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MEGA - Jobs, Resumes, Interviews

Ive only ever applied for 5 jobs, and got 3 of them. All 3 places were desperate for people so that helped but I certainlymdid my job good as I never got fired from any of them and they were always asking me to work. Just got to be confident and polite in the interview. Dont lie about stuff a lot of questions are purposely hard as fuck to answer just say "you know I really dont know but its something I will definitely look into"
 
alasdairm said:
^ what do you think landed you this one? did you work your network? how did you land an interview? how did you approach the interview?

alasdair
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Honestly, I think just sheer luck that the job I applied for desperately needed workers. It was nerve-racking though as it was for a job completely out of my comfort zone!
 
double ewe said:
now finishing grad school and starting the process all over again.
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graduating in may, so started applying in october. probably applied for 70-90 jobs (all in a very specific field, not just "anything that sort of fit"). got four call-backs (between november and february), two final interviews (both in february) and one offer (late march). final round interviews were brutal and very grateful to have gotten the job i did.
 
I have applied for easily 100-200+ and I am still unemployed and got like 3 - 4 replies, shitty job situation.
 
^ some say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. applying for jobs is not netting you a job. what do you think you could be doing differently to increase your chances of employment?
double ewe said:
graduating in may, so started applying in october. probably applied for 70-90 jobs (all in a very specific field, not just "anything that sort of fit"). got four call-backs (between november and february), two final interviews (both in february) and one offer (late march). final round interviews were brutal and very grateful to have gotten the job i did.
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congratulations.

alasdair
 
I always lost count, having a criminal record, no college diploma and a GED sucks. When I land a job I try to make sure I do my absolute best and I am willing put up with a lot of shit so I don't have to go through that horrible search. I can honestly say I would rather have a miserable job more than having to go through all of the rejection when looking for work. I guess that’s my punishment for being an idiot teenager and getting arrested.

Luckily I have been at the same office for 4 years now and it seems to be going really well.
 
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I'm gonna be a care and support worker, I'm so excited to be starting! :)
 
I had a job 9 months before graduation. I was able to negociate to give me a signing bonus and pay for my certification exams.
 
double ewe said:
graduating in may, so started applying in october. probably applied for 70-90 jobs (all in a very specific field, not just "anything that sort of fit"). got four call-backs (between november and february), two final interviews (both in february) and one offer (late march). final round interviews were brutal and very grateful to have gotten the job i did.
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OTGee said:
I have applied for easily 100-200+ and I am still unemployed and got like 3 - 4 replies, shitty job situation.
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alasdairm said:
^ some say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. applying for jobs is not netting you a job. what do you think you could be doing differently to increase your chances of employment?congratulations.
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^ It seemed to work for the person I quoted above them though, although the number of jobs they applied to was somewhat less that the poster below.

I have applied to about 30 jobs and have not been called back for an interview for any of them. The jobs are in a specific field that I went to school for, and I have 4-5 different resumes that I use depending on the specific area within the field the position is for. I started with one resume, and then made some changes as to the relevant coursework for the position, and that has me up to 4 or 5 different ones, but there is one that is my current default 2012 resume.
 
I stopped counting my applications after 300.

I've been unemployed two years.
 
Good thread. Sorry I've been away so long.

I've held many, many jobs over the years. Currently I'm doing a 'work study' gig where I'm basically being paid to do nothing, but the pay is a bit sporadic since the person running the show is often negligent with the paperwork. I also ref volleyball but usually that money goes to pay off my various sports leagues.

I have applied for several IT positions over the past year or so, but considering I'm soon to be finishing my undergrad degree in something completely unrelated, I think a lot of employers were somewhat turned off by my change in career paths. Besides, I only applied on the off chance that I might land a really sweet gig. No dice.

Right now I'm just applying for every extra-curricular program related to my university before I graduate. I spent some time in Winnipeg a few weeks back, and I just got back from Dominican Republic. This summer I'll spend a couple weeks at the Great Lakes doing some bio research with a team from University of Windsor, and next year (with a bit of luck) I'll do a 5 week stint in Quebec in an immersion program.

My 'work study' placement is secure for the next year, which is great considering how little of my time it takes and how flexible my schedule is, so I doubt I'll be seriously looking for full-time employment for another year.

Career student and proud of it.
 
Relocating for Employment

I am in the position of looking in other states for work, and relocating if I find a job worth doing so. I knew that there was a strong possibility of doing this because there are not many jobs in my state in the field that I studied in school. I thought that the fact that there are not many schools in my state with that major, and not many people even interested in it, that this would somewhat counteract there not being many jobs openings, thinking that there wouldn't be much competition for filling them.

I have only seriously began looking for work since December, but I have yet to be called back for an interview. That isn't that long to have been seeking employment, but when searching for jobs in this field in some of my neighboring states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland- doesn't touch NY but is only 3 hours away) there are 3x the amount of positions available. I would prefer to gain employment in this field, and even though it is somewhat specific, there are many different areas of concentration and several similar fields that I am qualified to work in as well.

I wish not to publicly mention the area in which I seek employment since it is rather specific and can be used to identify me, so I am more curious to hear about others experiences with this. Some things that I am interested in hearing about are:
  • It is possible to do with loans (even personal ones since family is willing to help out)
  • How long does it take to get "on your feet" after moving
  • Relocating for an existing job within the same company vs Relocating to start a new job
  • How long before you gave up on finding new or better employment in your current location before you decided to move to a new one
I am not worried about moving to some place where I don't know anybody. I am very good at making new friends, and usually find new close friends pretty quickly, and some of my best friends have been those that I met through work. I no longer like the area that I live, so I would welcome a change of location. This plan is still in the beginning stages, but I think it's a good topic to discuss, as I am sure that many others have been, and will be in a similar situation.
 
I would relocate for employment if you feel you're getting nowhere at the place you live now. I mean moving to a state that at least neighbors new york wouldn't be that bad and have you've even thought about just traveling to your job everyday? I mean I know there are people who use the amtrak train to get from new york to pennsylvania everyday just for work. That may be too complicated though.. Yet again I think you should apply to open positions in whatever area you may want to live and then wait for a call. Then you can travel down to wherever for the interviews and what not. Then if you land the job you can easily get a place to live at. Which you could pay for by using loans but I wouldn't take out more than you need or you could even just try to find a small time job for now. Then save that money to help you get a place when you actually move out... I mean if you land the job and you have a place to live it shouldn't take too long to get on your feet. I just don't suggest moving to another state unless you really think you will get one of the jobs.

Good luck =D you're smart so I know everything will workout for you.
 
http://www.bls.gov/audience/jobseekers.htm

I used this to start planning for relocating hopefully in August. Helped me decide to become a pharm tech (getting certified), look at the areas I was contemplating at relocating, examing the statistics. Compare to other regions in the United States. Look at the job prospects, the mean, % of individuals with certain salary ranges, etc. Its good info. You can Understand where is best to look, plan how much you will need to relocate (two months rent, deposit, month or two of food money, bill money, gas money. Visit, or see if you can apply far away then if needed visit for interviews. Thats pretty much what I'm gonna do.

Hopefully I'll have 2k in cash, a job making $12 an hour atleast (hopefully 13-14) grasped when I sign a lease for a place. Good thing is in my situation I've lived in a few of the areas before, and have friends in each of the areas I'm considering. All with individuals who would like to rent with me if possible, which is good.

It def seems like a huge undertaking when money isn't flowing out the pockets, but it can be done (or hopefully in my case in the next few months).
 
not really an answer to any of your questions, but a bit of advice worth mentioning:

make sure to highlight any connection you may have to the area where you're applying. a hiring manager wants to feel like you'll be willing to stick around for at least a few years, and having friends/family/interests there is a good indicator that you likely will be. throwing a sentence or two into your cover letters about why you'd be excited to move there is definitely a good idea.
 
^ I have been putting on my applications that I am willing to relocate for a job, but I will definitely include those things in my cover letter for the out of state jobs that I plan to apply for.

I'm working part-time right now, but that's just covering my college loans pretty much. I don't have much to pay back since my school wasn't expensive and I only went away for 2 years after getting my associates degree from community college which cost me under $1000 after grants. I am looking for more more hours at work here in the meantime, but since the job has nothing to do with my field I am anxious to start something else.

As for commuting out of state, I could do that temporarily but between the amount of time I would be driving, the cost of gas, and the amount of money I would be paying for my NY car insurance as opposed to how much cheaper car insurance is in other states, it really wouldn't be worth it to commute for long. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself with all of this, but I would rather be prepared if/when the time comes as opposed to being caught off guard.
 
Well the best thing you can do for now is figure out a way to get extra money. Even if it means you have to pick up another job. I mean that may suck but at least you will have money there if you ever do get the job. So then you can find an apartment or even room with someone until you can afford your own place. It shouldn't be hard to do.
 
A couple of things to consider:

You normally cannot get an apartment unless you have a job and can afford the rent. The main implication being that it would be very difficult to move to a new area first and then find a job. You should try to work out a way to secure the job first then get the apartment.

Also, because of what I just said, I would take any old job I could get in the new area...even if it meant flipping burgers to make the rent. That way you have some income and an apartment while you look for the job that is actually in your field. I know it is wrong but most companies discriminate against unemployed people. This is another reason why I would get a shitty job at first so at least I could put on my applications that I am doing something.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
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