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What if you are still looking two years from now? Or four years from now?
What steps can you take to improve your chances?
The only option I can see is to keep looking and never give up. Beyond that there are no steps but you know that or you wouldn't have asked the question.
As a hiring manager, thank you letters don't sway me in the least. I interviewed three people last week. The worst candidate was the only one to send a thank-you note and she was still the worst candidate after sending it.
I'm not even sure I would use a thank-you note as a tie breaker to make a hiring decision.
Perhaps it demonstrates ability and willingness to follow up and finish a job. I would think that's a key factor.
Gods. I've read all the replies in this thread and I find it all frustrating. I've been out of work for 7 years because I had to take care of my elderly parents. Yes, my skills are rusty, my certifications expired. I know my resume doesn't look so good, but there are reasons for that. You know, I did the right thing. I sacrificed my career and years of my life to leave the workforce and take care of my parents. My mother had Alzheimer's Disease and for years couldn't be left alone. After my father died I was stuck dealing with her crazy ideas and demands. I did the honorable thing with little help from the other family members. I just wish there was a single hiring manager who recognized and respected that.
I can be a good employee, better than most. I apply and apply and get nothing back. At this point I'm looking for any kind of entry-level job and there are none to be had.
I have two Bachelor degrees and decades of good service with various companies. One would think hiring managers would be glad to have me apply. But no, nothing. Nuts. I don't want to complain, don't want to sound whiny but I am utterly frustrated with the whole process. The way American companies hire seems clearly broken to me.
I could turn Valentino's OP around and ask him some tough questions (and I've noticed he hasn't returned to reply to anything said here.) I'm 47 years old, why are companies still interested in my High School classes? Why do they want to know my pay from 10 years ago? They always ask "can we contact this employer?" Well, let's see, I last worked there 9 years ago and no one who worked with me is still around or remembers me, but sure, go ahead if that makes you happy. I can only guess what hiring managers think if I check the "no" box.
And for the love of God what's with the personality exams? It's been long ago proven by numerous studies that those things are a complete waste of time and say nothing useful. Yet nearly every company still insists that I fill them out. I've been denied interviews based solely on the results of a test administered by a third party. No way to talk it out or ask questions, strictly a mysterious system of pass/fail with no explanation. I've passed a hundred tests in college but if I answer a couple questions wrong on the personality exam I'm SOL. Arrrggghgh!
I tell you, I'm the most frustrated man in Florida right now and it's because of the crappy job market and the hiring managers who demand 200 years worth of experience for a minimum job. Sorry I'm not the most perfect human to have ever lived, I still think I can stand behind your damned cash register in a competent manner.
At least it's good to know that the writing of Thank You! notes is unnecessary. That and I'm not the only one bemoaning the current mess of a system.
They do not care about anyone or anything but themselves. Yet they want you to feel simpathy for them because they received 100 resumes today. The ironic thing is that these people that deem others unemployable would be considered unemployable themselves if it weren't for hr/hm positions.
Here's a good reason to hired the unemployed: gratitude.
My husband was out of work for two years. He never stopped looking and was so depressed it broke my heart. When he finally got hired, he broked down and sobbed with tears of joy (probably only the 2rd or 3rd time I've seen him cry in our 20 yrs).
Flash forward four years: he is still so grateful to have a job, he works even harder than he did before. He is loyal to his boss, never complains, works OT without pay and is basically a model employee. He said he never wants to take it for granted.
Is this typical? I don't know. Just something to think about.
Your husband sounds a lot like mine. He was laid off from a major telecommunications firm after 19 years. The best he could find was working at the Geek Squad of Best Buy for less than half what he had been making. Got another job using his tech skills only to lose it after 19 months. He's been at his current job for 8 years now, and he's constantly worried about the ax falling again. He's 58 now. His chances of getting hired again are very slim. The only time he's taken off work was to take care of me after my surgeries. I just hope one of these days he will be able to take a vacation day for himself. He deserves it!
As a hiring manager for larger corporations, I receives tons of e-mails and phone calls with resumes and bunch of cover letters that are irrelevant to the job position; lack of experience, asking for too much salary (based on their experience and job position advertising,) has crappy resumes (sometimes I take my time fixing minor changes not trying to disqualify them!) and other reasons
Please before applying for any job...
-Double check your resume before submitting it!
-Make sure your resume is not too simple; the more details - the better (relevant to the job you apply to)!
-Make sure your skills are listed and relevant to the job position!
-Having a clear and basic voice mail would be great, and LinkedIn profiles.
-No, we don't care if you learn new tasks quickly or love to learn - not an entry level position!
-No, I don't want to spend my time looking at your 5 page resume when you yourself aren't even sure if you qualify for the job position
-Don't be rude when you get a declined letter - sometimes we may have something else in the future based on your experience for you. You get angry or ignore, guess what... no job for you in the future and you will start from the beginning with the annoying interview process.
-Don't forget a 'thank you letter'... takes a minute to write few sentences. May be easier to remember you as well.
-If it shows you need a type of skill(s) and you have little/no experience, don't ask if it's "ok" or make up any other excuses.
-Be more formal when you write and talk... we're not in middle school or your friends/family member.
-Learning stuff at school is not same as work experience!
-Don't talk too much (we did not submit them for an interview solely for this reason unfortunately)
-What else can I think of now?
Those types of applicants are probably using the shotgun approach and just firing off resumes to any job opening they see.
I have a phone interview Friday, and desperate for work. Honestly, I can do the job, but it doesn't really matter if I can't sell you on hiring me. Every job I ever had was based on a couple of things. Can you read a tape measure, can you read and write, do you have a criminal record, do you have a drivers license, ect. So when we go into the behavioral questions I am lost.
Currently, I am studying for an interview harder than I studied for my last test in grad school.
I have a phone interview Friday, and desperate for work. Honestly, I can do the job, but it doesn't really matter if I can't sell you on hiring me. Every job I ever had was based on a couple of things. Can you read a tape measure, can you read and write, do you have a criminal record, do you have a drivers license, ect. So when we go into the behavioral questions I am lost.
Currently, I am studying for an interview harder than I studied for my last test in grad school.
You don't study for a interview, you prepare your sales pitch for whatever you want to market which is your personality traits
Here's a good reason to hired the unemployed: gratitude.
My husband was out of work for two years. He never stopped looking and was so depressed it broke my heart. When he finally got hired, he broked down and sobbed with tears of joy (probably only the 2rd or 3rd time I've seen him cry in our 20 yrs).
Flash forward four years: he is still so grateful to have a job, he works even harder than he did before. He is loyal to his boss, never complains, works OT without pay and is basically a model employee. He said he never wants to take it for granted.
Is this typical? I don't know. Just something to think about.
I don't know if it's typical but I can assure you that would be me if someone that I applied for were to hire me. Too bad it will never happen. I can't say that I would never complain because it's human nature but if I ever complain, I will be grateful to have a job to complain about so all my complaints would be trivial things I'd say when I get home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tpike2
I have a phone interview Friday, and desperate for work. Honestly, I can do the job, but it doesn't really matter if I can't sell you on hiring me. Every job I ever had was based on a couple of things. Can you read a tape measure, can you read and write, do you have a criminal record, do you have a drivers license, ect. So when we go into the behavioral questions I am lost.
Currently, I am studying for an interview harder than I studied for my last test in grad school.
I know what you mean. It basically is studying for me on the rare chance I get an interview. I have to get all the right answers or I'll flake. It's the idea that I have to be something I'm not (which would be fine if I was auditioning for a part in a movie or TV show I can do that no problem but I'm not. They are hiring me not a character which I'd read off from a script)
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