As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Why wont anyone hire me?

MightyMighty Omeganaut '15 '16 '17NebraskaRegistered User regular
edited June 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
A bit of background first, i am 27, I held several jobs for a few years, may recent jobs being related to the area of market research, first a call center that promoted me to a monitor, and the next a face to face survey place that give you cash for taking surveys.

I am good with computers, know my way around MS office, and did a temp job as an IT intern for an engineering firm.

I graduated from college with a degree in marketing and advertising, and i am currently re-enrolled with a focus in financial accounting. I have 1 semester left before i have the bachelors, and 2 before i can get a masters which would qualify me for a CPA license. ( assuming i get all the other requirements)

Everywhere i have applied, i have gotten "you aren't qualified enough" or "too qualified" messages. I rarely ever hear anything back besides a nice little "thanks for trying" letters.

I am using my college employment office, the job fairs that come here, newspapers and the internet.

Is there some sort of fundamental flaw i am unaware of or is the job economy still in the crapper?

Twitch: twitch.tv\dreadmighty
Mighty on

Posts

  • badpoetbadpoet Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    The economy is still terrible, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to find work.

    How are your resume and cover letter skills? Are you following up and bird-dogging people to make sure they know you really want the job? Maybe you take out your personal information and post them here for folks to critique?

    badpoet on
  • LewishamLewisham Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Where are you applying? With the qualifications you are getting/have I am expecting people outside of finances and sales won't look at you.

    Lewisham on
  • MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Well, what type of job are you applying for and how do you go about doing it?

    MagicToaster on
  • Shorn Scrotum ManShorn Scrotum Man Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Your internship was in a field that doesn't seem to help your degree, and you don't have your BA/BS yet. Those 2 things + shitty economy = hard time finding a job. Once you wrap up the bachelors things will get easier, especially so with the masters and CPA.

    I don't know about Finance, but last I looked in my area every entry level IT position around required a bachelors.

    Shorn Scrotum Man on
    steam_sig.png
  • MightyMighty Omeganaut '15 '16 '17 NebraskaRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    i have applied at banks, (wells fargo, ect) as a teller, and got nothing, so i tried a higher up position, no replies there either.

    I tried applying using the job fair people (who just hand you a damned card and say visit our site)
    many of whom where financial places

    I put my information on those headhunter web listing places, and they removed me with an email saying i wasn't qualified or somesuch.

    I fill out their application nonsense, and then i attach my resume (well, with my information at the top)
    resume.png

    And if they have a place for it, i also include a cover letter talking about how im interested in a position, what experience i have ect.

    @SSM - I do have a bachelors degree, but in Marketing. I am working on accounting.

    Mighty on
    Twitch: twitch.tv\dreadmighty
  • Shorn Scrotum ManShorn Scrotum Man Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Mighty wrote: »
    i have applied at banks, (wells fargo, ect) as a teller, and got nothing, so i tried a higher up position, no replies there either.

    I tried applying using the job fair people (who just hand you a damned card and say visit our site)
    many of whom where financial places

    I put my information on those headhunter web listing places, and they removed me with an email saying i wasn't qualified or somesuch.

    I fill out their application nonsense, and then i attach my resume (well, with my information at the top)
    resume.png

    And if they have a place for it, i also include a cover letter talking about how im interested in a position, what experience i have ect.

    @SSM - I do have a bachelors degree, but in Marketing. I am working on accounting.

    Oh, my bad, I misread.

    Marketing degrees are kinda meh though, from what I've heard. Wrapping up your accounting should still help.

    Shorn Scrotum Man on
    steam_sig.png
  • DarksierDarksier Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    How are your connections? Do you have any influential friends who'd be willing to give you a recommendation? A current employee mentioning you goes a long way in making you stand out from the rest of the slush pile. If you don't have any connections, you will want to start networking.

    Darksier on
  • ronyaronya Arrrrrf. the ivory tower's basementRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    The economy is indeed still in the crapper. 9.9% of the US labor force (people who have work + people who are looking for work) can't find work.

    I have no advice to offer on finding a job besides what the others have wrote - just don't blame yourself for it.

    ronya on
    aRkpc.gif
  • 3drage3drage Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I have a Masters and still have a hard time finding work in my industry. The economy isn't doing anyone any favors.

    3drage on
  • HerkimerHerkimer Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I have an MA and a law degree plus several years of experience, and I've been out of work for a year now.

    Just gotta keep at it. Apply to everything you see, call in every favor you can, meet as many people as you can. There's not that much else you can do.

    Herkimer on
  • PirateJonPirateJon Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Your resume says your goal is an accounting job, but your skill sets say "Tier 1 IT tech".

    I'd change it up - make a resume much more tailored for the position (one size fits none) and emphasize your accounting skills. I'm not in the financial sector so I can't offer suggestions to wording, but you should have more "i can do X, Y, Z financial stuff" and less "i know computer networking".

    Or go the other way if you're looking to land an IT position.


    Also Nth the "you have no degree and limited work experience. You are in a bad economy competing against people with more experience and education." bit as well. Sorry.

    PirateJon on
    all perfectionists are mediocre in their own eyes
  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Tighten up your resume. Please don't take offense, but it's pretty bad.

    Education:
    2004 – 2008 University of Nebraska BA, Marketing
    2008 – Present University of Nebraska MA, Accounting

    The above is three lines shorter and a helluva lot clearer to someone skimming your resume.

    Additional Skills:
    Shouldn't really be 'Additional' considering these are the first skills you're mentioning. They're just "skills". Aside from the first and last, they aren't really even skills. The computer trouble shooting is already on there under the IT intern position. Add the LAN one too if you have professional experience setting up a LAN.

    Deebaser on
  • MightyMighty Omeganaut '15 '16 '17 NebraskaRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    well, i have seen worse, but i'll take your advice on that,

    Because obviously, how it is now doesn't seem to do me any favors.

    Mighty on
    Twitch: twitch.tv\dreadmighty
  • FeatherBladeFeatherBlade Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    You may also consider doing without the "Objective".

    I know that a lot of people are in favor of putting an objective on a resume, but it's always struck me as... amateurish, I guess. Gives the entire document an... eighth-grade-book-report type of flavor.

    I also find them unnecessary, especially when the resume accompanies a job application that states the position for which you are applying.

    FeatherBlade on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    You may also consider doing without the "Objective".

    I know that a lot of people are in favor of putting an objective on a resume, but it's always struck me as... amateurish, I guess. Gives the entire document an... eighth-grade-book-report type of flavor.

    I also find them unnecessary, especially when the resume accompanies a job application that states the position for which you are applying.

    Objectives are pretty useless.

    "What's my objective? To get a job at your company!"

    Esh on
  • TheHopelessGamerTheHopelessGamer Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Completely agree on dumping the objective. I would also recommend trying to tailor your resume to each employer you apply to. For some employers, for example, it might be appropriate to switch your experience to the top of the resume as it could be a strong point, depending on the job.

    When I look at resumes, I like to see a list of awards and/or volunteer work a person has done. This really makes people stand out if they have something unique on their resume.

    TheHopelessGamer on
  • DrezDrez Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    This is my advice, which by no means is "the right way" or "the only way" - it's just my personal opinion based on experience:

    1) Tailor your resume to your objective. [edit: I agree with dumping the objective completely. I never liked it. It's lame. However, your resume should still have a "point," whether that is implicit or explicit. So while I personally feel you don't need an "OBJECTIVE" section of your resume, your resume should still be focused on...something.] That means if you are looking to a be a clown to perform at kid's parties, a resume with four years of experience in IT and financial systems is rather pointless.

    2) Condense your resume. Cut out all the bullshit. Cut out as much whitespace as possible. If you can't fill that space with actual experience that relates to your objective, use words and phrases that kind of nod your experience in the direction of the job you are looking for without being too overt. Regardless of how you arrive there, words are better than whitespace. In simplest terms: Whitespace bad, words good.

    3) SEEK OUT JOB RECRUITERS, especially TEMP AGENCIES. I don't know where you live, and certain agencies in certain location seem more adept at handling certain kinds of positions, but I can't stress enough the following points:

    a) Temp work is better than no work. Sure, you want to build a permanent career, but you're not building anything if you're completely jobless.

    b) Many agencies will look for both kinds of positions for you - temporary AND permanent jobs - and will even search for permanent positions for you while they are looking for temporary ones, or while

    d) Temporary doesn't necessarily mean "one day" or "one week." I've had one month assignments that lasted exactly one month. I've had three month assignments that turned into five months. And I recently ended a five month assignment that lasted two and a half years. While that doesn't sound great on one hand (they were never able to permanently hire me thanks to shitty budget constraints in light of the economy), on the other hand, that was an unprecedented extension and I was happier working temporarily there than in no capacity at all anywhere. Also, some positions may be "temp to perm" in which the company will train you and trial you, potentially making you perm in three months (or some other specified amount of time) depending on how your temping works out.

    e) The point is, temping is a GREAT way to get your foot in the door. If you're smart, and you have a good work ethic, even purely temp positions are a great way of getting into a company, which grants you a few opportunities: (a) experience, (b) to prove your value as an employee to the company you are assigned to, (c) the ability to network and gain/maintain connections, and (d) you need to make sure you are allowed to do so, but generally you will have access to the internal job/open position postings that may not even make it out to employment agencies, recruiters, or sites like monster.com. Applying for a position within the company you are already working in? Higher chance of getting a job than if you're just some faceless dude somewhere else in the world.

    c) If possible, seek the agency out in person. If they have an office near you, call them and ask if you can stop by with your resume and possibly to talk to a recruiter. I found that being in front of a recruiter puts you ahead of those that simply (and literally) "phone it in."

    4) Don't lose hope! (alt: Don't Panic! :P) Look, the market fucking sucks right now. I've been out of work for months now. So many people are out of work. And while knowing that doesn't bring you closer to employment, knowing that should matter. I don't mean to armchair psychoanalyze you, but the way you phrased your topic - "why won't anyone hire me?" - sounds like you feel rejected. So, no, knowing that you're in the same spot as so many other people won't get you closer to finding a job, but please realize that people with tons of experience are fucked right now. I'd say a big part of finding a job right now is right place, right time, right recruiter.

    I rather feel like "good job hunting practices" would make a good H/A sticky thread, considering the state of the US (and global) economy.

    Drez on
    Switch: SW-7690-2320-9238Steam/PSN/Xbox: Drezdar
  • SkyGheNeSkyGheNe Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Yeah, I probably sent out about 200 resumes before I got a bite.

    The economy is terrible, but I kept doing work for free, volunteering, making connections, and freelancing. That work got me the job I'm in right now (online advertising) and I had a "useless" english degree so...keep at it.

    SkyGheNe on
  • KetarKetar Come on upstairs we're having a partyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Deebaser wrote: »
    Tighten up your resume. Please don't take offense, but it's pretty bad.

    Education:
    2004 – 2008 University of Nebraska BA, Marketing
    2008 – Present University of Nebraska MA, Accounting

    The above is three lines shorter and a helluva lot clearer to someone skimming your resume.

    Additional Skills:
    Shouldn't really be 'Additional' considering these are the first skills you're mentioning. They're just "skills". Aside from the first and last, they aren't really even skills. The computer trouble shooting is already on there under the IT intern position. Add the LAN one too if you have professional experience setting up a LAN.

    Make these changes. All of them.

    And yes, get rid of the objective. Not in favor of a new one, mind you, just delete it entirely.

    Fix the "Experience with A , B , C , D ,and E" section - commas immediately after each program (rather than after a space, as they show now), and a space between the 4th comma and "and."

    The bullet points under the Monitor position read as though you are still performing those duties. Change the phrasing to the past tense, like you have done for the IT Intern position.

    Maybe just a personal preference, but I'd change the bullet points under your current position to "Recruit and interview respondents" and "Ensure survey quality" (making sure not to capitalize survey as it is now unless you actually work on The Big Boppin Survey or something similar that would actually make survey a proper noun). As a start, anyway. Try to spruce the wording up a bit - I was going to offer suggestions but I'm a bit tired and just had a rather large argument with my wife mid-post. I'm sure some of the other folks responding can offer some advice on how to change that up a bit though.

    Ketar on
  • FagatronFagatron Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I have been mostly unemployed for almost two years and am in a similar situation to you (less education, more practical experience, a good half a decade younger).

    It doesn't help that I'm looking for IT work in the Bay Area but at least I have a place to stay here.

    EDIT: I am totally doing the Job Recruiter/Temp Assignment thing though, and am networking and freelancing like a motherfucker. If you are unable to say you've been doing anything recently to an interviewer it doesn't look so great.

    Fagatron on
  • DrezDrez Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I should also point out that consistent temp work will qualify you for unemployment benefits, if the need arises. Check your state's minimum requirements for that, but if you're "between assignments," you have a legit unemployment claim (at least in New York, and I'm willing to bet all 49 other states as well).

    Drez on
    Switch: SW-7690-2320-9238Steam/PSN/Xbox: Drezdar
  • kaliyamakaliyama Left to find less-moderated fora Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I could see lazy people reading your resume as you taking 6 years to get a bachelors. I'd mark the bachelor's as completed, if you have actually been awarded the degree.

    kaliyama on
    fwKS7.png?1
  • finnithfinnith ... TorontoRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    It really sucks to be a student. No money, very little chance to get a job. It's even more depressing for me because I was stupid enough to ignore two interview requests for an Administrative Assistant position at this small company and Intern position at the Green Part of Ontario at the beginning of the summer. Both positions were volunteer, but they're better than the nothing I have been doing since April.

    It's incredibly depressing. I think I need to improve my networking skills, as only my friends with good connections have been able to get jobs.

    finnith on
    Bnet: CavilatRest#1874
    Steam: CavilatRest
  • DarksierDarksier Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    finnith wrote: »
    It really sucks to be a student. No money, very little chance to get a job. It's even more depressing for me because I was stupid enough to ignore two interview requests for an Administrative Assistant position at this small company and Intern position at the Green Part of Ontario at the beginning of the summer. Both positions were volunteer, but they're better than the nothing I have been doing since April.

    It's incredibly depressing. I think I need to improve my networking skills, as only my friends with good connections have been able to get jobs.

    Internships are generally the way to go to start building your network. What's depressing is that not many people once out of school can afford to take on internships, especially if its volunteer work. For a lot of job fields its the only way to build up the experience required to even break into the entry level positions.

    Darksier on
  • BloodfartBloodfart Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    If you aren't too concerned with finding perfect 'career' jobs right now then I recommend getting the fuck out of the states and hit up another country for work.

    I highly recommend China in particular because i have experience here as a place to let go of stress, make some good, easy money, and save money.

    Teaching jobs are ridiculously easy to find here and the pay to expenses ratio is awesome.

    If you can learn the language then there are plenty of other 'career' oriented jobs available as the workforce here is fairly amateur (local chinese aren't nearly as professional yet as foreigners) so most businesses want to hire foreigners as managers or skilled persons for far more pay than the locals get.

    And did i mention the women here are sexier by far than any other women anyplace else? And theres an abundance of them. Literally any foreigner can land an exceptionally sexy girl or several.

    Bloodfart on
  • HypatiaHypatia Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Agree with dumping the objective, you might also want to try to spin your experience into something more positive.

    Instead of: Ensuring Survey quality
    Something more like: Led efforts to ensure optimal quality in survey material by <whatever you did to ensure survey quality>

    Instead of: Several years experience working in a sales/retail customer service environment
    Something more like: Experienced in working with difficult clients in high pressure situations to resolve problems in retail and sales environments.

    Also point out if you were ever recognized or praised for it, like, "...which led to recognition by management and <insert anything positive that resulted>"

    And yeah, making it past tense would probably be good. Not to say that that's exactly what you should write, it's just putting on that sort of "make everything I did look like I was totally awesome!" spin.

    Hypatia on
  • NylonathetepNylonathetep Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I would say your resume needs a lot of work.

    I would suggest googling sample resume, take a template, and then work from there.

    Objective isn't that bad. There are resumes with objective listed, it just depends on what form of resume you are using.

    The most glaring problem with this resume is that it doesn't have any keywords. There are about like 500 applicants for a job these days and HR doesn't have time to read through all the resumes. Instead what they'll do is they'll run it through a program that'll scan for words that'll match with what they need from their candidates: Task-oriented, problem solver, takes initatives, fast learner, adaptive, etc. Chances are if your resume doesn't have most of these words it won't even get looked it.

    Another Major problem with your resume is that it doesn't tell your prospective employer what you are doing, and how you bring value to the work place. Basically your work experience should list what you have accomplished when you are at your previous employment. People have crazy insane good accomplishment like a marketing sales director bringing sales up 30%, or implimented a plan that saved their company money. Ofcourse not everyone have those, but look back at your previous job and see if you have done anything that you got a pat on the back. Also listing your previous job's duties as well. Something simple like a teller job can be written as "deliver excellent customer service and building customer relationship", "process customer's transaction in a effective and organized manner". Do that with your Education as well... what are you learning in class that can be directly applied to help your future company?

    That's why Job agencies are so amazing at what they do. That's how I scored my current job. They fix up their resumes for you, and package it in a presentable way that'll appeal to the company trying to find talent. I usually have a template set up, and then tailor my resume to appeal to the job that I'm applying to. It's a bit of work but it's worth the effort if you want to get a job.

    Also getting an interview doesn't mean you'll get hired automatically. You'll need to work on your interview skills.

    Good luck, and keep your head up.

    Nylonathetep on
    714353-1.png
  • CelestialBadgerCelestialBadger Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    To get a job, you need to tell the employer what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. Your objective on the CV is to gain experience, fine - that's what you will gain out of the job - but what can you offer your employer? That's what they want to know.

    A company will usually have a specific problem they want a new employee to solve. Focus your resume towards that individual company's individual problem as revealed in your job advert. You can do accounting, marketing, surveys, and IT. No job needs all of that, so re-write your resume from different angles to suit the different companies you apply to.

    Let's say you are applying for an IT support gig. They don't give a toss about your marketing knowledge, so downplay that and focus on your IT experience, even the informal stuff you do for friends.

    Or say you are applying to do surveys in the street. They wouldn't care about your IT or accounting skills, so focus on the marketing and survey experience.

    Rewriting resumes for each job is a pain but gets more 'bites' than a generalized resume. After a while you get about 5 different resumes that can be sent out to similar jobs.

    CelestialBadger on
  • CelestialBadgerCelestialBadger Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Instead what they'll do is they'll run it through a program that'll scan for words that'll match with what they need from their candidates: Task-oriented, problem solver, takes initatives, fast learner, adaptive, etc. Chances are if your resume doesn't have most of these words it won't even get looked it.

    Big companies do this. Little companies don't do this - a human reads them. So give resumes for big companies lots of keywords, but for little companies, write for humans.

    For technical jobs the keywords tend to be technical. So "fast learner" wouldn't be important as a keyword, since it's just fluff, and "Quickbooks" would be very important if that's what the job will be about.

    CelestialBadger on
Sign In or Register to comment.