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The Great Big Job Hunt Thread

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I've.... not had a lot of luck with jobs since returning from working in Japan, actually, to be honest i haven't held a job for any longer than a year since returning in 2008 O_O

aaaand it makes me feel like this:

I was made redundant from many jobs while living in london due to budgeting issues within those companies, and instead of signing on and searching for a job that suited me, i just took whatever job i could get my hands on rather than go on the dole - a (bad) personal choice which has left me in several horrible jobs and with a fair few knocks to my confidence along the way... i'm currently working as an xmas temp at GAME, but after that i have no plans... so i've decided that THIS time, i'm going to look for the job that suits me, that i *want* rather then just a job i need... :hmm:

 

 

At the moment i'm looking for work in the gaming industry

(SURPRISE!!!)

...*ahem* in the hopes of one day landing a full time job in marketing or community development... i've always naturally floated that way in previous positions and i think...honestly, i think i'd be really good at it :grin:

 

I thought it would be a good idea to share my (...our?) job hunt experience, the ups and downs and what work i do from day-to-day - maybe others on the forum are also looking for jobs at the moment and want to share/log their work towards the "JOB GET!" achievement...? maybe someone here knows someone who knows a guy who's cousin can help someone with their job hunt...?!

 

so far, i've had a solid 3 days of calling 'round local (oxfordshire) gaming companies to see if they might be either

-running internship schemes or

- willing to take me on unpaid for a short amount of time

 

i've had a few bites so far, hoping to get some more emails back early this week (most of my emails were sent on friday last week...) i included my linkedin profile in the intro email, it's been useful to see how many people have viewed my profile due to the email (and who they are!!!)

 

anyone have any advice?

is anyone else looking for work at the moment?

it sucks, right?! ::shrug: let's complain abo- i mean, discuss it...together!!

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@bluey have you heard of Lightning Fish games? They are (or were) a games dev that are based near you. I hadnt heard of them before a friend got a tester job there but unfortunately I havent spoken to him in years and I cant seem to find out if they are still around or not but if they are then that could be one to look at?

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@bluey have you heard of Lightning Fish games? They are (or were) a games dev that are based near you. I hadnt heard of them before a friend got a tester job there but unfortunately I havent spoken to him in years and I cant seem to find out if they are still around or not but if they are then that could be one to look at?

thanks man! after some quick research, their website is not functional, the only contact details i can find are from 2008 and their facebook page hasn't been updated for almost a year. i also seached the CEO's name on Linkedin and found the CEO of a gaminc co. in leamington - may be coincidence as lightning fish is not mentioned on his profile... but it'll be worth ringing the one number i *can* find tomorrow i guess.. if they're not still functional in Banbury i'll give this other company a call...

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I'm planning on looking for jobs in the new year. Not too fussed with my job, and I don't like Oxford. I've got some good friends here, but I don't consider that enough of a reason to stay.

 

January will mark one year working there. By the time I've found somewhere it'll be closer to 18 months. I feel that's a reasonable amount of time to not look bad on my CV.

 

I don't currently have any advice to give you but I'm happy to offer any help as and when it's needed should you require it.

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It drives me crazy being unemployed. Ive been so for quite a while now due to my own complacency when I first lost my job mixed with having a problem with driving and a terrible bus service which has just gotten worse. I apply for jobs in Banbury all the time but I either need a lot more experience, its shift work which I cant do due to travel or more likely I just dont get a response why.

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I've had the worst luck job hunting (I'm still working the same retail job I started in 2006 to earn some cash through uni). I don't know if I'm just terrible at it or I've done something wrong. I'll keep it brief;

 

June 2009 - Graduated 2:1 in Games Development

September '09 - Start serious job hunting

Late '09 /Early '10 - Have first set of interviews, actually get offered a job!-- They never gave me a start date, never spoke to me again.

Most of 2010 - Several interviews, nothing successful. Cited lack of experience. No worries, early days. Still doing my own projects keeping myself current and up to date.

2011 - Three big opportunities, one declined because I had aspirations of being more than a tester. Another declined me because I had too much experience in a rival game, the other hired someone with 5 years experience for a junior role (after I made them some cool youtube video of a game I was making :angry:).

2012 - Fucked up my dream job interview. By this point I'm so out of programming practice it's embarrassing and one interview goes so bad after 20 mins we both decide to call it a day.

2013 - Not had a single interview this calendar year, almost given up 'the dream'. That devoid of confidence I even second guess myself going for non-degree related jobs.

 

At this present time I'd literally settle for any regular 8-4/8-5 mon-fri office job.

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Being unemployed is horrific.

 

Just keep on applying. The job will eventually come. I know it can be really disheatening when you get rejected or even more so when you dont even get a response but keep at it!

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...or more likely I just dont get a response why.

 

i find that gently chasing up applications is really important - from my point of view when i was actually in charge of recruitment, the applicants who chased up their initial CV were usually the ones i'd invite for interview... the ones who bugged me too much were NEVER invited for interview tho - so now I'M looking for work - i know i have to chase up, but i'm terrified of annoying people into throwing my application out. O_o

 

At this present time I'd literally settle for any regular 8-4/8-5 mon-fri office job.

 

you have a job that's getting you by - that's brilliant... it's not time for you to give up just yet!! is there something you can do to brush up on your programming skillz? maybe start a project of your own? if anything thatd look good on the cv...

 

I'm REALLY loving linkedin btw - discovered it quite recently when a friend of mine freaked out that i was job hunting but didnt have a profile - i'm not very up-to-speed with it yet but i can really see the merit!!

 

http://www.theextremejobhunter.com <-- i just found this website while looking for ... i can't remember what, exactly - but i LOVE some of this guy's ideas and may just adapt some of them in my own search... I'D certainly remember a resume in a pinata delivered by a 5 year old ^_^

 

...does anyone have a 5 year old i can borrow...?

 

one of my MAIN issues in some recent jobs has been that my personality just didn't mesh well with the rest of the company - it's not that i never take anything seriously - i'm just... really playful... so another decision i've made is to SHOW my sense of humour where appropriate in my applications.. POUR LE EXAMPLE: i've been tailoring my intro letters for each company i email so it's evident that i've actually LOOKED at their site and seen what they do and who they are - this has lead me to include, in some emails so far:

 

Dear Sirs,

 

Firstly, Thank you for "ADDICTIVE & CUTE MOBILE GAME NAME". A thousand times thank you.

 

Secondly, I am writing to you today blah blah blah..

 

and

 

Hi Ryan,

 

Further to our telephone conversation this afternoon i am writing to you blah blah blah...

 

...I also greatly dislike muggles AND standing on legos - so i think i will fit in nicely with the "STUDIO NAME" team.

 

Edit: *i only EVER use "Hi" when i've spoken or emailed the person already.

 

both of these emails lead to views on my LinkedIn profile AND emails back. let's see where my quirkiness can lead me...

 

job_hunt_by_ZeroMayhem.jpg

 

edit: Yes, i will look exactly like this at day 61 of job hunting. beard and all.

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There is nothing great about the job hunt. Don't really want to do much related to my music tech degree. No relevant experience for the piss poor jobs at the start of the ladder and no employer seems to want to spend the 1 day it would take to train people. Need to find some more engaging voluntary work and hope that helps more than what I've been doing currently

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I've completely abandoned my career (as in, I reject my degree and refuse to work in the area) and will be heading towards London in 5 months in search of something basic and undemanding.

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I have just discovered the big job hunt. But I'm..like..not even in it. I can't even be in it.

 

I got a bloody FIRST in my degree, except I don't want to do a job relating to my degree (Filmmaking). But I don't have any experience in what I want to do right now (Social Work Assistant, which like, so many people do, people I know I'd be *better* than), which is only to be experience to eventually use in order to get onto an Art Therapy masters.

 

Combine that with me being completely out of practice/the zone RE: my art, I'm really...at a loss. Just graduated, moved back home while my entire LIFE was down south. My big group of gay friends all down south, have like 2-3 gay friends in EDin but they're all away..most of my friends are away...

 

URGH. I hate this.

 

I had my part-time job to distract me all summer as I was doing 20+ hours at least and getting money but then it closed down and I got a transfer but now do MAX 9 hours a week! Nothing. I volunteer with an LGBT charity (what I want to be spending all my time doing really...) but that's really sporadic.

 

I HATE THIS FEELING. My main friends/life/boyfriend is down in London. I don't know..how to do anything? Like how to get what I want. I'm not exactly asking for the moon. I don't want to do film, I just want to help people/get a Social Work assistant job as I am actually interested in that, it counts as the hours of experience I need AND I'd get paid. OH BUT I NEED RELEVANT SOCIAL WORK EXPERIENCE BEFOREHAND.

 

I hate this.

 

[/after like 3-4 months being a graduate]

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I'm REALLY loving linkedin btw - discovered it quite recently when a friend of mine freaked out that i was job hunting but didnt have a profile - i'm not very up-to-speed with it yet but i can really see the merit!!

 

LinkedIn is brilliant. I've had a number of people contact me through it asking if I'm interesting in a job. I'd definitely recommend ensuring your profile is public and nice and full of keywords relevant to your area of work so people can find you. Add anyone who you remotely know so that your networks grows and your profile gets more views.

 

They often send out emails offering free Premium accounts for a month. This is worthwhile because it makes your profile stand out on any jobs that you apply for through LinkedIn and you get far more information on who's viewing your profile. You can also send messages to people who you aren't connected to - very useful for contact hiring managers etc.

 

You seem to be doing things the right way, Bluey, keep at it and you'll get that job you want. :)

 

@Paj\! - Why not try and get some unpaid experience in the field? How do you know you'd be better than the people you know? What evidence is there to back it up? The answer to that could be perfect for a cover letter.

Edited by Charlie

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UUURGHHGHGHHHHHKKKSKSKSTHEOOUGHLKmlfjhsnln

 

 

been going at it with the phone calls and emails since @Jamba left for work this morning... feel like i'm getting NOWHERE (i was really happy last week 'cause i was getting the feedback from linkedin where peoplewere actually looking at my profile, but NOTHING today....) thanks to @Ashley who sent me a link to the gamedevmap - i've gone through every nearby place on the site (a few were divisions of blitz so i got a nice run-around in an endless voicemail system)

jamba was awesome enough to buy me some really good migraine meds yesterday and i've already needed to take a set of pills today... i dont want to shut off the computer but i think i'm going to have to at this point.......

 

ugh. ok... let's try turning this into a positive:

since one potential employer has asked me for some 2D illustration examples (and i don't have anything to show them) maybe after 10 mins in a dark room i'll break out the pens and crayons and try to crank out some AAAAART.

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been going at it with the phone calls and emails since @Jamba left for work this morning... feel like i'm getting NOWHERE (i was really happy last week 'cause i was getting the feedback from linkedin where peoplewere actually looking at my profile, but NOTHING today....)

 

Well, the one advice I hear the most concerning job hunting is that you should actually physically go to the places where you're seeking employment (if possible) instead of relying on phones and the internet. I wouldn't know, but it's just something I hear a lot.

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Well, the one advice I hear the most concerning job hunting is that you should actually physically go to the places where you're seeking employment (if possible) instead of relying on phones and the internet. I wouldn't know, but it's just something I hear a lot.

 

not really an option for me travel-wise... if they were local i'd definitely go to hand in my information, but because many of the places are at least an hour's drive away it's not really possible. also, since many games companies are in crunch right now i think a phone call/email then a gentle follow-up on wednesday (to emails and calls sent/made on friday) will be less intrusive... :hmm: i don't know, though...

 

it did always make a bigger impact on me when i was receiving cv's if the person actually came in to drop it off (saying that - they needed to time it JUST RIGHT in a busy workplace... if we were really teaming with customers it made no difference to me, they may as well have posted it.)

 

i've had one reply in which the guy sounds pretty interested in talking with me further on the subject, but said that due to UK employment laws they can't take me on without paying me and haven't budgeted for a marketing/PR person at this point in the company's existence...

does anyone know the details on uk law and work placements??

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you have a job that's getting you by - that's brilliant... it's not time for you to give up just yet!! is there something you can do to brush up on your programming skillz? maybe start a project of your own? if anything thatd look good on the cv...

 

It's finding the motivation and inspiration to do it now. Feel like I've been chipped away so much, I just can't be bothered. Horrible mindset to get out of.

 

In more positive news, a company has sent me a C++ test to take for them, I've got to do it within 3 days. So I'll probably spend tomorrow morning reviewing some stuff and then ruin it all in the afternoon. If only I wasn't working tonight I could get some extra revision in. :hmm:

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I hate customer services so, so, so, so, so much. I want to be a comedy writer and I try to write as much as possible that I can actually put towards doing something like that, but having a full time job takes away so much free time, and is also physically and mentally draining which makes it difficult to motivate yourself to sit in front of the computer and write after a stressful day, when all you want to do is relax. Vicious circle etc. But yeah, I hate customer services. Been in it for too long now.

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I'm in a weird place with work.

 

In July I went part time because I'd had enough and wanted to do something creative, wasn't sure what exactly but I needed to have a break. After soul searching and what not I now have somewhat of an idea, but it does change.

 

Two weeks ago I had an interview for a job that is similar to what I do now, but a step forward and at a place I used to work (and preferred) and I'd got to the point where I just wanted to earn money and enjoy myself a bit, but I didn't get it.

 

Might speak to my line manager about coming back full time come January if I can work on a development project (as that would be more enjoyable). We shall see... Part of me also wants the team leader post that was never filled so I could earn more and tell my colleagues that they're shit.

 

I don't know...

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This thread makes me sad. :(

 

If only the job market was like in that advert when that dude goes round handing out 'lovely jobs'.

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@Paj\! I was leaning towards that sort of work area about 9 months ago. To get on the experience ladder you can volunteer, or perhaps consider doing some support work. Essentially once you've got 6-12 months of experience you can apply for the next level of work. You can work in different areas of the 'vulnerable' public; youth, mental health, young offenders, etc etc. You can also work in different capacities; outreach in their homes, in office environments, in youth centres, and so on. Don't know if this is of much benefit to you!

 

@Charlie is it worth having a linkedin profile even if I'm currently employed and not looking for a job? I like the idea of being headhunted, but wouldn't know if that would look bad if my own employers stumbled upon it.

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@Charlie is it worth having a linkedin profile even if I'm currently employed and not looking for a job? I like the idea of being headhunted, but wouldn't know if that would look bad if my own employers stumbled upon it.

 

Definitely. Your current employer wouldn't think twice about you having a profile, just don't explicitly state you're looking for a new job.

 

LinkedIn isn't just about job hunting. It's also about professional networking and building contacts.

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You'll find many recruiters have a look at your profile/add you, especially when currently employed!

 

You don't state that you're looking for work on LinkedIn. I recommend everyone currently looking to get on it.

 

@Charlie since when do you work for Morgan Stanley??

Edited by Ellmeister
Automerged Doublepost

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I graduated with a Biology degree in July with the aim of walking into a ecology/conservation/ecological consultancy job. Unfortunately I've found that most of these jobs (and most in the biology sector for that matter) require 2-3 years experience, which I just don't have. I've also found that a lot of the bog standard "work your way up" jobs are offered as apprenticeships for £100/week, which I would quite happily take, but I couldn't survive on £100/week for 2 years.

 

This led me to my current job... [moan] After finishing Uni I started applying for any graduate schemes going and managed to get onto an online marketing/SEO grad scheme for a well known (and highly hated) sports retailer. I say it was a grad scheme, a 5 year old could have put together a better "scheme" than they have. After 4 months of being there I'm on less than 15k a year (which is way less than any grad scheme out there), in a boring, monotonous job that could easily be done by anybody with a basic understanding of english. I feel completely useless. Which is why I can't wait to leave and find a job that's actually challenging and engaging. Unfortunately that job requires 2-3 years experience that I have no idea where to get it from. It's a tough circle.

 

... I feel your pain.

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so far, i've had a solid 3 days of calling 'round local (oxfordshire) gaming companies to see if they might be either

-running internship schemes or

- willing to take me on unpaid for a short amount of time

 

Unfortunately, now is a hard time to get into the games industry, especially in this area of the country. With Blitz Studios going under in Leamington Spa, there are a lot of unemployed people in the industry and in the local area. Most other games studios in the area are trying to snap up the people leaving Blitz. My friend who worked there said that his phone didn't stop ringing with job offers for the week or so after the redundancy went public.

 

My girlfriend applied for a job at Natural Motion in Oxford and was told she would have a phone interview, but kept getting fobbed off. I think it was because the whole thing with Blitz and they were too busy trying to snap up the workers from there. Either that or they were waiting to see if they could fill the vacancy with someone from Blitz.

 

 

That said, when the whole Blitz thing calms down, Leamington is a great place to look. I've been told it's been given the nickname "Silicon Spa" in the industry due to the fact that it has so many game studios.

Edited by Goafer

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