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There seems to be less bias now that interviewers have all seen good candidates who have been looking for over a year.
I had no job interviews in 2009 and 2010, when companies were discriminating against the unemployed. 2011+ I started getting interviews, because many companies already saw lots of long term unemployed candidates.
I don't want someone who was content to sit at home and do nothing working for me. That is not to say that all unemployed are doing this. But what I want to see is something that you are doing to get yourself out of the house. Volunteering is good. Furthering your education is good. I want an employee who, when there is downtime at work, is online networking, or googling ways to handle a project better. Not one who is watching cat videos online.
And, while this is changing, when the jobs were plentiful, the employees called the shots and the good ones were snapped up quickly...so there was a stigma that the long-term unemployed had been passed over by so many companies that they were clearly a problem employee. And, while this seems unfair, it is in a way refusing to date the ex of a friend because from what you have heard, the person has some serious flaws.
It is also the fault of the unemployed. No, not all of them. Some unemployed are through no fault of their own, looking for work because they lost a job. But for every thread on here, or person, who is legitimately doing what they should be doing while on UI, there is another one who is working the system. Don't believe me? Just look at the threads on this board about going on vacation while on UI. So, as a hiring manager, how am I supposed to know if the unemployed applicant is one of the ones who really wants a job or one of the ones who used the UI benefits as a free ride for as long as possible? For obvious reasons, I am a little concerned about hiring the latter, if for no other reason than the possibility that the next free ride the person takes on UI will be on my company's dime.
If it makes anyone feel better I have never had an employment gap, though for a 3 year stretch I was self employed, and I have skipped around searching for an employer that paid enough for me to live on. As my business subsided during the recession I was able to pick up 2 part time jobs which I have held now or over 2.5 years. I have kept up with my online business too basically working 3 jobs. I have now figured out the direction I want to go and have obtained one professional license towards that, and am taking a class for another license in a few weeks. I am not getting even an interview for the position I want, which is entry level assistant type stuff that i have done before just in a different field. No one is calling me either.
Thanks thebunny. I actually had that idea and have been doing just that, as well as writing a new cover letter for each application, tailored to that particular ad, and explaining my experience in the field outside of a workplace that makes me a good candidate.
I have no record or other disqualifying attributes. I am qualified for all the jobs I apply for. I get interviews occasionally. I sometimes even have contacts in the department to get my name to the top of the list. I had my resume edited by professionals. I know how to interview.
Does it matter? No. I haven't had one job offer since being laid off in August last year. The only reason I got that job 18 months prior was because the manager who hired me was different. He saw something in me that no one else did. It was nothing but pure random luck I got that job.
So, in short, the system is a joke. At some point you have to stop doing something if it's not working. Start your own business is the only solution.
If it makes anyone feel better I have never had an employment gap, though for a 3 year stretch I was self employed, and I have skipped around searching for an employer that paid enough for me to live on. As my business subsided during the recession I was able to pick up 2 part time jobs which I have held now or over 2.5 years. I have kept up with my online business too basically working 3 jobs. I have now figured out the direction I want to go and have obtained one professional license towards that, and am taking a class for another license in a few weeks. I am not getting even an interview for the position I want, which is entry level assistant type stuff that i have done before just in a different field. No one is calling me either.
Well your post pretty much supports the argument that having a employment gap is no big deal which is something I been saying on here for 5 years. People with employment gaps get called for interviews and hired all the time
I have no record or other disqualifying attributes. I am qualified for all the jobs I apply for. I get interviews occasionally. I sometimes even have contacts in the department to get my name to the top of the list. I had my resume edited by professionals. I know how to interview.
Does it matter? No. I haven't had one job offer since being laid off in August last year. The only reason I got that job 18 months prior was because the manager who hired me was different. He saw something in me that no one else did. It was nothing but pure random luck I got that job.
So, in short, the system is a joke. At some point you have to stop doing something if it's not working. Start your own business is the only solution.
Starting your own business is the LONG TERM solution not a solution for someone who needs a job.
I have no record or other disqualifying attributes. I am qualified for all the jobs I apply for. I get interviews occasionally. I sometimes even have contacts in the department to get my name to the top of the list. I had my resume edited by professionals. I know how to interview.
Does it matter? No. I haven't had one job offer since being laid off in August last year. The only reason I got that job 18 months prior was because the manager who hired me was different. He saw something in me that no one else did. It was nothing but pure random luck I got that job.
So, in short, the system is a joke. At some point you have to stop doing something if it's not working. Start your own business is the only solution.
Well, going out on a limb here, if you are not getting offers it is because your resume is not what you think it is, your interview skills are not that great, or you are not as qualified as you think you are. I see people who fit all 3 categories all the time. They get angry when we tell them we are going to revise their resume before presenting it to the client, they say their resume is perfect. They say they have the qualifications, but don't. They say they are great at interviewing, but the report the recruiter receives is that the interview was awful. You are selling yourself in the interview process. If no one is biting, the packaging is the problem.
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