Personnel counseling

Why search for jobs through a personnel agency

A comfortable and effective way for searching for work is using the services of personnel agencies. The applicants get many advantages from cooperating with a personnel agency. They gain useful information about the labour market situation and get to know about their potential prospects and possibilities of further professional development. Consultants can help them with their personal presentation, can give advice about how to write a CV correctly, which clothing to wear for interviews in companies, and give advice about salaries in particular fields etc.

A major advantage for the applicant is that during just one meeting in a personnel agency s/he can be offered a greater number of job offers from more potential employers. Thus the applicants can save time and effort compared to the situation where they would address all the companies themselves.

The advantage of searching for jobs via a specialized agency in a specific field (e.g. IT) is that such an agency has a good overview of the labour market in a particular field and therefore is able to give the applicants better advice about their career. Our agency has more than ten years of experience with staffing of IT positions, our consultants have professional education and are able to ascertain the candidates´ skills and thus help them choose appropriate job offers.

All services for candidates are provided free of charge.

How does the recruitment process in a personnel agency work

After you send us your professional CV or fill in a questionnaire at www.ITjobs.cz, and under the condition that your profile meets the requirements for a particular position, we will contact you and invite you for a personal interview at our agency.

During the interview the consultants go through the applicants' experience and knowledge in detail, they discuss their ideas about future work and help them choose their desired job. A short verification of language knowledge (especially English) is a part of the interview too (unless it is not required for the position the applicant is applying for).

You will be given not only more information about specific job offers but also about the specific companies where your CV will be presented after your approval.

If the company is interested in meeting you, we will arrange an interview for you there and provide you with all information needed. If the feedback from the company is negative, the consultant will help you find another suitable position.

Our personnel agency cares about your privacy and so we always pay a special attention to protecting your personal data (according to law 101/2000 Sb.). Your CV and other confidential data will not be presented to a third party without your approval. We only send personal data to particular companies after agreement with the applicant.

How to write a CV correctly

A Curriculum Vitae is a document which helps to represent you while you are looking for the right position. It is the first thing a potential employer gets, therefore, you should pay significant attention to its creation.

Five fundamental principles for writing the CV

  • brief – do not write your CV as an essay, your CV should be structured, the recommended length is between 1-3 pages (according to your experience)
  • mistake-free – read your whole CV after you have written it, it should not contain any grammar mistakes or typing errors
  • truthful – do not pretend or lie in your CV, it must be truthful, thus be serious
  • well-arranged – differentiate the headlines (e.g. by using bold font) so that the CV is clear and easily readable for the HR specialists
  • logically structured – maintain chronological order of events in your career

The structure of the CV

Your CV should not miss these points:

  • personal data and contact details - name and surname, address, e-mail, phone number, date of birth or age
  • education and qualifications – state the name of the institution, field of study, title, year of graduation, you can mention passed certifications or professional training and we recommend to mention the theme of final thesis (diploma work). The education should be arranged chronologically (most recent at the beginning)
  • professional experience – write the name of the employer and of the position, add job description, date of commencement and departure. The employment summary should be arranged chronologically (most recent at the beginning)
  • skills and abilities – specify your knowledge of IT technologies (languages, operating systems, networking or database skills)
  • language skills – specify the level of your language skills (e.g. basic/inter-mediate/upper-mediate/excellent or passive/active skills)

We recommend that the following information is also mentioned:

  • further achievements – publications, awards, trainee-ships
  • personal characteristics – personal insight
  • interests – your hobbies
  • list of referees – contact information for people who could provide references (is an optional part of your CV)

Other recommendations:

Most international companies require an English version of your CV, so make sure that you have this version with you at the interview. If English is not one of your strong points, we recommend that you have your English CV checked by a native speaker, teacher etc.

Other possibility is to use an universal european format of CV (so called Europass), which is especially suitable for international environment (e.g. if you are applying for some position abroad). It is accessible in many languages at http://europass.cedefop.eu.int. Although we mention Europass as another way how to write a CV easily, we strongly recommend to create your own CV. Every single CV represents its author, thus, compared to a „template-like“ Europass, your original CV increases the prospects to suceed in the recruitment process by attracting the recruiter´s attention.

It is recommended that you save your CV in these file formats: doc or pdf. It is not advisable to use txt, xls, sxw, odt formats. Call the file clearly, e.g. “Novak_Jan_CV”.

It is recommended that you enclose your consent for processing of your personal data. You can use this example:

I hereby confirm, that the data that I have provided is accurate and true. I also agree that ITjobs, s.r.o. of Bašty 8, Brno, 602 00, can use the data for mediating the employment until I withdraw this consent. I was made aware of my rights according to law 101/2000 Sb., especially of my right to retract this consent at any time.

Example of a structured CV

Ing. Jan Novák
Date of birth: 01/01/1982
Nationality: Czech
Address: Palackého 1, 602 000 Brno, Czech Republic
Contact phone: +420 111 222 333
E-mail: jan.novak@gmail.com
Education
2000 - 2005 University of Technology, Brno, Faculty of Information Technology
2003 – 2005 Master study programme, Specialization: Information systems
Thesis: Development of content management system (PHP)
2000 – 2003 Bachelor study programme
Thesis: Development of random number generator (C/C++)
1996 - 2000 Gymnázium J.A. Komenského, Brno (graduation on high school)
Working experience
02/2007 - till now ABCDE , s.r.o. (www.abcde.cz)
Software developer (C/C++) - design, development and testing of embedded software for telephone exchanges
06/2005 - 12/2006 Freelancer (work on contract)
PHP programmer - development of web applications according to customer's requirement
07/2004 - 09/2005 XYZ a.s. (www.xyz.cz)
IT Specialist - network administration: 50 users (Windows XP) and 6 Windows servers 2003, 2005)
Languages
  • English - advanced level (written and spoken)
  • German - beginner
Computer skills
MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Operating systems: Linux OS - everyday user
Windows - administration level (Windows stations and servers 2003, 2005)
Computer databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL and Oracle) and SQL knowledge
Web technologies: XML, HTML, CSS, Javascript, AJAX
Revision control systems: SVN, CVS
Programming languages: PHP – expert
C/C++ - advanced
Java - basics
Other skills and interests
  • travelling, languages, sports (basketball, skiing)
  • driving licence (category B)

How to write a covering letter

When addressing an employer or personnel agency, we recommend enclosing a covering letter along with the CV. The best way is to include it in the body of the e-mail of your applications for the job. The objective of the covering or motivational letter is to communicate the reason you are applying for the job, why it has caught your attention and what prerequisites you have for the specific work/company.

Here is some additional information that we recommend mentioning in the covering letter:
  • the covering letter can be divided into three main parts – the introduction, the core of the matter and conclusion
  • the introduction – mention the way you learned about a specific vacancy (press, web pages, fair, acquaintances, leaflets)
  • state the reasons you are applying for the vacancy and how it captured your interest
  • summarize points why you think you are a suitable candidate for a specific position (what knowledge, skills and experience you possess)
  • for that reason avoid using a universal letter, because the covering letter expresses your interest in a particular vacancy or company, and so you should accommodate it to a given demand
  • when constructing the covering letter, be accurately self-confident, not arrogant, be positive
  • be brief, avoid empty clichés like “I am interested in finding an interesting job in an international company with possibilities of growth and a good carrier”
  • provide contacts at which you will be available for further cooperation or questions
  • check the covering letter before sending it so that there are no mistakes or type errors
  • the covering letter should ideally be 5-10 lines long

Tips for succeeding at the interview

  • be punctual, do not hurry and leave yourself some time in reserve
  • be active: try to learn as much information as possible, do not be afraid to ask about matters you are interested in
  • be neat, clean and choose representative clothes
  • be well prepared – so that you are not surprised by unexpected questions concerning particular projects or by a dialogue in English; it is also useful to find information about the company in advance. HR specialists often ask questions about what you already know about thein company.
  • be natural, unaffected, try to act pleasantly and helpfully
  • respect yourself and be naturally self-confident
  • speak the truth and if you are uncertain about something, do not be afraid to admit it
  • do not feel embarrassed to take notes during the interview
  • ask about further procedures at the conclusion – how and when you will be informed of the results

Your journey to your dream position in IT matters.

Get in touch with us, and we'll discuss your expectations. We stand by your side in the search for the right opportunity.

Register and activate our smart "watch-mouse" for the ideal position based on your preferred criteria.

We understand that time is a precious commodity in the IT field, thus we focus on fast and comfortable communication for you. Don't have time to create a perfect professional profile? Based on our consultation, we'll review your current career path. We'll provide advice, tips, and strategies that can help in finding the ideal position. We believe that recruitment is based on partnership. Respectful dialogue, open communication, trust, and finding solutions are the foundation of our work.

Your journey to your dream position in IT matters.

Get in touch with us, and we'll discuss your expectations. We stand by your side in the search for the right opportunity.

Register and activate our smart "watch-mouse" for the ideal position based on your preferred criteria.

We understand that time is a precious commodity in the IT field, thus we focus on fast and comfortable communication for you. Don't have time to create a perfect professional profile? Based on our consultation, we'll review your current career path. We'll provide advice, tips, and strategies that can help in finding the ideal position. We believe that recruitment is based on partnership. Respectful dialogue, open communication, trust, and finding solutions are the foundation of our work.

Your journey to your dream position in IT matters.

Get in touch with us, and we'll discuss your expectations. We stand by your side in the search for the right opportunity.

Register and activate our smart "watch-mouse" for the ideal position based on your preferred criteria.

We understand that time is a precious commodity in the IT field, thus we focus on fast and comfortable communication for you. Don't have time to create a perfect professional profile? Based on our consultation, we'll review your current career path. We'll provide advice, tips, and strategies that can help in finding the ideal position. We believe that recruitment is based on partnership. Respectful dialogue, open communication, trust, and finding solutions are the foundation of our work.

Your journey to your dream position in IT matters.

Get in touch with us, and we'll discuss your expectations. We stand by your side in the search for the right opportunity.

Register and activate our smart "watch-mouse" for the ideal position based on your preferred criteria.

We understand that time is a precious commodity in the IT field, thus we focus on fast and comfortable communication for you. Don't have time to create a perfect professional profile? Based on our consultation, we'll review your current career path. We'll provide advice, tips, and strategies that can help in finding the ideal position. We believe that recruitment is based on partnership. Respectful dialogue, open communication, trust, and finding solutions are the foundation of our work.

Your journey to your dream position in IT matters.

Get in touch with us, and we'll discuss your expectations. We stand by your side in the search for the right opportunity.

Register and activate our smart "watch-mouse" for the ideal position based on your preferred criteria.

We understand that time is a precious commodity in the IT field, thus we focus on fast and comfortable communication for you. Don't have time to create a perfect professional profile? Based on our consultation, we'll review your current career path. We'll provide advice, tips, and strategies that can help in finding the ideal position. We believe that recruitment is based on partnership. Respectful dialogue, open communication, trust, and finding solutions are the foundation of our work.

You can do it anywhare