Modern Day Job Hunting

I am so fed up with job hunting right now I kind of want to bash my head into a wall. How is it possible in the 21st century that it's become MOREdaunting to just apply. For instance when you apply for a corporate retail entity not only do you have to fill out the typical job history and education. Now you have to complete questionnaires and personality tests that consume so much time.

Then there's Craigslist and Indeed where sometimes you're required to email your resume to some nameless person. My problem with this is that after jumping through all the required hoops no one responds, especially the jobs that you send your resume to. Imagine applying to over 100 places and there's no response though you know that you've sent your resume or clicked that submit button. You're left wondering "did they receive my info?", "could there have been a glitch?" , "Are they just mining for data so they can later sell it?".

Pretty much my point is: Why with all the instant transfer of data why can't companies take the time to send you a rejection letter? Or something that states that they recieved your crap. It's the most frustrating thing to apply for stuff and then be left wondering is my info just floating around in space? What's even worse are the "hiring immediately" people who clearly aren't hiring immediately due to the lack of response. Even worse then that are the jobs that you've applied for but somehow the position keeps getting reposted over and over as if no one is good enough for the position.

I feel like this is the definition of insanity...repeating the same actions expecting different results.

PS: Ive been job hunting since February

a reply to: mizeryindusk

Greetings- My Wife said they are hiring at Her place.. It is the Medical Field at a Re-hab hospital. It is also in Flori-Duh which is considerably less expensive than The Republic..

Here is the website: www.avantecenters.com

Good Luck

a reply to: mizeryindusk
If they do not reply via email, whatever...Call them . One time I put in an application and did not hear from them for days. I did one better than calling . I showed up at the location. Told the receptionist who I was and what I was there for. She called the hiring manager and he told her to bring me on back. I was hired right there.
Good luck to you in finding not just a "job" but a career. I decided to get out of the Rat Race for at least a while and went into early retirement....

a reply to: mizeryindusk

I was just talking to another member on here the other day about this. He's been looking for months and still nothing. The economy is crap and it's an employer market. Years ago if you lost a job you could find another right away.Because of this employers treated their employees better and did everything they could to keep them. Then certain laws were passed that allowed companies and corporations to ship jobs out of the US (big damn mistake!) and now jobs are hard to come by. Employers suck now too and treat employees like dirt, knowing they'll have nowhere else to go. Sad days. Good luck to you.

I went through the same process after college. It's not an uncommon occurrence. The problem with applying online is that you're not the only one with access to the internet and the ability to peck at a keyboard and click a mouse. This means not only more applications for employers, but a more diverse selection as well due to non-local applicants. With such a wide selection of choices for potential employees, it's no surprise if you get shoved under the carpet and forgotten.

Ironically, with all the technology we now possess, it's the 'classic methods' of applying (such as in person or pestering them to notice you) that stand out to employers the most. If you really want a job and are passionate about getting it, you will get it.

Unless you have a skill that is in demand you will also be competing
with thousands that are pouring across the boarders that will work
for minimum wage or less. Good luck to you. As Skid Mark said above,
"The economy is crap and it's an employer market."

a reply to: mizeryindusk

When I was unemployed for a year it was driving me to insanity, eventually I went to local companies that might use my skills, I offered my services free for a week as a form of prolonged interview, they got to know me and I them.

It worked really well for me, sure I got used a couple of times but landed a job pretty soon after starting this, in my current job they head hunted me partly because of my resourcefulness, and willingness to to go above and beyond.

Might be worth a go ?

Cody

a reply to: mizeryindusk

i dont really have a problem.

i just started a job today. it is a local spot and i pulled the email addy of the HR dude off the site and sent him my resume. he emailed the next day asking if i could come up there to fill out their electronic application. i did that the day after the call. a couple days after that i interviewed. yesterday i took the drug test, hearing test, physical, and lead test. started today.

before this i saw an ad for an auto tech on craigslist. a hyundai dealer. i went up there and dropped off my resume. they had me talk to the service manager right then. a week later i was working.

before that i applied at another local spot. i was working within the week.

so in short, i dont get why people have such issues.

my wife had no trouble either. she has almost zero work experience. she saw a listing for a job on snagajob. she applied and yes, it took about an hour but the place called her the next day and she was on the clock within the week.

a reply to: cody599

might be a long shot.
major against the law to have a person working off the clock and/or for free but hey, if it works

a reply to: mizeryindusk

Glad to know I am not the only one to feel like you do. And thanks for the thread and good ideas posters are providing. I will tell you about one job I got as a Project Manager with projects across the US. I had submitted my resume and didn't hear anything. The next day I called and got the President/CEO of the company through social engineering methods and he was impressed that not only did I get through to him, but that I was calling to find out about the position and whether they made any decisions yet. He asked me to come in for an interview and told me straight up that he liked what I did.

A lot of companies get thousands of resumes. One job I had had 4,000 applicants and they only chose 4 for the interview. I was at the top of my game then. But, you can see the odds and that was in a good economy. You can probably figure that number would be way higher today and with many college graduates applying. I am 50 now and suspect that companies want younger people that would be there longer and also willing to work for much less than someone like me.

Not sure what you do, but I went and got my Real Estate license and worked selling new homes for builders here in Florida (yea I saw that comment Flori-Duh lol). Anyway, sometimes you have to go outside the box and make extraordinary efforts to be noticed in the crowd. I wouldn't be going through 16,000 resumes trying to compare them to everyone else. I am positive people will 'stick out' from the crowd and I will look into those people.

I am currently out looking for a new job. I had to leave my old one back in October. I hate the Corporate application process now. As you said, filling out applications online and not knowing what is going on with it. The only corporation that had a tracking area for applicants to log into and see what was going on was General Dynamics. Also, I will tell you that I run background checks at times and the last one I did pulled in multiple social media accounts from MySpace all the way to Facebook and Twitter. If you are posting things out there that are derogatory in nature or not in line with either the corporate or hiring manager's personal politics you may have a problem. I know it should not be the case, but you will never get that out of them. Just think about having a business and you need someone and there are two well qualified individuals that applied. You run a check and see one is active on social media and spouts politics and beliefs contrary to yours and the other is of the same flavor as you. Who would you hire if you had to be around that person every day, maybe even more than family and friends?

We live in a new paradigm and you have to change your tactics. Also, clean up your social media mess and act accordingly. I noticed most friends with high level jobs, some international, have any social media so locked down that only family and friends can see still do not post anything to it other than very innocuous, general, thanks and good day type stuff. Back in the day, it was virtually impossible to know what was in someones head. Today it is all backed up and neatly packaged for all to see if they want to. People often have no knowledge of the effects posting something might have on their future employment opportunities which is why I point it out.

Anyway, good luck to you and I hope you have a very successful future.

a reply to: Mugly

It was on the clock as a volunteer

All Elf and Safety was complied with, I was registered in the books (In case of fire or injury etc.)

When you're desperate you do what you can, just let the company cover their butt and impress the people that pay.

The rest will follow

Cody

a reply to: cody599

i dont disagree.
there are times when i would have worked a few days for free just to show the employer whats up...liability issues though

a reply to: Mugly

I would think the industry you are experienced in, and job level you are looking at will make a huge difference. For example, you said auto tech. Most of thos jobs are at places you can walk into and talk to someone. But, when applying for corporate administrative jobs is another matter entirely. It also makes a difference as to their process. Sure, I could go down to the local car wash or fast food place, but that is not the level of job or income I need and am experienced in.

I happen to be a mechanic as well, but after running my own shop for a couple of years I got tired of being greasy and working in hot conditions often in the summertime in Florida. Now, I am so broken up from accidents, etc. that I need a desk job. I have tons of experience and a Bachelor's degree, technical degrees, state licenses, etc. and still am finding it difficult to get into even an interview. Now I suspect anyone that looks at my resume thinks I am over qualified and many jobs I apply for would not hold my interests long. I had a regional pharmaceutical sales manager I know look at it and that was his opinion and he suggested toning it down. He said he would not hire me for the same reasons. That was good insight for me to learn.

So, I think it depends on a lot of factors when someone says they can't find a job as to what we are actually talking about on a case by case basis.

a reply to: Mugly

I'm no lawyer
I just wanted to work.............................Worked for me, what else can I say ?

Cody

a reply to: spirit_horse

i suppose.
the tech spot was at a dealer not some indy shop.

all i know is i have not had a problem. even when i was younger...in my early 20's.
if i lost or left a job i would hit a temp service and be back to work in a day.

that was more than 15 years ago. my entire adult life i have never been without work. there have been a couple times where i took a job that i didnt want or like but i had to do it.

the past 10 years or so i have been paid really well and liked my work for the most part.

corporate/management type jobs dont do a person any good if they cant even get an interview.

In my local area 400 people arrived to apply for one job! so just imagine how many people apply when its an online application!!!
The employer put them all to work for a day (no pay) and then chose two people, both got a 15 hour per week job.
I'm always saying this, and there's always posters that dont agree, but the truth is, there is not enough jobs!

As for op wondering if they are datamining, yes they do! MANY of the jobs posted are put there by employment agencies, no job exists, they just want your details incase they need a slave in a hurry.

a reply to: VoidHawk

i am one of the people that do not agree.
there are plenty of jobs.

originally posted by: Mugly
a reply to: spirit_horse

corporate/management type jobs don't do a person any good if they cant even get an interview.

Good point! I have done the same and other than times of personal physical catastrophe, I have always been employed and had the same feelings as you about people that said they couldn't find a job. Finding a job is one thing and there are plenty to be had in my area. Finding a job you want is entirely a different story.

At least you are generating income rather than losing it. Desperate times require desperate measures I suppose.



ETA: I have had good luck in the past putting my resume out on Monster and sites like that. I actually got an offer for a job that paid $60.hr as a project manager - 1099 contract. I would have to relocate to near the border with Canada though. Due to family, injuries, etc.. I had to decline. I can't say there are no jobs as that is disingenuous. Not enough jobs I can agree with and shipping jobs out of the country are one of the reasons it is hard for many people. Also, I think people should be open to relocation if it is possible for them personally. Many people won't do that and when the jobs are given to foreigners who relocated from another country they complain the foreigners are taking the jobs.

originally posted by: Mugly
a reply to: VoidHawk

i am one of the people that do not agree.
there are plenty of jobs.

Thats just denial.

In the uk go to any jobcenter and count the numbers who sign on and then look on their computers and count the jobs!
At first it looks like there's quite a few, but then you realise that you're being shown a list for the entire country, not just you're own area! Then there's the fact that a very large percentage of them are as I mentioned above, employment agencies advertising fake vacancies!
It was only a little while ago that Channel 4 and the Gaurdian newspaper discovered that 70% of the vacancies on the govs website did not exist! And that many of the ads were placed by criminals who sold the data to Monster and other agencies.

a reply to: spirit_horse

i agree with that.
finding a job is nothing.

finding a job you like or pays enough is a different story.

personally, earning some money is better than earning no money.
if i need a job i will do whatever for whatever. not everyone thinks like that though.

i am still friendly with a couple guys from my old spot. one of them called me yesterday and asked me if i could put a word in for him. i guess he has come to his senses.
he is one of those dudes that say "i dont get out of bed for less than x amount"

no wonder he has been out of work for 2 years and is about to finally lose his house. now he is willing to maybe work for less. had he done that 2 years ago he would have been fine.
i will never understand it.

lets say you make 50 an hour. tomorrow you get fired. now you make 0 an out.
why wouldnt you take a job that pays 10 an hour? does not mean you have to be there forever but i am pretty sure 10 is bigger than 0.