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Hello careers subforum. I'm thevoiceofdog and very much unemployed after getting my undergrad degree a few months ago. Job hunting itself is a full time job and I'm finally ready to admit to myself that I'm not very good at it--can't blame the economy all the time, right? I'm hoping to make this a thread where more experienced professionals in a variety of fields to talk about how they found work after college. Some things I'd like to hear about include: --What kind of job/professional networking sites do you use and how do you use them? Which ones have been most effective for you guys? --How do you handle correspondence with a company after submitting a cover letter/resume? Most of the time after applying I never hear anything again from them, and I'm not sure how to communicate further with companies so that I stay in the loop. This seems particularly tough when most companies use automated email to respond to applications and rarely do I actually get to speak with an HR rep. I think you get the idea. I'll start things off with some info about myself and my education/desired industries. Degree Graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology 2011, B.S. in Imaging and Photographic Technology Jobs of Interest Looking for most anything in the imaging science area. This includes positions with government agencies and the intelligence community (CIA, NGIA, NSA, FBI, etc) as well as companies like Lockheed Martin and Ball Aerospace. These are the kinds of places that typically hire people with my education. However I know there are lots of jobs outside these big companies and I'm looking to expand my search. I'd be happy to hear from anyone with advice (or other recent graduates in the same boat, I don't want this thread to just be about me). If there is any other info I should provide then let me know and I'll update the OP. Thanks a lot guys.
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Oct 22, 2011 23:44
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You mentioned government agencies but didn't list the Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate. They might have something for you. http://www.nvl.army.mil/employment.html
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Oct 23, 2011 00:20
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Many times your internships during college manage to turn themselves into your first real job. Did you have any internships? Contacts made during internships can be very useful in finding fulltime work. Where do you live? I imagine a specialized degree like yours is going to require you to live near employers who need your skills. The D.C. area would probably make your more employable than living in upstate NY. LinkedIn is a very good tool. We have a couple of recruiters who actively use LinkedIn to find local talent and then try to poach it away from our competitors. If you don't have a professional LinkedIn profile yet, I suggest you create one. How's your resume? Your resume has 10 or 15 seconds to impress the person reading it, and make them want to talk to you. Does your resume say "I HAVE GOT TO TALK TO THIS GUY!" ? If it doesn't, fix it.
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Oct 23, 2011 04:17
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I use linkedin and twitter for networking. What I would recommend doing is find out which sites people in your field use. Don't be afraid to follow people but try to be somewhat picky. For example, if I find an author of a field related blog that catches my interest I will follow the author. Then when they makes posts I'll try to relate it to my work or my interests. Then I have questions I can ask related to the post. For an entry level position you might consider going through a recruiter. A decent one will work with you. Just make sure they don't "pad" your resume. If they do apologize to the interviewer and find another recruiter. Once you get a job then continue working on building your network. Your network is how you will get future jobs. Also I might recommend starting your own blog to talk about your career, what your learning, etc. This option is dependent on field. However It does show passion. When a candidate has a blog related to their field they go to the top of my stack. I can teach skill, I can not teach passion.
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Oct 23, 2011 18:46
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Honestly, personal contacts are incredibly helpful, and I'd never feel bad about getting a job through that avenue or being ashamed. At the end of the day a job is a job. I had a few interviews with other places but I landed my first real job partly because my uncle worked at the company for 32 years and was able to put my resume right on a manager's desk for when an opening came in. I got the very first interview, which I feel I did well on so I'm thinking I set the bar kinda high. I'd hate to think I was only hired because of him, but it didn't hurt! The other interviews resulted from replying to openings where I directly contacted HR, and I never had a problem hearing back. Of the four companies I applied to through online means, I only heard back from one and it was for a pre-interview questionnaire and background information, as it was a government funded project. I never followed up with them, but I feel like I should've just to see what would happen. Problem was, I was offered my current job the same day as the call back, so I had reservations about interviewing and waiting all over again while working my new job. My advice to everyone out there is to attend career fairs and find connections wherever possible, especially when you are in school. Try and look for some sort of alumni database and make a few calls. Also, when going to career fairs, understand the company but more importantly understand your worth to them. I researched every single tech company looking for Engineers(I'm a Physics major so it was maybe possible to jump over with a BS). For some reason when I actually talked to these people, I got caught off guard by really dumb questions/statements. One place specialized in turbomachinery, and when the rep asked how I'd benefit the company I mumbled about having the ability to envision the whole project. Totally left out the after-hours machining class I took and the fact I worked on cars for a long time. Additionally, a company made optical equipment and the first thing the rep said was "Yeah...we are actually only looking for Engineers, so..." I was caught so off guard I just said thank you and walked away. It wasn't until I walked five steps away that I thought to myself "I took a goddamn optics course last semester, and I know this college has no equivalent class in the Engineering program." Like I totally blanked on my own worth because I was an idiot. Really examine every single piece of knowledge you have and skills you posses, and find a way to make them matter.
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Oct 23, 2011 22:02
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I'm in the same boat. Looking to get a job at an advertising agency though. I have a degree in Advertising and Film and I think my resume is pretty solid for a recent college grad. Still, I just can't seem to find many open truly entry-level positions in the advertising biz.
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Oct 25, 2011 18:15
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General advice: Get a "master" resume critiqued by the resume thread in B&F if you haven't already - I like to have a bulk resume with every single tid bit of information/experience on it and then I edit it accordingly. Have someone critique a couple of template cover letters. Don't send any of them to any jobs - be sure you are tailoring both your resume and your cover letters specifically to every job you apply for. Even in an entry level position, there are probably clubs/internships that are more relevant to some jobs than others - move stuff around, be sure you're emphasizing the right things, be sure you're reading the job opening carefully and thinking about what they want from a candidate and be sure your resume and cover letter address each qualification and strength that they're looking for, be sure you're not just listing work experience and activities but showing how they make you a good candidate for the position. Be open to moving. You're young, you can always move somewhere else in a couple of years. I was unemployed for a year and a half, unwilling to move for personal reasons. As soon as I opened up my geographical locale to EVERYWHERE, I was employed within a month at a good job that was worth moving for. Be willing to spend money out of pocket to find a job in terms of traveling to interviews. It sucks but if its a good enough job in your field, it'll be worth it. Lying is bad but feel free to lie about location. If your resume screams "East Coast" and you live on the East Coast but are sending out a lot of resumes to the West Coast, then people could just be dumping your resume in favor of local residents, not wanting to take a risk on someone who may hate the location and quit after a year. If you know anyone well enough in the cities you're applying, use their addresses (after getting permission) instead of your own. If you don't, address location quickly in the cover letter - you have family there, you are relocating there. Doesn't matter if it's 100% bullshit. LinkedIn and Twitter are fine but people who have met you and know you in person are far more willing to vouch for you and recommend you and introduce you to contacts. Use as many personal/family connections as possible - even if nobody you know is in your field, make sure you reach out to everyone you and know and ask if they have any contacts in your field. Reach out to old professors. Go to alum events. Check to see if your undergrad has an alum contact list or reach out to career services and ask if they can put you in touch with people in your fields of interest. Get in touch with these people, if they're local - ask if you can meet up for coffee, if they're not local, ask if they know people who are local who are in your field. Do not send your resume right away to these people, do not mention that you need a job - act interested in pursuing a job in the field, talk about how you want to know more about what they do, how they broke into their field, their career path. People will be more willing to meet with you if you seem genuinely interested in them and their career and don't think you're just going to hound them for a job. They know you're a new grad looking for a job, once they meet you and know you and you come prepared with questions and they see that you're a personable, bright person - they may offer to introduce you to other people who may have job openings. Get busy. You say that applying for jobs is a full time job but many interviewers will ask what you've been doing since graduating and they WONT consider applying for jobs to be a full time job. Are there certificates/courses you can take that would make yourself look more attractive? Are there any volunteer positions you could take that would make yourself more attractive? Could you research something on your own and submit it for publication? Someone mentioned a blog. Worse comes to worse, even having a job unrelated to your field can give you an answer to this question, bring in some money and show that you're hardworking and not just sitting on your rear end.
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Oct 25, 2011 23:19
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P-wrinkle posted:I'm in the same boat. Looking to get a job at an advertising agency though. I have a degree in Advertising and Film and I think my resume is pretty solid for a recent college grad. Still, I just can't seem to find many open truly entry-level positions in the advertising biz. You may want to consider getting an internship. Now that you're out of school, it will be easier for them to hire you right after the gig.
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Oct 26, 2011 15:13
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KarmaCandy posted:You say that applying for jobs is a full time job but many interviewers will ask what you've been doing since graduating and they WONT consider applying for jobs to be a full time job. In addition to his advice, actually treat looking for a job like a full-time job. If you're not adjusting your cover letter/resume multiple times a day for multiple jobs then you're not really trying. Realize that many many people don't work in the field/role that they'd envisioned with their degree. I graduated in Spring '10 and starting the preceding winter not a day went by that I didn't apply to at least two jobs. I didn't hear anything other than an auto-generated response (and sometimes not that) from the majority. But I looked at want ads, companies I was interested in, companies that I wasn't interested in for positions that at all touched on my skill set. If you're an engineer (like the person before posted) then look for different positions in a company that employs a lot of them - they will love the technical familiarity and you might have the opportunity to move departments later. The biggest problems of the unemployed that I know are that they tend to look only for jobs that are directly applicable or they find a position or two, apply for them and wait to hear back. I was a business major (not finance or accounting) and suffered for it because of the economy. I turned down multiple positions during my search and had a great one in an area I had not even considered 3 weeks after graduation.
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Oct 27, 2011 02:01
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thevoiceofdog posted:Degree
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Oct 27, 2011 03:39
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If your not cleared and your background includes only a BS you can completely forget about working for any contractor in the IMINT/NGA/Intelligence field. The other government agencies you listed are incredibly competitive and difficult to get a foot in the door. You need to be applying to a massive number of applications to increase your odds. My advice is to apply to everything and anything remotely similar to what you want to do and move around places every few years while pursuing a higher degree. The DC area is very competitive with the level of education and ex-military in the area. Can you get lucky and land your dream job in the one place you want to work? Yes. Is it likely? No.
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Oct 27, 2011 06:27
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Wagoneer posted:You may want to consider getting an internship. Now that you're out of school, it will be easier for them to hire you right after the gig. This. Post-college internships are starting to become the new thing for those who aren't lucky or are in industries with less-formal recruiting processes. I would dare say even be willing to work unpaid if necessary and take a second job or a small loan out in the meantime if you don't have any savings or parental support. Network as hard as you can and you should hopefully be able to get a legit job within a year. Move wherever you have to move and make sure your resume is perfect. You need to hustle and show them you want it and are willing to work for it. Also search Indeed and other job sites really thoroughly to see the types of jobs you can apply for. Try and utilize LinkedIn and company websites to see who the hiring manager for those positions might be (or an actual person within HR) - send an email to follow up. HR generally sucks for online applications.
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Nov 2, 2011 20:59
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Crazyweasel posted:Honestly, personal contacts are incredibly helpful, and I'd never feel bad about getting a job through that avenue or being ashamed. At the end of the day a job is a job. When I was getting out of the military, they make you go through a separations thing, and one of the things they said was personal contacts get people 60% of all jobs or something like that.
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Nov 2, 2011 22:29
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TLG James posted:When I was getting out of the military, they make you go through a separations thing, and one of the things they said was personal contacts get people 60% of all jobs or something like that. A million times this. You won't ever (well, not ever) get a really good opportunity without leveraging your personal contact network, and when you're a fresh college grad you need that because you're just not competitive with a more experienced workforce.
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Nov 3, 2011 01:15
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Keep improving your resume. It's a living document that should evolve and improve whenever you think of ways to do so. Read a job posting and realize there's a better way to phrase something on your resume? Change it and fix it. After a few iterations your resume will be better tailored to the kind of jobs you're looking for. It's like 70% of what those master resume reviewers do but for free. Networking is good just to get a better idea of your field, but don't expect anything of it unless the contact is ideally situated to make things happen. Don't be afraid to put your resume out there on some (quality) job sites. Industry specific sites are the place to do this. For example, as a researcher in biotech I would go to a place like biospace. Going along with above, don't be afraid to submit your resume to respectable contracting agencies. A temporary position can have 100% of the responsibilities as a full time position, but with worse pay and worse/no benefits. Think of it as a paid internship and a chance to prove yourself or at least score valuable big-boy job experience. Being able to relocate is definitely the most important factor in finding a quality job fast. Too many people are unwilling for a variety of reasons, but if you don't have anything tying you down, I definitely see no reason not to apply to jobs across the country as long as they're within your competencies.
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Nov 3, 2011 01:49
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Thank you for all the replies, I may not be responding but I am paying attention. I'm currently working on a contact with the chief of the FBI's forensic imaging unit, who offered to show me around the Bureau if I'm ever in the DC area (I have an excuse to do this in the near future). I have no problem with relocating, though closer to Jersey/NY is better, DC or Virginia would be ideal. P-wrinkle posted:I'm in the same boat. Looking to get a job at an advertising agency though. I have a degree in Advertising and Film and I think my resume is pretty solid for a recent college grad. Still, I just can't seem to find many open truly entry-level positions in the advertising biz. Are you registered with the American Society of Media Photographers? Find out where your local ASMP meetings are and see what kind of people are there--they usually do instructional lectures on a variety of topics and (in my experience at Rochester) a lot of industry professionals and knowledgeable people attend them. You have to pay yearly fees to be registered, but it's a great place to meet new contacts. Jobs in that area are still incredibly hard to get, but at least people will know you exist and you'll have actual people to physically talk to. thevoiceofdog fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Nov 3, 2011 |
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Nov 3, 2011 11:05
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thevoiceofdog posted:Thank you for all the replies, I may not be responding but I am paying attention. I'm currently working on a contact with the chief of the FBI's forensic imaging unit, who offered to show me around the Bureau if I'm ever in the DC area (I have an excuse to do this in the near future). You need to be working on multiple contacts at a time. Seriously, sit down and write thoughtful emails to your relatives, your professors, friends, parents of close friends, etc. explaining your situation. Don't pigeonhole yourself into one small tiny ideal field, don't pigeonhole yourself into a paying job, just be open to everything.
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Nov 3, 2011 13:22
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1. Get some kind of non bullshit job, even if not's in your field. Unemployment is a brutal self perpetuating process that signals to employers you're undesirable. Bonus points if it utilizes classes you took for your degree or is tangentially related to your desired field. 2. I'm not sure I've ever heard back from applying through company websites. I've never used career sites so I can't comment. See if you can get alumni access to RIT's job site assuming you have one and spam the poo poo out of that, you'll get much better responses. edit: Applying through company websites might be a little more appriopiate given how small your industry is. As how to follow up, polite follow-up emails weekly or biweekly are a good idea. There might not be a lot to lose from cold calling them and asking for 5 minutes of their time to ask for some career advice and see if there's any opportunities they could pass your resume on to. 3. See if you can find a list of alumni and contact them. No one ever does. It feels really good to be the knowledgeable wise alumni with advice, and there's a feeling of power and pull when you're able to hook a kid up, people love doing this. 4. Personal network like hell. Think through the people you know in your activities and clubs and your friends who have started work in various places, especially those in your major. Get your parents to shill for you with their friends. These friends will then know more people. Humans are absurdly tribal, someone is 10x more likely to help a friend of a friend than a stranger. This might be a little less useful considering how specific and niche your desired field is, but it will certainly help with Step 1 above. 5. As others have said, be flexible as to pay, employment status, and location. 6. Specific to you, seriously consider joining the military, especially if you can get it in writing you'll be doing military intelligence and imaging analysis and whatever. Not in the military, but it seems pretty blatantly appriopiate for you. Pop into http://forums.somethingawful.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=218, and who knows there might even be some people in the imaging field there you could talk to. At the minimum they have to know some people in the imaging industry either in the military or out who they could put you in contact with. This is the power of personal connections, even one as small as posting on the same internet message board. edit: Because of how specialized your desired field is, it's going to be really tough. It's very possible after exhausting your personal network you can't find a single person who's involved in the imaging field. Similarly the LinkedIn/Twitter/Blog suggestions are a little less applicable than if you were trying to get into something broad like advertising or marketing. I'm not sure how many jobs for imaging you'll find on job boards. I would focus on former professors and peers in your major who are employed in the industry. The industry group suggestions also become a little more important. Its Miller Time fucked around with this message at 10:23 on Nov 5, 2011 |
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Nov 5, 2011 09:44
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Hey BFC people, I'm cross posting this from the Academics subforum as they informed me that you guys were smart and devastatingly handsome and would be able to answer this question better than they could since they are all dumb nerds who dont get to touch boobies. It also seemed like too small of a question to warrent its own thread so im going to steal this guys because its kinda sorta tangentially related. So here it is: I'm sure this has been posted a billion time but I poked around and didnt see it. What is the rule of thumb on when to start applying to jobs? I will be starting the last semester of my Masters program in a few weeks (Industrial Psychology) and will be finishing in early May, as is the usual. I guess basically the question is "how early is too early"? I inquired at a few places this week already. Should I be waiting a few more months or is this ok? I just dont want to be unemployed in June
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Dec 21, 2011 06:10
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WinnebagoWarrior posted:Hey BFC people, I'm cross posting this from the Academics subforum as they informed me that you guys were smart and devastatingly handsome and would be able to answer this question better than they could since they are all dumb nerds who dont get to touch boobies. It also seemed like too small of a question to warrent its own thread so im going to steal this guys because its kinda sorta tangentially related. So here it is: Q1 hasn't even started - wait for Q1 (at LEAST) to start and people will be able to return your calls - it's when they get a fresh budget in.
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Dec 21, 2011 15:25
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Two weeks ago, I'd have said to start looking / applying right this second, because there is also usually a late-year posting batch. However, it's four days before Christmas now. Anything urgent from the late-year batch has already been filled, and anything else isn't going to get replies until next year. Spend like 20 min a day searching just to find relevant employers so you know where to focus your efforts, and relax and have a nice Christmas. Start up your application mill on Jan 2. 
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Dec 21, 2011 17:45
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Hey guys thanks a lot for the advice. I guess I will put off submitting my resume places for a few weeks then.
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Dec 21, 2011 18:04
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WinnebagoWarrior posted:Hey BFC people, I'm cross posting this from the Academics subforum as they informed me that you guys were smart and devastatingly handsome and would be able to answer this question better than they could since they are all dumb nerds who dont get to touch boobies. It also seemed like too small of a question to warrent its own thread so im going to steal this guys because its kinda sorta tangentially related. So here it is: A lot depends on the type of job. Big finance/law/accounting/business/etc firms with structured recruiting processes? That was over by October for the most part. For less structured/prestige-whore type places then it's slightly more random, but I would at the very least keep an eye out for things starting in January, especially via your school's recruiting board.
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Dec 21, 2011 18:43
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flyingfoggy posted:A lot depends on the type of job. Big finance/law/accounting/business/etc firms with structured recruiting processes? That was over by October for the most part. For less structured/prestige-whore type places then it's slightly more random, but I would at the very least keep an eye out for things starting in January, especially via your school's recruiting board. Yeah, im not prestige whoring at all or looking anywhere super competitive, just trying to get employed and get some experience and things like that. Had an ex-girlfriend do the super-competative prestige job route and it just isnt for me. Nope, I'm just not the type of person that wants to make 6 figures straight out of undergrad. Sigh.
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Dec 21, 2011 19:59
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I recently got my Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice last August, and have been trying to find a career in Florida for....well, anything that would take me. So far nothing solid has come up yet. I've been using Indeed.com as my main resource, since it seems to handily collect all nearby jobs under one link, but federal and government jobs in general take months to process. So I could really use a job that I could get hired for now while still applying for the big league stuff. I want to stress that I have no interest becoming a police officer, but I would like to work in a police department or equivalent just to become accustomed to that atmosphere, in the off-chance I get hired by the CIA or DEA. So yeah, looking for any suggestions on how to land a decent job, and things I could do with my degree, as I haven't come up with a clear goal yet.
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Jan 24, 2012 03:42
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One strategy which I'm trying, whether it helps or not, is to make specialized resumes and only include academic projects, work experience, etc. directly related to the summary of qualifications, even if it only ends up being a half-page. E.g. one can put something like "entry-level experience in criminal justice specializing in court and police system organization," and only include papers, etc. having to do with that. I personally don't think Indeed.com or other sites are helpful. For example, for Seattle jobs in my case, type in "entry level" with nothing else and there are only going to be about 500-1000 jobs at any given time. That includes jobs which have to do with managing entry-level people as well, so Indeed.com in particular just doesn't seem to have that great of a search algorithm in terms of pin-pointing specific jobs. There's no real way to search by experience requirements; it simply doesn't exist in the advanced search tab. Also one of my department advisers flat-out told me that CareerBuilder or other sites just aren't meant for entry-level people anyway. I think that's especially clear by how many sales and "sales" jobs there are on CareerBuilder in particular and not much else. However, of course there's not much else to do besides keep attempting that and to keep finding networking opportunities such as mentor programs, etc. SecurityManKillJoy fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 05:30
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Well by all means, I would love to get more website recommendations to visit, because "meet and greeting" stores just hasn't worked for me in the past. Even job fairs sponsored by my college all evidently lead up to "check out our site for job openings".
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Jan 24, 2012 05:34
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Yes, I'd say job fairs have issues too. For example I recently went to an IT-oriented one (not in IT but looked anyway), and it basically boiled down to learning about internship opportunities, then checking them out on websites. It can serve as a Q&A session with recruiters, but of course the most penetration is only going to be giving them a resume. Also for those kinds of quantitative and symbolic logic majors, the main recruiting takes place in the Fall and so on, so it just sounds very competitive in a direct peer-to-peer way. I thus don't see how these "non-liberal arts" majors are much better off when it's a huge scramble for winning corporate attention, and must be done at the right time. It can be hard for anyone, even if more opportunities might lie in "non-liberal arts." They're all ultimately non-apprenticeship programs which have to do with intellectual academic work. I'd say Indeed and Careerbuilder, for example, are at least better shots than something like Idealist.org. A site like that has even less, and it's also more head-to-head because all the jobs are specifically non-profit and probably in specialized fields. Of course most likely they also aren't entry-level. SecurityManKillJoy fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 05:55
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Well beyond those two, I'm out of suggestions. Is this the best thread to get job advice, or is there something more comprehensive? If there's a topic that exclusively talks about Criminal Justice, I'd like to learn about it as soon as possible.
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Jan 26, 2012 23:09
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Primoman, go ask in the LE thread in Goons in Platoons. Bottom line, it's hard as hell to get into law enforcement right now, and CJ degrees are pretty worthless.
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Jan 31, 2012 16:19
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SecurityManKillJoy posted:One strategy which I'm trying, whether it helps or not, is to make specialized resumes and only include academic projects, work experience, etc. directly related to the summary of qualifications, even if it only ends up being a half-page. E.g. one can put something like "entry-level experience in criminal justice specializing in court and police system organization," and only include papers, etc. having to do with that.
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Feb 12, 2012 09:26
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I can see that, because I have a general "business skills" resume which is about a page. Then I made another resume with content that mostly does not overlap, but it is in fact so specific and/or impractical I can't really find a use for it. However I have about a page worth of that as well, i.e. policy analysis content in regard to economic and social issues, so that seemed like the best way to use it. Then I made a PR-type resume which also doesn't overlap with the others, but it seems more general and usable as a second resume.
SecurityManKillJoy fucked around with this message at 02:58 on Feb 13, 2012 |
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Feb 13, 2012 02:56
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I sure wish this was here when I graduated in Dec. 2010. I went through a few contract jobs which lasted about a month and then got injured, so the entry level job well was dry by the time I was recovered. I ended up having to take a job in a family business which is where I entered an entirely different field than what I studied in college. I don't regret where I am now, but if anyone is a recent college grad and is reading this, its something I had to learn by myself. If I could give any advice, its that you need to make a list of what talents or skills your degree taught. While a job listing might not be exactly in the field you want, having the skills/talents that you learned while getting your BS/BA might be something that gets you an interview and an income flow. From there you need to get out and network and try to move towards the career that you want. Something I see too often and what I did myself was be too inflexible on entry level jobs. Laboratory Research Assistant I/II was what I was looking for, but because of my skillset I've entered the small business consulting field and have met and worked with some of the biggest coaching and consulting names personally. They will be nice references when I move on to bigger and better things. Also I've expanded my skillset tons and have almost a year of real-world experience backing me now. Now the problem is that my entire outlook has changed and I doubt I'll enter back into the research world unless I have a business venture of my own. Keep an open mind and be flexible coming out of college. You're not gonna set the world on fire with a BS/BA degree.
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Feb 15, 2012 19:52
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I've been thinking about making a very similar thread. I'm in the same boat except I've just graduated with a MS in Physics. Even though I live near Silicon Valley and there are tons of jobs out there (or at least tons advertised...) I have had zero luck. Does anyone have any advice about how to get a networking contact to 1) respond to you at all and 2) provide helpful information? Zero HR/recruiting people have responded to my communications, even HR/recruiting people who've been referred to me by connections. Even after following up with these people once, they still don't reply (I feel weird trying to contact them again after 2 unanswered messages) I've had some success contacting alumni, but their advice is generally not helpful. Either I get "wow, I'd love to hire you our company is always looking for people like you... but oh we're not hiring right now I guess" or some vague advice about careers "Networking is good", "Apply through our website", "you should try XYZ company" (and they don't answer when I follow up with "do you have any contacts at XYZ company) or "you should talk to someone from HR because I'm a scientist and I have no idea what they'd be looking for" (then they ignore my question of who from HR to contact). Just to clarify, I'm not outright asking people for jobs when I contact them (everyone says you're not supposed to do that). The gist of the emails I've sent are something along the lines of "I'm really interested in doing X job that you do and your company, could you tell me how you got there/what I could do to prepare for X job/as an expert in the field do you have any advice/do you have any contacts."
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Mar 19, 2012 07:46
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I think most HR departments (at least for midsize+ businesses) have gotten to the point where they prefer to use their recruiting tools exclusively for entry and midlevel positions. For you, that means contacting an HR rep directly could be a waste of time. At my company, even internal candidates have to apply for a position via our website. The hiring manager can request a specific individual, but if they don't apply via the website they are SOL. For obvious reasons, this does not necessarily apply to people who are much further into their careers, and therefore need to be actively recruited.
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Mar 19, 2012 12:44
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SchrodingersFish posted:I've been thinking about making a very similar thread. I'm in the same boat except I've just graduated with a MS in Physics. Even though I live near Silicon Valley and there are tons of jobs out there (or at least tons advertised...) I have had zero luck. repetition. You're doing everything right its just a numbers game to get the right person/position/alignment of the planets. I did exactly the same stuff you describe for 4 months, send 5 resumes a day, had 3 interview processes lead nowhere and finally got a job on the last one. I didn't do a single thing different it just worked out because you roll the dice enough, you win eventually. One thing that may help: take the people you contacted and mark a reminder in your calendar for 2 weeks from when you contacted them. When that reminder comes up, give them a followup. Persistent but not pushy is the key phrase.
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Mar 19, 2012 15:28
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Thanks, this feedback is a bit reassuring. I really have only been at this for 2.5 months but I was wondering if I was doing something totally wrong. I originally wanted to go into academia and changed my mind during my last year of grad school, so I've been totally unprepared for the job market. My school did a totally poo poo job of preparing me for the business world and the job search, all the professors know about is how to get a job in academia (which granted is even harder than getting a job everywhere else but at least there's a standard, easy to follow procedure and you get a definite rejection if you're not qualified). I guess it's good to know I'm not totally wasting my time applying on company websites and I shouldn't feel discouraged reading people's complaints about having too many recruiters trying to contact them...
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Mar 19, 2012 16:22
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SchrodingersFish posted:I guess it's good to know I'm not totally wasting my time applying on company websites and I shouldn't feel discouraged reading people's complaints about having too many recruiters trying to contact them... As an anecdote to support this, I applied to roughly 100 jobs out of undergrad, got 4 interviews, and 2 offers. The one I wound up taking was one that I was contacted about through SA.
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Mar 19, 2012 17:19
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I applied to 62 jobs online, and I just started a new job. How'd I get it? I knew the guy who had the position before me. Job fairs were pretty useless for me, most companies just pointed applicants at their website so there was no difference between them and random people applying from the internet. NETWORK.
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Mar 19, 2012 21:43
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counterpoint: No one I knew could help me and every meeting I got through networking was "gosh we'd love to hire you but..." My blind applications through monster got me 4 interviews in 4 months with companies that at least had average reviews on glassdoor. Honestly its not hard to fire off 5 or so random applications in the AM and then spend the rest of your unemployed day networking. Cover all your bases. I agree that job fairs are useless.
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Mar 20, 2012 00:03
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