If I spend 12 hours a job hunting, will I find one?

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by I am unemployed

I am scared to death! I lost my job on Friday and for the first time in almost twenty years of working I am unemployed.

If I follow these rules, I will have a job in a month or less. Is this true?

(to OP):

Your parents got some of it right. Some not, however, and the distinction is important.

My CV: I'm in high tech and have zero fear of unemployment, because jobs just don't last more than three to five years, by and large. That's just how it is. You get used to it, thus are always prepared to walk away in 30 seconds flat if need-be. Every single day. Thus I am the most interviewed, and hired, and laid off, person you've heard from (maybe an exaggeration, but I've become an expert at landing jobs past decade and a half).

I don't see "file for unemployment benefits immediately" on your list. Let's hope you've got that going already.

"Being unemployed a month" is irrelevant. Make up any story you want about a missing month, or two, or half a year. There are ways to do that that do not involve lying, merely bending reality a bit to fit your point of view. For example: you're on sabbatical now, right? 20 years of working, don't you deserve one? Independent management consulting, or volunteer work as you get your new company off the ground?

It'll take you a little time to hone the resume to the point where it can split atoms. Yes, find help with that. Help from someone who, btw, actually hires people or sees dozens/day. They'll know what works. The best counsel I ever got on that was free, from a State agency here in WA. Ten years ago. In fact every resume since is in-part based on that format. They're your tax dollars to fund these agencies; use them!

Then, when that's done, spend twice as much time polishing your presentation to the point where you could sell ice to Eskimos, if necessary. That's actually what matters as much or more, your folks are right about that.

Time to start working your network. There are ways to do that, without appearing to do so. Get started, study up on that. Calling and "asking anyone if they know of jobs" is the opposite of what you'll need to do, btw. Everyone will say, "uh, no" because putting people on the spot asking for work makes them uncomfortable. This isn't 1950. You'll sound like a loser.

"Sending resumes" to job postings is by-and-large asinine, trust me. Assuming we're talking about professional positions; I have no idea if that works for retail and similar.

Let's assume you've built, or are-building, a top-end LinkedIn profile, too. I have obtained several jobs directly via LinkedIn, and referrals related-to. The topic is controversial, but I'm a believer. Think on it for your situation.

Every time I have walked into an interview without being fully prepared, I've failed. No exceptions. You should know the role, the company, the team, how you would fit in, and every question they could possibly ask like you were born for it. Practice, practice, practice to the point where the neighbors think you've had a schizophrenic break talking to yourself in the living room so often.

I just landed a role that took an honest-to-God forty hours of study. Probably more like eighty, come to think of it: about ten days and several sequestered weekends gaming out everything that could be asked. And they grilled me up and down the coals for two days, and I was ready. Would have failed otherwise. Essentially they were asking, and you should be asking: "How bad do you want it, exactly?"

The rest of it seems on the level. The counsel, i.e.

There is no timetable for obtaining new roles, btw. Might take ten days or ten months, depending on a myriad of factors far too complicated for this forum. Deal with it, get a game plan going soon as practicable.

[bjh2k19]

Originally Posted by I am unemployed

I am scared to death! I lost my job on Friday and for the first time in almost twenty years of working I am unemployed.

The first thing I did when I lost my job due to a corporate reorganization was cry, then I rushed to my parents for their advice. Here is what they told me:

Finding a job is a full time job. If I don't find one in a month or so my unemployment status will hurt me big time, so I have to get a job fast. Employers don't like the unemployed.

I need to spend 10-12 hours a day every day job hunting. I need professional help with my resume and it should be reviewed by people who know how to write a great looking resume and experts in English and Grammar. My resume needs to talk mostly about what I have accomplished and not about my basic routine tasks. I need to have metrics on my resume and show how I solved corporate problems.

The worst way to find a job is sit at home and send resumes via Internet job boards like Monster.com. I need to call everyone I know and ask them if they know of any jobs in my career field, "Office Manager." I need to create a 30 second elevator pitch and practice it over and over for networking events and job fairs. I need to get in with some temp agencies and take any job they have as long as it won't interfere with my ability to interview for something better. Get myself out there and show people I could not normally interact with that I can do the job.

When I interview, I have to fit in and be likable because if they think I am an outsider and not like them or the rest of the team, all the education and experience in the world is not going to get me hired. In many cases the person they liked best personally and sell their accomplishments best will be hired, not the one with the nicest resume.

If I follow these rules, I will have a job in a month or less. Is this true?

You should be able to find a job within months, continue to apply, and follow up. Do you have linkedin if so use your connections to help in a job search.

[Osito]

It's possible. But it's probably a better idea to give yourself breaks and keep your head together so that you can be 100% into your search when you do it. Good luck to you!

[Adhom]

Originally Posted by Cerebrator

I believe the statement "finding a job is a full time job is a full time job" is total nonsense! There is not an infinite amount of jobs in one's field and even amongst the ones available, there are some one doesn't qualify for, lives too far away from, or some which the job seeker is simply not cut out for. There aren't new job openings popping up on the net every single day either.

So there might be days in which the job seeker isn't sending out resumes at all.

Here's how my last job search went over the course of about one month.
1) Sent out five resumes.
2) Got three interviews.
3) Got offers from two, but one was rescinded because new owners put on a hiring freeze (wasn't a lie as the place was going from non-profit to for-profit and "new owners" usually means trouble in healthcare).

Let us tally the time for five resumes sent and tweaking of cover letters. I'd say it took about five to ten minutes to tweak and proof read each cover letter. Writing an email and attaching resume and sending takes about five minutes, more if one wants to proofread a fews lines (eg, "I am applying to position... bla, bla, bla.. Attached are my resume and cover letter.")

OK, so let's be generous. Sending out those resumes probably totaled a time of allotment of 90 minutes AT MOST.

Now let's factor in actual LOOKING for the jobs. You pop over to Indeed, Monster, Careerbuilder, and Craig's List, or industry-specific boards. You read through some listings on your first day of unemployment. That's about 30 to 60 minutes of looking perhaps. You wake up tomorrow, and there very well might not be a new job posted for DAYS ON END, and during these days there is obviously nothing to apply for.

Then there is actual interview time. Each interview was in a location 30 to 40 minutes from my home by car. They took about an hour each.

Does this sound like a full time job?! If I were to be very generous, I'd give this whole job hunt a a grand total of three work days combined, and that's being VERY generous. Much of unemployment time is spent going about life with very little work done looking for a job simply because one can only do so much looking and interviewing and sending of resumes.

Addendum: I forgot to add in the 10 minute phone calls with employers who called me. So tack on another 45 minutes to this job hunt.

As for networking, I've never done any, and it is inapplicable to my field. However, I have gotten jobs because of a friend in my field.

I can't agree more with this post. Don't be one of those people who stresses unnecessarily about being unemployed because it doesn't make any difference. Basically you've been forced to take unpaid vacation. Don't forget to enjoy the vacation aspect of it. I finished a lot of games when I was unemployed.

[XRiteMA98]

it really depends upon the economy and luck. But please do all of the above. I know I did. But one time it took a year until I landed the job and another time two weeks. butplease do all of the above and don;t despair if a month passes and you dont have a job. as I said it took me a year!

[XRiteMA98]

But know what? Post your resume online on monster.com and carrerbuilder. Your parents might not be tech savy but this way you'll get exposure. Also make a list of all the companies you would like to work for in your city and go to their websites and see what positions they have available and apply. This is how I got my previous job, after a year of trying I applied online on this company's website. my current job I got through monster.com

so do all your parents told you plus these.

[Happy in Slo]

I think that sounds like a great plan, and it's good of course to keep some sort of a schedule while being unemployed. Nothing can promise you a job in less than a month, but it sounds like you have a great plan.