Getting a job in Edinburgh

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

Anyone else out there finding it hard to get a job here. i have been trying for weeks and no luck. I have a degree in Electronic Engineering but it seems to worth very little with out experience. No one will take a chance.

Also up in the job centre every job listed there requires you to have experience to do any job. No ordinary person can get a job there because of the experience. Wanted try sales but no experience no job.

Give me a job to get experience.

I know all this stuff:
-Java SE
-Java ME (Mobile Phone programming)
-Java EE
-JSP and servlets
-C Programming
-HTML
-MySQL
-PHP
-Linux operating system (Debian,Ubuntu)
-Setting Up Webserver,FileServer,FTP Server using Linux
-Remote desktoping
-VMWare setup and building of operating systems
-Setting up networks like LANs

Anyone else having problems?

PolarSkates · Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 6

I have 20yrs experience in electronics and have only just got a 'real' job after six months of temping. Problem i found was the Edinburgh job market seems totally swamped in Hospitality and Banking positions. A friend with lots of software experience took 1yr to find a decent position!

Best thing i can advise is to search the London companies websites for recent or upcoming positions in this area. Find out who is moving into all these shiney new buildings going up in town and contact them before the jobs are advertised. Knock on doors and show your face.

Also keep working even if it is just temping, employers like to see a good work ethic and you can make contacts for other positions. Even offer your services free to charities and the like.

The chances are you won't find a job thru the job centre so don't get put off when the only thing you find is 'packer £5.45ph'

Good luck!

PaleGreySky · Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Edinburgh

i have a 2:1 MA Hons in geography. I've been trying even just for a temp job, bar job or admin...anything to do to save up for my gap year. I've been trying since late may. nothing. doing my head in.

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

yea not having a job is doing my head in aswell. Trying to fill the days with some thing to do.

i will work for any money as long as i get experience in what i am doing.

do you know any charities that are looking for IT people?

fireclown · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 50 Location: Edinburgh

Hi Evoke...

I'm in the same position as yourself. I have a lot of experience in similar computing languages and operating systems etc... and am currently devloping a website with a flash front end and a modular php/mysql driven cms. I'm doing this just to keep myself busy as everyjob I apply for seems to want a few years experience in Active Directory and Exchange blooming server!
Actually... I could do with a chat with a bloke with your skillset as i'd like to develop a photo graph image resizer / uploader to run client-side and figured that Java might be the way to go......

I digress... Wink

Hope you a good job soon though matey.. never give up... keep applying... Im applying for about 5 jobs per day here and get the odd chance of interview.... I'm sure I could get one if my interiew technique were better Wink

hypnoscot · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:59 am Post subject:

I'm an employer and so see this from the other side of the fence. I recently advertised a position and got over 200 applicants within a few days. So I can afford to be choosy. And recruitment is about much much more than specific skills - it's also very much about how someone will fit into the workplace. Let me tell you how it works.

My first priority is to sift these down to a manageable short-list to invite for interview. I just don't have time to even read 200 CVs. So any covering letter or email that doesn't tick every single one of my boxes goes quickly into the no pile. This means that if I've asked for specific information in a particular way in the advert, if I don't see it there it's game over. I also reckon anyone who doesn't bother to spellcheck their application and use proper business English is probably too much trouble to consider. And if I get the feeling it's the same intro they've sent to twenty others that day, this tells me just how interested they are in my job.

Is there any evidence they've looked into my company and what we do? I'm looking for signs of genuine enthusiasm for the job. This plays well. On the other hand, any signs of negative attitudes and I'm already spotting future trouble.

Much the same applies at interview, if we eventually get there. fireclown - I'm interested that you say you think your technique could be better. This is something that can be practiced. And there are plenty of resources online giving do's and don'ts. Do you ask interviewers for feedback afterwards? Some will give this, others won't, but it's worth asking. What do you feel you could do better?

The reason I'm saying all this is that I can say in all honesty that the vast majority of those 200+ applicants could have got themselves an interview or job if they just did the basics better. I sometimes scream across the office at the sheer stupidity of someone shooting themselves in the foot. So the positive flip-side of this is that if you work on all the components of your own applications systematically, I believe anyone can easily up their game. I don't want to sound harsh, but just realistic, in saying that no one owes you a job. It's up to you to communicate clearly to each and every potential employer that you'll be such a valuable and trouble-free employee that they'd be mad not to give you a chance.

Finally, I've been where you are myself, and know how easy it is to get into a bit of a rut. But if you let yourself develop a negative mindset you'll end up communicating this to others. So I'm not just being new-agey and Californian when I say think positively. Look on getting into a process of improving your applications as a project where you can learn from each as a chance to do the next time better. You'll instantly come across as a more positive and creative person who sees opportunities rather than obstacles.

Hope this helps.

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

fireclown - that would be an easy application to do. a java applet would be what you are looking for. resizing it would be easy then you would open a socket and send it to the server. that is off the top of my head. lots more to it than that.

got an interview today for an engineer. think he is looking for alot of experience which i have. i am a very hard worker and love a challenge but i need to convey that to them.

i even said i would work for free for a couple of days so they could get some more confidence in me.just got to be positive that is all.

shirt-n-tie-boy · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Lothian, Scotland

I'd follow him next time mate. Not talking night vision goggles or anything heavy, just keep a distance behind and see where he goes. If you don't solve this mystery it will just eat away at you. This is your chance to put it to bed and learn the secrets of the cans.

Thally · Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 9632 Location: Edinburgh

evoke ! !

Might be a good idea to have somebody edit and spell check your CV and covering letters as tbh your command of English grammar and punctuation is poor to say the least Sad

For example ................

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

No my CV is perfect. I update is regularly and check it before I send it of.

Only type like that because I am typing at the speed of thought.

Still no job , it is a job in itself to find one.

Does anyone know any jobs going in Edinburgh.

hypnoscot · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:29 am Post subject:

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

Just sent you my CV. will post a Cover letter later when I have it.

hypnoscot · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 12:00 pm Post subject:

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

Yea i am looking for tht short term project ork. Posted it on gumtree but no replies. Would do short term project work for very little money just something to do and something to keep me going. minimum wage would be great.

I am a hard worker and very focused but hat does not seem to do.

Will post my cover letter later.

thanks again.

pstitch · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 440

Chest heart and stroke centre in Edinburgh took on a few students for work experience, try them Idea

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

are they taking on volunteers for working in their department. must check them in google maps to see where they are in edinburgh.

badjesse · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 125

Evoke I'm going to need someone to convert 6 pages of .PSD pages into a functioning SEO'd website, I have no idea about web design and will be needing to get this done in about 3-4 weeks time. If this is something you can do then that'd be great.

evoke · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 39

so you want the .psd template to be broken up into hyperlinks for internet use.

badjesse · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 125

I want it turned into a working website, could you email me please if you're interested? room_1009 at hotmail dot com