Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was recently job searching and I came across a position that piqued my interest. The duties are like my current role, so I assumed it would be a natural fit. As I scrolled down to qualifications section, I was shocked by their requirements especially for what they are willing to pay. Based upon their absurd requirements I only met 50% of their metrics. Experience has taught me if I don't have 80% of what they are asking for, don't even bother applying. Normally I wouldn't think too much about it and move on, but in the last few years I’ve noticed employers becoming more and more picky with candidates and even requiring pre-employment assessments and projects to gauge worthiness. I can understand such measures if you're a top company, or if you have too many good candidates and need to weed down the list, but we're in a tight labor market. I'm literally seeing companies searching for years refusing to budge on any of their requirements. In the past (pre–Great Recession) it seemed like companies took more chances on candidates that didn't have all the requirements but showed great promise.
Was there a change in management culture, to seek readymade employees?
Are they trying to justify the need to eventually bring in foreign workers?
Are hiring manages just delusional or egocentric refusing to consider current dynamics of the labor market?
Not trying to rag on business, just generally curious on what gives.
You only say that because you've heard it said online.
I've been applying for jobs for over a year, and I haven't gotten the benefits of that.
I haven't noticed a difference.
It used to be easier for me, but that's just because of my age. Age and resume linearity plays a HUGE role in whether you even get a callback.
Age is something you can't control for, I'll give you that.
Resume is your problem though. It's a fluid, unregulated marketing material, not a static document that must follow stringent guidelines or laws. Tighten it up, use better keywords, and by all means be creative about your job titles. They mean absolutely zilch outside of the company you worked for. Generalize them so that they are understood across different fields and industries. If you were in the highest Health Plan Analyst role in the department and you're trying to pivot into another analytical field outside healthcare, you were a Senior Analyst or Analyst III. If the title accurately depicts the work you did at the level you did it at, then it's not lying. Again, company job titles are not standardized and mean nothing outside of the company you worked at. Some of them are too specific and niche for anyone outside the org to know what they mean. You need to generalize them so that people outside your organization and considering you for a job have some general idea of 1) the type of work you did (clerical, analytical, management, etc.), and 2) at what level (junior, senior, lead, supervisory, etc.)
If you want to be a financial analyst, then hone in on all the various experiences that tie into that line of work...even if it was one project or task you worked on at Company X.
Last, but not least, you are likely going to be rejected a ton before you land a solid, good paying job at a reputable company. That hasn't been any different in any economy.
People are leaving jobs and finding new ones in droves in real life. In fact, it's only online that I read about people complaining that they can never get hired for anything over several year periods. In fairness, there are only like 1-3 people on this forum who do it regularly, but they are very "loud" about it.
In the past (pre–Great Recession) it seemed like companies took more chances on candidates that didn't have all the requirements but showed great promise.
Was there a change in management culture, to seek readymade employees?
Are they trying to justify the need to eventually bring in foreign workers?
Are hiring manages just delusional or egocentric refusing to consider current dynamics of the labor market?
I think it depends on the industry, and most of all, the hiring manager. It also depends on the company size and resources.
Some industries are generally more conservative and rigid.
Some managers are generally more conservative and rigid. The types who are part of the 'old boys club' are the absolute worst.
Large companies with big, positive reputations have the pick of the litter in good or bad economies. They also have bigger bureaucracies, so you can expect a long, arduous, drawn out application and interview process. If you're exclusively applying at those companies, then you need to diversify.
Small to mid-size businesses don't have the resources of the big boys. They can't afford $$$$ salaries, benefits, and perks that attract top talent. If you're trying to break into something new or just looking to move into something else more quickly, you need to give these types of businesses another strong look. Startup companies love to take chances on people, because they are typically a higher risk opportunity in case they go belly up. But at least it's experience on the resume.
People are leaving jobs and finding new ones in droves in real life. In fact, it's only online that I read about people complaining that they can never get hired for anything over several year periods. In fairness, there are only like 1-3 people on this forum who do it regularly, but that's what it is.
Well, in fairness I'm over 40 and applying to jobs that I have no DIRECT experience in.
I left that part out...
As for your statement, what are you trying to say?
I whine too much? Just come out and say it.
Maybe I'll stop posting about it...
I'm not above self-introspection. Never have been.
But that also doesn't mean somebody here can literally give me a job.
Well, in fairness I'm over 40 and applying to jobs that I have no experience in.
I left that part out...
As for your statement, what are you trying to say?
I whine too much? Just come out and say it.
Maybe I'll stop posting about it...
I'm not above self-introspection. Never have been.
But that also doesn't mean somebody here can literally give me a job.
Civil Engineering. Social work. NJ/NY area.
If someone can ...then PM me.
I have some posters in mind, and they're not you. I think you probably can think of at least one poster who is incessantly raging on the W&E forum about the infamous "catch-22". A couple of the others that I'm thinking of don't post nearly as much, now that I think of it. Maybe they finally found their peace.
My advice was to the OP and whoever finds it useful.
All we have to rely on is our own experiences. Somehow I've managed to fall into these different paths even though I was told it was against the rules of catch-22, or something. I was never an accountant before this. I don't even technically have an accounting degree. But yet, I'm an accounting and finance consultant now, doing journal entries, reconciliations, variance analyses, and helping to close the books. Even though I'm having a change of heart on whether this is what I want to do, but that's neither here nor there.
I was never in supply chain, but somehow became a warehouse manager at a small eWarehousing tech company. I was never in procurement or project management, but got into that. And then I became a financial analyst, despite having no experience in that either. I've worked in four different industries despite having minimal to zero experience in any of them before taking the job.
So, I don't know. I'm either living out an amazing, one-in-a-billion career fantasies, or everyone else is exaggerating a bit on how difficult it is or how much effort they're actually putting into it. I get it, some days are harder than others and we gotta vent. But you have to ask yourself, is that one experience once in awhile representative of the whole experience? Or is the general trajectory upwards, like the Dow Jones or S&P 500.
Oh, and in case anyone feels that I'm gloating, I've failed significantly more than I've succeeded in all these endeavors. I've been rejected at a rate of 30:1 based on my rough estimation. So for every 30 jobs I apply to, I typically get 1 successful offer on average.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57739
The employers begging for help that will take anyone having a warm body are in fast food, retail, day care, and other low wage jobs. My employer has over 150 openings right now with HR scrambling and currently 28 advertised, about 30 already filled since 1/1/2022. The pay ranges from $60k-250k, and yes, they all have very specific requirements. For good jobs the employers are hoping to poach good people from other places that want to work somewhere else, so they set the bar high and still get plenty of qualified applicants. Even my last opening that was at the low end resulted in 12 good applicants invited for interviews and 4-5 of them could have been hired (only needed one).
The employers begging for help that will take anyone having a warm body are in fast food, retail, day care, and other low wage jobs. My employer has over 150 openings right now with HR scrambling and currently 28 advertised, about 30 already filled since 1/1/2022. The pay ranges from $60k-250k, and yes, they all have very specific requirements. For good jobs the employers are hoping to poach good people from other places that want to work somewhere else, so they set the bar high and still get plenty of qualified applicants. Even my last opening that was at the low end resulted in 12 good applicants invited for interviews and 4-5 of them could have been hired (only needed one).
This right here is why, for the vast majority of people, it's a numbers game. It's about consistently applying for as many jobs that are closely aligned with your direct and transferrable experience and skills. If you have a strong network, then by all means, use it. But otherwise, it's about putting in the work consistently and vigorously to get the results you want. I've never had a job fall in my lap, with exception to one job where I was recruited by someone I worked with previously who assumed a management role. Otherwise, it's about grinding and sending out as many apps as you can for jobs that line up with what you're looking for.
And Hemlock is wrong about this only applying to low end jobs. I work for a F500 that is struggling to retain and hire talent. It's mainly because of some of their Draconian HR policies, but they are feeling it in Corporate America, too.
This right here is why, for the vast majority of people, it's a numbers game. It's about consistently applying for as many jobs that are closely aligned with your direct and transferrable experience and skills. If you have a strong network, then by all means, use it. But otherwise, it's about putting in the work consistently and vigorously to get the results you want. I've never had a job fall in my lap, with exception to one job where I was recruited by someone I worked with previously who assumed a management role. Otherwise, it's about grinding and sending out as many apps as you can for jobs that line up with what you're looking for.
And Hemlock is wrong about this only applying to low end jobs. I work for a F500 that is struggling to retain and hire talent. It's mainly because of some of their Draconian HR policies, but they are feeling it in Corporate America, too.
I really think OP intended to start a more lighthearted convo about whether things are worse or better.
As far as the work ethic thing, you could really say that about anything.
If Ice Major and Jobaba had put in 12 hours looking for a job during their weekends every weekend since 2016, would they have they jobs they want? Or at least ... the jobs they 'think and guess' will make their lives better.
Probably you're right.
Some people are more inclined to whine and some people are inclined to bury their failures and convince themselves that wasn't the right path anyway. And a select few are really focused and know what they want in life and never fail at much.
But the whiners, complainers, drama queens/kings are a mix that keeps this place going. Take them away and see how many people post.
That said, I often wonder why this place holds the appeal it does for me, even as a mindless distraction from my workday, which sadly ... is still going.
I really think OP intended to start a more lighthearted convo about whether things are worse or better.
As far as the work ethic thing, you could really say that about anything.
If Ice Major and Jobaba had put in 12 hours looking for a job during their weekends every weekend since 2016, would they have they jobs they want? Or at least ... the jobs they 'think and guess' will make their lives better.
Probably you're right.
Some people are more inclined to whine and some people are inclined to bury their failures and convince themselves that wasn't the right path anyway. And a select few are really focused and know what they want in life and never fail at much.
But the whiners, complainers, drama queens/kings are a mix that keeps this place going. Take them away and see how many people post.
That said, I often wonder why this place holds the appeal it does for me, even as a mindless distraction from my workday, which sadly ... is still going.
I feel for you, jobaba. I really do. You're one of my favorite posters, and it's clearly not just because we agree on everything. I think we disagree a lot, and sometimes butt heads. But what distinguishes you from the rest is that you seem like the real deal, and not completely full of yourself. You're someone who seems to truly care about these topics, and about others. Half the time, I don't know if I'm engaging with a real person or a troll or a paid shill.
Anyway, I sincerely hope you find some satisfaction in your career at some point in the not too distant future.
I think everything you said here is fairly accurate.
I am guilty of whining, too; you should ask my wife. I have been working diligently on that part of myself so that it doesn't also consume me like I think it does other people here.
For the most part, I push back on these negative narratives perpetrated here for my sake just as much as anyone else's. Do you legitimately think it's good for anyone's mental health to be reading about how all the cards are stacked against us and we don't have a chance? If that was objectively true, then what point would there be for any of us to carry on?
Besides, I have tons of evidence that prove these notions to be false or, at the very least, misleading in a variety of different scenarios.
As for your last statement, social media is an addiction. Maybe they didn't know it would be when it was initially created, but they know now. And they know what drives clicks, views, and return visitors. It's the drama...people have always loved the drama.
Last edited by modest; 02-18-2022 at 06:34 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
