The market in Seattle for programmers is wretched.
I just spent 4 months out of work, and feel very lucky to have finally found something. Based on the people I was (and still am) talking to - no one is hiring, even temp work is exceedingly difficult to come by. (I went to a job fair that in the past had been very popular and a great way to meet and contact people. Half of the companies had cancelled. The number of desperate people there was amazingly high.) Two years ago, which is when it seems he last was looking, people called back. They don’t anymore. It sucks.
Has he posted online resumes at some of the larger programmer sites? I had 20 e-mails and even more phone calls on the Monday after I did that. His areas of expertise are definitely wanted, so I don’t see a problem there. Does he have at least three years experience in C++? If so, I would have expected that the phone would be ringing off of the hook, although Seattle is not necessarily the best spot at the moment.
A belated thanks to everyone in this thread for all your advice and support – I’d especially like to thank BillH, who sent a very detailed review of MrWhatsit’s resume.
Unfortunately, we are wedded to the Seattle area. He grew up here, all his family is here, and I am not interested in moving somewhere where neither of us has any family. (Nor am I interested in moving back to the small town in Ohio where all of MY family lives. ) So we will not be moving.
However. He has freshened up his resume (again, BillH, I really can’t thank you enough) and also has come to the realization that finding a programming job may not be a possibility at this point, so he is broadening his job search to encompass other types of jobs as well. I am much more confident now than I was a week ago that he will find SOMETHING that at least pays enough to keep us housed and fed. (Well, I am planning on freelancing after the baby, so that income will help as well, but it’s not particularly steady or stable work.)
Anyway…thanks again to everyone. You have no idea how much I – actually both of us – appreciate it.
I’m in management as well, and I’ve hired several people. I can’t speak for every manager but I disagree with that advice. Even though I keep the companies intrest forefront, if I have 2 equally qualified individuals and one has a job and the other is not presently employed, I’m going to hire the one that is out of work. No doubt about it.
Well, I don’t know about you but I’m pretty good at sniffing out fluff and filler. It annoys me. Tell me your education, what you’ve done and how you did it. Cut through the chase.
I am not saying your giving bad advice, Bill H, but it wouldn’t work on me… although I guess it might on others.
I think what Bill was saying was that he should pretend that job searching IS his full time job. However, it is nice to know that there are some managers out there who might give preference to the out of work candidate. Although these days, that’s probably most of them…
I’m also involved in hiring IT people of various stripes, so I thought I’d jump in with some more advice:[ul][li]His resume is too short. He’s going to be applying for a junior/intermediate position with 18 months experience, but he should expand a bit on the five bullet points for his last job.[/li][li]He should take Office 2000 of his resume unless he’s done Office programming.[/li]Under technologies, he should expand “ASP” to “Active Server Pages.”[/ul]Frankly, if he was applying for a job in my company, I’d direct the manager to get more information or look at a resume that was more detailed. The resume is his ticket to getting in there to sell his story; it’s got to be compelling, particularly if the market is stagnant there.
If he’s not getting any nibbles, than the problem is definitely his resume. I’m not a recruiter, but Mr. W’s resume just didn’t jump out at me. You have one chance to make a first impression. I know it’s cliche, but it’s absolutely true.
One of the first things I noticed was 18 months on the job. At first glance it doesn’t seem like he has that much experience. I’m sure the others have given you all the tricks & tips, so I won’t go into a detailed critique here.
I was out of work for 6 months this year, and just when I was ready to give up, someone offered me a job.
Hang tight. Good things happen to good people. Trust me.
Right after I graduated from college, I went 8 months without a job. I got frustrated and swallowed my pride just enough to go get a crappy temp job. I’m a graphic designer, so I just sought something in data entry so I’d be in front of a computer at least. The pay was pretty sad, but better than nothing. I also worked very hard there and got a phenomenal reference out of it. Eventually, I had a steady job in my field that only lasted four months (then got laid off again, grrr). Two months after that ended I finally got my dream job. Patience and endurance finally prevailed.
My advice to you is to make sure your husband knows you believe in him. It’s not his fault, he’s trying hard. My girlfriend had nagged me to death which wore me out when it came to sending resumes. Eventually our relationship ended, because I was not getting emotional support. I felt better about myself once she was out of the picture and, viola, I got a job (I’m not impying anything is your fault of course, I’m just showing how support is important). Be careful not to do that to him. A person can only send so many resumes per day because there just aren’t that many opportunities. Applying and searching for eight hours straight is worse work than a job, so make sure he’s getting enough time to stretch out and relax.
I can’t offer any more advice than what has already been given here. I have a friend who was in a similar situation. To fill time and earn some (not a ton, but enough) money he’s tutoring high school and college kids in math and computer science. I think he makes between $20-$45 an hour depending on if he’s working through an agency or a private client.
This is the time of year when parents are just figuring out that Johnny ain’t gonna do so hot in Algebra. My friend is booked to the gills from 3-9pm Sunday through Thursday. It also leaves him with most of the day free to interview and send out resumes.
) So we will not be moving.