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This is not adequate. The suck it up routine is BS.
If a system is faulty and operates on a lottery principle (even for Vets????) It is unacceptable plain and simple. This is why the Federal Government is Geriatric in nature and moost of the young people got their appointments to positions either through State employment and networking or through being nominated or cherry picked for rubbing elbows (and other appendages) with the right individuals.
How many people do you really think get jobs from USAJobs each year compared to LinkedIn or Indeed?
I'm sure we are talking 1 in 250,000 vs. 1 in 50,000. Newsflash: The process is broken.
Lottery? What lottery? Never heard of that. Federal government positions being achieved simply because of state government? Um, never heard that one either. Networking? If you mean they had previously worked for another office in that agency or federal bureau and could demonstrate expertise in cross-agency administrative systems, well yes, why not? They may be able to get up to speed that much faster in the new position. That is efficiency and fiscally responsible. Its also that big bad thing we call competition.
Last edited by Parnassia; 03-03-2018 at 03:01 PM..
Unless your friends are key decision makers, this doesn't help much either. I've gone to people, and people have come to me, in hopes that either of us could help with the other's job search. Often times, I will forward their resume and info and put in a good word to the manager, but I have no power whatsoever to make that call. And more often than not, they don't even get an interview. Why? Because the manager already has their own person in mind.
So unless all your friends are managers or directors, or extremely close friends/confidants with these people, reaching out to them is about just has useful as applying for the job on your own via the Internet.
1000% agree. I've heard so many times that "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Countless times I have known people who work for a company that has an opening. I ask my friend to forward my resume. But, for the most part, all they can do is send it to the hiring manager or HR. I've also been in the same boat where I've referred friends and I see how difficult it is. Company policy at one company was that after you refer someone, you can NOT follow-up with HR or the hiring manager. Sure, because they don't want you hounding them asking "why haven't you hired my friend???"
A friend of mine is on very good terms with his ex-boss. He applied for an opening at a company where the ex-boss works and asked him to help. Ex-boss did just that and my friend was STILL not called for an interview.
So what if jobs get canceled? Have you looked at what is happening in the federal government right now? The Trump administration is wildly unpredictable and chopping budgets left and right, and refusing to appoint senior admins for many agencies. This is going to have a dramatic trickle down.
There already is, depending on whether a particular agency or bureau happens to be a pet of the POTUS or not. I have many friends/former colleagues who are totally adrift waiting on the whims of this administration. Their mandates and accountability requirements didn't go away, but the focus, the funding, the authority to carry them out did. Complete neglect and confusion. We are not talking about temporary programs or initiatives that fade in and out after each election. We are talking about mandates set down by federal law. If you don't uphold the law, you end up prosecuted. You end up terminated. You end up failing to uphold international treaty obligations. There are hundreds of employees eager, willing, and waiting to carry out the work they are obligated to do. And can't. No new hires are going to fix this.
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.
EXACTLY! I have only received a job offer ONE time by knowing someone. She referred me to the hiring manager, he interviewed me and hired me on the spot. That was back in 1991. Other than that, I have received every call for an interview or job offer on my own without knowing anyone in the company.
Every job has two opinions on an applicant being qualified or not. The applicant's opinion that they would be a good person for the job. The other opinion is the HM opinion if the applicant is highly qualified for the job, or not satisfactory.
Lets imagine there are 200 applications. Imagine that someone goes through them, with a check list provided by the HM. If you get 9 out of 10 checks, you are further evaluated. If you get 3 or 4 checks you go in the no hire pile. Lets say that 10 persons get 9 checks. The application is then reviewed by another person, and the top 5 are given interviews. The odds are, that at least 2 will be almost perfect for the job. Those 2 will get an interview. If you do not get an interview, it says that someone did not give the right answer to those questions on the test.
If you are sending out a lot of generic resumes and not getting interviews, it says you are not applying for jobs that the employer needs someone to fill. They know that there are people qualified for the job, and not getting interviews says one thing, you are applying for jobs that the employer needs to fill, and that a very few are ideal for the job, and the rest are just a waste of paper. If you are qualified for the job, your resume is so generic that it does not pass the check list test for a particular job.
Make a custom resume for that particular job, to sell the employer on your ability to handle that particular job, or you are just wasting the time of both yourself, and the employer.
Last edited by oldtrader; 03-03-2018 at 03:21 PM..
Every job has two opinions on an applicant being qualified or not. The applicant's opinion that they would be a good person for the job. The other opinion is the HM opinion if the applicant is highly qualified for the job, or not satisfactory.
Lets imagine there are 200 applications. Imagine that someone goes through them, with a check list provided by the HM. If you get 9 out of 10 checks, you are further evaluated. If you get 3 or 4 checks you go in the no hire pile. Lets say that 10 persons get 9 checks. The application is then reviewed by another person, and the top 5 are given interviews. The odds are, that at least 2 will be almost perfect for the job. Those 2 will get further consideration, and possibly a second interview. The one that passes the test the best, and has a personality that will fit in with the other employees they will be interacting with, will be offered the job.
Problems and reasons, you are not getting interviews. Answer these questions.
1: Do you have any experience at that particular job or a similar position. Yes____ No___
2: Do you have any education that has given you knowledge of how that job can be conducted. Yes___ No___
3: Can you do that job without a lot of training. Yes___ No___.
4: Explain how/why you would be a good employee handling that job. Take rest of page to explain exactly how you would do the job on a day to day basis.____________________________________________ ______________________________
__________________________________________________ ______________
Or.. Hiring a nephew/otherwise relative or friend of the hiring manager or some higher up were being "qualified" doesn't matter at all.
Qualifications don't matter anymore. Hell the leader of the free world isn't even qualified. Why should anyone else be? ROFLMAO
You can have 10 openings and 1 employee in this economy. The hiring manager today does not care. They want the guy who is employed at a competitor to come over for the same salary. Then huff and puff when he doesn't budge to take on new problems for the same salary and 10x the risk. I have 10 recruiters breathing down my neck on LinkedIN asking me to go to smaller versions of the company I'm at. They are offering about 1/2 my salary, but won't touch the guy who is unemployed and eager to do 80 hour work weeks for 1/2 my pay.
Therein lies the problem and it's been a problem for a very long time. Companies don't want to the unemployed. If you are over 6 months unemployed, they don't want to touch you. What? Ya think I forgot how to do my job after 6 months? Come on.......
Companies need to get up to speed and realize that someone can be unemployed for a year or two and can get back on the bike and ride it. Speaking of bikes. I didn't ride one for 15 years and got back on one recently. Was I a little wobbly? Yes. But, did I forget how to ride it? No. After a few minutes, I was right back to being a pro. Same thing with a job.
1000% agree. I've heard so many times that "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Countless times I have known people who work for a company that has an opening. I ask my friend to forward my resume. But, for the most part, all they can do is send it to the hiring manager or HR. I've also been in the same boat where I've referred friends and I see how difficult it is. Company policy at one company was that after you refer someone, you can NOT follow-up with HR or the hiring manager. Sure, because they don't want you hounding them asking "why haven't you hired my friend???"
A friend of mine is on very good terms with his ex-boss. He applied for an opening at a company where the ex-boss works and asked him to help. Ex-boss did just that and my friend was STILL not called for an interview.
YES! It really does help to know people! My employer closed his business at the end of 2016. One of our sales reps new of another agency that was looking to hire someone so she referred me to them and put in a good word. They hired me on the spot!
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