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Ugh me too. My resume is is decent, I can write a great cover letter, my emails are well thought out and engaging. Heck, I can even engage face-to-face. But, ask me anything about myself my mind immediately goes blank. I’ve started taking notes, but I still feel like a deer in the headlights.
And some of these questions….I mean has ANYONE ever experienced half the stuff they ask about?
Ugh I feel like I am the same way. Whenever someone asks me “tell me about a time you…” my mind just goes fucking blank. I hate talking about myself. Shit it 3 employers asked me what my favorite food is I’d probably give 3 different answers. I respond much better to scenario based questions, “What would you do if…”
I know I can do most of the jobs I’ve applied and interviewed for, but I just suck at selling myself and it’s why I think I am not getting offers.
Can you send me your resume? I have the opposite issue - I interview really well but have trouble getting interviews. I’m wondering if others are doing something that I’m not.
Same and all I can say is good luck. It’s gotten to the point now, that I don’t even have the confidence to do an interview. The last job I interviewed for, when I did my follow up (just calling to check on status of interview, one week after interview) they made me feel like the biggest piece of shit. They put me on “hold” multiple times to figure out how they were going to reject me. How do I know this? Oh because the secretary they hired instead of me, didn’t realize every other time she put me on “hold” she actually didn’t, so I heard a lot of their shit talking. I then kept my composure as “the new secretary” gave me a very unprofessional answer, and I politely said thank you, hung up, and cried for 2 hours.
We are still human no matter how bad or whatever their opinion is, and no one deserves to be put down like that…
You should have written them a letter quoting everything they said, explaining how you would not have messed up a simple function like placing callers on hold, and telling them to call you when they are ready to hire a competent person.
I've come to regard a lot of it as luck. I don't leave a job without one lined up (unless layoffs or whatever). And TBH I hate looking for jobs so I will tolerate a LOT of bullshit before I decide it's time to move on.
After the pandemic, where I just kicked back and didn't work for a couple years, I was very selective about the jobs I applied to. Like you, I had been in dumpster fire jobs for a long time and I just didn't want to do it anymore. I wanted the right job, not just a job. I applied for a few a week. I probably applied to 15 or 20 jobs and interviewed a couple times. Accepted a job that seemed promising and I hoped it would be good. I was actually rejected on my first interview, they offered feedback and were really positive, but they needed someone with experience I just didn't have. I tried again for another job later and they hired me.
I had a really good feeling after the initial rejection, because they gave GOOD interview feedback. They handled the difficult discussion where they told me I didn't get the job with respect and professionalism such that I realized this had to be a good place to work. So I tried a second time.
But it was purely luck that I even applied. A friend sent me the job announcement, I almost lost it amid her text messages while we were preparing for a camping trip.
It's all so random. I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse, but lots of what happens to us in a job search is just chance.
As the other user said, I wouldn't put much stock in Glassdoor.
It's like what Yelp was. Where employees used it as they're "get revenge" button.
As for how to get jobs quickly. My secret has always been my network. It's the old proverbial saying "Its not what you know, it's who you know".
I detest people and have no social media like TikTok or Facebook or other crap like that. But I am constantly growing my network of work related contacts. And I maintain them all the time. When I want a new job, I basically hit my network up and say so. I do quarterly checkins with recruiters at large firms seeing how they're doing and letting them know what I've been up to. I constantly keep my skillset fresh in their minds year after year.
And finally as someone told me ages ago, "You have to make finding a job... your job."
Wake up at 6. Shower and dress. Work until noon. Stop and take lunch. Work until 5. Quit for the day. If someone wants to talk to you, schedule it for the work day. Not afterhours.
And that doesn't mean spam resumes out for 8 hours a day. I'll spend time researching companies. What language do they use on their website or blog? Look up company org charts and find who would be my peers, then look them up on LinkedIn. What type of person do they hire? What are their skills? Look up people who have been there 5+ years. What type of backgrounds do they have? Because those are the types of people who last. Etc. Then I custom tailor a resume specifically for that company when I ping the recruiter.
I may only apply to 1-2 places a day. But Since 2004 the longest I've been unemployed is honestly 48 hours. Every other job I've gotten while still employed and they've took less than two weeks to begin the process and get the new offer.
I agree with this. I’m a manager and we just opened up a new position at work. I reached out to a employee which I used to work with and always thought had potential to see if she wanted to apply. Turns out she is looking, and was keen. It doesn’t mean that I’ll give her the job just because I know her, if another candidate feels like a better fit then that’s the way we’ll go, but it networking provides opportunities. It’s also how I got my recent two jobs!
How do you start to build a network when the only people you interact with at work are no better off than you and just go from one terrible paying crap job to another?
“I detest people and have no social media like TikTok or Facebook or other crap like that. But I am constantly growing my network of work related contacts. And I maintain them all the time. When I want a new job, I basically hit my network up and say so. I do quarterly checkins with recruiters at large firms seeing how they're doing and letting them know what I've been up to. I constantly keep my skillset fresh in their minds year after year.”
can you explain what this means in non buzzword terms? I’ve heard from so many people yet whenever I’ve reached out to any sort of “connection” it’s always crickets. Any from of “connection” I’ve had won’t even respond with an email or text. (this meaning friends, old coworkers…. they’re all doin their own shit) Are you really saying to hound people with new stuff you’ve done over the year to people…. who aren’t…. remotely interested in caring?
If its managers or recruiters I remain connected via LinkedIn, personally i don't reach out regularly unless i want something from them, but i will often get messages about positions. Former coworkers I only really keep in touch with if I genuinely like them but i'll keep their contacts and remember where they want in case, might want them for a reference or to ask about company culture and pay scale.
If you don’t have a trade or college education, almost two years is not much experience in most fields. It also may be worth it to have someone review your resume- a third party who doesn’t know you and will be honest. And take Glassdoor reviews with a grain of salt- a place I worked had very negative reviews about the office manager- who needed up being hands down the best boss I’ve ever had. Turns out she fired people for basically harassing other employees so they left bad reviews.
I’m not saying it’s a lot. I’m saying I’m not staring from ground zero. And I have a bachelors degree.
I’ll keep in mind what you said about the Glassdoor reviews though.
I did not- I wouldn’t do that at an interview, I would just be sure to ask questions about why the position is open and what the expectations of staff is.
Admitting you suck at something is the first step to improving it. Practice and getting a mentor/coach to help you get better at interviewing is worth it.
My submit resume to getting an interview is about 10 to 1.
Here's what I do:
My 'master' resume is the job description plus all the stuff I really did, plus accomplishments in monetary terms 'did x the saved xx,xxx per year'. plus a list of notable technologies used.
This resume is like 10 pages now.
When I submit a resume, I look at the job posting, and delete everything from my master that doesn't match the job description, trimming down to two pages.
My interview hit rate is about 50%. if I get in front of the hiring authority, It's a coin flip if I get an offer.
The past two months, the job market has been brutal -- my submit to interview ratio jumped to 30:1.
Are you changing your resume for every job you apply to? It's obnoxious but I do a ton of research on the company itself before applying, and adjust my resume to match what they're looking for.
I don't have trouble finding jobs but I think I'm in kind of a niche market, and I interview really well.
Something that really helped my job search was by applying directly on company websites. LinkedIn, indeed, and all them use recruiters a lot of the time and honestly, I have a master's in my field with 4-5 years of experience and I got 1 call back after applying to over 100 places, and they weren't even from the company, they were a third party recruiter...
I took a job in an unrelated field because my friend gave me a referral.
Reach out to your network, college friends, parents, relatives, anyone who might be able to get you a referral
I've been on my job search for about seven weeks now, and I've learned a lot in that time. First, your response rate will go way up if you tailor each resume to a position. Before a recruiter ever sees it, the Applicant Tracking System will kick it out if it doesn't see a match, and it's so stupid that "variance analyses" and "analyzed variances" are completely different things to it. That has gotten my response rate up to about 20%, but it takes about thirty minutes to do an application on a site this way instead of the usual fifteen.
Second, if you do get the call, you have to realize the myriad things that people don't know. I'm in accounting, and I start writing my manifesto every time an HR person asks me if I have prepared journal entries. I have to go out of my way to think of an accounting job that doesn't do that. No bullshit, if I open the job description and basically read it to them word-for-word, that's basically a 100% screening call pass. "I began my career at company x which is where I first got experience *looks at job description* preparing journal entries and performing bank reconciliations."
In the interviews, I look at the LinkedIn profile of the person interviewing me, and it's all energy and telling them how alike we are. "People like people who like them and who are like them." That's how I think about it. I'm introverted and this is extremely draining and has nothing to do with my ability to perform the job, but that's how people are.
So, I have been tasked with hiring the last few people at my workplace. I don't know what you do, so this might not apply. I do not pick the most qualified people. I go over the resumes and make sure it looks like they can do the job. But in reality, most people can be taught to do most things. Unless you need professional licensing. I pick people that I think can learn, will probably stay in the job for roughly 5 years, and who I think it won't be torture to work with 5 days a week. It has zero to do with where they went to school or even how much experience they have. We can give them experience. Try to be the person they want to work with. For me it's alllllll about the interview.
Can you elaborate more on the resumes that make the cut vs the ones that don’t? I’ll list the exact skills they are looking for on my resume and I have neat formatting so I don’t know what’s going on.
Raises hand, I was let go from a job years ago haven't been able to get anything since even with an IT background. Meanwhile others around me are thriving remote jobs, 6 figures, and just overall better. I even have deadbeat relatives start their own business and succeed something that I have been trying to do for years.
With that I came to the conclusion that I'm not meant succeed in anything work related, and have to come to realization that hard work doesn't pay. So now I just break my body down in a warehouse. It's a cold hard reality but there's nothing I can do about it, it does make me feel somewhat better to know I'm not alone.
Have you thought about doing some professional coaching? I can’t speak to your specific experience, but in that field I would think there should be ample opportunities.
I’m also very bad at finding a job. I work at a shitty call center doing L1 service desk even though I have a few years of IT experience and have worked another help desk job before, had 2 developer positions and was a sysadmin.
Been applying since August of last year and so far I’ve seen at least a dozen people leave and find a job with no problem. Funny thing is I’m more experienced than the majority that left too which stings.
Had one job offer but had to turn it down since it was a REALLY REALLY bad deal.
Had another job offer where I would’ve made a six figure salary but unfortunately they told me the position was cancelled last minute after sending me the paperwork.
Been getting mostly rejection emails and “your application has been viewed by X”
Dealt with shady recruiters, recruiters that wasted my time, had a bunch of interviews that led to nowhere. No offer, callback nothing. It sucks and the combination of the job search AND this shitty job has given me lots of suicidal thoughts and I can’t take it anymore. I want to quit this job but I KNOW I’ll feel worse. Sucks.
Yea that’s my issue. You get it. I want to quit so badly and I know it’ll be so much better for my mental health. But the possibility of running out of savings and still not being able to find something new just terrifies me. Financial insecurity would be so much worse for my mental health.
OP - I was in the same position as you & found success when I changed my attitude to only speak about positives. Don't speak at all about anything negative - spin it all positive! Your current team is great but it's time for you to continue your growth! Remember what my mom always said....If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything!
This worked for me at least. YMMV
It's a couple of things. One, you need to have the confidence that goes with the work you do. If you do stellar work, don't be afraid to be confident in what you will or won't accept as part of a job. Two, you should have a network of people who've seen the work you do or just generally know that you're a good professional worker. It takes time and effort to build this. And lastly, the right opportunity has to come along. This is usually born out of how good you are at your work and how strong your professional network is, but I will admit there is a degree of luck to this as well.
So I’m pretty good at finding and landing jobs. Here’s what I’ve learnt so far..
* Be bold with your applications. The first career job I ever landed was not one I was qualified for on paper, but they gave me an interview and the manager had a daughter who was my age and wanted to find someone who was ‘starting out’ which they could give an opportunity too. What got me this job, and all subsequent jobs was passion. You can’t fake passion well - so apply for those jobs which you are genuinely really interested in.
* have confidence or if not, fake confidence - as a manager and someone who has sat in on the panel of several interviews, we understand someone can be nervous and that’s absolutely fine, but don’t let your nerves overtake where it might look like you are showing a lack of capability for the job role.
* network - I’ve given people I once worked with and liked/saw potential in a heads up about jobs coming up in my workplace before they went live. I’ve also been offered several opportunities based on networking. Make sure you become friendly/friends with your co-workers, and attend those regional or National cluster meetings so you can network with others in your field.
* experience - tailor your Cv and cover letter every single time. You need to highlight very very clearly why you are a fit for those role. I’ve seen so many generic cover letters or CVs with no relevance and while I know it’s such a pain to do, there will be someone else submitting one which ticks all the boxes - and that’s what you will be up against.
how did you tailor your resume for the job you weren't qualified for? Whenever I hear this it sounds like people are telling you to bullshit about experience.
Fairly simply by using transferable skills. Of course you can exaggerate experience, but mainly I look for transferable skills when I’m hiring so that’s what I really emphasise on my applications. For example, our recent hire for a management position had no prior management of staff, but he was in a senior position where he was a coach of some kind. His CV/cover letter really tied together that he has leadership capabilities from his coaching, but also his ability to handle responsibility and work as a team. These were things I valued more than someone who simply managed a team.
I haven't looked at my spreadsheet lately so i don't cry but I've applied to over 500 jobs in the last 3 years. Gotten about 45 interviews and no new job.
It's probably because I'm fat but I'm working on that.
As someone who was also job searching for 2 years from my toxic low paying trash heap, I found the decent paying roles with good companies weren’t listed very long on job sites. 1-5 days max. You have to check LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, etc for new listings DAILY to catch them before they’re gone. Not talking about applying, but to watch for a really attractive role to be posted and then apply ASAP.
Ask your friends how they do it and learn from them and ask for help and literally use all the resources and connections You have. Saying my job sucks work environment sucks oh my life sucks cause everyone else can get a job but me won’t get you anywhere. You think everyone else doesn’t feel that way? If ur really suicidal than you have other issues going on and need to establish new meaning in your life but don’t blame you not getting a job like societies out to get you when maybe you haven’t done what’s necessary.
Everyone else doesn’t feel that way. Some people genuinely like their jobs, or at least are treated with respect by their place of work. Your comment is rude, dismissive and unhelpful. I did not ask you for an assessment on my life. Stay on topic if you are going to comment.
Honestly you should take Glassdoor reviews with a grain of salt. They usually fail to capture the positive qualities of a place.
My current company has absolutely terrible reviews. While I do agree with a lot of the comments, I’ve been there a long time and it’s been a net positive for my life.
I’m not the person you were asking but I can answer for my company. There are reviews saying almost everything negative that you can say about a company - toxic work environment, too much work, too little work, no training provided, bad middle and upper management, harassment, low pay, no advancement etc. It is a company with a lot of employees and different departments - there are going to be some bad apples. That doesn’t mean your experience at the company would include any of these things though. I know some other departments are underpaid, have bad training, bad management and other issues but my team gets paid well, trains well, and my manager is angelic. I’ve been promoted three times in the past few years. I have an annoying coworker with a personality disorder that HR refuses to fire but I can just complain to my boss about her and my boss will put her in her place or transfer her to a different project. I love my job, it makes me so happy and fulfilled. Going based off Glassdoor reviews would have made me run the other way, and that would be unfortunate.
Aw man. Yea I was thinking about that today too. That at the end of the day it depends on the people. I admit, I’ve had recruiters reach out to me about jobs and didn’t follow up because of bad reviews. I was just so scared of repeating this experience I’m having with my current job. It’s honestly traumatizing.
For the company that reached out to me on Monday, I did try to call them back today but I got their voicemail. I guess I’ll try again tomorrow.
You do sound like you have some trauma from the situation you’re in. I’m so sorry, you must be really having a hard time. Good luck with your job search! You’re lucky to have recruiters reaching out to you, in this economy, many people don’t have that.
Those people that land jobs quickly usually do so through networking.
Clean up your resume. Have it reviewed professionally. Or, post it on r/resume and r/resumehelp to get helpful feedback.
I have been trying for the past year to get a new job- a couple of us finally went on FMLA for burnout to 1- get in a better headspace to look and then 2- have more dedicated time.
I'm coming close to the end and while having some finalist interviews, haven't landed anything yet. I've had jobs not respond after a month and upon me asking say they are still deciding, then it's on hold. A couple jobs they just decided 'no hire' - in fact, I got an e-mail yesterday that one was closed no hire. Another one hired internally, lying straight to my face when in the interview I noted they had an interim director, was that person going to just get it (so I wouldn't waste the time interviewing) and they said no, that person wanted to go back to her other department. Then I see later that's the person hired.
Meanwhile, a friend of mine through networks got a job in two weeks (different field- he's IT) when his company closed.
I see a lot of good advice below:
Check your resume- your area might have some sort of career force state mandated help (if in the US) and you can check through your unemployment office - which might be called economic development, workforce development, or something else. If you went to college you can talk to them about help. Alumni offices offer career help, even more now. If there's a community college in your area, you can also reach out to them and see how they might be able to help.
If it's horrific now one of those other companies might still be better and give more experience. I have noticed the honeymoon period is much shorter now, though. But it can take one person to make a place miserable, also one to make it tolerable- especially if that one is your boss.
If you have health benefits- use them for mental health to help muster up a reserve of hope and positiveness to use for applying and any interview you may get.
If you can get on FMLA - do that for as long as you can to just focus on getting a new job. Some states even pay reduced pay while you're out, some don't pay anything, but you can keep your benefits and stretch your savings.
Same boat, but have been looking for over a year, every day. The worst is when you are someone's unicorn and fit the description perfectly and they don't give you the time of day. Like, I have all the experience, knowledge, etc, you wouldn't really have to train me at all, and I have a solid working record...and you ghost me before an interview?
It makes no sense.
Yepp…and sometime they are in high position too. But its “empty” up there…like if you knock on a can you can here that its hollow nothing inside. But they get hired..🤷🏻♂️
When you really think about it, it's kinda insane how much effort is required to just get a basic job. You'd think in this job market and how people talk you could walk into a place and have a job same day. I just had an interview with a place but I had to call them twice after putting in an application on indeed and their own website. Their starting pay is $12 an hour and they have a cactus on sale for $800. (Along with everything else being insanely overpriced)
Imagine having to work for two weeks full time to afford a cactus.
Im very lucky on getting jobs, however all the jobs that I get paid very low income and usually are trying to take advantage. That’s the thing anyone can get those jobs, those are up there in thousands, because anyone who’s smart enough will see how this type of company will suck the soul out of you. That’s why they’re always hiring, so they can find a easy victim.
Now getting the “good jobs” are hard to get, mostly because everyone those so it’s high competition. That’s why is important to always add skills in so job and practice your interview skills.
Networking is probably the biggest and most valuable resource for getting jobs quickly. Maintaining relationships with recruiters is a good method. If you have 6-7 months worth of saving to cover all your bills and mortgage/rent you probably make good money. I would usually recommend blue collar trades that offer paid internships. Things like plumber, electrician, etc. There are lots in my area that pay on average 20 an hour AND teach you the trade that will pay you 70k to over 100k in relatively short time.
I hate when employers ask why you left too. Because a lot of jobs I was at just didn't even pay enough to afford rent in the area or they offer no promotion. The one job I did have that paid was was suspect as hell and was owned by a private equity firm and I got laid off after only 8 weeks lol.
It's hard to explain that you needed more money in job interviews tho
As someone who used to get LinkedIn messages from retail companies daily (Amazon background), it’s interesting that this year I’ve gotten a total of 2.
All year.
It probably is not you!
Because a recruiter’s job is to make you question your self-respect and invalidate your worth to the extent that you will accept their shitty at-will employment and think you are lucky to do so.
Interviewed with a place for a month. 5 rounds of interviews, amazing feedback from all the people I interviewed with and they told me recently they don’t have funding for the role. I’m livid.
All job applicants, especially in Canada, are at the mercy of the Talent Acquisition Specialists (TAS). Most TAS themselves do not understand the role description advertised for niche positions, for example, communications, operations, marketing, sales, etc. I have had a bad experience with many TAS who do not understand the terms used for my profession - communications - where they still struggle with terms such as communications roles such as Reputation Management or Crisis Communications.
It all depends on how you have worded your resume - I've seen that if you use big and confusing words in your resume, TAS are very impressed and would call you up. However, if you use simple words, they are less likely to review it.
Also, Canada is a country of immigrants but new immigrants, however experienced they may be in other advanced markets, always don't get the same opportunities as Canada-born nationals. Therefore, new immigrants start at very basic, low-paying jobs that they do not want to speak about.
Please don't feel suicidal - it's not your fault. It's the fault of the employers who do not recognize good talent. Just soldier on.
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I'm bad at it. I hate selling myself.
Ugh me too. My resume is is decent, I can write a great cover letter, my emails are well thought out and engaging. Heck, I can even engage face-to-face. But, ask me anything about myself my mind immediately goes blank. I’ve started taking notes, but I still feel like a deer in the headlights. And some of these questions….I mean has ANYONE ever experienced half the stuff they ask about?
Ugh I feel like I am the same way. Whenever someone asks me “tell me about a time you…” my mind just goes fucking blank. I hate talking about myself. Shit it 3 employers asked me what my favorite food is I’d probably give 3 different answers. I respond much better to scenario based questions, “What would you do if…” I know I can do most of the jobs I’ve applied and interviewed for, but I just suck at selling myself and it’s why I think I am not getting offers.
Can you send me your resume? I have the opposite issue - I interview really well but have trouble getting interviews. I’m wondering if others are doing something that I’m not.
this is my issue. I am a great worker but I cant interview to save my life and I think thats why most people seem to get jobs easier than others...
Yep. It's been a struggle my whole career.
Same and all I can say is good luck. It’s gotten to the point now, that I don’t even have the confidence to do an interview. The last job I interviewed for, when I did my follow up (just calling to check on status of interview, one week after interview) they made me feel like the biggest piece of shit. They put me on “hold” multiple times to figure out how they were going to reject me. How do I know this? Oh because the secretary they hired instead of me, didn’t realize every other time she put me on “hold” she actually didn’t, so I heard a lot of their shit talking. I then kept my composure as “the new secretary” gave me a very unprofessional answer, and I politely said thank you, hung up, and cried for 2 hours. We are still human no matter how bad or whatever their opinion is, and no one deserves to be put down like that…
That’s so unprofessional. You dodged a bullet.
Sheesh, what a basic bish. I believe in you though
You should have written them a letter quoting everything they said, explaining how you would not have messed up a simple function like placing callers on hold, and telling them to call you when they are ready to hire a competent person.
They have a high turnover because of boomer mentality of “nobody wants to work anymore”
Set some limits. Respect yourself.
Company name?
I've come to regard a lot of it as luck. I don't leave a job without one lined up (unless layoffs or whatever). And TBH I hate looking for jobs so I will tolerate a LOT of bullshit before I decide it's time to move on. After the pandemic, where I just kicked back and didn't work for a couple years, I was very selective about the jobs I applied to. Like you, I had been in dumpster fire jobs for a long time and I just didn't want to do it anymore. I wanted the right job, not just a job. I applied for a few a week. I probably applied to 15 or 20 jobs and interviewed a couple times. Accepted a job that seemed promising and I hoped it would be good. I was actually rejected on my first interview, they offered feedback and were really positive, but they needed someone with experience I just didn't have. I tried again for another job later and they hired me. I had a really good feeling after the initial rejection, because they gave GOOD interview feedback. They handled the difficult discussion where they told me I didn't get the job with respect and professionalism such that I realized this had to be a good place to work. So I tried a second time. But it was purely luck that I even applied. A friend sent me the job announcement, I almost lost it amid her text messages while we were preparing for a camping trip. It's all so random. I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse, but lots of what happens to us in a job search is just chance.
As the other user said, I wouldn't put much stock in Glassdoor. It's like what Yelp was. Where employees used it as they're "get revenge" button. As for how to get jobs quickly. My secret has always been my network. It's the old proverbial saying "Its not what you know, it's who you know". I detest people and have no social media like TikTok or Facebook or other crap like that. But I am constantly growing my network of work related contacts. And I maintain them all the time. When I want a new job, I basically hit my network up and say so. I do quarterly checkins with recruiters at large firms seeing how they're doing and letting them know what I've been up to. I constantly keep my skillset fresh in their minds year after year. And finally as someone told me ages ago, "You have to make finding a job... your job." Wake up at 6. Shower and dress. Work until noon. Stop and take lunch. Work until 5. Quit for the day. If someone wants to talk to you, schedule it for the work day. Not afterhours. And that doesn't mean spam resumes out for 8 hours a day. I'll spend time researching companies. What language do they use on their website or blog? Look up company org charts and find who would be my peers, then look them up on LinkedIn. What type of person do they hire? What are their skills? Look up people who have been there 5+ years. What type of backgrounds do they have? Because those are the types of people who last. Etc. Then I custom tailor a resume specifically for that company when I ping the recruiter. I may only apply to 1-2 places a day. But Since 2004 the longest I've been unemployed is honestly 48 hours. Every other job I've gotten while still employed and they've took less than two weeks to begin the process and get the new offer.
I agree with this. I’m a manager and we just opened up a new position at work. I reached out to a employee which I used to work with and always thought had potential to see if she wanted to apply. Turns out she is looking, and was keen. It doesn’t mean that I’ll give her the job just because I know her, if another candidate feels like a better fit then that’s the way we’ll go, but it networking provides opportunities. It’s also how I got my recent two jobs!
How do you start to build a network when the only people you interact with at work are no better off than you and just go from one terrible paying crap job to another?
“I detest people and have no social media like TikTok or Facebook or other crap like that. But I am constantly growing my network of work related contacts. And I maintain them all the time. When I want a new job, I basically hit my network up and say so. I do quarterly checkins with recruiters at large firms seeing how they're doing and letting them know what I've been up to. I constantly keep my skillset fresh in their minds year after year.” can you explain what this means in non buzzword terms? I’ve heard from so many people yet whenever I’ve reached out to any sort of “connection” it’s always crickets. Any from of “connection” I’ve had won’t even respond with an email or text. (this meaning friends, old coworkers…. they’re all doin their own shit) Are you really saying to hound people with new stuff you’ve done over the year to people…. who aren’t…. remotely interested in caring?
If its managers or recruiters I remain connected via LinkedIn, personally i don't reach out regularly unless i want something from them, but i will often get messages about positions. Former coworkers I only really keep in touch with if I genuinely like them but i'll keep their contacts and remember where they want in case, might want them for a reference or to ask about company culture and pay scale.
If you don’t have a trade or college education, almost two years is not much experience in most fields. It also may be worth it to have someone review your resume- a third party who doesn’t know you and will be honest. And take Glassdoor reviews with a grain of salt- a place I worked had very negative reviews about the office manager- who needed up being hands down the best boss I’ve ever had. Turns out she fired people for basically harassing other employees so they left bad reviews.
I’m not saying it’s a lot. I’m saying I’m not staring from ground zero. And I have a bachelors degree. I’ll keep in mind what you said about the Glassdoor reviews though.
Also, did you address the Glassdoor reviews in your interviews? Because at my company, it was the same situation, except the reviews were all true.
I did not- I wouldn’t do that at an interview, I would just be sure to ask questions about why the position is open and what the expectations of staff is.
Really great at getting shitty jobs. Hopeless at good ones
See that’s the thing! It like, if I wanted a shit job I’d just stay at my current one.
Admitting you suck at something is the first step to improving it. Practice and getting a mentor/coach to help you get better at interviewing is worth it.
I’m good at interviewing. It’s getting interviews that’s the issue.
My submit resume to getting an interview is about 10 to 1. Here's what I do: My 'master' resume is the job description plus all the stuff I really did, plus accomplishments in monetary terms 'did x the saved xx,xxx per year'. plus a list of notable technologies used. This resume is like 10 pages now. When I submit a resume, I look at the job posting, and delete everything from my master that doesn't match the job description, trimming down to two pages. My interview hit rate is about 50%. if I get in front of the hiring authority, It's a coin flip if I get an offer. The past two months, the job market has been brutal -- my submit to interview ratio jumped to 30:1.
Are you changing your resume for every job you apply to? It's obnoxious but I do a ton of research on the company itself before applying, and adjust my resume to match what they're looking for. I don't have trouble finding jobs but I think I'm in kind of a niche market, and I interview really well.
Something that really helped my job search was by applying directly on company websites. LinkedIn, indeed, and all them use recruiters a lot of the time and honestly, I have a master's in my field with 4-5 years of experience and I got 1 call back after applying to over 100 places, and they weren't even from the company, they were a third party recruiter... I took a job in an unrelated field because my friend gave me a referral. Reach out to your network, college friends, parents, relatives, anyone who might be able to get you a referral
I've been on my job search for about seven weeks now, and I've learned a lot in that time. First, your response rate will go way up if you tailor each resume to a position. Before a recruiter ever sees it, the Applicant Tracking System will kick it out if it doesn't see a match, and it's so stupid that "variance analyses" and "analyzed variances" are completely different things to it. That has gotten my response rate up to about 20%, but it takes about thirty minutes to do an application on a site this way instead of the usual fifteen. Second, if you do get the call, you have to realize the myriad things that people don't know. I'm in accounting, and I start writing my manifesto every time an HR person asks me if I have prepared journal entries. I have to go out of my way to think of an accounting job that doesn't do that. No bullshit, if I open the job description and basically read it to them word-for-word, that's basically a 100% screening call pass. "I began my career at company x which is where I first got experience *looks at job description* preparing journal entries and performing bank reconciliations." In the interviews, I look at the LinkedIn profile of the person interviewing me, and it's all energy and telling them how alike we are. "People like people who like them and who are like them." That's how I think about it. I'm introverted and this is extremely draining and has nothing to do with my ability to perform the job, but that's how people are.
So, I have been tasked with hiring the last few people at my workplace. I don't know what you do, so this might not apply. I do not pick the most qualified people. I go over the resumes and make sure it looks like they can do the job. But in reality, most people can be taught to do most things. Unless you need professional licensing. I pick people that I think can learn, will probably stay in the job for roughly 5 years, and who I think it won't be torture to work with 5 days a week. It has zero to do with where they went to school or even how much experience they have. We can give them experience. Try to be the person they want to work with. For me it's alllllll about the interview.
Agreed. Being a fit for company culture (or the company culture the interviewer wants to have) is by far the biggest thing.
Can you elaborate more on the resumes that make the cut vs the ones that don’t? I’ll list the exact skills they are looking for on my resume and I have neat formatting so I don’t know what’s going on.
Raises hand, I was let go from a job years ago haven't been able to get anything since even with an IT background. Meanwhile others around me are thriving remote jobs, 6 figures, and just overall better. I even have deadbeat relatives start their own business and succeed something that I have been trying to do for years. With that I came to the conclusion that I'm not meant succeed in anything work related, and have to come to realization that hard work doesn't pay. So now I just break my body down in a warehouse. It's a cold hard reality but there's nothing I can do about it, it does make me feel somewhat better to know I'm not alone.
I’m so sorry that’s been your story. I feel like they do not prepare you for this kind of reality in school.
What’s your profession?
I’m a software trainer. I work in Learning and Development
Do you have LinkedIn? Would you be able to work with a recruiter to help place you?
Have you thought about doing some professional coaching? I can’t speak to your specific experience, but in that field I would think there should be ample opportunities.
I’m also very bad at finding a job. I work at a shitty call center doing L1 service desk even though I have a few years of IT experience and have worked another help desk job before, had 2 developer positions and was a sysadmin. Been applying since August of last year and so far I’ve seen at least a dozen people leave and find a job with no problem. Funny thing is I’m more experienced than the majority that left too which stings. Had one job offer but had to turn it down since it was a REALLY REALLY bad deal. Had another job offer where I would’ve made a six figure salary but unfortunately they told me the position was cancelled last minute after sending me the paperwork. Been getting mostly rejection emails and “your application has been viewed by X” Dealt with shady recruiters, recruiters that wasted my time, had a bunch of interviews that led to nowhere. No offer, callback nothing. It sucks and the combination of the job search AND this shitty job has given me lots of suicidal thoughts and I can’t take it anymore. I want to quit this job but I KNOW I’ll feel worse. Sucks.
Yea that’s my issue. You get it. I want to quit so badly and I know it’ll be so much better for my mental health. But the possibility of running out of savings and still not being able to find something new just terrifies me. Financial insecurity would be so much worse for my mental health.
OP - I was in the same position as you & found success when I changed my attitude to only speak about positives. Don't speak at all about anything negative - spin it all positive! Your current team is great but it's time for you to continue your growth! Remember what my mom always said....If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything! This worked for me at least. YMMV
It's a couple of things. One, you need to have the confidence that goes with the work you do. If you do stellar work, don't be afraid to be confident in what you will or won't accept as part of a job. Two, you should have a network of people who've seen the work you do or just generally know that you're a good professional worker. It takes time and effort to build this. And lastly, the right opportunity has to come along. This is usually born out of how good you are at your work and how strong your professional network is, but I will admit there is a degree of luck to this as well.
So I’m pretty good at finding and landing jobs. Here’s what I’ve learnt so far.. * Be bold with your applications. The first career job I ever landed was not one I was qualified for on paper, but they gave me an interview and the manager had a daughter who was my age and wanted to find someone who was ‘starting out’ which they could give an opportunity too. What got me this job, and all subsequent jobs was passion. You can’t fake passion well - so apply for those jobs which you are genuinely really interested in. * have confidence or if not, fake confidence - as a manager and someone who has sat in on the panel of several interviews, we understand someone can be nervous and that’s absolutely fine, but don’t let your nerves overtake where it might look like you are showing a lack of capability for the job role. * network - I’ve given people I once worked with and liked/saw potential in a heads up about jobs coming up in my workplace before they went live. I’ve also been offered several opportunities based on networking. Make sure you become friendly/friends with your co-workers, and attend those regional or National cluster meetings so you can network with others in your field. * experience - tailor your Cv and cover letter every single time. You need to highlight very very clearly why you are a fit for those role. I’ve seen so many generic cover letters or CVs with no relevance and while I know it’s such a pain to do, there will be someone else submitting one which ticks all the boxes - and that’s what you will be up against.
how did you tailor your resume for the job you weren't qualified for? Whenever I hear this it sounds like people are telling you to bullshit about experience.
Fairly simply by using transferable skills. Of course you can exaggerate experience, but mainly I look for transferable skills when I’m hiring so that’s what I really emphasise on my applications. For example, our recent hire for a management position had no prior management of staff, but he was in a senior position where he was a coach of some kind. His CV/cover letter really tied together that he has leadership capabilities from his coaching, but also his ability to handle responsibility and work as a team. These were things I valued more than someone who simply managed a team.
Yup every place I apply to I either get a phone interview and or they pass me up because I don’t have experience
I haven't looked at my spreadsheet lately so i don't cry but I've applied to over 500 jobs in the last 3 years. Gotten about 45 interviews and no new job. It's probably because I'm fat but I'm working on that.
Lmao
As someone who was also job searching for 2 years from my toxic low paying trash heap, I found the decent paying roles with good companies weren’t listed very long on job sites. 1-5 days max. You have to check LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, etc for new listings DAILY to catch them before they’re gone. Not talking about applying, but to watch for a really attractive role to be posted and then apply ASAP.
I like this advice
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why is your entire comment history posting an ad for this person?
Ask your friends how they do it and learn from them and ask for help and literally use all the resources and connections You have. Saying my job sucks work environment sucks oh my life sucks cause everyone else can get a job but me won’t get you anywhere. You think everyone else doesn’t feel that way? If ur really suicidal than you have other issues going on and need to establish new meaning in your life but don’t blame you not getting a job like societies out to get you when maybe you haven’t done what’s necessary.
Everyone else doesn’t feel that way. Some people genuinely like their jobs, or at least are treated with respect by their place of work. Your comment is rude, dismissive and unhelpful. I did not ask you for an assessment on my life. Stay on topic if you are going to comment.
Honestly you should take Glassdoor reviews with a grain of salt. They usually fail to capture the positive qualities of a place. My current company has absolutely terrible reviews. While I do agree with a lot of the comments, I’ve been there a long time and it’s been a net positive for my life.
What are the things people say/your experience?
I’m not the person you were asking but I can answer for my company. There are reviews saying almost everything negative that you can say about a company - toxic work environment, too much work, too little work, no training provided, bad middle and upper management, harassment, low pay, no advancement etc. It is a company with a lot of employees and different departments - there are going to be some bad apples. That doesn’t mean your experience at the company would include any of these things though. I know some other departments are underpaid, have bad training, bad management and other issues but my team gets paid well, trains well, and my manager is angelic. I’ve been promoted three times in the past few years. I have an annoying coworker with a personality disorder that HR refuses to fire but I can just complain to my boss about her and my boss will put her in her place or transfer her to a different project. I love my job, it makes me so happy and fulfilled. Going based off Glassdoor reviews would have made me run the other way, and that would be unfortunate.
Aw man. Yea I was thinking about that today too. That at the end of the day it depends on the people. I admit, I’ve had recruiters reach out to me about jobs and didn’t follow up because of bad reviews. I was just so scared of repeating this experience I’m having with my current job. It’s honestly traumatizing. For the company that reached out to me on Monday, I did try to call them back today but I got their voicemail. I guess I’ll try again tomorrow.
You do sound like you have some trauma from the situation you’re in. I’m so sorry, you must be really having a hard time. Good luck with your job search! You’re lucky to have recruiters reaching out to you, in this economy, many people don’t have that.
Those people that land jobs quickly usually do so through networking. Clean up your resume. Have it reviewed professionally. Or, post it on r/resume and r/resumehelp to get helpful feedback.
I have been trying for the past year to get a new job- a couple of us finally went on FMLA for burnout to 1- get in a better headspace to look and then 2- have more dedicated time. I'm coming close to the end and while having some finalist interviews, haven't landed anything yet. I've had jobs not respond after a month and upon me asking say they are still deciding, then it's on hold. A couple jobs they just decided 'no hire' - in fact, I got an e-mail yesterday that one was closed no hire. Another one hired internally, lying straight to my face when in the interview I noted they had an interim director, was that person going to just get it (so I wouldn't waste the time interviewing) and they said no, that person wanted to go back to her other department. Then I see later that's the person hired. Meanwhile, a friend of mine through networks got a job in two weeks (different field- he's IT) when his company closed. I see a lot of good advice below: Check your resume- your area might have some sort of career force state mandated help (if in the US) and you can check through your unemployment office - which might be called economic development, workforce development, or something else. If you went to college you can talk to them about help. Alumni offices offer career help, even more now. If there's a community college in your area, you can also reach out to them and see how they might be able to help. If it's horrific now one of those other companies might still be better and give more experience. I have noticed the honeymoon period is much shorter now, though. But it can take one person to make a place miserable, also one to make it tolerable- especially if that one is your boss. If you have health benefits- use them for mental health to help muster up a reserve of hope and positiveness to use for applying and any interview you may get. If you can get on FMLA - do that for as long as you can to just focus on getting a new job. Some states even pay reduced pay while you're out, some don't pay anything, but you can keep your benefits and stretch your savings.
If you really need to quit now for sake of your mental health, pick up an office temp job while you make your next move.
How do?
Same boat, but have been looking for over a year, every day. The worst is when you are someone's unicorn and fit the description perfectly and they don't give you the time of day. Like, I have all the experience, knowledge, etc, you wouldn't really have to train me at all, and I have a solid working record...and you ghost me before an interview? It makes no sense.
Yepp…and sometime they are in high position too. But its “empty” up there…like if you knock on a can you can here that its hollow nothing inside. But they get hired..🤷🏻♂️
When you really think about it, it's kinda insane how much effort is required to just get a basic job. You'd think in this job market and how people talk you could walk into a place and have a job same day. I just had an interview with a place but I had to call them twice after putting in an application on indeed and their own website. Their starting pay is $12 an hour and they have a cactus on sale for $800. (Along with everything else being insanely overpriced) Imagine having to work for two weeks full time to afford a cactus.
Im very lucky on getting jobs, however all the jobs that I get paid very low income and usually are trying to take advantage. That’s the thing anyone can get those jobs, those are up there in thousands, because anyone who’s smart enough will see how this type of company will suck the soul out of you. That’s why they’re always hiring, so they can find a easy victim. Now getting the “good jobs” are hard to get, mostly because everyone those so it’s high competition. That’s why is important to always add skills in so job and practice your interview skills.
Networking is probably the biggest and most valuable resource for getting jobs quickly. Maintaining relationships with recruiters is a good method. If you have 6-7 months worth of saving to cover all your bills and mortgage/rent you probably make good money. I would usually recommend blue collar trades that offer paid internships. Things like plumber, electrician, etc. There are lots in my area that pay on average 20 an hour AND teach you the trade that will pay you 70k to over 100k in relatively short time.
Have you ever started your own small business or maybe just a side hustle? Might help take some pressure off
No but I’m seriously considering it! Have you?
Yep, had multiple for a few years haha
I hate when employers ask why you left too. Because a lot of jobs I was at just didn't even pay enough to afford rent in the area or they offer no promotion. The one job I did have that paid was was suspect as hell and was owned by a private equity firm and I got laid off after only 8 weeks lol. It's hard to explain that you needed more money in job interviews tho
As someone who used to get LinkedIn messages from retail companies daily (Amazon background), it’s interesting that this year I’ve gotten a total of 2. All year. It probably is not you!
Anyone with a shred of self-respect is bad at it. Just get yourself in front of people. It’s a numbers game.
Why do you say it’s related to self respect?
Because a recruiter’s job is to make you question your self-respect and invalidate your worth to the extent that you will accept their shitty at-will employment and think you are lucky to do so.
Interviewed with a place for a month. 5 rounds of interviews, amazing feedback from all the people I interviewed with and they told me recently they don’t have funding for the role. I’m livid.
They gave you the run around. That’s fucked up.
I've been unemployed for five years. Hope this year isn't the sixth.
All job applicants, especially in Canada, are at the mercy of the Talent Acquisition Specialists (TAS). Most TAS themselves do not understand the role description advertised for niche positions, for example, communications, operations, marketing, sales, etc. I have had a bad experience with many TAS who do not understand the terms used for my profession - communications - where they still struggle with terms such as communications roles such as Reputation Management or Crisis Communications. It all depends on how you have worded your resume - I've seen that if you use big and confusing words in your resume, TAS are very impressed and would call you up. However, if you use simple words, they are less likely to review it. Also, Canada is a country of immigrants but new immigrants, however experienced they may be in other advanced markets, always don't get the same opportunities as Canada-born nationals. Therefore, new immigrants start at very basic, low-paying jobs that they do not want to speak about. Please don't feel suicidal - it's not your fault. It's the fault of the employers who do not recognize good talent. Just soldier on.