Feeling Untouchable
I'm a communications professional with more than 20 years experience in the field, admittedly in several different areas. My current job, as an associate editor at a business-to-business trade pub, is currently in jeopardy due to the company's financial situation--and my husband recently lost his job, so my salary ($45K per year in NY metro area) isn't cutting it. My previous position, a senior-level manager in communications at a university, was eliminated after 4.5 years on the job; prior positions were in advertising copywriting and public relations. I've been looking for a new job for 8 months now, and have sent out more than 200 applications via various job boards, company web sites, and 6 different headhunters. I've been open to the type of job, willing to commute to NYC, even looking now to relocate to Pennsylvania if necessary. The results have been dismal...out of all the applications, only around 10 percent even sent the standard auto-reply about receiving the applications. Four headhunters said my resume was great and they'd "keep you on our radar," but even with bi-weekly "hello" e-mails, nothing from them, just "it's slow now." I've had 3 interviews, 2 by phone and one in person, and thought they all went really well, but no offers, not even a "we went with someone else" message. Is anyone else in this field having this kind of trouble or is there something really wrong with me? All I can think of is that my current job is something of a downward jump from the previous one, but it was a matter of taking what I could get when COBRA ran out. I've never had trouble finding a job before and have had exemplary references. Any ideas? Thanks.
This is the era of specialisation. Find your niche, do it amazingly well and you will always find a job.
There are several things you can do * register with more headhunters *slick up your resume - if you are forwarding it to jobapplicatons and not getting replies it means you need to tailor it toeach vacancy and make yourself more attractive on paper - remember - itis your sales tool - is it communicating your expertise? * spread your geographical net and go where the work is *take a job at the same level you were at before, then graft to getpromoted (it is always easy to get a job once you have a job - soundsweird I know but it is true) Good luck Personal Advertisment site was removed. Please see Terms of use........ http://about.monster.com/terms/ From what I am reading, it appears that positions in communications, retail and human resources are not the easiest things to come by. Retail because the stores do not want to have to pay for benefits since their profits have taken a downward turn and they are only offering part time, communications because the technology is changing so rapidly that a lot of companies are more interested in individuals who are on the younger side but not just out of college and who possess the knowledge of that companies particular brand of communications specialty so that training is not necessary. I don't know why with human resources but that is what I have read. The trouble with headhunters and employment agencies, as you are finding out, is that they want a name on a list but do not have actual positions. A lot of this is so that when they call the company to solicit the companies business, they can say to them, "we have many candidates who are qualified to work for your company". The companies, however, tell the agencies that they are not needed so your name never gets out there. Another thing you need to remember about agencies is that they do not work for you. If they work for anybody it is for themselves in order to get the enormous amount of payment called a "finders fee". Sometimes as much as 30% of whatever the company is willing to pay you. They have many many people who they have managed to talk into signing up so the headhunter or recruitment specialist doesn't really care who gets the job, just as long as it is someone they send to the company. You may have to take a position that is one rung below where you were and climb back up. In the meantime, make sure that you are knowledgeable in the changing technologies of your field. Remember, that New York City positions may look like they pay more, but think of what you will have to pay out for transportation to and from work. If you are serious about relocating to Pennsylvania (or any other state) make sure they are offering you what you need to survive, including a decent place to live and an area where you will be happy. The main reason employers hesitate on hiring non-locals is because they have a tendency to move back to where they were in the first place because they realized they didn't want to be where they relocated to begin with. Oh, and, in this particular day and age, common courtesy has been tossed out the window and IF you receive any type of communication with the hiring authority you met with, consider yourself lucky. Other than that, consider the job to have been filled by someone else if you haven't heard anything after one month. Never drop your job search just because you had an interview and perceive it to have gone really well. Until you hear the words, we want you to offer you a job and actually start that position, keep sending out resumes and going on interviews. | |
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