Advice for Job Seeking Science Graduates 

If you have recently graduated or are about to then here are a few tips that  should help you in your job search.

Apply for relevant roles

Don't apply for roles that require more experience than you have.

Applying for the wrong role does not inspire faith in your ability to read SOP's or other specifications.
Our clients are looking for people who have compliance at the heart of everything they do.  Applying for the wrong role does not give the right impression.  

So ....... ONLY apply for roles that match your qualifications and experience.

Apply for each job separately

So now you are applying only for relevant roles, don't spoil things by applying for a basket of jobs from a job board with "O.C.A" or "One Click Apply" to send the same CV for them all at once.

This is bad because though you may lack experience you could edit your CV and sending one CV for a basket of jobs is not putting you in the best light.  Our blog has an article about how to edit your CV to better suit a specification for a job vacancy.

How to work with agencies

As with all things in life, there are good agencies and not so good agencies.  Please don't tar us all with the same brush.  Nonetheless you should assume that all agencies are good then you will be putting your best foot forward.   Should you not like the agency then move on to another.

If you have a good one helping you then here's a few do's and don'ts to help you get the most form your agent:

Do's

• send CV's in MS Word Format and not as PDF's
• respect the time of the recruiters they have limited time to spare
• keep contact to the minimum, they will guide you as to how they prefer to make contact
• make your CV relevant
• register your CV by doing so on their website
• give details as to your preferences, relocation, salary, field of work, job type ie Permanent, Temporary or either.
• ask who the client is (make it clear your CV is for that role only!).

Don't 

• use a Generic CV for every job you apply for
• constantly ring up for feedback, a good agency will contact you
• interrupt the recruiter when asking screening questions
• lose focus, give the info he or she is asking for
• be afraid of asking questions at the end of the screening
• use links to docs such as on skydrive (it confuses data parsing engines and could send your application to a spam or junk folder).

Remember that an agent makes his or her living out of placing the right person in the right job.  They do this day in and day out and are the experts,if you are not a good match then a professional recruiter will not waste a clients time by putting your CV forward.

For you to get an interview you need to get past the resourcer and or recruiter. 

THE LAST BIG TIP

Most reputable agencies will provide advice pages and although they may look similar, each will have something special to offer, you should read as many as possible and take the best advice from each. 

Now go get that job!

Is the photo on your LinkedIn Profile possibly harming your job opportunities?  
If so, get it sorted or remove it.

This week I have seen some applicants on Linkedin whose photos were letting them down.
It's a minuscule part of the process but your complete profile is a box that needs ticking.

First example was an inappropriate photo 'on LinkedIn' of a young lady reclining on a bed in scanty attire.  I was surprised to see this as I was looking for candidates for a quite Senior Role in the Pharmaceutical sector.   It was not professional and more suited to Facebook,  if at all.

The second was of a Mother cuddling a baby.  Why could this be seen as a problem?  People could discriminate after looking at the picture.  Nothing wrong with the photo but it creates a risk that someone could discriminate against a perceived young Mother.  Yet it may even have been an auntie with a niece or nephew.
As an agent I would advise that she should have used a different photo on her profile to protect against the possibility of discrimination.

Finally, someone who looked liked they had just clambered out of a kid's dressing-up box. Also her face had a look of thunder that made her look hostile.  Again this was a person in a fairly highly qualified role. Why would someone put a photo like that on LinkedIn?

My point here is that no photo is better than a bad photo.
The advice is to get a photograph taken by a professional or someone who is competent.

Click here to access advice from Andrew Bradley (a social media guru, author and blogger) 

Generic CV's are bad for your career!

Don't be fooled by similar job titles because no two jobs are the same.
So why do people send in the same CV for different roles?

All too frequently we receive applications from people using the same generic CV for several job vacancies.   Often they have not read the job specification thoroughly and then they fail to adapt the CV to emphasise the relevance they might have.

For example, a QC Analyst applies for three QC Analyst roles.

• QC Stability Analyst
• QC Method Development Analyst
• QC Raw Materials Analyst.

Despite the obvious experience required one role might be working to SOP's and another working to Pharmacopoeia, the other may require both.  It is obvious that some amendment needs to be made to give the applicant a better chance of getting an interview.  
A person may have worked to both and wish to include them but really should place a greater emphasis on the relevant one.   This helps the hiring manager who is screening the CV's to see the relevant worth or a person.

To make the point imagine two scenarios:

1. An applicant sends in a generic CV for any and all jobs, it's the same CV, it never changes, it stays the same despite the sometimes subtle differences of job requirements.
2. An applicant amends the CV by looking in details at the job description.  He or she highlights the points, keywords, skills and qualifications in fact anything in the Job Description that he or she matches.  Then the CV is scrutinised by the applicant to ensure that the CV has all the relevant details in it.

So we have one person sending a CV to all jobs without paying any attention and another who selects the jobs he or she applies for and then amends the CV to better reflect their skills etc.

Who stand the better chance of getting through to the interview stage?

So.... now your generic CV is a thing of the past you have just enhanced your career prospects.

Telephone Interviews

HOT TIP for iphone users (possibly for other smart phone users too).

We all know to charge our phone before having a telephone interview.

However, if your battery is low and you suddenly remember you have a telephone interview coming in 30 mins then try this:

1. Turn your phone onto flight mode and it will recharge at up to twice the rate.
2. Don't forget to turn flight mode off again!
3. Get a glass of water and relax.

Good Luck!

Dont' forget to follow us on MAC Scientific on LinkedIn

Customise your CV

In over 30 years in recruitment, the second most common problem is that an applicant often sends a generic CV.  Your chances of obtaining an interview increase between 10% and 50% (assuming you have applied for a suitable position) if your customise your CV.

A concise CV without missing the important parts
A two page CV is the ideal (unless you have a PhD and several pages listing your recently presented papers, posters, seminars and conferences).
Managers usually have to sift though a heap of CV's , concise CV's that match the spec will go in the "keepers" pile and the others go in the "weepers" pile.
However, the CV must contain relevant skills and experience or it will not make the cut.
The emphasis is initially placed upon rejecting most of the CV's.

The problem is that as your experience grows so does the task of restricting your resume to two sides of A4.  You might be organised and keep several versions of our CV or else edit it each time before sending it off to a prospective employer or recruitment agency.

If you do not Customise your CV then you are already at a disadvantage.
Before you apply for a role need to look very carefully at the job description/specification within an advertised job vacancy.  If you are not suitable then don't apply.  If you are you need to maximise your chances and to do that you need to check that our CV best represents you in the light of that job.

HOT TIP:  
Do not apply for a basket full of jobs with one click and send a generic CV off for different roles.   Unless you are lucky you will be passed over in favour of persons whose CV has been meticulously worked on to increase relevance.

Making the most of your CV 

You might be thinking "That's fine in theory but how do I make the most of my CV?"

Or "How long will this take?"

It's all about Focus and once you have that it only takes a few minutes.
This 5 step process will assist you:

1. Turn your CV over or better still put it in a drawer.
2. Print out the job spec from the advert.
3. with a magic marker highlight all the text that matches your experience quals and skills
4. Now take your CV out of the drawer and with a critical eye check to see if it contains all of the info that you have highlighted in the job spec.
5. Finally, if there are key things highlighted in the job spec that are missing from your CV then you must add it.  

Hot Tip:
Don't be tempted to add just a keyword to a list of skills, you must make it relate to you in a prior role and allow the person vetting CV's to see you in your best light.

Finally, be accurate in your claims, don't exaggerate and never ever claim to have done something when you have not.
Good luck!

Writing a Successful CV – Part 1

When it comes to applying for a new job, your CV is the ticket to get you that initial foot in the door and secure an interview – but how do you ensure your CV is added to the interview pile rather than thrown straight in the bin?

Putting together a successful CV is easy once you know how. It's a case of taking all your skills and experience and tailoring them to the job you're applying for. MAC Scientific has put together the following tips (part 1 of 2 posts) to help you get started in creating a successful CV and securing your first (or next) job.

Get the basics right

There is no right or wrong way to write a CV but there are some common sections you should cover. These include: personal and contact information; relevant skills to the job in question; education and qualifications; work history and/or experience; own interests, achievements or hobbies; and details of some referees.

Don’t feel you have to keep your CV to 2 pages but remember that all the information in your CV should be directly linked to the job you are applying for. For example, if you have both chemistry and microbiology industry experience and you’re apply for a microbiology role make sure you put more emphasis on your microbiology skills and only briefly touch on the chemistry experience.

Presentation is the key

A successful CV is always carefully and clearly presented. The layout should always be clean and well structured. If your CV is not laid out clearly or is poorly edited the recruiter will question your computer skills.  Avoid using the spacebar to position text.

Always remember the CV hotspot – the upper middle area of the first page is where the recruiter's eye will naturally fall, so make sure you include your most important information there, for example this is the best place to put your key skills and experience related to the role.

It is important to remember that, as it is so easy to apply to roles online, recruiters are now inundated with applications. Recruiters allegedly spend less than one minute reviewing a CV; during this first minute they are looking for key skills and experience directly related to the role. If these are missing they will not read any further.

Adapt the CV to the role

Create a unique CV for every job you apply for. You don't have to re-write the whole thing, just adapt the details so they're relevant.

Remember, there is less value in a generic CV. Every CV you send to a potential employer should be adapted to reflect your relevant skills and experience to the role. It is worth the extra effort as your adapted CV will be more likely to get you on the shortlist. A generic CV is always obvious to spot e.g “I am looking to establish a career in Regulatory affairs” when in fact you are applying for a Quality role. This can show disinterest in the role, i.e. you have not bothered to read the job description and adapt your CV to make the most of your relevance. So take the time to tailor the CV to the role and show the recruiter that you are interested enough to make that extra effort.

Understand the job description

The clues are in the job description, so read the details from start to finish. Take notes and create bullet points, highlighting everything you can satisfy. Then look at your CV, are these skills clearly shown? If not, make sure they are for example; in your key skills section.

If there is a skill that you are lacking, try to link it to a transferable skill. For example if the role is looking for supervisory experience think about skills linked to supervising i.e.  have you trained other staff, provided cover for a team leader, or organised workloads for other staff or apprentices?

Part 2 coming soon

The best CV format for online applications

Your choice of CV format could put you at the front or the back of the queue!

Did you know it takes less than 1 minute for your details to be processed at MAC Scientific?
Yes from your application arriving in our mailbox to you being fully registered or your existing records updated and the acknowledgement email sent it takes from 30 - 50 seconds.



To be a winner it helps to be first out of the blocks

We have invested in data parsing systems that assist us with applicant reception.
The Exchange Server, the data parsing system and our state of the art SQL Server based system all combine to rapidly present you to the consultant dealing with your application.

From there we can contact you by SMS, Email or TAPI call to your mobile, work or home number as is you prefer.
Consultants can be reviewing your CV within 60 secs of your application.

Our systems are also smart enough to hold a CV if it is not sure if it's an updated version or a newly registered person's CV. All this is rendered useless if your CV get's held up for manual checking because the CV is illegible or poor or over complex formatting such as tables confuses the parsing software.

Here's a quick list of pointers about the format to speed you along:

• Always send a CV in MS word format.
• Try to avoid PDF's they look great but take longer to edit
• Don't use tables as they affect the order in which the data is parsed
• Always send a CV as a word Document, never use a skydrive link to a document or your application will not have a CV with it. (All the other applciants will be there done and dusted before anyone goes searching for your CV and then it has to be manually added into the system for scans for future roles.)
• Europass CV's look good until you edit them, they can cause delays

If you have more time then read on.

Background info
Applications for a role can number in the hundreds, it is not unknown to receive over 1200 applications for a basic lab tech role!   You have competition and never moreso than in the current climate!

Logistically our Recruitment System and processes are developed to cope.
We have state of the art reception software to be able to process bulk applications that come from job boards, websites, careers sites etc.  That process involves automatically extracting the data in your CV to be analysed and submitted to the database whilst simultaneously emailing the Consultant(s) to alert them to your application.
That takes seconds!
So what can go wrong?

MAC Scientific as a reputable agency will never send your details to a client without your express permission.

In accordance with best practice no agency should submit your CV to a client without your permision, this applies in respect of each particular role.  They should also sanitise your CV by removing your personal details and those of your referees.
Therefore some editing (sanitising) must take place to remove these details.  That is not as simple or quick for an agency to do with PDF's and or skydrive docs.  So don't use those if you can help it.

Note:
It is policy at MAC Scientific to never alter the content of your CV unless you agree to it.  Minor changes such as typing errors etc are something we would take care of for you but we will never alter the content for fear of altering the context.

So, as PDF's are more difficult to edit they usually get passed to someone else to edit, this will delay an application.
Skydrive docs have to be retrieved by someone so your application will have no CV with it, whereas CV's that came as Word Docs will have been processed and actioned before your gets looked at.  Many clients only allow a limited number of CV's so you do not want to have your CV delayed for any reason or you may find the applications limit is reached.

Upon arrival at my desk I have often had to review 60 or more applicants for one job that came in overnight.  The PDF or Skydrive based CV's are all needing further attention yet we have filled the client imposed quota of applicants for the particular role concerned.   For instance each agency may only be allowed to submit 5 cv's.
Some clients allow only two or three applications at a time so having your CV delayed is not a good tactical move.   You do not want to be fourth!

Skydrive docs have to be downloaded whereas CV's emailed to us as an MS Word attachment are loaded, dealt with and viewed by the consultant at the click of a button.
PDF's require editing in Acrobat which our SQL based system cannot do itself, although processed it's the sanitizing that takes time.  By the time we get a revised CV's back in a workable format we may have submitted our quota of applicants.

You might ask "How does this affect me?"

Quite simply you can be ahead of the game by following the advice in this blog or you can be left sidelined or your application delayed, if you do not follow these basic principles.