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I noticed some retail stores such as Toys R Us like to use Taleo since I was looking for somewhere to work during the holidays on the weekends or evenings. These stores all seem to put up signs that they're hiring holiday help then you waste time on Taleo for hours and hours and you never get a call anyway. Toys R Us has like a 2 hour application process complete with a personality test for a job that probably only pays 8 bucks an hour. Seriously?
I just thing it's at the point where companies are abusing the heck out of the internet it's like people that use online dating that search thousands of profiles and never actually email anyone or write a letter. I have way better luck with agencies I get calls for decent paying finance jobs all the time yet I can't get a store to call me for some lame 15 hours a week retail job during their peak season.
I honestly wish about 30 million people would leave the workforce there's just too many freakin' people with their hands in the cookie jar.
I have gotten interviews, that mostly go nowhere.... have better luck getting in the door with staffing agencies. Lots of big companies have those websites, and SO SO many people apply to them, Competition is fearsome.
I have been having good luck on LinkedIn these days though. And a previous job came from Craigslist.
One interview I just contacted a competition of my former position myself, but they decided to close the position and not hire anyway.
All kinds of ways to get in there... I have NEVER gotten a job through networking, despite what the experts tell you... It does not always work.
Companies that use Taleo have to be missing out on some great candidates. It may be more efficient for them, but unless candidates get their resumes just right, there will be more rejection letters sent then anything. Still, I guess with so many job seekers out now, its probably no big deal to them.
I chose a handful of companies that I really wanted to work for and went through the Taleo ordeal for them. I applied, even as the software said that my resume matched new postings that came up. Still either a rejection came later or no contact at all.
I did slightly better by having my resume on a job board so recruiters could contact me or applying to sites that didn't use Taleo. When responding to jobs posted on Craigslist, I had the best response rates.
A couple of people I know have been doing well with LinkedIn, but mainly because they have been on the site for a while and have built up connections and recommendations and are looking to stay within their current industry.
LOL. Taleo is absolutely "of the devil." Are you kidding?? Kinexa is another one. And "ICMs". Oh, and Brassring. People and job experts say "use keywords".. etc. bla..bla. Using keywords is not going to help. These application tracking systems (ATS) also look at context that surrounds the keywords. So you really have to literally lie like a rug..play up keywords and context. That's very hard to do unless you are the exact match for a job. You can spend an hour customizing the keywords, the context, all to no avail. Why? Because you have 50 other people doing exactly the same thing. So how are you going to be ahead of the competition? You're not. You're wasting your time. Unless you have 10 years in the same occupation doing exactly the same thing for 10 years, you can forget it. Better go to LinkedIn and find names of actual people at the company, and email/fax them the resume. You are even better off getting it over to HR, than those ATS systems. I don't mind spending an hour customizing a resume and application - if I know it results in an interview. If I don't get a return on my investment, forget it. Seriously. I'll just find a way to go around the Taleos.
I noticed some retail stores such as Toys R Us like to use Taleo since I was looking for somewhere to work during the holidays on the weekends or evenings. These stores all seem to put up signs that they're hiring holiday help then you waste time on Taleo for hours and hours and you never get a call anyway. Toys R Us has like a 2 hour application process complete with a personality test for a job that probably only pays 8 bucks an hour. Seriously?
I just thing it's at the point where companies are abusing the heck out of the internet it's like people that use online dating that search thousands of profiles and never actually email anyone or write a letter. I have way better luck with agencies I get calls for decent paying finance jobs all the time yet I can't get a store to call me for some lame 15 hours a week retail job during their peak season.
I honestly wish about 30 million people would leave the workforce there's just too many freakin' people with their hands in the cookie jar.
I totally agree.Big time.I also assumed that retail and even pharmacies like CVS, Riteaid, and all those beauty-pharmacy places would be hiring too during the holiday season. Sounds easy, right? Nope. WRONG!! Taleos and all those other ICMs all over the place. I too spent over an hour applying, uploading resumes, taking personality tests. And nowhere does it state the salary range. It probably IS $8 an hour!! I can walk someone's dog and get more. Seriously. I did 2 of those pharmacies and 1 retail applications online, gave up and said, forget it. I'm wasting my time.I too get more results with Craigslist, even ads in the local newspaper. That's right. Think it's old school? It got me several interviews!
I email and fax "cold" style to firms in my area and get calls for interviews. Online apps? It's just a wall to keep people out. Hasn't anyone figured this out yet??
I totally agree.Big time.I also assumed that retail and even pharmacies like CVS, Riteaid, and all those beauty-pharmacy places would be hiring too during the holiday season. Sounds easy, right? Nope. WRONG!! Taleos and all those other ICMs all over the place. I too spent over an hour applying, uploading resumes, taking personality tests. And nowhere does it state the salary range. It probably IS $8 an hour!! I can walk someone's dog and get more. Seriously. I did 2 of those pharmacies and 1 retail applications online, gave up and said, forget it. I'm wasting my time.I too get more results with Craigslist, even ads in the local newspaper. That's right. Think it's old school? It got me several interviews!
I email and fax "cold" style to firms in my area and get calls for interviews. Online apps? It's just a wall to keep people out. Hasn't anyone figured this out yet??
This is great advice.
I think I am going to try to find out the fax numbers of firms I am interested in. And now that I am working in the company I have been trying to get into, I am going to seek out those recruiters and email them directly as well as apply online. ONE problem that I may come across is the fact that they just let go the WHOLE ENTIRE talent acquisition team and will now be outsourcing for that. Not really sure how that will work out. But I want to go permanent with them.
I also have been a bit wary of Craigslist, but I will give them another try. I always have trouble discerning the real ads from the fake ones.
I noticed some retail stores such as Toys R Us like to use Taleo since I was looking for somewhere to work during the holidays on the weekends or evenings. These stores all seem to put up signs that they're hiring holiday help then you waste time on Taleo for hours and hours and you never get a call anyway. Toys R Us has like a 2 hour application process complete with a personality test for a job that probably only pays 8 bucks an hour. Seriously?
I just thing it's at the point where companies are abusing the heck out of the internet it's like people that use online dating that search thousands of profiles and never actually email anyone or write a letter. I have way better luck with agencies I get calls for decent paying finance jobs all the time yet I can't get a store to call me for some lame 15 hours a week retail job during their peak season.
I honestly wish about 30 million people would leave the workforce there's just too many freakin' people with their hands in the cookie jar.
My sentiments exactly.
I've applied online to Macy's and Nordstrom and of course I have gotten those interviews because those companies go through employees like clockwork. They're 100% commission based.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gardener34
I have gotten interviews, that mostly go nowhere.... have better luck getting in the door with staffing agencies. Lots of big companies have those websites, and SO SO many people apply to them, Competition is fearsome.
Yes, that is how I have gotten all of my jobs since I have graduated from College in 2009.
With the holidays coming up, it seems like a good idea to apply for retail. I was going to apply to Nordstroms, Saks Fifth Ave., Barneys and the other high end retail stores. I used Hoovers and Dun&Bradstreet to compile a list of the high enders.You know, the ones where they want to hire people who look presentable and speak English since the customer base, is well clearly the 1%? But since it's commission only, no, I don't think I will. Their turnover is probably phenomenal. And what's the commission percentage anyway? How does that work? I don't think it's worth it.
I say, job search "cold style", as mentioned above in my previous response. Use online directories to locate names, emails, fax numbers: Hoovers, DunBradstreet, MartindaleHubbell, etc. Go to the business section of the library and pull some paper bound directories. Old School Style. Yep. Before the Recession style. There's a plethora of corporate public info online and on paper. Get to them before they advertise online or on the website, with the crazy Taleos. I'm a former NYC litigation paralegal and NY state realtor; I can tell you about research and locating companies and then some. ~!!~ ~Hello!!
Once these job advice experts, Richard Bolles ("Parachute BS" books) gurus and other self appointed Jokers start writing how to game the ATS systems, we're done on that score. Why? Because everyone and their 65 year old grandmother is going to start trying to game; using keywords, using context search, etc. You have 0 chance. "0".
Countermove against the competition. Think outside the box.
I'm just curious as to how many people have gotten interviews filling out those Taleo type applications online or the online applications that use key word searches.
I've filled out so many of them and I always get rejection email days, months afterwards.
Is there a special way to fill them out?
I've tried just about everything to make my resume "acceptable" and nothing seems to work.
Many of the jobs I've applied for, I am qualified for, but still...nothing.
What's up with that?
It's better to apply to jobs that only require you to email your cover letter and resume directly to someone instead of messing around with online applications.
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