While you will miss every shot you dont take, unrealistic expectations are THE primary cause of frustration among recruiting ITs. Go into a fair thinking your half as good as you think and it will be hard to not be pleasantly surprised unlike the @Thames Pirate approach which is to think your a super star IT and act like royalty, and anything below elite tier is beneath you and you end the recruiting year with nothing.
@Thames Pirate
I base my position on data, unlike your data which is somewhere between artifact and outlier.
How marketable are we?
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Thames Pirate
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:06 am
Re: How marketable are we?
Your mind is not data. But I should know better than to argue with you.
To the OP: Yes, you should try. Like anyone else, you decide what your absolutes and your non-negotiables are. Then cast your net wide--including the top end. If you don't get anything good, you try again or cast wider. Simple enough. It helps when you aren't desperate to leave somewhere crappy; you can afford to be picky because staying put is an option. If you take garbage, you WILL be desperate to leave, and you end up in a cycle that WILL take you years to escape. If you aren't desperate, you can be picky, sure, but you can also be meticulous in your approach because it's narrower. This precision can also help your chances. Maybe that is why those of us who "got lucky" our first time--and that is many of us!--were able to get those jobs. We truly targeted them.
Our HR manager complains all the time about the formula applications--the BCCs (that forget the Blind), the generic letters, etc.--and spends a lot of time putting the carpet bombs into the trash. THEN she looks at the remainder and narrows it down based on qualifications, the quality of the CV and cover letter, etc. She only sends on applicants that clearly know something about THIS school and want to be at THIS school in THIS position. This level of work in applications takes time--the kind of time you won't have if you are churning out applications to garbage schools in China.
You are as marketable as you make yourself. Your credentials are fine. Of course everyone's resume can always be better and there will always be someone who has more of something on paper, but you have a solid start. The rest is up to you.
To the OP: Yes, you should try. Like anyone else, you decide what your absolutes and your non-negotiables are. Then cast your net wide--including the top end. If you don't get anything good, you try again or cast wider. Simple enough. It helps when you aren't desperate to leave somewhere crappy; you can afford to be picky because staying put is an option. If you take garbage, you WILL be desperate to leave, and you end up in a cycle that WILL take you years to escape. If you aren't desperate, you can be picky, sure, but you can also be meticulous in your approach because it's narrower. This precision can also help your chances. Maybe that is why those of us who "got lucky" our first time--and that is many of us!--were able to get those jobs. We truly targeted them.
Our HR manager complains all the time about the formula applications--the BCCs (that forget the Blind), the generic letters, etc.--and spends a lot of time putting the carpet bombs into the trash. THEN she looks at the remainder and narrows it down based on qualifications, the quality of the CV and cover letter, etc. She only sends on applicants that clearly know something about THIS school and want to be at THIS school in THIS position. This level of work in applications takes time--the kind of time you won't have if you are churning out applications to garbage schools in China.
You are as marketable as you make yourself. Your credentials are fine. Of course everyone's resume can always be better and there will always be someone who has more of something on paper, but you have a solid start. The rest is up to you.
Re: How marketable are we?
You rarely have an opportunity to try again with the same IS for the same position (there are exceptions). You can be picky and also end up with nothing and frustrated. There are lots of ITs that hold out for elite tier ISs (especially in the WE), and dont get them. Eventually they give up (its costly to attend fairs, and pay registration fees).
There arent many of them who got lucky, its a very, very, very, very small minority group. The Disney inspired everything will end happily ever after and youll get what you want if youre just persistent is a myth, and a nutter talk myth. There simply arent the vacancies for the number of ITs that want them. Thats how numbers work.
Yet again, another 'friend' who supports exactly what @Thames Pirate claims. Complaints by HR mean nothing, it does nothing to mitigate the system process of formulaic applications, generic letters, etc. thats the system that exists because thats the system.
Strongly disagree with @Thames pirate, Leadership dont read cover letter, not until they get to the short list and are about to interview.
::cue Disney music::
You are as marketable as you are compared to the applicant pool, confidence does not compensate for competence.
@Thames Pirate
I only post from experience and trusted and reliable resources, youre the one with the imagination.
There arent many of them who got lucky, its a very, very, very, very small minority group. The Disney inspired everything will end happily ever after and youll get what you want if youre just persistent is a myth, and a nutter talk myth. There simply arent the vacancies for the number of ITs that want them. Thats how numbers work.
Yet again, another 'friend' who supports exactly what @Thames Pirate claims. Complaints by HR mean nothing, it does nothing to mitigate the system process of formulaic applications, generic letters, etc. thats the system that exists because thats the system.
Strongly disagree with @Thames pirate, Leadership dont read cover letter, not until they get to the short list and are about to interview.
::cue Disney music::
You are as marketable as you are compared to the applicant pool, confidence does not compensate for competence.
@Thames Pirate
I only post from experience and trusted and reliable resources, youre the one with the imagination.