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Maybe use an alternate resume leaving the three degrees out for those entry level/minimum wage jobs. May increase your chances a little. In my city there was a Subway Sandwich place with a Help Wanted sign for a few months, which surprised me. Go to the Subway Sandwich places in your area. Start with the ones within five miles of your home. You never know. Can't hurt to try.
Hope you find work soon. Good luck!
Last edited by chessgeek; 03-09-2017 at 10:48 PM..
Also, you've had 24 interviews and only one offer? That's an obvious sign that you are not effectively marketing yourself in an interview. You could benefit from interview coaching. I get it, you're discouraged, it's everyone else's fault (companies) and not yours, but 24 interviews and 1 offer speaks for itself. I do hope you can take constructive criticism wisely and improve from here.
Yeah, I doubt I am marketing myself effectively in interviews. However, and I am just putting these stats out there since I keep track of them on a spreadsheet, out of the 24 interviews I have had, I have seen 17 of those jobs go back up on the job boards after I interviewed and was either rejected from or never heard back. I actually reapplied for 2 of the jobs that went back up on the job board, but I never heard back.
So, yeah, I know I am not great at interviewing, but seems like for the majority of the jobs I interviewed for, either HR or the Hiring Manager(s) determined NO ONE was qualified enough for the job or NO ONE marketed themselves effectively to be hired, at least not on the initial round of interviews. Or maybe there really wasn't any jobs there to begin with. Who knows?
It is frustrating. I am just telling it like it is. The last interview I had was this past Monday for a part-time $13/hr admin job. They liked it that I had a B.A. degree in fine arts (which was amazing), they said I had all of the qualifications they were looking for, they actually liked that I had varied experience on my resume. But of course they could have just been being nice to me. When I asked them when they were going to make a decision, they stated they had a half a dozen more interviews to do and maybe the end of the week. Well, from my past interview experience, that was code for "you are not the one for us."
I guess I should have pushed it further with them and said I was the perfect candidate, they didn't need to look any further, but I didn't. I suppose it is because I am so tired of the whole job searching/interview process. My energy is zapped.
Weird side note: Last night I was watching TV and I saw this weird commercial about a job interview, where the hiring manager was leery about the applicants resume, and going back and forth with the applicant about her experience or lack of experience. At the end of the commercial the hiring manager decided to give the supposed inexperienced applicant a chance at the job, but the applicant had disappeared. The commercial said something about "don't overlook good applicants just because they are not perfect" (or something to that effect). I laughed because I feel invisible at interviews and in my job search. It was a really weird commercial. I will never see it again.
Yeah, I doubt I am marketing myself effectively in interviews.
I agree it must be something about the way you are coming off in person.
You said earlier you are a "weirdo," and honestly you have had a LOT of jobs, as if you have job-hopped to some degree. Is there something about your personality that makes you hard to work with?
Is there something about your personality that makes you hard to work with?
I bet it is that awful quality called "intelligence." Then mix that with a sarcastic sense of humor (or really any sense of humor) and people just cringe. S/ I prefer to work with seat sitters, who don't cause me any grief with their "ideas" and "thoughts." Plus there is no place for humor in the workplace. Keep that fun at home where it belongs. /S
I agree it must be something about the way you are coming off in person.
You said earlier you are a "weirdo," and honestly you have had a LOT of jobs, as if you have job-hopped to some degree. Is there something about your personality that makes you hard to work with?
That reminds me... my friend used to work at a small staffing agency. A really old guy came in for an interview with years of IT experience. He had applied for a manager position at a warehouse. Anyways, everyone thought he was werid because he would sneak in a few odd jokes into his answers and wouldn't stop blabbering.
I agree it must be something about the way you are coming off in person.
Well I am 50 years old and I have long grey hair. However, I am not overweight and I don't smell (as far as I know). I don't have perfect teeth (one snaggletooth) but I don't have bad breath (always have a mint or gum before an interview). I always dress professionally when I go on interviews. I am not a big talker at interviews, I answer the questions that they ask. I try not to annoy the interviewers with weird comments (even though I am a weirdo, aka useless artist), I try stick to the playbook.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life
You said earlier you are a "weirdo," and honestly you have had a LOT of jobs, as if you have job-hopped to some degree. Is there something about your personality that makes you hard to work with?
I have never been fired from any job or laid off. I think my problem is I work too fast at jobs, plus I am a problem solver, so I love to automate my job. Once my job is automated, I have nothing to do. I get bored and look for another job where I can do something new. In the past I have been able to laterally jump to another job, but now the lateral jumps have stopped. I have jumped one too many times. I think I have jumped my last jump.
As to my personality, I have been told at many of my jobs that I am a "clown." I make people laugh. Which is why I tone down my humor at interviews, because I figure not everyone has the same sense of humor as me. I am not saying it isn't some of my problem that I cannot find a job, but it is not ALL of my problem. Sometimes the universe (ha ha!) really does put a stop to one's hard work and there is nothing you can do about it.
I guess I keep applying and if I become homeless, oh well, that will be a new experience for someone like myself who likes new experiences.
That reminds me... my friend used to work at a small staffing agency. A really old guy came in for an interview with years of IT experience. He had applied for a manager position at a warehouse. Anyways, everyone thought he was werid because he would sneak in a few odd jokes into his answers and wouldn't stop blabbering.
I've sat through some unbelievably horrible interviews, where candidates say things you can't imagine. Being too familiar or presumptuous is the most common. I think people confuse it with confidence. Nerves do funny things to people.
If you come off weird in the interviews, people aren't going to want you in the office all day long.
Well I am 50 years old and I have long grey hair. However, I am not overweight and I don't smell (as far as I know). I don't have perfect teeth (one snaggletooth) but I don't have bad breath (always have a mint or gum before an interview). I always dress professionally when I go on interviews. I am not a big talker at interviews, I answer the questions that they ask. I try not to annoy the interviewers with weird comments (even though I am a weirdo, aka useless artist), I try stick to the playbook.
I have never been fired from any job or laid off. I think my problem is I work too fast at jobs, plus I am a problem solver, so I love to automate my job. Once my job is automated, I have nothing to do. I get bored and look for another job where I can do something new. In the past I have been able to laterally jump to another job, but now the lateral jumps have stopped. I have jumped one too many times. I think I have jumped my last jump.
As to my personality, I have been told at many of my jobs that I am a "clown." I make people laugh. Which is why I tone down my humor at interviews, because I figure not everyone has the same sense of humor as me. I am not saying it isn't some of my problem that I cannot find a job, but it is not ALL of my problem. Sometimes the universe (ha ha!) really does put a stop to one's hard work and there is nothing you can do about it.
I guess I keep applying and if I become homeless, oh well, that will be a new experience for someone like myself who likes new experiences.
Ok, so you ARE a weirdo. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
To me, the obvious targets are jobs that AREN'T public-facing jobs, like a stock person, one of those companies that does inventory for retail stores, bussing tables, a route manager for food or drink company, where you go around and stock the shelves, etc. But that one is hard for a 50-year-old woman.
That combined with the fact that you are in an economically depressed area makes job-hunting a daunting task. But your optimism is your best feature.
OP, why waste time re-applying for jobs you've already been rejected for?
Also, if you've never been fired or laid off how did you become unemployed for over a year?
Apparently you've decided not to consider the things I said in Post #51. Instead, you continue to spin your wheels while your spreadsheet gets longer and longer.
Well, good luck with that.
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