OK - So I have completed my degree in Computing Forensics with an excellent classification. Now for some Job Hunting.
Alot of the jobs are advertised via recruitment agencies and I have a couple of questions
1) What type of roles should a graduate apply for?? Assistant/Junior roles or as a fully fledged Digital Investigator type roles? This may be dependant on the job being advertised and experience at hand but often there is a grey area between the two??
2) You spend a considerable amount of time completing a competant CV and searching for Jobs and you apply for a job in good faith via a recruitment agency. You may (if you're lucky) get a courtesy call from them promising they will help you find a job in line with your criteria. You then hear nothing from them - you chase them up - they promise to be in touch soon - you hear nothing again and eventually you realise they will only contact you if it suits them and will only forward your CV for certain jobs if they have your name and CV at the forefront of their thoughts. This could mean you are missing out on opportunities.
With one or two recruitment agencies this task is manageable but as time progresses you end up with a database of jobs you have applied for and you are now spending more time checking back to recruitment agencies in your personal database than you are looking for jobs. Over time this becomes rather tiresome and you become disheartened chasing these guys around begging for opportunities.
Can anyone advise me in getting more efficient results?? Does this happen to you or is it that I am doing something wrong??
Any input from you guys would be welcome
First of all, what kind of recruitment agencies are you using? If its something like Manpower then you needn't hold your breath. There are a couple of people knocking around on here from time to time (check the job vacancies board) people like Dave Sullivan are definately worth contacting as he speciliases in this kind of work.
Second of all, don't leave it up to a recruiter (no offence Dave). I finished university two years ago and walked right into a job because I called every computer forensic company that I could find and asked them directly about recruting graduates. This will please a number of people as they don't want to pay fees to recruiters (sorry Dave!) and will appreciate your own efforts.
Keep on trying, you'll get there in the end.
Out of interest can I ask where you did the course ? (Altho not wanting to sideline the thread too much).
DFICSI has some advice there that I would subscribe too. Instead of spending your time chasing up recruitment consultants, start building a list of all the possible employers and firing out speculative emails and phone calls. I would say also maybe set your sights slightly away from the prize if its going to mean gaining any experience in the industry.
Just my two pence worth. There is a lot of info on these forums from graduates in similar positions, have a read and good luck.
Agree with the previous posts. Ignore mainstream agencies, it's only worth dealing with specialist recruiters or contacting companies direct. In terms of position, while I'd never recommend settling for less than you're worth keep the bigger picture in view - your goal should be to get a foot on that first rung of the ladder if this is a career and not just a job.
Thanks for the input guys - it is much appreciated.
Having read the advice outlined above I think I will change my focus to finding Forensic companies and specialist recruitment agencies. I can see how this would bring better results than my current modus operandi.
I am late posting into this thread since I saw it this morning, however I guess I would just echo the other peoples posts.
Lots of companies recruit through agencies, so sadly there is no getting away from it. However I would get a good CV together, and call your local Forensic companies, and financial companies etc, anyone who may have a forensic role as part of the IT / Security Team, speak to HR and Heads of IT and Security and send in your CV. Worst they can say is no, so there is nothing lost, but lots to gain.
Hi Juniper,
I agree with nearly all of the advice in this thread but would just emphasise the following three points before you send your CV anywhere
1, Make sure your CV is really up to scratch as the person looking at it will make a decision really quickly based on layout rather than content (at graduate level, at least). There are lots of free CV sites around and you could also look at this article I put together for Forensic Focus last year
http//www.forensicfocus.com/writing-a-winning-cv
2, Ensure you email your CV to a named person whom you know is a Manager in the Forensic unit. CV's to HR@ or Info@ have a funny habit of going missing. If you struggle to find specific names for certain organisations, give me a call and I will help you if I can.
3, Be persistent. In my view it is about being in the right place at the right time so you must be persistent and chase every application. Keep detailed notes of what you have done and when.
Finally, on the subject of recruiters there are good and bad recruiters around. The way to make sure that your calls are returned and that a recruiter is working hard on your behalf is pretty simple. Recruiters can receive hundreds of CV's a week and can fall into the trap of seeing people as just numbers so make sure they see you as a person call them out of work hours, offer to take them for a coffee/beer - just help them see you as a person rather than a CV and you will be surprised at the difference in response.
Good luck!
David.
call them out of work hours, offer to take them for a coffee/beer
He's a wily old fox is our David! lol
I would question the need to use recruitment agencies at all; no disrespect to David Sullivan who I've known for the last few years and who know is good and efficient with what he does, but perhaps graduate level people aren't really going to benefit from recruitment agents no matter what field you're in.
I've moved around quite a bit in UK computer forensics and have come across quite a few agents; so feel relatively well qualified to offer an opinion. The majority I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them! Seeing as they are going to make approximately 15% of your annual salary for placing you then you think a bit more effort/customer service would be expected. Most will give you the typical salesman's patter at first but then 'forget' to keep you updated at all, though a one line email would be minimal effort on their part.
Basically if you want to work for a particular LE agency then visit the recruitment/careers part of their web site; 95% of the time they'll advertise any CF posts. If you want to work for a private company then find a contact name and email them and tell them what you can offer. It'll all be in your hands instead of a 3rd party and the company you're dealing with will have more money in the pot to pay you rather than the agent!
Juniper,
If I was in your position now, I would focus on smaller private companies or the public sector, the former will not invest very much in training but are a good path to gaining experience, the latter will train you and the opportunities to transfer to more dedicated units are more likely. Try to avoid any work that does not relate to your degree, it is very easy to find yourself in a position where your hard work at Uni becomes an anomaly in your career. At present getting a job in CF without experience is very hard indeed.
In my opinion David Sullivan is head and shoulders above any other recruiter that I have ever dealt with, however as you will hopefully find when working in the field of CF you need to use many tools to get results.
Good Luck
Neddy