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It really is hard to apply to multiple jobs by sending them resumes online. I've done that in past when I was younger and with relevant job experience, and the only response I got was "thank you for your application, we have decided to move on to other..."
In looking at my career over the past two decades plus, every single job I got was due to someone that I knew that worked there and who put in a good word for me. For my current job, I had previously applied multiple times online and was rejected each time. However, someone I knew had started work there, and he took my resume and gave it to the hiring manager with a glowing recommendation. I got response right away, was interviewed, and then offered the job.
I know it doesn't help the OP but just saying that having a network of people you can refer to later can help. Cold online applications, job fairs, none of those approaches ever helped me.
Maybe because your resume, alone, doesn't stand out. 90% of the jobs and interviews I've been offered have come from applying online.
Networking CAN help (or on the contrary, it's can't hurt), but it's not the end all be all either as some try to suggest or imply. I think that some like to pretend that having a job is being part of an exclusive club, because it makes them feel better about being part of it.
I have a job>>>You can only get a job by being close friends other people with jobs>>>I'm close with other people with jobs>>>Therefore, I am part of the exclusive club that has jobs
This isn't sage advice, it's warped reasoning that people use to subtly toot their own horn regarding having a job and knowing people who want help them get a job. And before I'm accused for advising OP not to network with professional contacts, that's not at all what I'm saying. Network your heart out. But also, just because you don't because you don't have a strong network doesn't mean you will never find a job.
Last edited by Left-handed; 03-01-2018 at 01:13 PM..
I have been looking for 4 months. College degree and 10 years business and sales experience. Interviews have been limited.. I’ve probably sent out 100 on ziprecruiter, 150 on indeed, 75 on linked in, and then I have the ones I really focus on and go direct to the company website.. usually 3 of those a week.
First, put the husband on Craigslist. Maybe throw in a boat or car so people are interested.
Second, get away from job sites, and especially head hunters unless they call you with a specific job. Ask the name of the Company, or don't go.
Then, network your butt off with friends, family, colleagues and anyone who can fog a mirror. Most jobs are gained through "who you know" and less about "what you know".
On another note, why do employment agencies, and companies you are interviewing with have you fill out an application when you have a resume? You have to write out descriptions of your job in a tiny area when all of that is already typed out?
The answer is simple. If you apply for a job where 100 people may apply, the company wants everything in an order that allows them to check one of the answers to a certain question. If you fail to give the answer they want, your application is then placed in the reject pile. They may have 8 boxes that they use to evaluate if they want to grand an interview or not. If the first box or the 7th box they check says no hire, then they stop at that point.
They are not going to consider a resume, as they have to look all over it, to find the answers they need to make the interview, no interview decision, and often the answer to that question is non existant. They don't have the time to fool around with your resume. They just go on to the next application.
OP you say you have a good resume, but if you are sending the same resume every time, it is not a good resume. You should be making a resume, directed at the job you want, which is easy to do with computers. A generic one just gets tossed out in the trash, because it will not fit the needs of about 90% of the jobs out there.
When one is mass mailing out generic resumes every week, so is everyone else that is unemployed. The sheer volume just makes it impossible for so many to find a job.
Lets look at a few things you must consider when applying for a job.
1: Do you have knowledge and/or experience to be the best applicant for the job. If not, someone with the knowledge and/or experience will get the job.
2: Do you fill out a company application or just send a resume. Company application gets first preference. A resume tailored specifically for that job, gets second preference. A generic one size fits all resume, goes in to the file (circular file and if you do not know what that means, think round trash can).
I know what I am talking about, as I have read thousands of applications and hired hundreds back in my corporate days. I also talked to numerous people over the years in HR and HM that have the same problems I had finding the right applicant for the job.
Networking only works if you have the friends and personality to do so. My friends are to caught up in their own lives to want to help me find a job or reccomend me. My friends (who have lessened throughout the years) only talk about themselves. If they ask me anything about myself they never listen to the answer so I just listen to their problems. They know nothing about mine. And most work in a field I can’t enter without a specific degree or they don’t work.
Networking only works if you have the friends and personality to do so. My friends are to caught up in their own lives to want to help me find a job or reccomend me. My friends (who have lessened throughout the years) only talk about themselves. If they ask me anything about myself they never listen to the answer so I just listen to their problems. They know nothing about mine. And most work in a field I can’t enter without a specific degree or they don’t work.
A) You need better friends.
B) While your professional network might consist of some close friends, it should mostly consist of former co-workers, managers, and peers you've met in the industry. Those are the people you should be reaching out to, not just your close friends.
I posted earlier today about how I am in the same boat as the OP. However, I submitted a resume this morning through Indeed and received a call for an interview just a couple of hours ago. Quickest response ever! The woman that called me said my resume stood out because her company was one of the vendors my previous company used (which I knew when I applied). Keeping my fingers crossed on this one. It's close to home and the salary being offered is only a few dollars less than I was making.
I posted earlier today about how I am in the same boat as the OP. However, I submitted a resume this morning through Indeed and received a call for an interview just a couple of hours ago. Quickest response ever! The woman that called me said my resume stood out because her company was one of the vendors my previous company used (which I knew when I applied). Keeping my fingers crossed on this one. It's close to home and the salary being offered is only a few dollars less than I was making.
The system is broken. Job seekers can be blamed but there are just too many job seekers for every position. There is a severe glut of workers, and a job seeker can dance around, modify the resume, try every trick in the book but they are still not going to get the job because there is just too much competition. Working harder at it simply won't cut it.
The system is broken. Job seekers can be blamed but there are just too many job seekers for every position. There is a severe glut of workers, and a job seeker can dance around, modify the resume, try every trick in the book but they are still not going to get the job because there is just too much competition. Working harder at it simply won't cut it.
10 years ago, when I graduated from college, I would have bought into this idea. U/E was around 10-11% nationally. Today we're sitting between 4-5% U/E. That's the lowest it's been in a very long time. Therefore, I find it difficult to believe that, with just 4-5% U/E, there is such a glut of workers that it's nearly impossible to get a job. If that were the case, don't you agree that we'd be sitting closer to 75% U/E?
What I do contest is whether all of the jobs that require a college degree actually require a college education to do the job. Problem is that when the Great Recession hit, a lot of younger people my age stayed in school to ride out the recession and continued their education. Now we have a glut of Master degrees and professional degrees crowding out the job market that would have generally been occupied by Bachelor degree holders. There are people walking around with JDs, MBAs, MS/MAs and many years of experience making $40-$60k/yr salaries. At one time, holding a professional degree or Master's degree almost all but guaranteed you a nice job with a hefty salary and benefits. Now, in many cases, you're another pee-on that just happened to spend an additional $30k in education.
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