Moving to Austin update - Job Search Woes! (Howe: headhunters, job market)

[KeninWA]

So a couple weeks ago, I made a post about moving to Austin because my wife's work is getting her there. Well, I was all bright eyed and optimistic back then, for good reason! I had two in person interviews coming up and thought for sure I would land one of them at least! However it seems my optimism got the best of me.

We visited the city and had a fantastic time. We went to the big park south of the River/lake. We went to the top of Mt. Bonnell, we ate at food trucks, meandered South Congress, and had a good time poking around the capitol. I had my two interviews and thought that one of them went extremely well!

One of the interviews was for a company I really wanted to work for, but is in the tech industry. Unfortunately, my experience is in Oil and Gas Project Management and therefore I was don't think I was able to impress enough. They told me they went with another candidate. Its too bad, this company seems really great!

The second interview was for a company that I know I am a fantastic fit for! The interview was really good, my skill set was evident, and it ended with a good handshake and a promise to get back to me. I sent the requisite thank you notes to the interviewer and the recruiter and... have heard nay a peep for the last week and a half. I know, some people will say that is not enough time, but in my experience, I have at least heard something, but, not this time, radio silence.

Since then I have been religiously applying to jobs on CareerBuilder, Indeed, and Craigslist. However, I am not getting any responses! It is kind of crazy for me, because I have always been able to get a job without too much effort, but now, it doesn't seem like I am even generating interest. Not quite sure what to do, I have had my resume looked over by several friends, a couple of whom are recruiters, and they did not offer anything in the way of critical corrections.

So here I sit, bound to move to ATX in the near future, and I am completely unsure how to move forward with the job search. While the job boards hold lots of possibility, I still look at the major employers websites as well.

ON the other hand, your city is fantastic. I am really very excited about coming there and staying for a long ass time. At least if I am jobless there, I'll be able to enjoy it!

Anyone have any tips and/or suggestions for my problem? I am kind of at wits end.

[Sam.adams33]

PM work is extremely competitive in Austin, as are many positions.

You'll find much more success as a local candidate.

[KeninWA]

Yeah it seems to be, which is obviously fine. Luckily my background lends itself to work outside of PM as well. Even something with like logistics or site management. Still not getting any traction though, its crazy.

[mark311]

I know that some places around here strictly use staffing agencies for direct hire or for a contract and then hire the person outright after 3 to 6 months. If you start to get worried, you might want to contact some staffing agencies to get your foot in the door. You still get benefits during the contract period directly from the staffing agency in a lot of cases. I have a friend in management at a local company that successfully uses Kforce here in Austin, but I'm sure that there are a ton of them.

[ToddATX]

Staffing agencies, recruiters ... it is a very competitive job market here in Austin, and if you don't have an "in" with somebody, just sending stuff through career builder and the like is not going to have a very high rate of success unfortunately.

[KeninWA]

Originally Posted by mark311

I know that some places around here strictly use staffing agencies for direct hire or for a contract and then hire the person outright after 3 to 6 months. If you start to get worried, you might want to contact some staffing agencies to get your foot in the door. You still get benefits during the contract period directly from the staffing agency in a lot of cases. I have a friend in management at a local company that successfully uses Kforce here in Austin, but I'm sure that there are a ton of them.

Yeah I am definitely thinking of starting to reach out to the Staffing Agencies. I have talked to a couple of them but they didn't have anything that was really for me quite yet. But I will continue to check in.

I'll give KForce a call and see where that leads.

[orngkat]

I sent the requisite thank you notes to the interviewer and the recruiter and... have heard nay a peep for the last week and a half. I know, some people will say that is not enough time, but in my experience, I have at least heard something, but, not this time, radio silence.

I see a lot of applications in my position. I suppose it depends on the company, but in our case it normally takes a minimum of two weeks and up to six to make a final hiring decision. Even then, the desired applicant may have taken something else, and we have to start over. Just to give you a little hope on that job.

[clarksvillemom]

Have you applied directly on Dell's site? There are logistics, procurement, PM, jobs.

[robertsacamano]

Never apply directly through any company's website. Your application is as good as wasted. Find a way in through your network. That's the only way.

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by robertsacamano

Never apply directly through any company's website. Your application is as good as wasted. Find a way in through your network. That's the only way.

That is not true. Many applicants have found jobs directly through the company's website. Yes, it is more likely you can be hired through personal networks, but it is far from the only way. I prefer the multi-layered approach: company website, personal network, and staffing agencies/headhunters.