV. It's well-written and you have solid education and experience. What you haven't mentioned is what stage you are getting to in the job hunt process. Are you not receiving responses to your CV? Or rather after an interview? You have also not mentioned exactly which angles you've tried. Do these include applying to positions on all the job portals namely Bizcommunity, PNET, Careerjunction, Careerweb, Careers24 etc? If you have done this and not received any replies, then perhaps you're not applying for the right roles. Do they fit with your experience and education? I would really hone in on the positions that require a marketing diploma and two or more years' experience in a marketing role. Although you have had a few more years working experience, these are not marketing specific and therefore will not be taken into account. If you're applying for roles that require five years' marketing experience, your CV may not even make it to the decision-maker. Remember to be realistic and open to new opportunities when applying for a role, even if it's something you had never thought of. The wider you spread your net, the easier it becomes and could lead to gaining excellent experience.

If however, you are having trouble getting past the interview stage, you will need to take a good hard look at how you conduct yourself in an interview. Are you well-presented, respectful, sharp and kind? Do you gain rapport with your interviewer, or are you overcome by nerves. Whatever it is, take a good hard look and perhaps change your interview stance if that's what it takes.

You have a solid two-year tenure in your current role, however if you are not desperately unhappy at the company I would definitely try and increase that number quite a bit. Speak to your manager if you're not happy in your current role and see whether they have another opportunity for you. It is far better to see a promotion on your CV than moving companies. If you can stay for at least another three years, you will gain some valuable credibility on your CV. Remember, the grass isn't always greener on the other side and sometimes it's far better to stay where you are and really learn all you can while you're there.

Best of luck!

Remember to always love what you do!
Juliette

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