How much more effective is Phoning companies vs Emailing CV?

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

I spent the past 15-years working in the Prisons & Security Industry.

Got my Class 2 license back in February this year | Quit my long-term Security Officer job back in June | But due to family-issues (looking after my elderly blind mum during her chemotherapy), I have only now (late November) started to apply for HGV jobs.

There is 1 company just down the road from me which does alot of airport freight work (*Transit Vans upto Class 1 | 140+ employees).
I have applied via the form on their website, plus also emailed them a copy of my CV… But sadly have heard nothing back from them.
(I applied for Van Work or Class 2 | *Although I’ve only got an automatic license, thus wouldn’t be able to drive manual transit vans)

This may ofcourse be because my CV is 4-5 pages of 15+ years prison & security industry work… But so 0% related to being a driver. :cry:
Or hopefully may just be because emails/online applications are much less effective vs phone-calls | (Even when you’ve got 0% experience of working as a driver?)

This company in question which I would love to work for have a big banner draped across the front of their depot saying ‘‘recruiting drivers, phone xxxx to apply’’.

But so my question is, whilst yes I ofcourse have nothing to lose by giving them a call…
Is it actually normal & regular within the HGV industry that a company may just totally ignore your CV (all CVs) :: And instead purely only take-on new recruits based on who telephones them??

*Within my past employment industries it was the total opposite, that anyone who ‘‘phone-up to apply for a job’’ would be classed as a fool who had no clue how the industry worked, and swiftly be told to go fill in the correct application forms via the website…
However am I currently being percieved as ‘‘a fool’’, for emailing in a 4-5 page CV (packed full of non-driving work-experience) :: Rather than just phoning-up the company directly and talking to them via a phonecall??

2

Just like indeed they harvest your cv data and when they are desperate they will contact the top of the pile.
Try to walk in and ask the TM directly with cv in hand directly if they actually have work,you will be used this time of year so be ready for the January boot.

3

I am far from a Cv expert, but you may be able to focus your first paragraph or two of your Cv toward the things that your next employer would be looking for, some aren’t directly tied to how many years you have or haven’t driven trucks.

4

4-5 pages is way too long for a CV, ideally one page and at the most, two pages. Most recruiters/managers won’t get beyond that and will lose interest.

As for trying to find work, unless you are responding to a specific advertised vacancy, I would definitely visit - more so if a small company.

5

Penguin Mafia:
4-5 pages is way too long for a CV, ideally one page and at the most, two pages. Most recruiters/managers won’t get beyond that and will lose interest.

Most recruiters have the memory of a goldfish so won’t even be able to remember posting the advert ,never mind what was at the top of the first page of a one page c.v.
Definately knock on doors, be clean, tidy, polite and eager. Even if you only get 6 weeks work upto xmas then that can go on your new shorter c.v.
And yes, a brief explanation of why you’ve not been driving recently is ok but they are only really interested in relevant experience. Good luck.

6

To add to the post above
Take work gear in boot of car especially if going early as they might just need a replacement driver at that moment

7

Beau Nydel:
. Even if you only get 6 weeks work upto xmas then that can go on your new shorter c.v.

There’s only 4 full weeks left to Xmas! [emoji6]

8

Just to add to the above, and to reiterate…
CV should be 1 page, 2 sides of A4.
When changing careers like you are, you could do with completely changing your CV to a skills based one rather than an experience based one. I know most CVs don’t get looked at but it’s expected that you have one and it’s good to have something to give them when you visit.

At the top, your name followed by your personal statement: a brief summary of what you put in the next section
First half of side 1: Skills profile. Identify 4 or 5 transferable skills you have
Footer: address and contact details
Second half of side 1: Your most recent role with a few bullet points pushing your skills
First half of side 2: a list of your other roles in chronological order. If you’ve had lots of jobs 10y ago, just say various positions between these dates
Second half of side 2: education, qualifications, incl driving licence and finally a couple of lines about your interests
Footer: address and contact details

It’s also a nice touch to attach a check code for your licence so they can view it online.

If it’s a fairly big local employer, do you know anyone who knows anyone who can put in a good word for you?

I find firms often need staff in all areas of the business but everyone is too busy to actually do anything about it including the recruiters who will be spending their time firefighting daily staff issues, so turning up is definitely a good idea. As is phoning or calling in to ask which agencies they use as maybe you could get in that way.

Good luck.

9

AND… if your c.v. is more than one page long DO NOT staple them together-pointy shoes do not deal well with anything sharp :laughing:

10

Hello guys, and thanks for all the replies.

So in regards to my CV:

I’ve reduced it down to 4-pages (covering 5-6 jobs / over 15-years :: Plus my academic/professional/and driving qualifications) | Although will reduce the sub-details of my various job former security-industry jobs down even further… To try getting the entire CV down to just 3-pages.

*Page 1 is purely just my name / contact details / and professional security + driving qualifications.

Also, THIS is the headline paragraph at the top of Page 1# on my CV anyways:

Professional Profile

I’m a newly qualified HGV Driver | Having obtained my Cat C license + CPC in March (2023).

I appreciate that being a newly qualified HGV driver - there will likely be many other job applicants
with more years of experienced than me…
However, being a newly qualified HGV driver, I personally would be approaching the job-role with
genuine true passion, enthusiasm, and gratitude.

Driving Qualifications

• Class 2 HGV License | 9-months
• UK driving license (Automatic) | 5+ years
• CPC driving-qualification card
• Customer-Service Experience

So I’m trying to come across as being an upfront & honest sort of applicant :: Who realizes that I cannot compete against other applicants on the basis of driving-experience jobs, but so instead is trying to compete based on ‘attitude’.

11

And in regards to this job I mentioned in my initial post:

I applied via their website, plus also directly emailed them a copy of my CV, last week.

They never replied, so I phoned them today, spoke to the admin-lady who said they’d not be looking for Class 2 Drivers currently, but maybe for Van Drivers…
She then gave me her personal email address, saying if I sent my CV directly to her, she would pass it to the relevant manager accordingly.

*My big worry is though that whilst I would really love to do Van-Freight work (as this is all airport cargo / not customer home-delivery stuff)…
I only have an Automatic driving-license :: But many transit vans may be manual? :cry:

I have also applied to a few other companies who posted ads on totaljobs… ect

Most of these jobs seem to be via a recruitment agency though (such as permatemps), so not sure how far my CV will get in correlation to the specific job advert I’ve applied for.

I will also look-up other HGV firms near me, and try contacting them directly too though.
*But as I’m based near Heathrow, and thus the firms are based around the airport :: The security-dynamic of just ‘‘walking into one of their depots’’ doesn’t really feel the same as if they were just on an industrial-estate, which would presumably be more permissable to having random people just walk-in off the street. :frowning:

I will compile a list of all the companies near me though, and then contact each of them directly | As I really want to get a job during December, which is meant to be the peak-season for newbies to be given a chance?

12

Anonymous86x:
Hello guys, and thanks for all the replies.

So in regards to my CV:

I’ve reduced it down to 4-pages (covering 5-6 jobs / over 15-years :: Plus my academic/professional/and driving qualifications) | Although will reduce the sub-details of my various job former security-industry jobs down even further… To try getting the entire CV down to just 3-pages.

*Page 1 is purely just my name / contact details / and professional security + driving qualifications.

Also, THIS is the headline paragraph at the top of Page 1# on my CV anyways:

Professional Profile

I’m a newly qualified HGV Driver | Having obtained my Cat C license + CPC in March (2023).

I appreciate that being a newly qualified HGV driver - there will likely be many other job applicants
with more years of experienced than me…
However, being a newly qualified HGV driver, I personally would be approaching the job-role with
genuine true passion, enthusiasm, and gratitude.

Driving Qualifications

• Class 2 HGV License | 9-months
• UK driving license (Automatic) | 5+ years
• CPC driving-qualification card
• Customer-Service Experience

So I’m trying to come across as being an upfront & honest sort of applicant :: Who realizes that I cannot compete against other applicants on the basis of driving-experience jobs, but so instead is trying to compete based on ‘attitude’.

You can easily cut this down further. Not being critical, just trying to help (trust me, I know about this stuff), but also I’m rushing, so sorry if I come across as harsh. Not being harsh.

Delete “having obtained my Cat C …” because you are repeating yourself. You detail your Cat C entitlement later.

You need to demonstrate in your skills profile/previous role description that you are a person with “genuine true passion, enthusiasm, and gratitude”.

Delete the bit “I appreciate…more experienced than me”.

Competing on attitude: you need to demonstrate your fabulous attitude in everything else you say about yourself in your CV. Think about the skills and values that your former career shares with driving. Don’t mention your lack of experience on your CV. Cut the chat and make every word count. Honestly, put your contact details in the footer. They shouldn’t go at the top. Are they the most important thing about you?
Think about “how” you did stuff in your former role and how that demonstrates your enthusiasm and passion etc etc.

To give you an idea, this was my personal statement, before I had any driving experience, right at the top, under my name:

Pro-active, conscientious and committed professional with a proven track record of organisational qualities gained though 26 years of varied and progressive teaching and self-employment experience; articulate and solution-focused communicator; enthusiastic and engaging personality with a strong desire to learn and progress.

Yes, ok, it might be ■■■■■■■■ but it’s ■■■■■■■■ that stands out, and that’s what you want.

Don’t put 9 months or 5 years, put the actual dates.

13

Thanks mate (@driveress).

Will re-update my CV tomorrow.

*Although not sure how many times I can keep re-sending my CV to these same local companies… Before they start literally blocking me! haha

14

I would get your CV shipshape first, and then send it out instead of sending out updates like ios :laughing:

15

~ Just to update this topic, once again ~

  • I got a phonecall back from the company I had targeted initially, with the woman saying they’d reviewed my application submitted via their website (*although due to the format of the boxes on their website’s form, they barely got any info on me tbh / so potentially think I’ve actually been driving HGVs for 10-months :: rather than the reality that not driven one since my test, 10-months ago)… :cry:
    But that they’d like to offer me an interview + assessment drive.

When I’d spoken to them last week she said it’d mainly be van work they have available (which is totally fine by me, providing it’s an Automatic) :: But so not sure if this will be a Class 2 assessment or a Van assessment.

  • I also got an email from a 2nd very big company (Goldstar Transport), who I’d applied to via Totaljobs/Indeed.
    The HR lady had asked me to phone her to discuss my application, ran through a sort of mini-interview with me: Asking how long I’d actually driven for (as I had kept using the phrase ‘‘held my license for 10-months’’) / My location & desired shift-pattern (I’ve gone for 4-on/4-off :: days) / And a few other questions about my knowledge of HGV & how good I am at reversing… (I just mentioned that I’d used ratched-straps before / plus am reasonably good at reversing).

She told me that the client (who the shift pattern vacancy I’ve opted for) normally require 1-year actual driving experience (just holding the license for 1-year doesn’t count)… But so tried to encourage I go for the 5-days per week pattern, which would be ‘‘Class 3 work’’.

She’s said though that they will offer me an assessment for the Class 2 job, if I do really well I will still then have to then have a meeting with the Operations Manager, to see if I will be allowed to do the 1-year experience required role, or not.

She also said I will be tested on:
The highway code / WTD regs / Tacho stuff / Plus walk-around checks. :neutral_face: :neutral_face:

(So my entire weekend will now be spent purely trying to learn all of that, for these 2 assessments next week)