Job Hunting SUCKS!

[gusjodi]

So I'm sending out resume after resume and I'm either getting no reply or "no" reply.
I'm not real picky I just need a stinkin' job! 
I hate all this online stuff when it comes to applying for a job; it makes it too easy for people to completely ignore you. I remember the days when you could actually go to a business, apply for a job and talk to a person face to face. Ah, the good old days....

[Sir James of Milford]

Oh how I do agree......I would love a new job, but the whole finding one is a large drawback.  My current job sucks!!!!!  But I cant complain too much, I am working.  I wish you the best of luck!!!!

[Lady Kett]

Having been on the hiring side more recently than the looking-for-work side, I can only agree that online crap is annoying. You get literally thousands of applications for anything. Now I'm going to sort of proverbially talk out of both sides of my mouth here -

Network network network! On the hiring side I would rather take 1 person that partially meets the requirements as long as they know someone I know and I trust that person, rather than take a complete stranger who sounds great but no one knows. In fact everyone I have hired that has been GREAT has such a friend-of-a-friend (or co-worker or some other connection) and the only person I've ever had to fire for incompetence was someone that sounded great during the interview, interviewed great, had great references (c'mon how can you have BAD references, DUH!), but could not add 1 + 1 and come up with 2 consistently.

Now for the flip side - God I hate networking personally. I like to enjoy people's company because I like them, not because there's some future connection I might need. Bleh.

I can only wish you good luck and sympathize with the online frustration...I have no job openings right now, or I'd try to hire all of the rennies currently LFW (looking for work).

Warm fuzzies your way!

[Trillium]

I feel your pain!  While I was out of work I put in over 10 apps a week and got one interview (which didn't pan out).  I'm currently working a temp job and continuing my search and have heard absolutely nothing else.

good luck to you!

[Zaubon]

I've got to agree with Lady Kett to a certain point. I've gotten much nicer rejections from the jobs I've networked to. It's plain that networking will find me a great job eventually. In the current market the people that are hiring have so many good people to chose from that even if you are great at what you do, there's somebody a little better or that has a little better connection.

[Molden]

I had similar results trying to apply online.

My BEST results came from throwing on a tie, shirt and slacks and going out to contract agencies with printed copies of my resume (on good ol' fashioned resume stock paper). I didn't set up an appointment or anything. I tardeted a couple each day and just walked in unannounced. I had MUCH better results and feedback. I got more job submissions and interviews as well.

It's actually a great way to network as well. Build some repoir with the people you meet at the agencies. Often, they will make some good suggestions for other places to apply.

A couple of recruiters shared with me that often - both online profiles and job applications go into a "black hole" never to resurface. They are simply too busy and get far too many applications to go harvest them for candidates.

I was also told by a fellow job seeker (at the time) that many jobs that you see on Monster, Career Builder, etc. cut off after the first few days or X number of applicants.

So - go beat the steets "old school" and network, network, network!

[mariab4]

I was always told that a good rule of thumb is for every 10 resumes you send out only one will be even considered.  Are you old enough to remember the days where you sat down with the news paper and mailed out resumes?  I am.  I remember during job hunting times I would be at the mail box with arm loads of resumes.  It's a lot easier in todays cyber world to send off tons of communications.  Hang in there.  Something will come along. 

[Charlotte Rowan]

Oh how I do agree......I would love a new job, but the whole finding one is a large drawback.  My current job sucks!!!!!  But I cant complain too much, I am working.  I wish you the best of luck!!!!

Ditto for me!!

[ladybootlegger]

I've been looking for a new job for almost 2 years! As Sir James of Milford stated, I am grateful during these times to have a job, however, my current job is.....well calling it a "horrible experience" would be paying it a great compliment.

Recently I had a lead on a job, that was so very promising, I even went in for an interview. After the guy kept scheduling and then re-scheduling and re-scheduling again over the span of two months.
The interview (once it FINALLY took place) only made the whole situation that much more encouraging.....but I haven't heard a single thing since. It's been 3 weeks today since the interview.

[BLAKDUKE]

I understand everyones frustration as I am going thru it myself.  However there are a few of points I'd like to make.  First, the personal approach is great if you are located in or near a large city(say within 20 miles.). I.E. Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angles, etc. etc.  However when you are in a small market like I am in Salem Al. and you have a high tech profession(computer programming)
it is rather difficult to do it the old fashioned way, you use to much gas, for to little result.   I had the opportunity over the Labor Day weekend to peruse Sunday papers from larger markets and where I used to see tons of ads for computer work, now there are virtually none.   I have the added black mark of being 67 so I get a lot of rejections from companys whose qualifications I meet in spades and beyond(I have 40 years of experience in the field) and they tell me that they are interviewing "stronger candidates"  WTF is that all about.  English translation "your too bloody old but we can't tell you that".   I spend almost every day looking thru Dice.com along with the others and I hit some that show promise,  so I send resumes.  I thank God for the internet.  I can remember moving to a new area without a job and spending 2 months or more looking for a job, and getting the same reults as I am getting now, but I am not spending a lot of money doing it.  Second there is one critical point here.  In this economy it is a buyers(employer) market, they can afford to be picky.  There was one company who posted a programming job that had over 30 requirements as far as experiences was concerned.  No ONE individual has all of those qualifications, it would take 5 people to get them all, and if there was(by some weird quirk of fate) an individual who had them all he would not work for the salary that they were offering.  It's kind of like the antique car owner who has a restored 57 Corvette that he wants 75K for and all he gets are 10K bids.  Those 10K bidders are hoping to get lucky.    Lastly in this economy with all of the closings, layoffs etc.  there are literally thousands of applicants for the same job you are looking at, that is one hell of a competition.   So don't take personally, I did for a while until  I had it explained to me much in this same fashion.  So I just continue on and hope for the best.  Stay the course my friends, everything has a way of working out.

The BLAKDUKE

[RumbaRue]

After five years, my roommate finally landed a job at the local mall selling calendars and books for Borders Books. It's only a six month job, but he's hoping it will work into a regular job at one of their stores.

[Zaubon]

To add to what Blakduke had to say, there have been over six million people laid off in the last year. Most of them are dilligently searching for a job that they qualify for and are crossing all the i's and dotting all the t's. According to the HR screeners and recruiters that I've spoken with there are also about 75 completely unqualified applications for every qualified application for a job that's posted. When they are having to screen out that much chaff to find a very liitle grain they end up taking a very quick glance at what they have and trow it away if it doesn't look perfect.
It comes back to the dirty word of NETWORKING! If you are the right candidate for the job and can bypass the screening system by talking to the hiring manager first your odds go up exponentially.
Talk to your friends, family, aquantences and everybody else. Don't ask for a job, ask for help finding a lead. Networking means getting to know people and helping each other. If you're just trying to ask people for jobs, you're trying using them. Besides, if you ask for a job, they'll just refer you to HR or the web site.

[gusjodi]

Networking... I'm terrible at networking but I guess I'll have to improve my skills somehow.....

[Lady Kett]

Networking, much as I detest the concept personally, is not that difficult. It's more of keeping track of who works where and who they might know. Where their spouses work, where their best friends are, or at least what industry they have connections to. You need to tell people you know that there's this job at XYZ company that you think sounds so wonderful, all with a really happy tone (gotta sound excited! who wants an unenthusiastic applicant?!) and sort of let the conversation flow to see if THEY know someone who works there. You'd be amazed - its like the old "7 steps removed from Kevin Costner" thing or whatever the heck it was called.

Seriously, I can't stress this enough, I'd rather hire someone as a friend of a friend of a friend (of a friend!) then no connection at all. Even if the only thing the said "network person" does if forward your resume to the recruiting department (because that's who they know) and not the actual hiring manager person, it sort of adds a "plus tick" to the equation. Being bombarded with applicants - and I have indeed pulled job postings within a week due to the sheer volume of applicants - you look for ANYTHING to narrow it down. One of the absolute best employees I have, would have never gotten through the recruiting people if I hadn't had that connection and insisted on interviewing her.

Like I said earlier, I personally detest the whole concept as a person needing to network. I prefer to visit with people I like to talk about things I like talking about instead of kissing weed puller with people I personally detest but need their connections. However, on the receiving end, I see the total and complete value of it. I just wish you didn't always have to play nice and happy with people who are just jerks otherwise, just to get that "network value". Of course, I want my cake and I want to eat it too.

Good luck and hugs to all of you!!!! I wish I had company called Rennies, Inc. that we could all work for, make great money, and holidays would be established for all Faires!

[BLAKDUKE]

Lady Kett:

I don't know if I can agree with the networking concept.  It may be fine in a local market, but nationwide it s not very realistic.   If you are in a hiring position and you have advertised a job on Dice, Monster, C.Builders, or Sologig and you expect to see a recommendation from a friend of a friend etc. etc. and you discard anyone who does not fit that niche then you should say so in the ad.    Example I have run into listings that specify, for contract jobs, seeking locals only, I can accept that, and to those I do not reply, why waste the time.  If and when the employer finds out that the local market does not have the talent they are looking for they will revise the ad.   I have applied for contract jobs of upwards of 1,000 miles away.  In my narrow market hoping that someone I know can forward a recommendation to any of these is totally unrealistic.   I do have one that I submitted to a man I worked for some years ago who is now in Chattannooga Tn.   That will most likely be the only networking opportunity available to me.

As some of the jobs offers state this or that is nice to have, but not required.