# Still can't find a job.



## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

Gonna send the wife out, full time child minder here I come.

Really irks me when I write to people by name, and the fudgers still don't even reply.


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## LeeH (Jan 29, 2006)

What line of work are/were you in?


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## Marve (Jul 5, 2013)

ollienoclue said:


> Gonna send the wife out, full time child minder here I come.
> 
> Really irks me when I write to people by name, and the fudgers still don't even reply.


Do you offer this level of resentment in your letters as well?

Be good to hear what line of work you are in, but generally its better to find a good agency specialising in your industry. Most companies recruit using an agent these days rather than taking direct applicants.


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

Marve said:


> Do you offer this level of resentment in your letters as well?
> 
> Be good to hear what line of work you are in, but generally its better to find a good agency specialising in your industry. Most companies recruit using an agent these days rather than taking direct applicants.


I know this is the internet, and I'm sure it's not your intention, but let's not kick a man when he's down. 
He wouldn't be the only to vent once in a while on this forum, after all! It is often someone's only safe space to do so.

IIRC the OP has been trying to get a placement with a firm of accountants and has been trying a while with a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Ollie - I'm afraid it's probably a case of KBO, as Mr Churchill used to exhort!

Peter


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## jr2007 (Oct 5, 2016)

Fentum said:


> I know this is the internet, and I'm sure it's not your intention, but let's not kick a man when he's down.
> He wouldn't be the only to vent once in a while on this forum, after all! It is often someone's only safe space to do so.
> 
> IIRC the OP has been trying to get a placement with a firm of accountants and has been trying a while with a good attitude and willingness to learn.
> ...


Most accountancy firms use a combination of recruitment agents, reaching out to the network and invitation to apply direct. Assuming this is a relatively large firm, he is probably hitting the HR roadblock. They receive so many applications, most won't get a reply. Sometimes a tweak to the CV or cover letter can help the bots in HR tick the right boxes for sending on.

As you become more senior in post, the right agents can become your friend in getting the right placement. For example, I obtained my current role (FTSE 100 UK tax director) following a dinner with the global head of tax arranged by the agent.


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## Marve (Jul 5, 2013)

Fentum said:


> I know this is the internet, and I'm sure it's not your intention, but let's not kick a man when he's down.
> He wouldn't be the only to vent once in a while on this forum, after all! It is often someone's only safe space to do so.
> 
> IIRC the OP has been trying to get a placement with a firm of accountants and has been trying a while with a good attitude and willingness to learn.
> ...


It was not about kicking a man when he is down. I offered constructive advice in my post. But as well, if the tone in his message here is repeated in his job hunting, then that is't going to help.


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

Marve said:


> It was not about kicking a man when he is down. I offered constructive advice in my post. But as well, if the tone in his message here is repeated in his job hunting, then that is't going to help.


Ok, Marve.

Anyhoo, I used to hold a senior post in a Big Four firm (in which I was lumbered with sitting in as a moderator on other groups' interviews, as well as doing my own recruitment) - believe me, he's got a very long way to go before he catches up with the whining of your average Millennial accountant:lol:!

Peter


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

> Really irks me when I write to people by name, and the fudgers still don't even reply.


If the job is well appointed the firm may well get 200 applications. It would cost the firm £130 to tell you no instead of a couple of quid to write to the few they want to see.

Don't take it too personally.

Getting an agent to do the leg work for you seems to be a good approach. It worked for me albeit in a different industry.


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## Paul08 (Jun 1, 2014)

I work as Head of Finance in a SME, its hard to get work at the moment in accountancy. I have a first class degree in it and qualified ACCA studying by myself and funded by myself. Still struggled, ended up getting a job in a call centre then worked my way up and ended up at the top in finance after a good few years.

My point is, it can be done, but I'd maybe consider just getting any job with a company and then looking to get some accountancy qualifications (if you haven't already) and then if a post opens in the finance team, ask for a transfer. You could still apply directly for accountancy jobs whilst doing this.

When I have advertised jobs in the past, we get hundreds of applications, its not even feasible to look at them all, so I wouldn't worry about not getting replies.


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

Sorry but I am not in the best frame of mind at the moment, in short I am depressed as feck.

Written to lots of people speculatively, even found out who to write to, for them not to reply, even by email, is poor in my book. I used to go out of my way for people in my previous job even for non-clients.

I was involved in agriculture, technical sales, but no longer. Not worth the stress so I am looking to do something else completely, don't mind starting as a trainee.


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## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

ollienoclue said:


> Sorry but I am not in the best frame of mind at the moment, in short I am depressed as feck.
> 
> Written to lots of people speculatively, even found out who to write to, for them not to reply, even by email, is poor in my book. I used to go out of my way for people in my previous job even for non-clients.
> 
> I was involved in agriculture, technical sales, but no longer. Not worth the stress so I am looking to do something else completely, don't mind starting as a trainee.


If you've written to lots of people without any replies I would suggest (if you haven't already done so) that you get someone who is not invested if you a job or not to review what you're sending them as there may well be something in there that's resulting in them not replying.


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

I have had some replies, and I have had a couple of people review my CVs and covering letters, there doesn't seem anything amiss.


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## jr2007 (Oct 5, 2016)

ollienoclue said:


> Sorry but I am not in the best frame of mind at the moment, in short I am depressed as feck.
> 
> Written to lots of people speculatively, even found out who to write to, for them not to reply, even by email, is poor in my book. I used to go out of my way for people in my previous job even for non-clients.
> 
> I was involved in agriculture, technical sales, but no longer. Not worth the stress so I am looking to do something else completely, don't mind starting as a trainee.


I think you need to look at it from the perspective of who you are sending your letters to. If they are senior enough to give you a job without going through the HR hoops, they are unlikely to actually open their own post so your letters will just get passed to HR. If they aren't senior enough, your letters get passed to HR. If someone able to give you a job happens to see your cover letter, they might not have an opening and might not have the time to reply.

If you are applying for graduate finance positions, bear in mind who you are up against. Young, ambitious fresh graduates are the workhorses of all major finance teams. They will work 10-15 hours a day doing the most mundane task with the hope of moving up the ladder for a few years, whereas experienced hires or those recruited later in life typically don't hang around for long enough in the same type of role.

Your best bet is to apply to specific vacancies or, as mentioned before, use an agent. At least for large firms, external vacancies are only pushed out when the internal search and agent search has been fruitless. Using an agent is free for the recruitee (is that a word?) so you don't have a lot to lose to give them a try.

Above all, and I know it's very easy to say, stay motivated in your search. If you genuinely wish to have a career in finance there are openings out there for all stages. Fund yourself through AAT to give you an edge in applications and to get an idea of what you can expect, get clued up on the types of roles out there and focus on one (e.g. for accountancy do you want to go into audit, technical, financial accounting or management accounting?) Once you pick, be sure you can answer comprehensively why.


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