Getting a #!@*&^ Job in Atlanta?! (Dallas, Washington: house, contractors, salary)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by atltechdude

I find this kind of hard to believe.

I have a CS degree and 8 years experience in IT/software development.

I posted my resume on Dice and Careerbuilder on June 18, by June 24 I had to take it down as the number of calls I was getting was simply too much to keep up with. I've had 5 interviews so far and have progressed to the final stage with 2 of the companies. I'm quite certain it isn't going to take me anywhere near 6 months to find a position.

It all depends on the buzzwords present on your resume, and sometimes on where your actual experience came from. Line of Business experience, or the lack of it, can disqualify you right away.

Your success can also vary quite a bit depending on your experience level ... too much experience can scare people away just as easily as too little.

I eventually discovered that the key was communicating with a technical person at some level. Many HR people don't have a clue what they're looking for, so someone with similar skills or experience can sometimes be passed over because they don't match the boilerplate given to them by the hiring manager. By talking to someone technical, if you can, you can communicate your abilities a LOT more easily.

That isn't always easy to do, at least when pursuing formal channels, which is why networking is so important.

I think you happen to have just enough experience to draw attention, but not enough to scare people away who might think you'll be overpriced. It's a sweet spot. Enjoy it.

[atltechdude]

Another thing I noticed is that it helps if you can use a recruiter that has a prior record of success with a particular hiring manager. That can get you past the HR people much easier.

[Onthemove2014]

Ignorant HR is probably one of the biggest issue with IT today. Taking a alphabet list of so called "needed" skills literally without know how important each one, or how easy it is to pick up on the go based on other qualifications.

I remember my resume being perfect for a job but a recruiter totally disregarded it and claimed it was because I did not have Norton Ghost experience on it. I even told him I had used ghost and just didn't bother because anybody can use Norton Ghost.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Onthemove2014

Ignorant HR is probably the biggest issue with IT today. Taking a alphabet list of so called "needed" skills literally without know how important each one, or how easy it is to pick up on the go based on other qualifications.

I remember my resume being perfect for a job but a recruiter totally disregarded it and claimed it was because I did not have Norton Ghost experience on it. I even told him I had used ghost and just didn't bother because anybody can use Norton Ghost.

Norton Ghost? That's a pretty simple tool. I always thought PQ's DriveImage was better, anyway.

Yeah. Resumes are a frustrating format.

I've been writing code professionally for almost 23 years (August 15th!), informally for considerably longer, and during that entire time I've also been a computer hobbyist (Apple][, Mac, OS/2, Linux, DOS, Windows, BeOS, FreeBSD, QNXRtP) and utility collector both at home and at work.

Do you have any idea how many languages and tools I've played with over the past 30+ years?

How am I supposed to list that?

I try to tailor things for each position, and yet sometimes it's the weird things that get noticed. I had an interview based solely on the fact that I had listed a relatively obscure TSO-based IBM change management tool on my resume, and another one because I just happened to know the macro language for the problem management system that Unisys Corporation was using internally at the time (PRIMUS).

I've also gone for lengthy periods of time in the past (when I was looking for work) when I had no luck at all, and that was after having my resume and cover letters reviewed and approved by a half-dozen people who did that sort of thing for a living, and informally by many others.

You never know...

[westcoastbabe]

I think people should look at Phoenix, Arizona....Despite what you hear about Arizona and it's politics....The economy is growing there...and jobs seem to be more plentiful there than in Atlanta. Plus it centrally located to other major cities such as San Diego, Las VEgas, and Los Angeles.....Food for thought.

[researchnerd]

Hasn't the Phoenix real estate market done a complete crash-and-burn over the past few years? That could be good or bad, depending.

Back on topic...Onthemove2014 is right about HR being automated these days. And hiring managers are looking for purple unicorns. Here's a good article about that: Why Bad Jobs (or No Jobs) Happen To Good Workers

[FlyiMetro]

Sometimes I say skip the actual companies and apply to staffing agencies. They will want to find you a job because they get a cut. Many jobs now hire temps, paid interns & contractors over hourly perm hires. Also there is this web staffing system called resume rabbit, that helped me land two jobs in Atlanta. Its a 49 dollar sign up fee, but every 2 to 3 weeks I get call from someone wanting to know if I still looking for a job, because they got my resume & now that I'm employed I have to tell them no thank you, even if they paying more. I don't like to jump ship every yr. I like to stay with the company for few yrs to really show my loyality. At least 4 or 5 yrs. It is rough, especially if you come from the old school where you could actually see & tough the employer. Personal impression can do so much more than a piece of black & white paper...& now that black & white paper is just a text doc, so now its even more worthless...crazy out here.

[tiredoftheATL]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

Sometimes I say skip the actual companies and apply to staffing agencies. They will want to find you a job because they get a cut. Many jobs now hire temps, paid interns & contractors over hourly perm hires. Also there is this web staffing system called resume rabbit, that helped me land two jobs in Atlanta. Its a 49 dollar sign up fee, but every 2 to 3 weeks I get call from someone wanting to know if I still looking for a job, because they got my resume & now that I'm employed I have to tell them no thank you, even if they paying more. I don't like to jump ship every yr. I like to stay with the company for few yrs to really show my loyality. At least 4 or 5 yrs. It is rough, especially if you come from the old school where you could actually see & tough the employer. Personal impression can do so much more than a piece of black & white paper...& now that black & white paper is just a text doc, so now its even more worthless...crazy out here.

I like this idea. I actually worked through a slew of staffing agencies back in NY, and noticed a lot of them have offices here as well. And you're right about personal impressions-I always say if I can get the interview, I can get the job (I've always been that way-apparently, people like me, lol). The problem is here, I haven't even been getting the interview...Going to try some staffing agencies on Monday, especially because I'm off work that day. Thanks.

[Math Commando]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

Sometimes I say skip the actual companies and apply to staffing agencies. They will want to find you a job because they get a cut. Many jobs now hire temps, paid interns & contractors over hourly perm hires. Also there is this web staffing system called resume rabbit, that helped me land two jobs in Atlanta. Its a 49 dollar sign up fee, but every 2 to 3 weeks I get call from someone wanting to know if I still looking for a job, because they got my resume & now that I'm employed I have to tell them no thank you, even if they paying more. I don't like to jump ship every yr. I like to stay with the company for few yrs to really show my loyality. At least 4 or 5 yrs. It is rough, especially if you come from the old school where you could actually see & tough the employer. Personal impression can do so much more than a piece of black & white paper...& now that black & white paper is just a text doc, so now its even more worthless...crazy out here.

You might have had a positive experience but in general that's a horrible idea especially if you're fresh out of school. Headhunters don't get paid to just find people, they get paid to find certain kinds of people. They often inflate the requirements to apply for a job because they only get paid when their applicant is hired. They want the upper hand when competing with other head hunters. The company doesn't want to pay for the kinds of applicants that it already attracts either. If you know the companies that operate in your field and where they're located you can usually figure out what company it is when you look at headhunter's job listings. The headhunter's will have you believe that you need 3 yrs experience and a masters degree when the original listing on the company site will request 1 yr and a bachelors. The biggest reason to avoid headhunters is that they'll stake a claim on you, often for 6 months at a time. If you apply directly to a company and they find a similar resume submitted by a headhunter they'll often reject you to avoid a conflict with the headhunter who claims you. You would have to be one hell of a candidate for them to not choose someone similar to yourself. They won't pay if they don't have to. There's also the issue of a lazy headhunter claiming lots of people and then cross-referencing the resumes with other headhunter listings then trying to extort money out of them to use you as a candidate. You'll lose out on any jobs they can find you as well. It only takes a few sharks to ruin the headhunter ecosystem and that's exactly what has happened.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by tiredoftheATL

I like this idea. I actually worked through a slew of staffing agencies back in NY, and noticed a lot of them have offices here as well. And you're right about personal impressions-I always say if I can get the interview, I can get the job (I've always been that way-apparently, people like me, lol). The problem is here, I haven't even been getting the interview...Going to try some staffing agencies on Monday, especially because I'm off work that day. Thanks.

Yea no doubt. The really good one are on the Northside between 85 & 75 & north of 285...someone may get u on & if u got the bread to spare try Resume Rabbit.