Degree, check, Diploma, check, excellent career experience, check!
So, why is it that you apply over and over for job postings, but never get a call for an interview? I am a firm believer that the Maritimes is getting worse and worse for “it’s all in who you know” Is anyone even looking at my resume? Do I have to sleep with you first? What kind of bribe are looking for? If you’re hiring within, stop posting the freakin’ ad and stop wasting my time!!!!
—Lookin
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2009.
They probably have hundreds of resumes to wade through so how can they notify each and every person that they didn’t get the job? I’ve been in this situation for the last 20 years. I’ve had fucking boxloads of resumes for certain jobs and if you think I’m wasting a year to do call backs, then you can go and suck on a big ol’ tree stump.
emailing a resume only worked when email was a new thing and hiring managers thought it was a neat tool and they could stay organized. now it is a plague and if your email is not of the up most importance it gets deleted straight away.
you’ll have to go back to the “old fashioned” method and actually walk in a resume and find a way to introduce yourself and make the 30 second pitch. I know it sounds god awful to actually talk to someone face but you may just have to take that risk.
Or go to a staffing agency. That’s what I did – and am now in full-time employment in the field I wanted. Sure, it’s temp, but it’s better than nothing. Plus, there’s the possibility of being employed by the company.
I’m starting to think the whole “online” thing is not the way to go – unless there is no other application process. Try putting in some face time at places you would like to work, or make some networking connections. Sadly, “real jobs” in Halifax are all about who you know.
some employers are required to post the position externally even if they know they will be hiring from within, its a stupid HR rule in some places have that make alot of people waste their time and get their hopes up
ARH!
A staffing agency, as TheBritishAreComing pointed out, is your best bet. If you’re good at what you do, you’ll get a permanent position in no time. Also agree about receiving resumes via e-mail – that can be a fucking nightmare and a half. Give me a two page paper resume anyday.
I got my job because of someone I know
Staffing agencies are the best- too bad they aren’t yet so popular in Canada…hopefully they will soon get to be. I joined up with one (abroad) and got a job within two weeks. All I needed to do was meet with an agent and submit my cv, then they did all the work setting up all the interviews; no humilating walk-in’s. (Unless you’re applying at The Gap, fuck walk-in’s- most busy offices don’t seem to appreciate an unscheduled visit). In the three years I had that job, I’d get regular calls from the staffing agency with offers of other available jobs I might prefer. Now I dread the thought of ever having to do it any other way.
Ummm, if you have all those things and they are still not responding at all, let alone inviting you to an interview, then there is a problem (sorry!) Try checking your resume, or focusing your search. If you have a degree and diploma and experience that is not relevant to the job that you are applying for, they will likely not call you. They received enough resumes from those who did have the relevant qualifications. Believe it or not, employers are not trying to mess with your head (trust me, they are too busy just surviving and they do not know you).
Ugh, not another one of these whiners. A degree from middle of butt-fucknowhere U does not guarantee you a job, nor shouldn’t it. Some of the people in my office that have degrees (Bcomms and MBA) are some of the most useless, ignorant fuckheads to work with. Plain and simple. All it guarantees you is a higher rate of pay (due to better qualifications and that only applies if it’s your chosen area). That said, you resume probably is the problem. You sound like the type to lead with your education, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but that strategy will only work if you’re looking to work in a lab. Employers (especially corporate employers) don’t have time to read every little detail of your education. They don’t care that you graduated (because, let’s be honest, you don’t need a degree to do most office work) from 3 separate universities. All employers care about is: Work history (when and where did you work last? What did you do?), and what type of skills you have (the more computer savvy you are, the better, or have you taken corporate leadership/management courses?). That’s it. If all else fails, like everyone else mentioned, go to a staffing agency. They’ll get you an “in”.
Try a functional resume like Dr. F suggested. No one gives a fuck about your education if you don’t have your skills and/or work experience highlighted. He’s right: some of the most useless people out there have degrees up the wazoo.
There’s also the option of starting your own business and contracting yourself out, or finding your own lower value market.
yeah, and you can’t fault them for hiring from within… it’s a person that they already know. Check that resume and pound some actual pavement. In the cut-throat world you gotta play the pirate….. Yarrrrrr.
I think a peer review of your résumé is in order. Get a couple of opinions on it and if they say it needs improving, do it. Also, there are a couple of job search offices that will assist you with your résumé for free. And never forget the value of a good (not cookie cutter for all) cover letter.
When I was a chef/sous chef and was in charge of hiring, the ONLY resumes I looked at were the ones that went: Name, Phone Number, Work Experience. I don’t give a fuck about your education, hobbies, aspirations or any of that shit. I want to know where you worked last, how long you worked there and what you did. The rest is irrelevant bullshit that I don’t need to sift through. So essentially OP, if you’re not getting phone calls for interviews, it’s not the employers fault, it’s yours.
Go to the library and get the book “Knock ’em dead Cover Letters”. There are a lot of sample cover letters for a plethora of jobs. Easy to tweak to fit your experience/education/ and employer job description.
Also do as some other posters suggested and join an agency. Even if you don’t get a job through them your confidence will get a boost.