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Applying for jobs is exhausting and soul-crushing
- Thread starter BarryAllen
- Start date
After applying to many jobs and not getting past the 2nd interview with any of them, I'm finding myself stuck in my IT career. I make too much to be hired elsewhere for a similar position, but don't have the experience to move up to senior or management level thanks to my current job not supporting career growth. I'm now teaching myself Python, taking my Network+ certification exam, planning to study Security+ and re-teaching myself SQL.
I gotta get out of this company soon, but at least it's a paycheck. Never thought having 2 degrees, certifications, and over a decade of experience would lead me to come up empty on a job search.
I gotta get out of this company soon, but at least it's a paycheck. Never thought having 2 degrees, certifications, and over a decade of experience would lead me to come up empty on a job search.
Maybe try to prepare for the behavioral questions? Like the kind of hard question like why should they hire you.
As for technical, Brush up your knowledge of whatever technical requirement that was specified on the job description.
As someone who wants to finally hunker down and get into IT, got any recommendations? I was told getting Security + was a recommended first step, so I'm looking at a Udemy video guide. I was also told to start at a Help Desk job, but I don't want a repeat of my current situation where I'm at a job with no internal advancement.
Starting entry level help desk is a good first step into IT, and will help you decide what you want to do as your career advances if you land with a company that offers advancement. If you want to eventually get into a security position, I recommend studying Network+ so you can get those concepts down first, then look to take Security+. If there is no advancement opportunities, start learning on your own and maybe start looking to land with a better and bigger company. Build a box and start practicing on it during your downtime. Never stop learning.
I still have no idea which field in IT I should pursue. I've read the pros and cons of each, so I gues in the end it falls down to what is within my learning power and what is more widely available.
Regardless, nearly everyone is unanimous that I have to start at Help Desk. What I still haven't figured out is whether I'm elligible to get an entry level job now, or if I should earn a certificate or two before I start looking (which is why I've got guides for both Security+ and Network+).
So here's my biggest problem, one that I'm personally aware of but one I've also let go out of my control: I'm impatient.
I keep hoping for immediate opportunities rather than planning for the long term. It's why I avoid ideas like going back to school or anything else that requires me to put another 2-4 years in my current dead-end job. Yes, I am aware that my idling is just eating up that time regardless, but it's kept me from wanting to invest in that kind of learning. It's why I was very nearly ready to invest in getting a Real Estate license, since it was just a one week course (until common sense and some informed opinions on this forum steered me away).
That said, one thing I do want to try and educate myself in is figuring out just where I stand right now, with my current credentials and experience. Part of why I struggle to decide what I want to do with a career is that there are so many job titles out there I don't know about. For all I know there is something that I'm capable of doing that could be making me much more than my current meager wages. Unfortunately, I see no way to filter out the filler job ads I see on places like Indeed, the ones that have in all caps "Earn 50,000 on your first day, no experience required!!!"
So in short, I was wondering if anyone here was willing to take a look at my resume and perhaps give me a few pointers of any decent jobs I could be elligible for now, and/or any that I could get with a supplementary degree or license, or anything else I could earn in a short amount of time.
If you're willing to help me out on that front, I could share my resume via PM. Alternatively, I could copy and paste it here with the personal information removed.
I've done a few of these recently. I think the biggest thing is to have in your head at least three or four stories from your experience regarding things like critical thinking, conflict resolution, great successes and failures, collaboration, pushing back against management, and so on. Personally, I would write these down. I never look at what I wrote, but it keeps it fresh in my mind.
Also, while there aren't going to be many technical questions on hard skills, remember that there will still be some, so don't neglect them as you prepare for the behavioral stuff.
I set up an appointment with a counselor at my local Keiser University. They're willing to take a look at my past transcripts and offer suggestions on what I could do through them.
Are they a legitimate university? A few people recommended Keiser to me, but I'm out of the loop with colleges these days. I would rather not waste time with one that's going to charge a ridiculous amount or is otherwise not worth looking at.
Similarly, it was mentioned a couple of times before how some universities offer IT courses that also put you in a sponsored job in order to build that experience while you're enrolled. If Keiser has such an option, then I would quit my current job and enroll with them. Even if I was earning less from part-time or whatever, I would at least be getting that necessary work experience to place me at a higher paying job later on.
Are they a legitimate university? A few people recommended Keiser to me, but I'm out of the loop with colleges these days. I would rather not waste time with one that's going to charge a ridiculous amount or is otherwise not worth looking at.
Similarly, it was mentioned a couple of times before how some universities offer IT courses that also put you in a sponsored job in order to build that experience while you're enrolled. If Keiser has such an option, then I would quit my current job and enroll with them. Even if I was earning less from part-time or whatever, I would at least be getting that necessary work experience to place me at a higher paying job later on.
So just a quick update, I'm moving on to the next (and last!) interview. The one I just had was around 10min long, but the next one will be an entire hour. Apparently, it'll be with the group supervisor, and I'm pretty sure he's going to ask me a lot of technical questions that I don't know. I only have a week to prepare XD
Good luck! Look in the internet to see if you can find any kind of questions they ask, and I hope you rock it!
Been trying to get a job in radio for the past year and a half. Have a Bachelor's degree, got lucky enough to have an internship at an NYC AM talk station (which ended in June of last year), still host a program at my university's station, and volunteer at two other public radio stations in the area.
The problem here is I've been applying left and right all this time for at least some kind of entry level position (office assistant, "street team" member, promo assistant, board operator) and nobody's giving me the time of day (I.E. zero interviews). It almost feels like I've been blacklisted from the industry for whatever reason, and it's beginning to piss me off.
The problem here is I've been applying left and right all this time for at least some kind of entry level position (office assistant, "street team" member, promo assistant, board operator) and nobody's giving me the time of day (I.E. zero interviews). It almost feels like I've been blacklisted from the industry for whatever reason, and it's beginning to piss me off.
Checking in to say I finally found a new job! Started this past Monday and so far it's been great. I got about 25% more money. Place is so much more organized than my last place which was driving me insane.
Took about a year of constant rejection and searching but it finally paid off!
Took about a year of constant rejection and searching but it finally paid off!
I have about 15 hours of unused time per week that I think I'd like to start monetizing. Gonna unearth my resume (which I haven't updated in years), spruce it up, and start applying to content producer/digital strategy gigs. Wouldn't mind if its permalance. Just want to walk into an office one or twice a week with my laptop, do their shit, and leave.
What's the deal with cover letters? Any tips or perspectives on making a great one?
What's the deal with cover letters? Any tips or perspectives on making a great one?
Congratulations. These days, getting hired is an accomplishment worth celebrating.
On another note, I managed to print out my old transcripts for Saturday. I'm really hoping meeting this counselor won't be a waste of time: I have trouble trusting a lot of universities these days. Can anyone vouch for Keiser?
You may be able to acquire a license very quickly, but know that the grind for the first year of your career is absolutely brutal. The attrition rate is ridiculously high for a lot of real-estate agents during this time because they are building their client base, trying to build credibility which requires selling homes which requires that client base, and since the job is completely commission-based. How are you going to afford the bills to pay for food/clothing/rent?
This is precisely why so many people go into it, but so few make it out. The ones who do, do ridiculously well. At the end of the day it's a sales job and you will never have time off.
If anyone in the engineering industry still looking for job, and interested in working defense, there are companies in North of New York (Syracuse, Liverpool) are in a hiring spree.
Why not go to a public college instead of a private, for-profit one like Keiser?
Im in the same boat. I changed careers and even learned how to code as I search for a job. I've redesigned and coded my portfolio 3X in the past year too.
I got a response from a potential employee that he wanted to see a redesign of his homepage. The problem is that 1) he never spoke to me on the phone or email. 2) he gave me no context to what he wanted, just "Make it better"....like wtf does that mean? Makes it even more confusing that I have no clue who I was supposed to design for. 3) it seemed like he wanted free work. That's the biggest red flag I've seen.
I feel like I will learn Swift, RNative and develop my own app on the app store before I get a damn full time job.
Yoooooooo, second interview on Thursday! After the first interview, they were pretty excited - "This is the strongest application we've ever seen, and we're so glad that, meeting you in person, you're equal to it" - and they said they would get in touch with me in the next two weeks. They called me back two days later to set up a follow-up, and that's Thursday. I'm meeting the rest of the team and some upper people. Sounds good...! It's something I really want and I need a change, big time. Pumped! Let's see what happens, just slightly anxious about it because nothing is set in stone and you never know.
Funny you mention that: so I spoke to an advisor from Keiser on Saturday. I mainly was looking for more ideas on what to do career-wise.
They looked at my transcripts and suggested I earn an Associate in Science in Information Technology. They said I could get it done in 12 classes, though they only allow one class per month, so it'd be 12 months. There were evening and online options, so it was conceivable with my current job.
Long story short, it all sounded good until the price came up at $9k per semester (four classes, so over $27k in total). Yeesh.
I'll still inquire about public colleges like Miami Dade, but some people have mentioned before how it isn't necessary to go to college for an IT career, since certs are the big things you could earn on your own. I was also recently linked to the excellent Professor Meyer videos on YouTube, so I'm seeing less reason to enroll other than I miss the human interaction and would much rather do that than my current job.
I had heard some colleges had sponsored paid internships/jobs that would immediately place you in an entry level IT job so that you're earning the experience while studying. That's what I'm hoping for more than anything, because it gives me an out with my current job (I'm so bored of it) and it lets me get that much-needed experience so I could get something higher when I was done. If anyone happens to know of any specific colleges that do that, let me know.
Yea sometimes it can be a flag. Also some companies don't even know about the process and think it's just putting something together arbitrarily. I am working on a new portfolio now since my old one is not that good, do you have a portfolio I can see out of curiosity.
What's the average number of applicants that go through each stage? Like if I'm passed the recruiter call, hiring manager call, and am headed to an in-person interview, it's pretty much down between me and one or two others, right?
Yeah I would say it's likely down to a pool of 2 or 3 people at that point.
Just had a phone interview I'm pretty sure I bombed. God I'm such a fucking mess. I managed to finally get an interview after months, with someone who sounded genuinely into my editing reel and I sounded like a mealy mouthed stuttering dumbass. They sounded like they couldn't wait to get off the phone by the end.
On Indeed, they save the last cover letter you typed, while also suggesting that you keep CNs brief, like a paragraph at most. Is this recommended? Just make a generic CN that can be copied and pasted to whatever position?
Also should I immediately dispose of any job openings where I send the resume and it auto responds with "sign up on our site to finish the application process!"?
Holy fuck I hate having to make a new account just to apply to some asshole company.
Also should I immediately dispose of any job openings where I send the resume and it auto responds with "sign up on our site to finish the application process!"?
Holy fuck I hate having to make a new account just to apply to some asshole company.
Any US lawyers here that escaped big law? I'd love to hear about your experience trying to exit. It's time for me to start thinking about long term career goals :/
We've all been there. I actually did an all-day series recently where I bombed the very first interview. It happens, and you will get another opportunity to do better!
I had an in person interview a few weeks ago that I completely bombed. Shit sucks(since I really wanted to work there), but you gotta face the music and just move on. I had an interview yesterday and did exactly the opposite of what I did at my other interview and it went very well(or at least I thought so anyway).
I just landed an interview for a temp contract data entry job through a staffing company, and after some research it looks like this company runs a call center. The description of the job I applied for looked totally different (which only mentioned the staffing agency, not the actual hiring company) and it seems like they just have different departments.
Has anyone had experience with this kind of thing?
Has anyone had experience with this kind of thing?
Is it in really bad form to ask for a reference over the phone? I have a contact at a company I want to work for (I've done projects for him before via the company I'm currently at) who I think would vouch for me. I've always heard it's best to ask in person, but he's busy as hell and I think it'd be weird to go through the process of inviting him to lunch, especially because we live at least an hour apart.
I think it's fine. I asked via text, so if nothing else, you can know that I was a bigger asshole, and it still was fine.
Ha! I'll call without guilt, then. I was just told by my big wig brother in law that I should *definitely* take this person out to lunch, but I don't think that makes any sense for the kind of relationship I have with this person.
Welp... time for me to hit the ol' grindstone on this. For the last 6 months I've been homeschooling my two daughters while my wife pulled in the big bucks... but they are cutting back hours, splitting a job that she and one other person did over the week into a position for 3 people. So fair well to those days. Job hunting is always the most depressing thing for me.
Just brushed up my resume, hoping the 6 month employment gap won't be too big of a deal with the explanation (having just moved out here and not wanting to put the girls in school in the middle of the school year, so focused on them while my wife worked). Tried referencing how that would be helpful in a work environment (problem solving, learning as you go, etc). Still have another week or two before the pay cut happens, so hopefully I'll find someplace fairly quickly. And on the plus side, I'll get to see my wife more.
Just brushed up my resume, hoping the 6 month employment gap won't be too big of a deal with the explanation (having just moved out here and not wanting to put the girls in school in the middle of the school year, so focused on them while my wife worked). Tried referencing how that would be helpful in a work environment (problem solving, learning as you go, etc). Still have another week or two before the pay cut happens, so hopefully I'll find someplace fairly quickly. And on the plus side, I'll get to see my wife more.
https://www.examcompass.com/
Near as I can tell this is the A+ exam in its entirety, or at least the best resource to give me an idea of what kind of questions to expect. Combine this with the Mayer videos and I should have all I need to get certified.
But this is also leaving me restless: it's a new Monday and I'm so very sick of my boring job. I want to do something new now, but all I can do is study these exams while also scouring current openings, either for jobs I'm theoretically elligible for or ones where all I need is to be A+ certified.
Exhausting and soul-crushing, indeed. I've been tempted numerous times to quit, but I also quickly convince myself how foolish that would be. It's still a paycheck with lots of benefits, it's still better than nothing. I just wish I could find something else sooner rather than later.
Near as I can tell this is the A+ exam in its entirety, or at least the best resource to give me an idea of what kind of questions to expect. Combine this with the Mayer videos and I should have all I need to get certified.
But this is also leaving me restless: it's a new Monday and I'm so very sick of my boring job. I want to do something new now, but all I can do is study these exams while also scouring current openings, either for jobs I'm theoretically elligible for or ones where all I need is to be A+ certified.
Exhausting and soul-crushing, indeed. I've been tempted numerous times to quit, but I also quickly convince myself how foolish that would be. It's still a paycheck with lots of benefits, it's still better than nothing. I just wish I could find something else sooner rather than later.
Try to hang in there Soldier. I know you are sick of it, but trust me that looking for a job while you can still pay the bills is a lifesaver. Can't you study for the exam while at work?
Look at the bright side - you are taking action to change your situation instead of simply being in the grind. Try to hold onto that when you are going into work, that your current situation won't be forever. Good luck!
Look at the bright side - you are taking action to change your situation instead of simply being in the grind. Try to hold onto that when you are going into work, that your current situation won't be forever. Good luck!
I cannot, not unless the boss is out (he was out all last week, and let me tell you that week just FLEW by). I tell people how I'm not allowed to surf the web or do anything else while on the clock, and they all say they'd quit on the first day if they were in my shoes.
But you're right, things would be significantly more stressful if I was unemployed, so I appreciate the reminder.
Planning to leave job, without a job in hand. How crazy does it sound? I have lot of saving, i feel like if I leave my job I will be forced to study, brush up my technical skills and find a new job vs now I am not motivated enough. And I fucking hate the work I do, and I feel stuck. I haven't learned a new thing in 2 years at work. I feel like wasting 8hr of my day here, want to get good at coding. I have been sitting on this thought for a while now, i think I am going to pull the trigger within a month.
Worst thing you can do unless you feel qualified enough to quickly find something else you actually WANT to be doing. Otherwise, you will find yourself either A: not giving enough of a shit to find another job or B: Settle for the same type of garbage job and just feel like you are back in the same place you were when you originally left.
Tough it out until you find something better.
Try to think it well. You may have savings, but to make them last you'll have to be pretty frugal.
Are you in IT? Can you apply to a new job with your current skills, or you need to learn more stuff? Can you study coding in free moments at your job?
the thing is though, when you apply elsewhere, the prospective employer(s) will ask about any lapses of not working and it's just not a good discussion to have (unless it's a medical reason and even then i'd rather not have it at all). As for the "time to brush up on your skills", if you really want to get better at it, you'll make time for it if it's that important to you.