Category: Career counseling

Blog · Career counseling · Old blog

Irrelevant professional experience

Codrin PO

I moved a lot between the private and the public sector, going from research to policy and consulting. This made my CV to look like it was bombarded.

After applying to a few research jobs and a discussion with a recruiter friend, I drew one conclusion: your CV doesn’t really matter.

By this, I mean that no recruiter (in a broad sense) will read your CV if you do not have those 2, 5 or more years of experience precisely in the field that he/she is looking for. For example, for a research job, if you didn’t work just in research, you don’t stand a chance. Continue reading “Irrelevant professional experience” →

Career counseling · Old blog

Career counseling #18: Flexibility in job applications

Codrin PO1 Comment

Starting from the comments in my Career Counseling #15 article, I am writing about the flexibility in your job application.

From previous experience, I found that, in order to get pass the CV screening, you have to write the keywords that the screening software is looking for. YES, most companies are using screening software and even the perfect candidate won`t get passed it if the CV isn`t formatted the right way.

Mea culpa: Omission can be useful sometimes. foursquare

If, for example, during the summer, you work in a fish canning factory in Alaska for some extra money, it might not be useful and, sometimes, it can damage your application. If you are applying for a junior consultant position in EU Affairs (let`s say), the skills that you acquired might not be relevant for the job.

Going further on the flexibility subject. Continue reading “Career counseling #18: Flexibility in job applications” →

Blog · Career counseling · Not too personal · Old blog

Career counselling #17: The great pretender

Codrin PO

While listening to the radio yesterday, one of the songs I heard was The Great Pretender from Queen. An awesome song… It reminded me of a few thing that I heard over the years regarding job interviews.

One of the most interesting one is how people pretend being something they aren`t during interviews.

For example, a friend of mine told me that he has the tendency to say “yes” to any question being asked of him. And, of course, he agrees with everything the recruiter says. It because he`s afraid not to get the job. He`s unemployed for almost 2 years.0747558df46e7c9938a4a8468f3651ec

Another person I know invests data, statistics to be more precise. He has the tendency to respond to question with a “for example” answer, trying to give data in each answer. They are mostly invented…

These are the most common I`ve heard of so far.

The idea is that you shouldn`t pretend to be anyone or t know anything that you don`t. Sooner or later, it will all come back and kick you in the ….

Behave as the person you are. It`s the surest way of winning over the “crowd”. If not, then it wasn`t meant to be

Blog · Career counseling · Old blog

Getting entrepreneurial #3: the 50% rule

Codrin PO

I read an article and watched a YouTube video 2 days ago. It was on the “startup madness” that we see all around us. Everyone wants to create the next Facebook or a million dollars business in agriculture. Let`s say, all people wants to hit it big and this in just a couple of months.

Of course, the majority will do everything to have this: work for hours and hours, sacrifice their private life and forgetting they have a family and friends. That`s so wrong from my point of view. Continue reading “Getting entrepreneurial #3: the 50% rule” →

Blog · Career counseling · Not too personal · Old blog

Getting entrepreneurial #2: let`s start

Codrin PO

For quite a while now, I had the idea in mind to start a business. Unfortunately, no idea came to my mind. In the past few days, I did a mental to-do-list on what I know and what I can really do. I tried also to see what I need to learn to do….something which I haven`t yet figured out that I want to do.

Easier to say: I did a SWOT of myself. It seems that, in the “S” part of the analysis, I didn`t find to many things to put. I will continue to thinking about it.images

The “opportunities” part included, mainly, things that I want/need to learn. I needed extra “space” in my head to get that done (took it from the “strengths” part).

Overall, it seems that I need to quit having free time and go to work…on anything my mind puts me up to.

The conclusion: you first need to do a self-analysis. In order to start a business, you should try a find out if you can become an entrepreneur by yourself or if you need someone else to help you. You may be brilliant on the technical part (of your idea), but the business side also counts.

 

P.S.: I just finished a big list of things that I want to learn and test.