Applying for Jobs

[cschin4]

People love to say "just get a job". Well, I was downsized at the end of this year. And applying for jobs takes HOURS. And, then it takes forever for anyone to get back to you. Luckily I am in a good financial position but I feel sorry for someone who has lost a job and needs to find one quickly. The amount of paperwork you have to submit nowadays is grueling.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Just looking and then tailoring your resume takes awhile. Then looking at linked in and figuring out if you know anyone who works at the company take a bit. It's not easy for sure.

[TheKayla]

People that would hassle someone like that clearly has never been through a professional job search recently, never mind them. As long as I wasn't at any financial risk, I'd rather take the time, a few months even, waiting/looking/applying for the perfect job rather than the first one you can find. 40 hours per week or more out of your life should be the best option for you!

Because I freelanced throughout college and was able to continue decently well after graduation, I was fortunate enough to look closely at all my options and by choosy, turning down a few job offers as they came to be when better ones presented themselves or they didn't meet my criteria. I knew I'd be able to afford at least the minimum payments while finding a good job that I could stay sane at for years to come. Ended up finding one anyway right before repayment started, but all in all, I'm happy I didn't try to grab one immediately after graduation out of the 'need to do so', and settle.

[snafu]

It seems that since 2008 HR staff has had more experience with down sizing than the hiring process likely accounting for the caution. I've noticed that a great many positions seem to be 'wired' to a 'known' candidate but they look for external candidates who might offer a better credential.

For that reason it's very helpful to sign on with a 'headhunter' and let everyone in your network know you're looking for employment. Sending best wishes that you get the position you like best quickly.

[cschin4]

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at several avenues and possible change of direction. So, I am planning to take my time. DH has a solid job and he carries the health insurance so fortunately no worries there. But, when you apply, the company and HR people aren't also so motivated to get people in quickly to interview. There is a lot of processing that has to happen now from background and credit checks and references and everything else under the sun. I am guess that it will take about 3 months before I am in a new position.

[kyoko]

Good luck, csching! I hope you will find a perfect one!

I know there are a lot of unfortunate people who lost their jobs and perhaps get whatever it is offered, even though they are well overqualified just because they need income...

On the side note, my company is downsizing/restructuring ongoing bases, and our department lost half of the workforce. Yes, the business is a little slow, but not that much that half of people can handle. Plus no overtime. We are dying to have one more hand! Because of this short-handed, our customer service gets sloppy. We lost more customers because of it.

This slowing/freezing hiring does not help anybody.

[bjl584]

I'm assuming that you are talking about professional job searching? Anyone can get a job fairly quickly in retail or the service industry if they just need some money to hold them over. Those places are usually always hiring. It's easy enough to "dumb down" your resume. If you want to work at McDonalds, then there is no need to tell them about your Masters Degree.

[jIM_Ohio]

People love to say "just get a job". Well, I was downsized at the end of this year. And applying for jobs takes HOURS. And, then it takes forever for anyone to get back to you. Luckily I am in a good financial position but I feel sorry for someone who has lost a job and needs to find one quickly. The amount of paperwork you have to submit nowadays is grueling.

Funny, I have had 5 interviews with a sixth tomorrow (at same company), and I've yet to fill out an application. Something like 1 in 1000 resumes ever gets hired, networking to find a job is a much more reliable technique.

I have the job I have now because a former co-worker handed my resume to the hiring manager and said hire Jim ___

The job I am interviewing for I met a contact at a company reunion, he worked for a competitor too, and when he handed my resume to the President, the President called me in two days.

Just looking and then tailoring your resume takes awhile. Then looking at linked in and figuring out if you know anyone who works at the company take a bit. It's not easy for sure.

The only one who looks at your resume is you. If a hiring manager looks at a resume for 5 seconds, that is a long time.

People that would hassle someone like that clearly has never been through a professional job search recently, never mind them. As long as I wasn't at any financial risk, I'd rather take the time, a few months even, waiting/looking/applying for the perfect job rather than the first one you can find. 40 hours per week or more out of your life should be the best option for you!

Its easier to get hired if you have a job, and most hiring managers know a gap of more than 4 months on a resume is bad thing. Get a job and then keep looking.

Because I freelanced throughout college and was able to continue decently well after graduation, I was fortunate enough to look closely at all my options and by choosy, turning down a few job offers as they came to be when better ones presented themselves or they didn't meet my criteria. I knew I'd be able to afford at least the minimum payments while finding a good job that I could stay sane at for years to come. Ended up finding one anyway right before repayment started, but all in all, I'm happy I didn't try to grab one immediately after graduation out of the 'need to do so', and settle.

Getting a job after graduation is much different, IMO.

It seems that since 2008 HR staff has had more experience with down sizing than the hiring process likely accounting for the caution. I've noticed that a great many positions seem to be 'wired' to a 'known' candidate but they look for external candidates who might offer a better credential.

For that reason it's very helpful to sign on with a 'headhunter' and let everyone in your network know you're looking for employment. Sending best wishes that you get the position you like best quickly.

People want to hire known quantities, that is why networking works better than submitting online resumes.

If anyone looking for a job wants me to review their linked in profile, I have received more feelers through linked in than anywhere else, and networking is how I actually found both positions which have hired me in last 12 months.

PM me and I will send you my linked in page.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Actually I think it depends on the field. They do sometimes count publications, awards, etc. It's become more competitive than before. Before it was much easier and now it seems like everyone is looking.

[TheKayla]

Funny, I have had 5 interviews with a sixth tomorrow (at same company), and I've yet to fill out an application. Something like 1 in 1000 resumes ever gets hired, networking to find a job is a much more reliable technique.

I have the job I have now because a former co-worker handed my resume to the hiring manager and said hire Jim ___

The job I am interviewing for I met a contact at a company reunion, he worked for a competitor too, and when he handed my resume to the President, the President called me in two days.



The only one who looks at your resume is you. If a hiring manager looks at a resume for 5 seconds, that is a long time.



Its easier to get hired if you have a job, and most hiring managers know a gap of more than 4 months on a resume is bad thing. Get a job and then keep looking.


Getting a job after graduation is much different, IMO.



People want to hire known quantities, that is why networking works better than submitting online resumes.

If anyone looking for a job wants me to review their linked in profile, I have received more feelers through linked in than anywhere else, and networking is how I actually found both positions which have hired me in last 12 months.

PM me and I will send you my linked in page.

This may depend on the field and needs. I know on our team those responsible for hiring decisions look at the resume closely, because our field requires a lot of specific technical experience. It won't do us much good if we hire a friend on a recommendation, if they don't know how to code and have never worked in our particular field. They need to know how to do very defined skills. For a more communicative job, or one that requires heavily on work ethic over technical still then yes, perhaps thats the case.

[jIM_Ohio]

This may depend on the field and needs. I know on our team those responsible for hiring decisions look at the resume closely, because our field requires a lot of specific technical experience. It won't do us much good if we hire a friend on a recommendation, if they don't know how to code and have never worked in our particular field. They need to know how to do very defined skills. For a more communicative job, or one that requires heavily on work ethic over technical still then yes, perhaps thats the case.

I have an engineering background, networking still trumps the resume.

The interviews discussed technical competency, and the references validated that.

A good resume will help people find you online, but if recruiters aren't calling you, then networking will trump submitting online.

The HR people I network with tell me the same thing.

True story.

I accepted a job with less than reputable company in August. 6000 people, good benefits and great income. I accepted that position after 18 months out of my field (in financial services). Once I accepted that job, recruiter requests and similar leads keep popping up (especially from linked in).

In October a recruiter called me (from Aerotek) and we met the very next day. I got a warm fuzzy from the meeting (I met the qualifications on paper). I assumed the recruiter submitted me for the job he described (he did not, but I did not know that at the time). I then asked around about the opportunity (I asked a former co-worker) and he told me "the company is XXX"..

About 3 weeks went by, and I bumped into an employee of XXX at a networking event (it was a reunion for a company I used to work for and his company's founder also had ties to same company). He and I had maybe a 1 minute conversation over a beer, I mentioned the open position, we exchanged business cards (I worked for a competitor).

Two days later the company President called me and we scheduled two phone interviews (one with him, one with hiring manager). Met face to face a third time, and a fourth phone interview, followed up by another face to face interview.

A funny part of this is the day between the networking event and when I was called, the president told the recruiter "I want to meet more people like Jim ____" and the recruiter called me that day to touch base too.

As best I can tell the interview tomorrow is about numbers, benefits and a few details.

I mentioned this situation to a few well networked HR people and they echoed back the reasons why networking is so important. I used to work with one of the people which sends this company some business, and he was the contact which told me which company in area had XXX job description recruiter gave me.

If you focus on networking, you will generate more leads than a good resume could ever hope

[disneysteve]

networking still trumps the resume.

I think this is true in every profession.

I'm a physician. In 2000, I quit my job for various reasons. I very half-heartedly searched for a job, sending out some resumes and such but I honestly didn't try very hard to get a new job. I was enjoying my freedom and figured I'd get something eventually.

What I did do, however, was attend a couple of pharmaceutical sponsored events that I had been invited to prior to quitting and went to a medical education conference. At each of those events, I spoke to all of the sales reps with whom I was friendly and let them know I was available.

Not long after that, I got a call from a doctor looking to hire someone. We didn't know each other but he had gotten my name from one of the sales reps. That was almost 14 years ago and I've been working with him ever since. By the way, I never got a single response to the resumes I sent out.

Who you know is far, far more important than anything else, today more than ever.

[cschin4]

At this point I have 2 job offers. I am meeting face to face on Tues with my new prospective employer. They have emailed the benefits package. I also have branched out to apply for assorted management jobs as well and trying to take a leap in that direction. So, I really applied for a wide variety of positions which I hadn't done before. I also applied for a temporary Faculty position at the local U and that may be something I can do part time as well.

[jIM_Ohio]

At this point I have 2 job offers. I am meeting face to face on Tues with my new prospective employer. They have emailed the benefits package. I also have branched out to apply for assorted management jobs as well and trying to take a leap in that direction. So, I really applied for a wide variety of positions which I hadn't done before. I also applied for a temporary Faculty position at the local U and that may be something I can do part time as well.

As I enter middle age, one thing I know now I did not know in my 20's is that a person needs 2-3 sources of income while working.

I applaud you being able to get a job, and the impressive thing is changing your expectations to adapt to what the employer needs. I also like the idea of having a part time job as a backup plan.

[disneysteve]

At this point I have 2 job offers. I am meeting face to face on Tues with my new prospective employer. They have emailed the benefits package. I also have branched out to apply for assorted management jobs as well and trying to take a leap in that direction. So, I really applied for a wide variety of positions which I hadn't done before. I also applied for a temporary Faculty position at the local U and that may be something I can do part time as well.

Good luck with the offers.

I think the part I bolded is extremely important. People looking for work need to broaden their search. Think about how your work experience can translate into different industries. Focus on your skill set more than your specific focus at previous jobs. I mentioned in another thread how my wife's last 3 jobs were seemingly very different: receiving manager for a sporting goods store, administrative assistant for a synagogue, and surgical scheduler for a regional hospital system. But as different as they were, they required similar skills. She needed to be very organized, detail-oriented, able to keep track of paperwork, requisitions, order forms, scheduling, etc. She needed to have adequate computer skills. She needed good communication abilities. Those are the things to highlight when you are seeking work. You need to be able to tell a prospective employer why you are right for the job even though your work history may not show experience in something very similar.

Right now, I'm on a professional search committee to hire a new educational director for our synagogue. This is something I and a couple of others have stressed to the rest of the committee. I don't care if the person we hire has never been an educational director before as long as they have the right skill set to excel at the job. Experience sounds good on paper but ability is far more important.