I reluctantly agreed to join LinkedIn when I was facing the abyss. I was advised that it would help me to find work. Well, yes, it did. The current contract that is keeping me manically busy did come via an old contact who used LinkedIn to get hold of me. And I have managed to secure another client – although not much has come of that one.
Since then, however, I have been getting regular approaches from recruiters who, frankly, haven’t a clue. Yesterday I had two such examples. The first phoned me and asked me about my interest in a signalling training job. I asked, as I always ask when faced with this question; signalling engineering, S&T or signalling operations? The response was, frankly, staggering. “I don’t know.”
I didn’t actually say “well hadn’t you better find out, then?” I was more gentle than that. I explained the difference between the disciplines. I pointed out that my background was operational and that their client was not likely to be offering this type of training as only the one organisation (unless you count LUL) has any need for operational signalling and they have their own training schools. My recruiter friend was baffled and went away to ask the question. I checked out the job using Google and the advert quite clearly stated S&T, which is pretty much what I would expect them to be providing and which a cursory glance at my CV or LinkedIn profile will tell you is not one of my competencies.
The second came via the LinkedIn messaging system. This time it was from an internal recruiter. I have deleted all identifying information to spare his blushes.:
We are looking to hire Trainer/Assessor for our team based in *****.
Please let me know if this could be of interest?
I happen to know the trainer who is leaving this post vacant. His retirement should hardly come as a surprise to the organisation, given that the rest of us have known about it for long enough. Yet here we were, a day before he leaves and the HR department is scraping through LinkedIn looking for a replacement. Now, being the bottom of the barrel is not exactly flattering, so my response was somewhat pithy. I pointed out very succinctly that I lived nowhere near the location and that I am a freelance. Both of which are clearly observable from my profile. Given these two points, I am not interested in the role.
Which, I guess, gives away the way I am thinking about the other offer I’ve been considering – although on that occasion, the approach was rather more professional and relevant.
I have tried a few of these “on line” job agencies, and they are ALL crap.
You spend hours putting a CV together, and getting their adding machines to eventually except it, then no bastard bothers reading it.
If they did, they would realise I am NOT qualified to be a distribution manager for Shell/BP Belgium, NOR have I a bloody CLUE how the security and safety systems in the European Air traffic control center work.
Does not stop the bastards sending me the job offers though.