The Job Search. A Month and a Half and I Just Don't Give a Fuck Anymore

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

It’s an exercise in futility.

So I’ve been cruising the job sites online, filling in aps, sending in resumes. And the only responses I’ve gotten are from telemarketing recruiters and temp job agencies. I’ve signed up with four temp agencies, and haven’t had any job interviews or assignments yet.

At all of my temp agency interviews, they have wonderful resume tweaking ideas. So I duly tweak the resumes, and send the updated copies back. I take the skills tests. I smile and nod where necessary.

At one of these temp interviews, my recruiter cheerfully informed me that most of the jobs you see online have already been filled by the time me, the average online schlub sees them. There’s a nice thought to have in the back of your mind as you fill in aps and send in duly tweaked resumes that probably no one will see because you need carefully tailored keywords on every page to even get to pass before human eyes.

And just to make things perfect, I’ve just found out that two of my references refuse to give referrals over the phone. They won’t even answer the goddamn phone. I finally got through to one of the secretaries, and she told me that they’re afraid of legal difficulties if they actually dared to…you know…talk about what kind of job I did for them for thirteen years. Whether I was reliable and all that. Very hush, hush, they are.

But if I would draft a letter of reference and e-mail that to them, they would be happy to sign it. If they approve of what I write, that is. That is, if the lawyers approve, I guess. I dunno.

So what it comes down to is two of the three references I was giving out all this time are absolutely useless.

For the love of Christ, it was just a fucking lousy data entry job! And I’m just trying to get another fucking lousy data entry job! A fucking lousy data entry job that I don’t really want, that I will grow to hate in a few years like all the other fucking lousy jobs I’ve had. I know this. And yet I struggle to find another job despite my knowing this.

It used to be you looked in the paper, faxed your form letter style resume in, and a real human being would call you up for an interview. Now, it’s all machines talking to each other and legal problems and goddamn custom tailoring of resumes and letters of reference that no one will read, and no one will tell you what the standards are for tailoring them. Because there are no standards. None. All this tweaking and tailoring is just bullshit busy work so you can feel like you’re actually getting somewhere in your job search.

2

My sympathies - today was my last day of a long-term temp job, so I’m back in this boat as well.

As for temp agencies, if you’re at all open to day-to-day, short-term assignments, call the agency every day to politely inquire if they have anything. If someone calls every day that shows a certain dedication - plus makes it easier for the scheduler, because then instead of going down their list calling temps, they can just give the assignment to you. Calling will also eventually get you on a first-name basis with a scheduler, and you want that for when the really good jobs pop up.

3

Why don’t you look for a job you might like?

4

My temp agency finally got me a job today, starts Wednesday. They hadn’t called me in so long I didn’t recognize their phone number, those bitches. I am wafting some of my good luck in your direction. ::wafts fervently::

5

Because there is no such thing.

Seriously, even if I were to snag something I might like doing, say writing screenplays or something, the day to day politics, deadlines, rules, procedures, suggestions, tweaking, redoing, bosses, co-workers, clients, the sheer necessary energy required for it would ruin it for me. It would poison it, and make me hate the thing I had once loved.

I used to love swimming, until I took swimming in school. I hated swimming for a long time after that.

Better to hate something i hated already, than to hate something that I once loved.

6

A month and a half. Really?
Ok. I really do sympathize with you. I know it’s damn difficult the first time you find out that the job market and how to get into it is nothing but crap.

I wish for you to be one of the lucky ones that find work soon, and not just a crappy temp position that you don’t want. Go for something bigger. You might get a bite, and if you don’t, then you’re not in any worse shape than you are now, eh?

My sister (communications degree) hasn’t been able to find work AT ALL in the last two years. There’s nothing wrong with her, she’s very hireable, but with the economy the way it is, the competition is so thick, that it’s damn near impossible to get resumes seen, and even if they do, there’s 50 other people who are more qualified, because they’re out of work too. Anything lower than that, and you can’t get hired because you’re overqualified, and employers know that you’ll be out the door when something better comes along.

My husband is an engineer in the public works arena, and since our business failed, he hasn’t been able to find a job for exactly the same reasons. Two years.

They say the economy is turning around, but that’s bullshit. Regular people will not see any hope of economic recovery for a long time to come.

My first instinct was to tell you to quit whining about a mere six week struggle, and think about all of the other people on this board who have been at the job search a lot longer than you, but that’s not very cool. I’ll tell you instead, that I hope your search comes to a victorious end really soon.

7

Six weeks and you’re frustrated? Sorry dude, but in this economy, you’ll be lucky to find something in six months. Employment is very much a buyers market these days. For every sucky job out there, there’s probably at least a hundred applicants. For the less-sucky to almost-decent jobs, double that figure.

8

Oh. I see you are already defeated. Nevermind.

9

If only you could get an interview. Then the winning attitude you showed in your response to** Really Not All That Bright** would shine through.

10

Ah, my friend, how you doubt my acting abilities honed through thirty-four years of dealing with clinical depression.

Oh well. Mustn’t let that happy perky mask slip even for a moment, must we? Because it’s always a winning attitude that magically changes the truth of how things are. Gotta love livin’ that lie, every minute of every day.

11

Six weeks? After five years of doing what you’re doing I gave up, and got re-trained as a carpenter. It wasn’t great, but it was an income.

12

Moved from the BBQ Pit to Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share.

Gfactor
Pit Moderator

13

Your issue with your references is nothing new. Most corporations with not permit employees to give references and will only confirm dates of employment. Too many lawsuits based on people offering their opinions.

The way the market is, the job boards are almost useless, even if they are a “just in case” necessity. You’ll probably have mre luck maintaining a network of others in your field. People are being hired, jobs are being filled - most of the candidates are coming from personal referrals to the hiring managers instead of through HR recruiting efforts.

Good luck with your search.

14

The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard are all hiring. Great benefit package.

Of course, they won’t hire me. :frowning:

15

One thing to realise about job postings is that if the position is publicly funded, the job must be posted for a period of about 2 weeks. They aren’t going to hire you, because someone within the state, county or city agency is going to be moved up, they have been aware of the job opening long before it was published. The position is probably tentatively filled before the notice is ever released.

I like to call them phantom job openings. To avoid the appearance of impropriety the job must be posted publicly. And just in case there is a highly qualified person outside the agency that should be interviewed.

It sucks, but that is the way it is.

16

Funny thing about the service: they don’t consider themselves a jobs program obliged to take all comers.

17

Yeah… I’ve been looking for work since May. Not a whole lot out there to be found. I have already exhausted my unemployment and am on my first extention. It’s a very scary time. I am just bone tired of it all.

18

14 months, 250+ applications, 6 agencies, less than 5 interviews and only 2 temp jobs.

I’d still be looking if not for my friend needing someone where he worked…at the 12th hour before I had to start moving stuff to storage and getting the truck ready for home life and a cat.

Tanks Obama :mad:

19

A couple of people have been like “Six weeks? That’s nothing!” and yes, in the grand scheme of things it isn’t much (just hit three months). But I think six weeks is a bit of a turning point. If you were lucky and got a severance package, it’ll be starting to dry up in the second month. You’re starting to cross the line from “between jobs” to “unemployed”. The gap in your employment history will start to raise questions when (if) a potential employer looks at your cv. You get that horrible throwing-meringues-into-a-black-hole sensation that makes you feel that all the work and effort you put into applications is just a complete waste of time. You wonder what you should be doing differently and despair of ever figuring out what you are doing wrong.

So, I know how you feel. And there isn’t a lot you can do about it except keep banging your head against the brick wall. I don’t about the US, but here is Australia the number of jobs advertised increases in the new year, so hopefully there will be more positions open. A second the advice to touch base with recruiters and temp agencies frequently. If your referees are letting you down, try to find different ones - I’m sure that there are more than two people you’ve worked with who can give positive feedback. If not, I guess you’ll have to bang out some letters for your current referees to sign.

20

As your references if they will give a “personal recommendation.” We can’t say anything at work about anyone. If someone calls me at home however, I can - if I make it clear that its a personal recommendation and my opinion only - make a personal recommendation. Of course, the personal recommendation usually includes that I know them from work, where they were a resource on my projects, and I found them to be dependable and an asset to the project (or whatever.)