I just started a new job on Monday (10/18). I’m a senior IT/software technical writer in the defense contracting world (located in Northern Virginia/DC).
My previous contract ended on Friday (10/15): three months ago they started warning us that the end was likely nigh, so we had plenty of notice, but I decided to give myself July and August “off” from job hunting (see the next paragraph). On Thursday, 9/2, I did a search on Indeed.com, and applied for the one job that caught my eye. (I was working for one of the country’s biggest defense contractors, and had applied for the one or two internal openings that were suitable but nothing had panned out yet; time to move on, after almost four years). The job I applied for was with a small company: I emailed my MS Word resume to the address in the ad, with the position in the subject line and a short cover letter in the body. Almost immediately I got a response asking me to fill out a short questionnaire, and the next day I was asked if I could do a phone interview with a VP on Tuesday the 7th (the 6th was a holiday). That went well, and they set up an in-person interview with the program manager for that Friday. The following Monday, 9/13 – six business days after I’d submitted my resume – I received a contingent offer. (Quickest turnaround of my 17-year career.) It then took a few weeks for all of the approvals to be put into place (my company is a subcontractor on this effort, so coordination had to take place between them, the prime contractor, and the customer), but eventually the contingent offer became a firm/final offer and we worked out the 10/18 start date. Excellent timing.
On the other hand, I spent the second half of 2009 and the first half of this year looking for a new job, with no results – until the tech writer on my previous contract left the company, and I was able to take that position. I started one day before the customer decided that they’d probably close us down on 10/15, and because I’d just spent the past year looking for work I was really, really worried that I’d become unemployed. I guess the two-month break from looking was what it took, for me.
I’m currently employed as an RN, but was half-heartedly shopping around in July/August to see if there were any interesting positions available.
I dropped about 12-15 applications and got one reject letter. Most places wanted me to apply on line, which is new and different since I last job hunted. A few days ago I got a second response, but have decided to not apply for that job any further. Since I didn’t see many openings that I liked and got a poor response to the apps I did drop off, I’ve decided my current position is pretty nice after all.
I was laid off in February. I stayed unemployed while not searching for about 6 weeks. At that point, I began earnestly searching. In June, I took a position that subsequently sucked. About 6 days later, I took another job where I remain now.
If you have solid, solid skills, there are a few jobs. It is a tough job market for those with great skills, but outstandingly sucks for anyone who does not have instantly marketable and readily in demand skills.
Even nurses, who shortly ago were the hottest tickets in town are thin.
I truly feel for all of those who are still unemployed; my heart goes out to you.
When I was reviewing resumes for job openings, I barely paid attention to the cover letter. I still don’t see why they’re so important. When I was unemployed I sent out 20 resumes a day; I don’t have time to tailor every single one to each and every employer - especially when the employer is trying to remain as anonymous as possible in most cases. I did usually put something personal in the body of the email, briefly stating why my skills were relevant to the position.
When you submit a resume, try to send it to someone actually at that company rather than replying through Craigslist, Monster, etc. I sent a resume through an employment website and they never got it – they had been so inundated with resumes they had to shut down their server. I followed up by emailing the owner directly and was called within 5 minutes.
I think this is pretty sound advice. In fact, it’s almost pointless to send resumes unless you can send them to a specific person. At one company I worked at, I was put in change of hiring for our department. When I asked HR/recruiting where I could access the resumes submitted through the company website, no one knew the answer.
Also, way to much is made of trying to craft the “perfect” resume. 90% of whether your resume goes through will be based on the schools, companies and keywords on your resume. IOW, top 50 schools, competing companies, right technical experience.
An the interview isn’t about answering all the inane questions correctly. It’s about building a rapport with the interviewer and telling a story about yourself that fits the profile of what they are looking for.
I had an interview for a six month full time IT position. But if I don’t get it then starting next month I will have a guaranteed five day position with a bus company.
They want people to ride certain routes, count the number of people on the bus or buses, and then enter the information into a spreadsheet.
ETA: If I get the five day job, it will be about a day and a half more days than my last temp job. :eek:
If you need work you should reconsider it. It’s not really difficult work and, if you fit a demographic they’re looking for and can pass a relatively easy test than you can get the job.
I just started a new job Monday, in fact. It’s not exactly white-collar–general peon and errand bitch at a local arts-based non-profit. There’s some cleaning, some work in the little cafe, some merchandising of the sales floor, some baby-sitting tour groups and working our info/sales table at festivals and such. Actually, I’ll probably be transitioning to a new position there in a few weeks, as the woman who runs the cafe just put in her notice and they’ve already asked me if I’d be interested in taking over for her. It’ll be remarkably similar to what I’m doing now, but with cooking and ordering food.
There are a lot of service jobs perpetually open around here–Walmart, Kmart, CNA at various places, waiting tables at any of the local restaurants. Especially the restaurants. If you ever waited tables for a summer in school and remotely have your head out of your ass, you could be damn near running the place in a couple weeks. These jobs get filled frequently, but it’s hard to find people who are reliable and competent (or at least trainable) so there tends to be a LOT of turnover.