Of course it is clear to see that I am not the only person finding it hard to get back into the industry.
Having graduated in Computer Science with Business, with what is now an unacceptable 2:2 at a
University of London College, I went into a Retail Bank's graduate training programme. Two great years in a
Mainframe environment in a very high profile department seems to have damned my cause. I wanted to be
in PC development and hence I decided to join a Dot Com and began using Visual C++. However within 7
months came the collapse of last year, which meant that our company, like many others, went ' kaput'. So
did my chance of getting another job it seems. The problem is that I have not got enough experience in
VC++ (You now need at least 2 years for a junior role) and apparently about 5+ years if I wanted to return
to the Mainframe side! This coupled with relatively weak education kept me out of work for months. So I
decided to go back to Uni and read an MSc in Computer Science, with the view of knocking the 2:2 out of
site.
However there is a new enemy: HR for big companies. They scan your CV and do not bother really looking
at the facts (i.e. 3 years experience and an MSc with a Distinction) - No sir. I am the first to raise my hand
about my academic record; unfortunately an immature approach to education in the early years has left
me on the road to nowhere. It seems irrelevant that I am heading for a Distinction for my MSc., as some
monkey somewhere will scan for A-Levels. I cannot get a single interview. Promoted in under a year and a
success at both companies using complex technology yet I deemed unsuitable. What is my option? To lie
of course. Did you think I was going to work in McDonalds because some muppet, who thinks IBM MVS
Assembler is a tool used for putting together IKEA shelves, feels I am not suitable for a job because I have
weak A- Levels? No way. I will risk being caught out just to get my foot in that door. Even if the positions
were not graduate positions, it now seems clear that I was being rejected for suitable positions because of
my education – not my experience; simply because people were put off by my grades.
To think that if I had been put in PC development instead of Mainframe in my first job, I will probably be
earning no less than 30-40k right now. I am paying for sins I did not commit. So here I am, not knowing if
there is a job for me after I finish my MSc. next month. I need to give that CV a facelift...a fugitive must be
disguised to survive!
Frank
NB. The IT Job Board in NO way condones lying on your CV.
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* Origin: [adminz] tech, security, support (192.168.0.2)
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