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Applying for jobs is exhausting and soul-crushing

Slo

Member
This is partially advice, but also for me to vent: don't put infographics and shit on a resume; I'm filing through some to help a VP to get someone on our team and they're driving us nuts. What the hell is a doughnut chart indicating 80% for X or Y skill supposed to even say? What does 80% CSS even mean? Same goes for progress bars and shit too. Also, I didn't realize until today that people actually put pics on their resume.

100% Employment Material.

Eh? Eh?
 
Had another interview and I don't think it went well. It's like, I prepare for it and have all this stuff to say and I get in there and go completely blank.

Almost eight months post-graduation now, no job.
 
Got a verbal offer at UCSF Medical Center for a nursing position but still waiting on the phone call from the HR generalist for signing an offer letter. My verbal offer was last week. Should I be worried?
 

mhayes86

Member
This is partially advice, but also for me to vent: don't put infographics and shit on a resume; I'm filing through some to help a VP to get someone on our team and they're driving us nuts. What the hell is a doughnut chart indicating 80% for X or Y skill supposed to even say? What does 80% CSS even mean? Same goes for progress bars and shit too. Also, I didn't realize until today that people actually put pics on their resume.

I never understood this either. There have been a few threads here in the past with an OP saying "this is the most impressive resume...", and it would be littered with infographics. A skill percentage makes no damn sense, but overall, it's difficult to read and is very distracting.

What are most folks using? LinkedIn? Indeed? Recruiter?

I've gotten several messages from recruiters through LinkedIn without actually reaching out to anyone, and my network is only about 25 people. I have also used Indeed. My university has an online job board, and an annual career fair. I also discovered a site for people interested in jobs that require clearances (USA) called clearedjobs.net.
 
Had another interview and I don't think it went well. It's like, I prepare for it and have all this stuff to say and I get in there and go completely blank.

Almost eight months post-graduation now, no job.
Same here for the interview.

I had an online video interview done on my phone today. I practiced like 10 times and I just stuttered like crazy. It was a demanding job for communication as well (police officer).

I hate interviews. They don't reflect what we are capable of.
 

Murkas

Member
Dear NeoGAF,

Thank you for your interest in the [insert title] position at [insert Company name]. We appreciate you taking the time to apply for this position.

Although we were very impressed by what you have to offer, we are unable to offer you a position at this time. However, we will keep your resume in our current file for consideration at a later date should a suitable vacancy arise.

We appreciate your interest in [insert Company name] and wish you every success in your endeavors.

Yours truly
Guy who probably didn't even look at your CV
 

TheDanger

Banned
So I was looking for a job for almost a year, finally got one, was always on time, always completed my work, but was let go via phone in the trial month without a reason. They just said they didn't have to give me a reason and that this is my last day. That was like 4 weeks ago and it just completely demoralized me to the point that I just didn't give a fuck anymore. I have not applied to a single job since I was let go. I live with my parents (had to move back home, I'm 22) so it's not like I'm gonna be homeless soon, but still I just let the days pass without applying anywhere I just felt like I needed a complete break for a bit.


I'm in the working world since I was 15, had the same job for 6 years (3.5 years of which were an apprenticeship for IT), I had just moved into my first apartment and now I sit in my old room not even trying to get a job, but I really wanna get back into the job hunt now, the way I was hunting for the job I had for a month. I applied to jobs pretty much every day and it still took almost a year. I'm a certified IT technician, but the problem is that I didn't really have any IT tasks to do during my 6 years at the company I started the apprenticeship at. So I'm lacking a lot of experience in the only field I have a degree for.
 

Slacker

Member
What are most folks using? LinkedIn? Indeed? Recruiter?

LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice for me. I'm a senior level IT guy, active directory, system center, linux, AWS, etc. Got an email today saying that they reviewed my information and think I would be perfect to work in their storeroom for 14 bucks an hour. Score!
 

sturmdogg

Member
Applied for a job with an Australian company. Aced the interview, practical exam was good, they were hiring 2 people, me and another guy. They were going to send an offer within the day, nothing. Next day or so, I hear back and said they changed their minds and will hire the other guy. But they will be expanding in 1-2 months and I will be the first to be hired if I still want it.

Yeah right.
 

Smokey

Member
I've gotten several messages from recruiters through LinkedIn without actually reaching out to anyone, and my network is only about 25 people. I have also used Indeed. My university has an online job board, and an annual career fair. I also discovered a site for people interested in jobs that require clearances (USA) called clearedjobs.net.


Didn't know something like this existed. Speaking of clearances, how hard is one to get. I've looked at some IT positions I've found interesting, but some want a clearance and I'm not sure how you go about getting one? I'm assuming it's more than just applying somewhere.
 

Slacker

Member
Didn't know something like this existed. Speaking of clearances, how hard is one to get. I've looked at some IT positions I've found interesting, but some want a clearance and I'm not sure how you go about getting one? I'm assuming it's more than just applying somewhere.

As far as I know you have to be sponsored by a company, you can't apply as an individual. I have one job on my wishlist that requires a clearance so hopefully I'll learn more about the process soon.
 

gazele

Banned
Anyone heard of purplesquirrel?

It's a site where you pay for an informational interview and in theory a referral to a specific company

Seems weird to pay for that, but referrals do go a long way I've heard
 
Applied for a job with an Australian company. Aced the interview, practical exam was good, they were hiring 2 people, me and another guy. They were going to send an offer within the day, nothing. Next day or so, I hear back and said they changed their minds and will hire the other guy. But they will be expanding in 1-2 months and I will be the first to be hired if I still want it.

Yeah right.

yeah don't wait on it. If they do end up giving you a call in 1-2 months, you should evaluate then, but don't expect a call back.
 

Slacker

Member
Anyone heard of purplesquirrel?

It's a site where you pay for an informational interview and in theory a referral to a specific company

Seems weird to pay for that, but referrals do go a long way I've heard

Never heard of it. Any idea what kind of money we're talking about? Reading the site I can't get a feel on whether it's 50 bucks or 5,000.
 

gazele

Banned
Just did one of those "one way interviews" where you talk into your webcam

Was a weird experience, but got a take home test so I guess I did alright?

Honestly, I think I've been too picky with my applications, it's been helping to apply to lots
 

Sorithin

Member
Was one of the three finalists for my absolute dream job and got the notice that they're going with someone else last week. Have been searching for hours every day since and can't find anything of interest. I never knew how bad job hunting was so stressful :/
 

SOLDIER

Member
So by any chance, are there any resources online that simulate aptitude tests, or similar?

I think a big part of my problem with picking a career and sticking to it is that I keep trying to discover my "niche". As in, what kind of career and work environment would I take a personal interest in?

If there was some sort of online thing that gave you an approximation based on a series of questions, I would like to know about it. That doesn't mean I'll immediately follow whatever the results are ("you are best suited to be a heart surgeon!"), but it could probably help to give me a little more perspective.
 
Was one of the three finalists for my absolute dream job and got the notice that they're going with someone else last week. Have been searching for hours every day since and can't find anything of interest. I never knew how bad job hunting was so stressful :/

you should be doing a couple of applications every day(possibly more if you're currently unemployed and need any kind of job asap). Even if you get requests for interviews, you should still be putting in applications until you get an actual offer

I learned this the hard way by getting interviews and being told that i'll hear back from them shortly only to never hear back
 

SOLDIER

Member
Also, people have already mentioned the most useful job searching resources, but what about for state/government jobs?

I know about USA Jobs but I abhore that interface.
 
So by any chance, are there any resources online that simulate aptitude tests, or similar?

I think a big part of my problem with picking a career and sticking to it is that I keep trying to discover my "niche". As in, what kind of career and work environment would I take a personal interest in?

If there was some sort of online thing that gave you an approximation based on a series of questions, I would like to know about it. That doesn't mean I'll immediately follow whatever the results are ("you are best suited to be a heart surgeon!"), but it could probably help to give me a little more perspective.

I mean honestly what you're describing is school. Did you not find an interest when you were in college?
 
you should be doing a couple of applications every day(possibly more if you're currently unemployed and need any kind of job asap). Even if you get requests for interviews, you should still be putting in applications until you get an actual offer

I learned this the hard way by getting interviews and being told that i'll hear back from them shortly only to never hear back

Best Buy did this to me last year. Even when I tried calling back I never got a response. I was so tilted.
 

Daria

Member
Got a call about an interview yesterday. It pays 30% more than my current job but the hours would blow and possibly put me behind schedule with school.

How do you guys weigh a decision when it comes to school FT or work FT and save?
 
Got a call about an interview yesterday. It pays 30% more than my current job but the hours would blow and possibly put me behind schedule with school.

How do you guys weigh a decision when it comes to school FT or work FT and save?

you should ask yourself if the 30% increase is worth delaying your school time and if you absolutely need that extra income to get by. Personally I say it isn't worth it, but it really depends on your financials and your situation mainly.
 

SOLDIER

Member
I mean honestly what you're describing is school. Did you not find an interest when you were in college?

Unfortunately not. I had a false start with majoring in film, but quit when I realized the odds of finding work were nearly zero. I then earned my bachelor's in Criminal Justice, which did land me my current job but only after a decade of hiring freezes and missed opportunities.

I'd rather not start over again with college, but there must be subjects based on my current credentials that I'm overlooking. If I need to educate myself on anything, that should be the first stop.
 
Another interview today and I'm astounded that I passed. Unfortunately this job has an incredibly long process so passing the interview isn't even the end, but it's nice to see some progress.
 

Estellex

Member
This might be a really general question but are there any normal people that actually have an impossible time finding a job?

All my colleagues have found jobs in their field (Accounting)) and I was under the notion that if you apply constantly and diligently, you will eventually find something to build up your resume.

It seems a lot of post here are pretty grim in the sense that it make it seem like it is impossible to find a decent job after graduating.
 

Sorithin

Member
you should be doing a couple of applications every day(possibly more if you're currently unemployed and need any kind of job asap). Even if you get requests for interviews, you should still be putting in applications until you get an actual offer

I learned this the hard way by getting interviews and being told that i'll hear back from them shortly only to never hear back

I currently have a well-paying job, I just don't like it and all I do is sit bored on social media all day, so I'm looking for something else.

That "you'll hear back soon" and being ghosted is the worst. Happened a couple times already. How hard is it to send an email? :/
 
I lost my job in late April. Been living off the severance package they gave.

I find it extremely difficult to get my foot in the door of a company. I've had several interviews where I thought everything went well only to be told they're looking for a background that's more suited to what they want - not necessarily that I didn't have the qualifications.

Don't know what to do. I live in Toronto and nothing is going my way. I have a mortgage and a small family.
 

Fercho

Member
I lost my job in late April. Been living off the severance package they gave.

I find it extremely difficult to get my foot in the door of a company. I've had several interviews where I thought everything went well only to be told they're looking for a background that's more suited to what they want - not necessarily that I didn't have the qualifications.

Don't know what to do. I live in Toronto and nothing is going my way. I have a mortgage and a small family.

My suggestion is for you to fit your resume for every prospect, even if this means leaving out some skills and have multiple resumes. Those may be important skills but may be not fitted for that particular job.

Just highlight the skills that they are looking in your resume and make strong emphasis in them. Same in the interview.

See this link for some tips: http://www.careercast.com/career-news/optimize-your-resume-if-you-want-get-job
 
I currently have a well-paying job, I just don't like it and all I do is sit bored on social media all day, so I'm looking for something else.

That "you'll hear back soon" and being ghosted is the worst. Happened a couple times already. How hard is it to send an email? :/

if you're currently employed, my original point still stands (you should be doing a few-couple of applications every day.

Follow up from prospective employers is bad, but on the flip side I assume at least 10+ people applied for the position. Not that i'm saying it's ok in anyway, but that's just how I see it anyway.
 

Agent Icebeezy

Welcome beautful toddler, Madison Elizabeth, to the horde!
I've had an interesting odyssey with job applying. I have a non-traditional name and I've switched to using my nickname Ricky on my resume. 4x the calls, same damn resume. Also, since I'm pursuing my BS in Accounting, I have opened up my career to more than just healthcare, since that is what I've have an MBA in. Since I have finance experience, it translates anywhere. I'm currently in the running for 5 jobs now all for reputable companies, 4 of the jobs are for nation's leader in their fields that everyone here would recognize. Hopefully in a few weeks, I'll be out of this rut. This shit sucks and I'm tired of the slog of applying and then getting some dumb shit that reads in the email header "Thank you: No Reply"
 

ty_hot

Member
I posted here a long time ago and forgot to give a follow up. I study (phd) and have a scholarship so I am fine for the next few years, but my girlfriend was looking for a job... we moved from Brazil to Barcelona (she is Lithuanian though) and it was terrible for her to find a job. She didnt speak Spanish at all so she could basically work on big multinational firms where English only is acceptable or some few start ups.

After 8 months searching for a job, and having note more than 15 interviews in that period, she got an "offer" to work as an assistant in an "start up" that was just a small firm actually. It was a company that offers Spanish coursers and accomodation. They said 'we cant pay you for the first few months, but after that if you are doing fine we can hire you". Ofc I told her it was a fckng stupid idea, working for free, over that excuse is a shame. My scholarship was enough for us so there was no hurry. Anyway, she accepted it because it was terrible to stay at home applying for jobs and not having anyone call you for a week or even more. So she started working there while still searching for some better (any) opportunities.

Company was basically the owner and an "assistant" but she would sign the emails as "Director of blablabla" lol. My gf was the one responsible for contacting new customers, writting some blog posts and writting emails to send to the contacts, so all the other 2 were doings was basically answering emails (10 per day?). They paid for her transit tickets (wow), but not without asking for it a few times.

After a month and a half she got a call from a company that she had an interview 5 months before. I remember that it was the best interview she had, she liked the work, the people, she talked with 5 different managers and with the director and they even told her that they only had to decide with which manager she would work (ofc you can never trust these things, but this time she said it was different). So she went for another interview in this company, she got there the managers remembered her and were even saying "wait, why werent you hired back then? what happened?". So in the end they offered her a position with the manager that she liked the most, which was great.

First month she was sent for 2 weeks to Amsterdam for training which was great (travelling is always great, not to say that she didnt need to start working hard from day 1 without any previous knowledge of the position), and then started working. She was supposed to meet the target only after 5-6 months, but she already got it in 3. After 6 months she got a raise in her sallary, out of nowhere. Things are great now. job is stressful but she enjoys it.

I dont want to say anything cliche like 'just keep searching, one day you will find a good job for you!'. Those 10 months without job were terrible, she wasnt feeling well, lost selfconfidence which ofc impacted in her interviews. You go to interviews and you see that you are better than the other candidates, but you are not choosen still. You talk for 10 minutes in an interview, then in the last question you just give a shitty answer that even you think 'why the hell did I say this'... As the thread title says, its exausting and soul-crushing. Im glad its over for us.

Wishing luck for you guys that are looking for something out there :)
 

mhayes86

Member
Didn't know something like this existed. Speaking of clearances, how hard is one to get. I've looked at some IT positions I've found interesting, but some want a clearance and I'm not sure how you go about getting one? I'm assuming it's more than just applying somewhere.

Nah, it's usually just applying somewhere. You can't just do it on your own or anything.

If a company wants to hire you for a job that requires a clearance, they'll sponsor you. Whether it's a government job, or a contractor like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Booze Allen Hamilton, etc., they'll put you in for one.

College students get internships at places like these and are put into the clearance process. The only catch is giving the feds your life story, and the time it can take to process depends on your history.
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Warm-climate gaf, what are some of your tips to not showing up to the interview a hot mess?

I have an interview coming up soon and I have to wear a suit. Summer absolutely kills me when I'm wearing a shirt and pants/shorts, I can only imagine the disaster when I have to wear a suit.

Edit - Interview would be mid-day and I have to take transit to the place (an hour travel time).
 
Warm-climate gaf, what are some of your tips to not showing up to the interview a hot mess?

I have an interview coming up soon and I have to wear a suit. Summer absolutely kills me when I'm wearing a shirt and pants/shorts, I can only imagine the disaster when I have to wear a suit.

Edit - Interview would be mid-day and I have to take transit to the place (an hour travel time).

Just had an interview today in 91 degrees and epic humidity. Got stuck stupidly waiting for a bus, then called an Uber with a broken A/C. Got there and could barely talk from cottonmouth.

My tip: Get there way early to cool off, and bring a water bottle.
 

Smokey

Member
I've had an interesting odyssey with job applying. I have a non-traditional name and I've switched to using my nickname Ricky on my resume. 4x the calls, same damn resume. Also, since I'm pursuing my BS in Accounting, I have opened up my career to more than just healthcare, since that is what I've have an MBA in. Since I have finance experience, it translates anywhere. I'm currently in the running for 5 jobs now all for reputable companies, 4 of the jobs are for nation's leader in their fields that everyone here would recognize. Hopefully in a few weeks, I'll be out of this rut. This shit sucks and I'm tired of the slog of applying and then getting some dumb shit that reads in the email header "Thank you: No Reply"

My wife did someting similar when she was job hunting. She took off her real name on the resume and replaced it with a shortened abbreviated version that could be male or female, and the job responses instantly started pouring in.

smh
 

hamboner

Neo Member
Calling for advice:

Trying for a huge upward promotion for my side job's company, that would replace my day & night jobs. Made it through the first two rounds of interviews, and did so pretty well. Now I'm playing text tag with the owner to set up an conversation with him and hopefully slide on up into the open position.

Unfortunately, the owner is a bit ADD, and owns a couple of other businesses as well, so he's a busy guy.

Tues AM, text from him asking if/when i could talk in the morning, I had a meeting at my day job so I told him any time after 10a would be great. nothing back that day.

Wed 12p, I text him "I'm sorry we couldn't connect, looking forward to hearing from you."
Immediately gets back to me, asking for a good time to talk that day, I have no planned meetings so I tell him any time. nothing back that day.

Ask around at the company and this is apparently par for the course when dealing with the owner.

How do I wrangle this guy into a conversation without seeming too desperate?
 

hamboner

Neo Member
Warm-climate gaf, what are some of your tips to not showing up to the interview a hot mess?

I have an interview coming up soon and I have to wear a suit. Summer absolutely kills me when I'm wearing a shirt and pants/shorts, I can only imagine the disaster when I have to wear a suit.

Edit - Interview would be mid-day and I have to take transit to the place (an hour travel time).

Just wear an undershirt for the commute, then throw on your shirt/tie/jacket at a nearby restroom before you walk into the interview.

Side tip: a 100% wool suit (merino/fresco) is a solid investment for warm weather suiting.
 
I've had an interesting odyssey with job applying. I have a non-traditional name and I've switched to using my nickname Ricky on my resume. 4x the calls, same damn resume. Also, since I'm pursuing my BS in Accounting, I have opened up my career to more than just healthcare, since that is what I've have an MBA in. Since I have finance experience, it translates anywhere. I'm currently in the running for 5 jobs now all for reputable companies, 4 of the jobs are for nation's leader in their fields that everyone here would recognize. Hopefully in a few weeks, I'll be out of this rut. This shit sucks and I'm tired of the slog of applying and then getting some dumb shit that reads in the email header "Thank you: No Reply"

My wife did someting similar when she was job hunting. She took off her real name on the resume and replaced it with a shortened abbreviated version that could be male or female, and the job responses instantly started pouring in.

smh


It'd be great if others might be able to chime in on this phenomenon as well, especially since I'm dealing with it to some extent too. Got a job already at the moment but looking to move on elsewhere (out of state; Cali). I have a non-traditional Indian name and everyone I know has no trouble pronouncing it, but when it comes to job apps, I've no doubt some discrimination comes into play when I throw the name on applications and resumes. I don't really go by any sort of English/American name, but I've definitely thought about changing my name on my resume/applications for experimental purposes (for the lulz, and also to see if it makes a drastic difference in response rate). Isn't that kinda dishonest though?
 
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