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2-3 months until the end of my contract. I need to start blasting out applications. I thought that, given all I've heard about "The unemployment rate just dipped to its lowest in 10 years!", there would be some noticeable improvement in the quality/quantity/availability of jobs being posted on Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.
Nothing has changed, as far as I can tell.
Majority of jobs are temporary contracts offered through staffing agencies
Hard to find anything that doesn't require a number of years of prior professional experience
Still have to use time-consuming, crappy application platforms such as Taleo.
Large companies that are laying off employees still post hundreds of jobs everyday (It's obviously an automated system that isn't necessarily posting jobs that are available)
Granted: I'm looking at technology jobs. Maybe the job situation is improving in the service sector and fast food sector (as if that's something to rejoice about).
Here I am, on the job boards again. Here I am, refresh the page.
I have to agree that "networking" as a conscious activity tends to be over rated. As I've perceived it since I first heard the word years ago, it implies pursuing professional relationships in order to advance one's career.
A lot of people simply have friends and acquaintances in their field, in other fields, etc. Talking to them about a job search or career change is exactly how you find jobs that are unadvertised or before the jobs are advertised.
Where I work, we already know the next guy we're going to hire. We knew he was tired of his current position and would be a good fit for the one we'll open. But I don't know the guy because he "networked" - I know him because he's a friendly guy in a job tangential to mine and we get together and BS now and then.
I believe the OP meant something along these lines when he said networking is overrated.
Getting back to the OP's point though - I believe the only thing causing the unemployment figures to seem low is the book cooking methods that cease counting those who stop looking for work after some period of time. I've heard from far too many people like you to believe that unemployment is really below 10% at all - let alone 6.7% or whatever the latest claim was (I don't know since tracking such useless numbers is a waste of time).
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prosopis
Where I work, we already know the next guy we're going to hire. We knew he was tired of his current position and would be a good fit for the one we'll open. But I don't know the guy because he "networked" - I know him because he's a friendly guy in a job tangential to mine and we get together and BS now and then.
Well this is networking to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by prosopis
Getting back to the OP's point though - I believe the only thing causing the unemployment figures to seem low is the book cooking methods that cease counting those who stop looking for work after some period of time.
That's not book cooking and it has always been the case that if you cease looking for employment that you are no longer part of the workforce so you're not counted. Nor should you be. Very very few people find work without looking for it.
I don't have much professional experience in my field (10 months) and networking is overrated anyhow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Threestep
You sound clueless. Networking is how you get the job.
There should a middle ground here between "network is how you get the job" and "networking is overrated."
Obviously it will never hurt someone to have connections for a job opportunity. Everything else being equal, people are more likely to work with known quantities/qualities than those which are unknown. So to say "networking is overrated" is very shortsighted.
Likewise, those who say "networking is how you get the job" also aren't being entirely truthful. Sure, it can certainly help one land a job, but it still won't get you the job if someone doesn't consider you a good fit for the position.
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