Anonymous writes:
Network. Network. Network.
I followed all the networking and other advice you and every other career guru offers. I’ve been out of work for more than two years now. Nobody in my network will return my phone calls or emails anymore because, of course, they all have jobs so they can’t understand why I don’t. They’re tired of hearing about me not having a job. They’ve asked me not to give their names as references anymore because they’re tired of all the phone calls from people who end up not hiring me anyway. Without references, I don’t have a chance of finding work.
I have no job, and I’m so demoralized that I don’t even have it in me anymore to bother to look for one. I have no friends left. I spend every moment of every day by myself. I have nobody to talk to. And oh yeah, I have a truckload of skills, training, and experience going to waste.
First, let me state how sorry I am that you are in your current situation. I think desperation and poor job-search techniques have had a hand in your stretch of unemployment.
There is a fine line between using your network and abusing your network. People in your network aren’t the ones who will hire you; networking is based on the premise that we live in a small world and our network serves as our ears for the potential job openings. I’m not hiring, but I just heard that Company X is in need of someone with your qualifications, so I give you a call and let you know about the opening. Networking is, and probably always will be, the most powerful tool of job-hunting — when used correctly.
There is no question you are desperate — and I feel for you. But you have to understand that hiring managers do not hire people who are desperate for a job — any job — hiring managers want job-seekers who are a good fit and have an interest in the job and the company.
And I think you are still traumatized — on some level — by getting downsized. Just about everyone gets fired or downsized at some point in their careers, and you need to find a way to put that behind you and move forward. There is no stigma — unless you put one on yourself.
At one point you WERE getting interviews, but I am guessing your desperation or trauma over being fired was telegraphed to the interviewer — and that’s why you never received a call back or a job offer.
My best advice? You need counseling. Call your alma mater and speak with a career professional. If you don’t want to do that, see if there is a one-stop career center in your area. These publicly funded career centers can help you regain the confidence you need and rebuild your skills so that you can get a new job and begin rebuilding your life.
Use this URL to find a local government-sponsored career center: Career One-Stop Center Service Locator.
For more advice on networking, go to this section of Quintessential Careers: The Art of Networking.
Will writes:
I have a whole lot of experience, but not a tremendous amount of in any one area. How could I narrow down my choices so I know what kind of job to pursue? Also, what would be the best way to lay out my resume?
There’s good news and bad news here. As employers continue to downsize and have employees multitask by combining job functions, there is certainly a need for job-seekers who have multiple talents and abilities. On the other hand, job-seekers without a specific focus will rarely ever get a second look from employers.
So, as you mention, your task is to find a way to parlay your years of varied job experiences into some cohesive strategy that plays itself out on your resume. You don’t want to be seen as someone who does not know what you want to do, or one who gets easily bored.
What is it you want to do next? If you truly have no clue, take the time to conduct some self-assessment. First, spend some time reviewing all your experiences (work, hobby, etc.) and make two lists — one with activities you enjoy and one with activities you never want to do again. You could also consider taking one or more assessment tests, many of which you can find online.
Once you have a better picture of your likes and interests, the next step is researching careers that closely match your profile. Take the time to do this important career exploration. Many online and print resources can help you in this process. My favorite is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Once you’ve identified a career path (or paths), the next step is finding employers in that field — and developing a strategy for breaking into it. In any job market, but especially in this job market, your key to success is building a new network for your new career. Find and join professional organizations in your new career field, use alumni networks to find people in your new career field.
Use the Career Exploration Resources section of Quintessential Careers to help you.
And learn more about networking in the The Art of Networking section of Quintessential Careers.
And all sorts of great resume-writing tools can be found in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Darren writes: I read that I should have copies of my resume with me all the time. What do you think about networking business cards? What type of information would you put on a card?
I’m currently in the retail-grocery industry and would like to change careers. I’m looking toward working for an manufacturing company.
You can get the cards printed at a local print shop, at numerous places on the Web, and even print them yourself using special business card paper and a template that most word-processing programs supply.
Keep your networking cards clean and crisp and bring them EVERYWHERE you go — to networking events (obviously), career and job fairs, social gatherings, holiday parties, weddings, and anywhere else you may run into potential contacts…everywhere. Keep copies of your resume handy as well, but there are obviously numerous times where a resume would simply be too awkward to handle.
And consider taking your networking card one step further by turning your networking card into what my partner Katharine Hansen refers to a Resume Highlights Card in her book, A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market. With a resume highlights card, you can print your key qualifications (or summary of accomplishments) on the back of your networking card — giving you a mini-resume to distribute when carrying your regular resume is not feasible.
See our article, Networking Business Cards: An Essential Job-Search Tool.
Carol writes: From 1985 to now I have essentially been doing very little part-time freelance consulting. The problem is I recently moved to a new town, and I have NO network even where I used to work. Should I try (at the age of 50) to get work as an entry-level consultant, full-time, or as a part-time person at a middle level? I haven’t even stayed in contact with any of my old “professional” bosses from the 70s and 80s, so I hardly have references. There are not a lot of consulting firms in this neck of the woods, should I try to change fields?
Let’s first start with your career direction. You need to decide if you want to stay in consulting. I don’t know why you done so little of it since 1985, but it certainly does not sound much like a passion or calling. Spend some quiet time deciding the types of things you really enjoy doing and those activities you dislike. See if there is a match with consulting. If not, you’ll need to spend even more time examining other career options.
The second thing you need to do is examine your skills set. No company is going to be interested in hiring you if your skills are not current. You need to take a hard look at what you can offer an employer. What else have you been doing these past years? Can you apply any of those activities to consulting (or other areas)? You may need to consider getting further education to sharpen your skills and make your education the focal point of your job search.
The third thing you need to do is rebuild your network of contacts. Since you have basically lost all your former contacts, you really need to jumpstart this process. I would certainly try re-establishing contact with key mentors/supervisors from your previous positions, but most of your focus should be on building new contacts. You can build your network in multiple ways — in your community, in your profession, in your school (through alums or if you go back for more education), and online. In your case, given your circumstances, I would also strongly recommend joining or starting a networking job club. Besides building a network, the members of the club also serve as a support group to push you to succeed in your job search.
Want to learn more about job clubs? Please read this article on the Quintessential Careers site: For Networking and Support, Join or Start a Job Club. And if you need more help with the whole concept of networking, please review all the resources in this section of Quintessential Careers: The Art of Networking.
Steph writes: My job was eliminated in November. I posted my resume on all the major job search sites, and applied for various positions. I never receive an a reply from any of the employers; I’ve only received automated responses stating if they were interested, someone would contact me within several weeks. Also, only several employers have contacted me by phone. How can I get noticed to enable me to get interviews? Thanks for your advice.
Your second mistake is that you have not followed up with any of the employers. Another problem with job postings is that there is often no way for a job-seeker to follow-up with the employers; and in fact, we’ve heard many employers actually discourage follow-up from Net job postings. So what can you do? You can expand your job-search strategies beyond job boards and focus on job-search techniques that have great success, such as networking (by far the best technique), using employers’ career sites, mounting a direct-mail campaign, contacting the alumni or career-services office of your alma mater for contacts.
If you’re determined to focus your time on the Internet, please read my partner’s article: Maximize Your Internet Job Search. And one of my articles might help you also: The New Era of Job-Hunting: Strategies for Finding Employment on the Internet.
How do you get noticed? Well, of course you need to have an exceptional cover letter and resume, but you also need to be the squeaky wheel — you need to follow-up all your job leads.
Finally, if you do nothing else, I strongly suggest you read my article, 15 Myths and Misconceptions About Job-Hunting. I think this article will give you some great insights on how to change and improve your job-search strategies.
Greg writes: I just moved from San Francisco to Laguna Beach and I have no job. It has been six months and I’m worried that it is hurting my search. I also am finding it hard since I do not know a soul down in this area. What do you suggest doing? I was going to pay an executive-search company, but it seems very expensive for something I can probably do myself. What about headhunters? It seems they all want you to post your resume. I want someone that I can sit and discuss my experience and work with closely. Is this possible without paying someone?
I am going to give you some quick guidelines for getting your job-search back on track, but because space is limited, may I suggest you take the time to read our article on Quintessential Careers, New City, New Job: How to Conduct a Long-Distance Job Search.
The first thing you need to do is sit down and devise a detailed job-search strategy. Set a goal to accomplish at least two or three job-search activities daily. Identify the key companies and hiring managers for your area of expertise. Join at least one professional organization and one community organization — and get to work networking. Contact friends, family, and associates from San Francisco and see if any of them have connections in Laguna Beach. If you attended college, contact the career services office and see about job-search help for alums — including potential alum network contacts in Laguna Beach. Contact some of the colleges and universities in the area — I know UC Irvine is only about 10 miles away — and see if they offer any kind of career assistance. Put the recruiter contacts you’ve made to work harder — or find other headhunters who will work for you. Check geographic-specific job sites. Watch the Sunday classifieds and other resources for job-postings.
If you read the article and put into place all the suggestions I outlined in the previous paragraph, you should be closer to at least getting job interviews. If you are not getting any offers after you’ve interviewed, then you’ll need to examine your interviewing techniques. Go to the interviewing resources section of Quintessential Careers for help.
Anonymous writes: I recently lost my job at PricewaterhouseCoopers. I was an HR Generalist and I have an MBA in HR. I am finding it very difficult to seek employment and am concerned that my unemployment insurance is going to run out, and I still do not have a job.
I go into company Web sites daily and respond to job postings and don’t get one phone call. I want to be able to speak to a human being instead of all this resume posting. It is getting me nowhere, and I can’t believe that an MBA in HR is not wanted anywhere.
The Career Doctor responds: Now come on. You’re an experienced HR person and you are looking for jobs just by looking at job postings? You have to know better. Job-hunting on the Web should only be about 15-20 percent of your total job-search effort.
What else are you doing in trying to find a new position? What about networking? Have you contacted all your family, friends, colleagues, former co-workers and bosses, associates, and just about anyone else you know and told them you are looking for a new job? Have you contacted your alma mater (for both your undergrad and MBA) and networked with the alumni offices, your old professors, and the career services offices? What about the local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management? If you’re not a member, join and start networking!
What about cold calling and finding hidden job opportunities? Read more in my article, Cold Calling: A Time-Tested Method of Job-Hunting. Have you looked into temping — either as a way to get back on your feet or as a way to get your foot in the door? Read this great article: Temping Offers a Way to Build Your Resume — and Much More.
Finally, are you spending enough time with your job search and are you following up ALL your job leads? Take the time to chase down every job lead.
And if you are still unsure about what the problem is with your job search, I strongly suggest you read Katharine Hansen’s article: Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven’t Found a Job.
Orlando writes: I have recently moved to New York City. I have 4 solid years of Web development/programming and design experience. I have also worked 2 years, out of the 4 years, as a web-development consultant. On top of my experiences and skills, I am still pursuing my first bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.
For some reason, I am experiencing difficulties in finding a job in New York. I have been sending resumes for more than a month now and generated only one interview, but another candidate was selected. I was wondering if this is because I don’t have my degree yet or is it my resume? How long does it usually take, on average, for someone to hear from companies?
Please help me. I would really appreciate any suggestions you can give me on how to get interviews with companies.
The Career Doctor responds: Job-hunting is all about marketing and selling — and being more aggressive in hunting down job opportunities than other job-seekers. One of your biggest problems is a common one among job-seekers — applying for jobs and then sitting back waiting for the phone to ring. And as you have discovered, job-hunting just does not work that way. You need to get on the phone (or via email if you applied for jobs using email) and call every company you have not heard from and see what the status of your application is — and ask for interviews where appropriate.
I don’t know what method you are using to find job leads, but if you are relying only on job ads — either job postings on Web sites or in help wanted ads in New York area newspapers — you need to move your job search up quite a few gears. Have you joined any professional or social organizations since you moved to New York? Do you have friends or family in New York? I ask because networking is the best method to find strong job leads.
Learn more about networking by going to Quintessential Careers: The Art of Networking.
Don’t get discouraged, but don’t sit at home waiting for a phone call. Pound the pavement. Make your own opportunities.
Finally, one other great source for understanding the importance of marketing in job-hunting is my article: Using Key Marketing Tools to Position Yourself on the Job Market.
John writes:
I have gotten nowhere in my job search. I have tried everything I could think of and every idea I could find in books and on the Internet. None of it has worked — I don’t even get telephone interviews.
Is there some sort of black list keeping me from being considered?
The Career Doctor responds: John, I can honestly say I am sure you have not been blacklisted, though in some tightly knit industries there is the possibility that your reputation may be affecting your ability to get a job. I doubt that is really the case here. Instead, I think the problem lies in a few different areas. But before I get to what I think your problems are, I strongly suggest you read my partner’s article, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven’t Found a Job, published on the Quintessential Careers site.
Okay, back to your specific situation. First, there are no magic formulas that get you a new job. Job-hunting is often a long-term project that takes a lot of sweat and effort. There is a misconception that even in the best markets all people can easily find a new job in a short period of time.
Second, there is a sense of disappointment or failure that some job-seekers get when discouraged about their job prospects. I truly believe those vibes can easily be detected by potential employers, turning them off to your potential.
Third, I think you need to re-evaluate your entire job-hunting strategy. I suggest talking with a close friend or colleague, a career counselor, or someone in the career services office at your alma mater. You need to have an objective opinion about your search — and while I qualify, I simply do not have enough information to make a judgment.
Fourth, just from the one line in your letter, I can say that you may be misunderstanding the use of networking. It’s not really about building a rapport with the hiring manager — that’s what interviewing is all about; rather, it’s about building a circle of contacts that know your current situation and want to help you succeed in finding a new job. You should read my article, Networking Your Way to a New Job.
Best of luck.
Anonymous writes: I am only 18 years old. I finished high school. I need a job badly that doesn’t pay poorly. I have experience working with children, but I would love to have experience in other things, but no one is willing to hire you unless you already have the experience.
The Career Doctor responds: May I start off with a lecture first? Can I encourage you to find a way to attend college — even if it is part-time while you are working full-time? There is such a wage gap between high-school grads and college grads that one study found that high-school grads rarely get to even a middle-class income … partly because we are in a knowledge-based econ
Okay, lecture over. Now let’s see about giving you some ideas for finding a decent-paying job. Here’s what I suggest you do:
First, talk to your network of family, friends, former teachers, etc. — people who know you. Ask if they know of companies that have job openings — or know other people who might know people who have job openings. Networking is the best source for finding job leads.
Second, look around at the companies and stores around your town or city. There are lots of jobs, from cashiers, stockers, waiters, receptionists, and more that a high-school grad can fill. Some will pay minimum wage, but others will pay more. Some may even have an employee training program and/or college tuition program. Don’t settle for the first job offer you get — unless it is exactly what you want.
Third, check out the want ads of your local newspaper(s). Even with the recent slowdown in the economy, employers are still often in need of hard-working employees. Don’t depend on this method, but it can be a good source of job leads.
Fourth, explore the Web, such as the sites on Job and Career Resources for Teenagers.
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