Never say it out loud

While surfing on the net today, I discovered a website with different types of "catchy" openings for cover letters. One of the recommendations, obviously suitable for overconfident applicants who target the same type of recruiters, was to start your letter with "You should be crazy not to take me!"

Yeah, right! I quickly closed that page in an attempt to clear my mind from that contagious thought. Truth is every time I start writing a cover letter this idea just gets stuck into my mind, making me believe that I am the only possible candidate who fulfills the requirements and is available immediately. The ugly truth is - I am not. There are at least a couple of more candidates, who if not better, are equally good as me (you). Thinking that "they" should be crazy not to take "you" is wrong on so many levels, so where should I begin?

First, confidence is one thing. Overconfidence is something totally different. It blurs your assessment of where you stand, what your skills and qualifications are and what they need to be. If you start writing a cover letter with that idea in mind, you will most likely fail to identify your weaknesses. By only pointing out how you "fit" the requirements you neglect your vulnerable points. And I honestly believe that mentioning your weaknesses in a positive way in the cover letter is a must.

Second, overconfidence can backfire. HR people are different. You never know what kind of person will look at your application. So in case you are not familiar with the person or organisation your applying for, be careful with bold (opening) lines.

Third, if you're not swearing by the power of positive thinking, my advice is to be moderate in your expectations. This way actually being invited for an interview will be a surprisingly good event.

Last but not least, I've heard already a couple of people applying for jobs they are not qualified for, say the same thing. So even if this thought slips into your mind, never say it out loud.  You cannot imagine how ridiculous it could sound.

Fingers crossed!

ban on Europass CVs

Studied in Harvard,

was a freelance journalist,

speaks Chinese,

interned at NATO

 ....and so on ...

Why, why, why should you put all these brilliant things in a standard Europass CV template? I just don't get it. If anyone has the answer, please, let me know.

European Job Day 1-10-2011

With the annual event for wanna-be Brussels employees in sight I decided to list few reasons why NOT to attend the European Job Day:

1. Job fairs simply don't work. I know that you have a friend, who has a friend, who managed to find a job at such fair. I have a friend too. But believe me, the general rule is that job fairs are the place to be for employers, not so much for job seekers.
2. European Job Days 2011 will offer you the chance to meet the same employers that the EU Job Days 2010 did. A quick look at the website reveals the (OMG) shocking fact that this year's selection is an exact match of last year's. My feeling tells me these companies offer the same positions. Let's hope for the sake of the thousands of people attending that these vacancies are different if existing at all.
3.  It's crowded so if you're up for some pushing or squashing, be my guest. Even if you're able to survive the crowd and you are ready to sacrifice that nice pair of shoes, you need to keep in mind that your attendance will most certainly be unnoticed. There are hundreds of people passing by each stand. HR people are exhausted and pay absolutely no attention to who you are or what you want. It's almost impossible to stand out in that crowd (unless you are naked or something). Moreover, what's the point in queuing for two hours when sending off your CV is 3 mouse-clicks away. 
4. There is only a limited number of actual employers. Most of the stands are occupied by recruitment agencies. Visiting their office could prove much more useful then annoying them on such a busy event. 
5. Just to enter the building you need to bring at least ten copies of your CV. Hmm, ever heard of "Think about the environment" EU policy? Guess not.
6. Last but not least -  it's on a Saturday and I don't know about you, but I can think of at least ten other things to do which are funnier than applying for a job :) 

So unless you have an interview scheduled for that day or you're curious to take a tour in the Berlaymont building, my advice is to skip this "recruitment" event and enjoy your weekend! 

Content-rich CV

I stumbled upon a very creative and slightly creepy (especially, if you’re watching the video on mute) interactive CV. Take a look at how this student integrates technology, design, artistic skills and innovation into his CV. I am not quite sure whether this guy was able to find an internship. I am certain though that he will find a job.
To be honest I hate the photo mostly because I imagine how many hours I will spend Photoshopping my flaws for such a high-resolution pic. But the QR codes are definitely a very fresh idea that will impress any potential employers. Moreover, if you're applying for a communications or marketing related position then you can definitely benefit from such a content-rich CV. You can link it to a blog, LinkedIn profile, twitter account or special webpage with your CV. Choices are unlimited. Still, I have to warn you: be careful with that Summer 2011 Facebook album ;)
So the message is: job hunters respect the basics & add value by experimenting!

QR CODE - Content-rich Resume from Victor petit on Vimeo.

CV for starters

Frankly, I would hate to dedicate a whole blogpost to the CV. Much has been said about it and the internet hosts an endless number of websites with tips on how to make the best of your Curriculum Vitae. Yet, the hundreds available templates say little about young graduates whose CVs contain not more than a BA or MA. How do you fill in the blanks? Education and diplomas are one thing, work experience - totally different. And still it is possible to construct your CV in a way that even with little pre-professional experience, it is attractive enough for potential employers.

So how do you do that? Here are my little tips.

• Describe your studies. It may seem obvious to you what your discipline entails, but don't forget that people with different background and knowledge will screen your CV. Names of disciplines could be very misleading, especially for people coming from a different country. Chances are that in Brussels your CV will be reviewed by a person of who-knows-what nationality. E.g. a diploma in communications in Bulgaria means you are an engineer. In Belgium (depending on University) it could mean PR, advertising, journalism, marketing and so on. So don't take it for granted that people would understand what your BA or MA means.
• List your majors. List your majors or the subjects that you have enjoyed the most. A nice trick is to change them according to the opening you're applying for. If you are applying for an organisation that deals with copyrights and you've studied Media (or copyright) law... then you should not hesitate to list it.
• Don't forget your thesis. Most graduates tend to forget that they've spent months working on their final thesis. This counts. Add a brief description, the name of your supervisor and (if impressive) the final points. 
• Papers, workshops, projects.  Have you been involved in different projects or researches, have you written a brilliant paper? Don't forget to mention it. 
• All experience counts. To most people experience = professional experience. Luckily, that's completely not true. Summer jobs, internships, volunteer work, 1, 2, 3-day trainings, etc. all count as long as they are relevant to the positions.  
• Seminars, conferences, etc. If you are currently in Brussels then you should definitely take the opportunity to attend the various seminars and conferences organised in the EU capital. These things add a nice touch to your CV, show your engagement & willingness to learn... (I know how it sounds but that's reality) 
• List your (internship) assignments. Describing your day-to-day tasks or projects that you've worked on during previous internship is essential. I could imagine that this will take a page or two so be  selective. Choose the most important (/regular) ones. Nevertheless, keep in mind the requirements of the job your applying for. 
• EU template. Unless you're applying for an institution that specifically asks for the standard EU CV template, don't use it. It's horrible, it's ugly, it's boring. And most likely there will be 50 other people that have already used it.
• Picture? This is a tough one. We could argue about it forever and still reach no conclusion whether you should put a picture on your CV or not. My feeling tells me that if you're applying for an NGO in Brussels, you should better avoid putting your smiley face on a CV. If the company (organisation) specifically asks for it, than it is out of the question that you should put your picture. However, my personal experience is that various organisations tend to brand themselves as an "equal opportunity" employer and therefore see CV pictures as an obstacle for this. Tip: if you see on the bottom of the page that "We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage..." than definitely forget about the picture. Friends say that French and Belgian companies prefer pictures... So my advice: think twice before hitting the "send" button. 
• Typos, misspellings, switched lines, missing words... Annoying, I know. But it really gets your CV down-rated when people see these "little" things. I wouldn't give the advice to let s.o. else read it (cause I know that people will ignore it, just as I did). My advice: when you finally have a version of your CV with little or no mistakes, try not to mess it up. Be careful when adding/ removing things... Double, triple check everything....
• Layout, people! Even if you keep the layout of your documents basic, it's still better than having several different fonts or interlines in a single document. If you're filling in a template provided by the organisation, please, please, please don't mess it's layout. Take the time to fill it in, or ask a friend to help you (if you don't manage). I don't know about zodiacal signs but the layout of your documents definitely tell a lot about yourself! At least to me. Poor layout means that you're probably not really good with computers or MS Word (a must for every soon-to-be Eurocrat). It could also mean that you have superficial interest in this job or that you're simply sloppy. Either way, it doesn't really add value to your application. And guys, learn how to check boxes in MS Word :) 

What makes Brussels so special?

Most people referred to this blog page through Google or any other search engine are fully aware of the benefits that Brussels has to offer to young graduates. EU institutions are among the most attractive employers all over Europe. Along with them, though, EU Council, Parliament & NATO headquarters had formed fruitful ground for various lobby organisations, NGOs & think-thanks. If you are advocating for human, women's, animal's rights, or even the rights of photovoltaic solar panels, Brussels is the place to be. With its wealth of job opportunities for (the extremely popular, but rarely useful) social and political scientists (like me), the Belgian capital has turned into a synonym of high class income and little work. And since demand outweighs supply, it is not unusual that for one position there are more than 400 applicants. Yes, you've got this right. Paid internships or general positions in administration, where no specific skills are required (or at least this is what the majority thinks), tend to attract hundreds of applications from wanna-be Eurocrats.

The ones that are already here seem to like letting off the steam every now and then. Young expats, paid and unpaid interns, MEPs assistants and various other groups have lately boosted the popularity of the night-life in Brussels. A drink after work, some networking (we are job hunting after all) or casual sex. The EU district has it all.

What makes Brussels unique to me though is the multi-culti environment. I love speaking English at work, French on the metro, Dutch on the train. The variety of nationalities, looks, ideas, languages, cultures, so unusual for Belgium, is mostly concentrated in Brussels. And that's what makes it the place I want to be!

Bilingual

I was planning to introduce myself in the second blog post and tell something more about me and my education and experience, interests and future aspirations, but due to some unexpected developments I would have to postpone this. Today I got a call from an organisation where I applied for a 6-months paid internship as a communications assistant. Sounded nice, interview went more than fine, my profile is a perfect match for the requirements. I had a good CV, they said, good references and they were obviously satisfied with my answers at the interview. Despite this the organisation called to let me know that this is obviously not enough and the internship has been (surprise, surprise) offered to someone else.

Besides the bitter disappointment, as I was counting on this opportunity, I couldn't help but wonder what my application was lacking. "You are not a native English speaker. And we need someone to correct us as none of the people in the office is", said the voice. Great! Nowadays it is not enough to be smart, educated, outgoing, friendly, innovative, creative, motivated and experienced. Job hunters also need to be native English speakers in order to edit and/or translate the organisation's communication. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't there a whole science about this, and a profession (in which other young graduates are hoping to specialize)? To make it even worse - this is Brussels. Here being a native English speaker is also not enough. If you are bilingual French-English speaker, even without a diploma, or qualifications, you are most likely going to find a job. And to illustrate the mood I am in (bitterly disappointed --> cynical) a song  for all young university graduates, who are wondering how they can become bilingual

For a start

First, you need a (university) diploma. Then you have to be assertive and naturally brilliant. In addition to being creative, you also need to be able to put yourself on the market. And of course, all this involves working (a couple of months) for free, or what in Brussels is called "being an intern".

This process is what a university graduate will most likely face, once (s)he steps out of the campus area. Finding a job in Brussels could be a tempting opportunity, but is also a heavy task. So here we are - me, soon-to-be university graduate, my second unpaid internship in Brussels and my ambitious self. We are job hunting!

Although it has just been a couple of months since I started my search, I have already read the most absurd job requirements and have applied for various demanding organisations (companies). Stay tuned to see how the job hunting will progress :)

Cheers!