7 Reasons Why You're Not Finding A Job »
Posted By JaneMay 1 year, 7 months ago in Business & FinanceYou've got the perfect resume, skills, knowledge and experiences to get you that perfect job - you are an employer's dream candidate. So why is it you've been searching for a job for almost a year and there are no prospects in sight?
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JaneMay1 year, 7 months ago
Building relationships isn't the easiest thing to do. But once you get the hang of things, networking is easy :-)
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david_nwpa1 year, 7 months ago
I agree. Often finding a job is the result of who you know. Networking can happen in the oddest ways. Class reunions, alumni offices, professional organizations all serve as ways to make vital connections. For those searching diligently, have you checked with your University or trade school to see if they have a career opportunities office? Also, check with the Department of Unemployment Services. Even though you might be employed, you may be underemployed. Plus, they have a listing of posted government jobs. Getting a government job could be as simple as passing a civil service test.
I passed my teaching certifications and have my career underway. Of course, I am not tenured, but I do teach math, and I have been rated as proficient 3 times. I must be doing something right.
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mark-stevens1 year, 4 months ago
Remember who ever you talk to gives a rat's A$$ if they hire you or not, there are hundreds more behind you. You better feel important before you go through that door and you have seconds to convince the interviewer that you are important to that company.
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walden31 year, 7 months ago
uh uh, uh uh. i'm graduating in may with my second post-grad degree and entering a lousy job market. tough times ahead. i understand the need of making looking for a job a full-time job, but that's awfully hard to do working 40 a week, commuting 15 hours a week, class 15 hours a week, and homework 15-20 hours a week. i'm calling people during my lunch hours and doing research whenever i can.
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JaneMay1 year, 7 months ago
Walden,
I completely understand. I was in the same situation you were in and spent weekends dedicated to the job search for about 3 months straight. For people like you and I, we do the right thing. That was more for those that do a passive job search that think something will fall in their lap.
If you want some feedback on your resume, please feel free to send it over.
Good luck and let me know if there is anything I can help with.
Jane
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walden31 year, 7 months ago
oh yeah, i'm doing everything. you name it - headhunters, internet, associations, networking, clubs, word of mouth, relatives, cold calling. during lunch today i made about 15 phonecalls. this weekend i'll follow up with resumes and cover letters and then call em in a week or two to make sure they got em and to follow-up.
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HomeGManComment removed: User banned.
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bill29361 year, 7 months ago
You know what they say about college degrees:
BS - We know what that means.
MS - More of the same.
PhD - Piled high and deeper.
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.2 Replies
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david_nwpa1 year, 7 months ago
I have 2 BA degrees in completely separate fields. I could not imagine myself being happier than teaching the disciplines, and the students, that I have.
It took a long time to get to the position I have attained. I encourage you Walden not to stop looking until you are satisfied with your efforts. One thing you may need to consider is to let go of one of your efforts to support your job search. I suppose you have already posted your resume with a number of online services like monster.com.
Excellent post.
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JenMurdock1 year, 7 months ago
From where we are (boodocks) the ONLY way you get a good paying job is if you are related to someone that's been here for the past 200 years. They should call this place Nepotism city.
Oh, and when i got my BS in Psychology, the only job I could find in my 'field' was a $6 an hour job that you didn't even NEED a degree for.
College is a joke, if you want to get real money, go to a trade school where they actually teach you how to DO something!
Around here 'networking' is more akin to 'buttkissing'. That would be a good college course, BUTTKISSING 101! :)
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mark-stevens1 year, 3 months ago
Only people that need their butt kissed, like butt kissers.
... hey where have those lips been, great conversation for that first date!!
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HomeGManComment removed: User banned.
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
I am a hiring manager and I just interviewed six people for positions with my company.
Two of the candidates will get jobs and the other four will hit the road.
Some nuggets from the losers:
Poorly prepared for the interview.
Fluffy resumes with weak experience.
Poor communication skills.
No direction.
Some nuggets from the winners:
Highly motivated.
Quantifiable track record of success.
Clear direction of what they can bring to my company.
Excellent communication skills.
One winner had a degree, one did not.
One is female, one is male.
Bottom line: They were qualified, had the right experience and they showed up with their game suits on.
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JaneMay1 year, 7 months ago
This is great feedback. And I can't tell you how little prep for an interview has such a great effect on the outcome of the interview.
Thanks for sharing!
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roobah1 year, 7 months ago
So you were hiring for a baseball team manager position? I was just wondering what you meant by "game suits".
(BTW, I HATE people who only consider hiring those who toe the line. Just what we all need, another "yes-person" to get the job done!)
I do hiring, too, and to me, the biggest relevant issues are whether or not the person is a "job-hopper" (will get ZERO consideration) and having relevant skills in the kind of work I need to fill. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will put in for a job with skills NOT EVEN in the ballpark of what I'm asking for! Example: Loan manager position advertised with collection experience. Applicant: Nursing home attendant or cement truck driver. I enjoy people who have OBVIOUS contradictions in their resume. It's fun to forget everything else and focus on the stuff that can't POSSIBLY be correct... watch them squirm in their seat. Worse, putting BS in a resume which incicates and area OF MY EXPERTISE!
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
"game suits" - Means that they are serious about the job and the company.
My question for you is why do you waste your time even interviewing people who obviously are not qualified for the positions?
I can spend 30 seconds on a resume and determine if I want to talk to the person. I am not going to waste an hour interviewing the wrong person when the right person deserves that time.
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
When I present an offer to a person, I review what we discussed. Our needs, their qualifications. What I think they can bring to the company, what they can gain from the company. Areas where they have room for growth and how we can help them grow in those areas, etc.
If they were not chosen, I usually do not call them back. If they follow up with me, it shows me that they have hutzpah even though they were not selected. If they do call me back, I will spend the time to politely and professionally discuss with them why they did not get the job. If they ask, I will guide them with suggestions on how to improve their offering and what they would need to do in order to be more successful in the future.
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
Headhunters are a mixed bag. Try to get a job without using one. A candidate that is represented by a headhunter has a 30% price tag on his head.
If I had two equally qualified candidates with one represented by a headhunter, I would take the one without the headhunter.
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
Monster.com is good if you have very specific experience and there is an opening with very specific requirements. Kind of a rifle shot thing.
Otherwise you are in the mix with a million other people all competing for the same jobs.
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VoyceofR3asun1 year, 7 months ago
Walden, don't sweat the job search too hard. It's not always easy finding something to pay the bills, let alone finding a job that you will always enjoy. It sounds like you have completed the most difficult tasks, like getting the degrees and not collapsing every week from exhaustion. My only suggestion is to treat your resume like it is a flyer to a really good party. Meaning... brach out into related subfields that you wouldn't always associate with a specific degree. Also, it takes more time, but make sure you are personalizing every resume accoring to demanded skills/degrees of each job; don't be afarid to focus on strengths by leaving out un-related/less-important attributes.
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
Degrees are nice but they are no substitute for the quantifiable value that you can bring to a company.
If you cannot demonstrate what you can do for your employer then the degrees are just fluff.
Higher degrees are great for jobs in academia. Nothing is produced there so more degrees is one of the few ways that people can differentiate themselves within the organization.
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david_nwpa1 year, 7 months ago
True, Jumpmaster, and normally your advice would be right on the money. I would argue, however, that for people like Walden who is moving his way into a distinguished law career, my brother, who is a Chemist, or me, a mathematics and German teacher, our degrees are the key ingredient toward getting in the door for an interview. Higher degrees for most people though are futile.
Incidentally, I do like to brag on my brother's behalf, he worked for a company back in the 1990s which introduced the current grey stuff you scratch off of lottery tickets. He was one of the developers on that project. He also helped invent the first carbonpaperless carbon paper. If that makes any sense.
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
"current grey stuff you scratch off of lottery tickets"
The stuff on my lottery tickets is defective. It always covers up the wrong numbers.
Can you speak to your brother about that? :)
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wasntme1 year, 6 months ago
hey can you ask your brother to develop something that can see through that grey stuff you mentioned?..:) that way we can all stop looking for jobs and let other people get hose jobs...just a thought.....:)
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
david nwpa
Yes, specific degrees for specific jobs are the ticket.
And yes, networking can trump all other things such as degrees, experience, etc.
Just yesterday at 5:30 pm, I got a call from a guy who worked for me about four years ago. He and I both left that company at about the same time. He had done a great job for me at the previous company and I thought very highly of him. We had lost contact and hadn't spoken for about three and half years.
Anyway, he called me last night and he is in the job market. I hung up with him, called my boss, the Senior VP of my company, spoke to friend this morning and he and my boss are having lunch tomorrow to discuss a very key position in our company.
No resume, no HR dept. Bee line to a very good opportunity. I think so highly of the guy and I am delighted that I can set this up for him. He still has to want and earn the job but the tough part is out of the way.
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VoyceofR3asun1 year, 7 months ago
Degrees are important when getting certification, it could mean you being certified and in the run for a higher position years earlier than without one. Plus I find that a degree is always something you can list and boost your resume, even though it does not always give you accurate evidence of a quilified employee. Then again that risk is a two way street; while the employee might not turn out like his resume, a job/employer and go south quick too.
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jumpmaster1 year, 7 months ago
A degree will open the door for you but your performance and contribution will determine your advancement.
Another aspect that many people ignore is that probably the most important part of keeping your job or advancing is your ability to get along with others.
People promote people that they like.
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evolute501 year, 7 months ago
To me networking is the only way to get a job. I have one friend though who nails it with her resume. She asked me to review it and I know it helped because she got three calls off it. But when I go to do my own I do not think I am objective enough. I'm one of those people with a wide range of proven skills; copywriting, graphic design, sales experience...all in proven positions. Employers say "what do we do with you?" Frustrating in some respects. So I would add that focus appears to be important to employers.
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kam801 year, 7 months ago
Thanks JaneMay for a great column. I forwarded it to my ex-daughter-in-law. She just graduated in December with a BA in human resource management, and is totally puzzled because employers haven't knocked down the door to hire her. One other "little problem" she has, is an expectation of a starting salary greater than 50K with no experience of any kind in the field -- not even as a secretary or receptionist! LOL. She's a sweety, but just a tad impractical.
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JaneMay1 year, 7 months ago
Kam,
I work with students a lot and one major misconception they have is that because of their degree, they'll start at a higher rate. But unfortunately, the fact is that you have to prove yourself first, gain the experience and once you're work if noticed does the pay come.
Thanks for the feedback!! Have a great night!!!
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Paladin1 year, 7 months ago
Looking for a job is a plight when applied to a particular field.If one is a plumber there is no doubt,when one is an iron worker there is no doubt,but when one has educated themselves & the world is their oyster,well theres the crux.I am retired,but worked in the hotel industry with a BS in botany,figure this one out:).Networking is fine & using ones skills with the internet is fine as well.It's all about you ,the person,the drive & the way that you play with others.By the way,it was "Hilton" I retired from.
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espse1 year, 7 months ago
8. We started war, and are spending 10 billion a week on it, with no end in sight
9. The administration has no plans for getting out.
10. With no protection, we are losing middle class jobs to china and india, why hire a comp. prog. or a researcher here for 60K when you can hire them for 5K with no insurance.
11. The top .0001 % just keep getting richer, and bottom 30% poorer, and the middle gets stretched tighter and tighter.
12. Overpopulation, caused by religious brainwashing.
13. A basic willful ignorance by the uneducated to embrace religious fairytales and political lies financed by the right wing media owners, at the expence of the science based and technological based economy.
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vinaygggg1 year, 7 months ago
resume is most important when you are applying for a job.First impressin is last impression.Donot loose your confidence.
I found this book very usefull in getting job as software engineer.There is no harm to read it
http://www.ebooknetworking.com/books_detail-094405
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