# Average Length Of Job Search? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801 "2005-05-14T04:17:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/1 "2005-05-14T04:17:16Z")
I’m looking for a full-time gig, with benefits, right now. I _hate_ job searching. It isn’t writing the resume or the cover letters or the hunting that gets me, it’s the lag space between sending things out and getting a response. I dance around like an anxious Homer Simpson\* and get all angsty. So I’m gonna take a poll while I wait.\*\* Had a recent (within last 18 months) job hunt? What industry and/or position? How long did it take from start of hunt until hire? It’s been 9 days so far for me. 9 long, long, looooong days. Patience isn’t my virtue. - provided Homer Simpson is a woman with hair and less, uh, ample proportions. \*\*Badly, and hopefully not for much longer. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/2 "2005-05-14T04:18:38Z")
:smack: :smack: :smack: Size 1 is tiny! Size 6 is big! Oh, will I never learn? Can a mod fix it for me? Or shall it just be my badge of shame? again. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/3 "2005-05-14T13:48:34Z")
I just finished my second week at a new job. After spending a couple of months hunting down jobs through sites like [careerbuilder.com](http://careerbuilder.com) and monster, and going on a handful of interviews, I finally got contacted by a staffing agency. I met with the agency, and within a week I had an interview with a company, a second interview the next week, and the job itself the following Monday. So after only two weeks with the staffing agency, I had a job. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/4 "2005-05-14T14:04:57Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > It’s been 9 days so far for me. 9 long, long, looooong days. Patience isn’t my virtue. I was laid off on December 7th. I’m still actively looking for a job. ☹ The videography is picking up. I shot a commercial video Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We were supposed to finish up on Sunday, but it was switched to today at the last minute. Unfortunately, I’ve made plans to go to the Seattle Dopefest today. No worries. _El Jefe_ can get someone to cover for me. We were talking to the client after yesterday’s shoot. ‘I can get Paul to shoot A-Camera.’ Client: ‘Is he as good as **Johnny L.A.**?’ _El Jefe_ (pausing and looking a little uncomfortable): ‘Um… no.’ Me: ‘You’re supposed to tell the client the other guy great! Keep up his confidence!’ Anyway, A-Camera is really easy on this shoot. B-Camera is on the jib and gets all of the artistic shots. It’s nice to know ‘The Boss’ and the client like my shooting. 🙂 But the videography is a bit variable. After this one, there’s nothing for three weeks. And I don’t know how much I’m getting paid for this one. Jerry asked how much I wanted, and I put on a falsetto and said, ‘A _miiiiilion dollars!_’ That’s a little more than the budget, though. I’m not worried about it. I’m sure that however much I get, it will be more than fair. If only there was enough work to do it every day! Each day we had to build a platform out of 4 x 8 flooring, cover it with heavy gym mats, and un-build it at the end of the day. Not to mention carrying all of that heavy stuff and the gear to the locations. (Every day, Jerry says 'Nex time, I’m going to include PAs (production assistants) into the quote.) If I can work like that every day, I’ll get really buff! 😛 Anyway (getting back to the OP), it’s been over five months searching for a ‘real job’ and not finding one. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/5 "2005-05-14T14:29:43Z")
I spent eight months beating my head against the job search wall. I finally gave up trying to get back into my field and took a job selling RVs. No experience whatsoever, which seems to be a plus in this business. In CA you could make some good money doing this, and it’s not as horrificly painful as selling cars (so I’m told). ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/6 "2005-05-14T14:38:15Z")
I had an acquaintance once who was a professional head hunter, and he told me that the typical job search time is about one month for every $10,000 in salary. This was about 15 years ago, so I don’t know if these numbers need to be adjusted for inflationl ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/7 "2005-05-14T18:12:29Z")
It’s been a year since I got my masters degree. I’m still looking. I have two part time jobs but nothing full time. I did have a promising interview on Thursday, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/8 "2005-05-14T18:14:41Z")
It’s been a matter of weeks, sometimes more than a month for me–but then again, I’m only looking for part-time work right now, in coffee shops or bookstores. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/9 "2005-05-14T18:16:26Z")
I’ve been looking for about two and a half months. To add insult to injury I moved out of state to look for a job. So now I am in a new city with no job and no savings left. Oy vey! ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/10 "2005-05-14T19:36:52Z")
it took my boyfriend about 6 months to find and get an entry-level position in corporate IT. And he had to take one in a less-than-desirable location, hoping to move once he has some experience to put on his resume. Then again, he wasn’t as motivated about his search as he could have been. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/11 "2005-05-14T19:57:11Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > I had an acquaintance once who was a professional head hunter, and he told me that the typical job search time is about one month for every $10,000 in salary. This was about 15 years ago, so I don’t know if these numbers need to be adjusted for inflationl WOOHOOOOOO! I’m gonna be **RICH**! _ahem_ I’ve actively been searching in this area for about a month and a half now. I originally was searching elsewhere and was offered a position I didn’t really want and was strung along by another for a couple of months (didn’t pan out). For my current search, I’ve had four interviews - two for a job I really want that they said would take 4-6 weeks to hire for. I haven’t heard from them since April 25th, but I remain optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/12 "2005-05-14T23:08:29Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > I had an acquaintance once who was a professional head hunter, and he told me that the typical job search time is about one month for every $10,000 in salary. This was about 15 years ago, so I don’t know if these numbers need to be adjusted for inflationl Wow. I can just do a couple years at _that_ job and never work again, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/13 "2005-05-14T23:12:23Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > :smack: :smack: :smack: > > Size 1 is tiny! Size 6 is big! Oh, will I never learn? Can a mod fix it for me? Or shall it just be my badge of shame? again. You gave me a good laugh. I knew your intentions and the complete opposite happened. Love it when life does that to people. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/14 "2005-05-15T00:33:19Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > I’m looking for a full-time gig, with benefits, right now. I _hate_ job searching. It isn’t writing the resume or the cover letters or the hunting that gets me, it’s the lag space between sending things out and getting a response. I dance around like an anxious Homer Simpson\* and get all angsty. Well, my job search in 2002 lasted over six months. The problem is that you have absolutely nothing to do all day while the job people are busy with their job stuff. Even under the best of circumstances it takes several weeks or even months to go from contact to an actual job. What I found is that in spite of what they say about approaching a job search like a full time job, you really can’t because so little of the job search results in immediate satisfaction. You throw out a dozen online resumes and then what? They aren’t going to respond instantly. Best to get some activities like go to the gym or just walk around or something to take your mind off it. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/15 "2005-05-15T05:06:45Z")
After over two years of job search I gave up. I had a crap load of experiance in systems administration, and yet after about 6 months I wasnt even getting interviews to be turned down on. I had talked about opening a coffee shop, my folks decided to go in with me on it, (meaning they put up the money for it) and I now at least for the moment have a job… I get a dozen people a day coming in asking for work…it still sucks out there. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/16 "2005-05-15T08:36:14Z")
9 days? You’ve got to be joking me 🙂 My position was declared redundant on July 1, 2003 and that was the last day I worked for that very large Telco. My job was sent to India, so no chance of being redeployed withint the same company. :rolleyes: I calculated the vacation and long service leave time owed to me and took that as a ‘holiday’. I commenced looking for work on January 14th, 2004. In the period between January 14th 2004 and May 15th, 2005, I have applied for 381 jobs. That’s around one job per day :eek: for 18 months. I got to 1st interview on around 30-40. I got to 2nd interview on around 5. I am still not employed. I spent 19 years working in the IT industry (banking and telco) from programmer through AP, design, architecture, project and programme management. The last 13 years in project management. I have a good prospect lined up for next week, where all we’re waiting on is the signed contract. So it’s taken 18 months of dedicated job searching to hopefully land a job in the industry that I’m most proficient in. Interestingly enough, the job didn’t come from an application. It was via personal networking. Just goes to show it’s not a matter of what you know, but who you know. Hopefully the job will actually pan out and I’ll be back in the land of the people who can afford to eat again 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/17 "2005-05-15T12:57:41Z")
> [@Caught@Work](#): > > Interestingly enough, the job didn’t come from an application. It was via personal networking. Just goes to show it’s not a matter of what you know, but who you know. > > 😃 Congrats. I hope it pans out for you. All my contacts in the industry were looking for work before I was. I was lucky enough to have accumulated enough junk to sell off on ebay to live through it all. I had built my own little recording studio in my house, and wound up selling all my equipment. My harley was the last to go. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/18 "2005-05-15T17:09:23Z")
> [@Caught@Work](#): > > 9 days? You’ve got to be joking me 🙂 > > My position was declared redundant on July 1, 2003 and that was the last day I worked for that very large Telco. My job was sent to India, so no chance of being redeployed withint the same company. :rolleyes: > > I calculated the vacation and long service leave time owed to me and took that as a ‘holiday’. > > I commenced looking for work on January 14th, 2004. > > In the period between January 14th 2004 and May 15th, 2005, I have applied for 381 jobs. That’s around one job per day :eek: for 18 months. > > I got to 1st interview on around 30-40. > I got to 2nd interview on around 5. > I am still not employed. > > I spent 19 years working in the IT industry (banking and telco) from programmer through AP, design, architecture, project and programme management. The last 13 years in project management. > > I have a good prospect lined up for next week, where all we’re waiting on is the signed contract. > > So it’s taken 18 months of dedicated job searching to hopefully land a job in the industry that I’m most proficient in. > > Interestingly enough, the job didn’t come from an application. It was via personal networking. Just goes to show it’s not a matter of what you know, but who you know. > > Hopefully the job will actually pan out and I’ll be back in the land of the people who can afford to eat again 😃 Eek. :eek: I send out between 5-10 resumes a day. However, with a small monkey commanding much of my time, I have out sent out 33 thus far. I’ve found 40 resumes to be a “magic number” for a lot of people. I think it isn’t the number so much as the amount of time it takes to get to 40 is about the amount of time it takes to yield a call back. Here’s hoping tomorrow brings a call… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/19 "2005-05-18T20:51:55Z")
If it makes anybody feel better, I’m resurrecting this thread to say I’ve got one! It’s been about a year and three weeks. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801/20 "2005-05-19T20:00:57Z")
It is now day 15. I am quite sure I will soon go mad from the hunt. I have begun cold-calling some of the people to whom I sent resumes, in the hopes of chatting them up and getting them to pay special interest in my resume. The situation would be vastly improved by a quantity of alcohol. However, I am a Tinkleberry beside me, and I mayn’t drink. Let’s all think good thoughts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-length-of-job-search/303801.md?page=2)