Quote :

"plus searching online freaking blows. does anyone just mail unsolicited resumes and cover letters to places they'd like to work?"

1. It does.
2. I wouldn't do that honestly. You don't want to just send your resume out unsolicited all over the place. I don't think that it's a bad idea to target a few places and send your resume with a nice, tidy note... but I'm not sure what you'd even put on a cover letter that would be different from a resume if it's not to a specific hiring manager about a specific job opportunity.

Quote :

"and as much as i hate linkedin and schmoozing with recruiters, looks like i'll have to work on that"

Why would you hate that? It's far better than staring at a screen and picking out positions that 4,583 other people (at least 30% of which are far more qualified than you experience wise) have also applied to. It's not THAT bad working with recruiters. Just unreliable, but everything in this market is.

*** Also, on a personal note, I think I've found a contract job in my field for pretty decent money. Fingers crossed. I should know by the weekend.

[Edited on August 19, 2010 at 8:56 AM. Reason : x]

8/19/2010 8:55:31 AM

^ godspeed.

unless that takes away from your sports talk time.

8/19/2010 9:35:37 AM

khcadwal

I’ve been following your job search here on and off, and the way I see it at this point, you have three options.

1. Continue to press along in the search for a job worthy of your qualifications. As someone with a law degree (albeit from Central), you would normally have several opportunities to land some place where you could put your talents to use. But now is not a normal time. You and other highly educated individuals are struggling to find jobs they deem suitable. I have confidence you’ll find something eventually, but in the meantime, the path will be fraught with frustration and peril.

2. There are several jobs where you could use your looks as a means to get hired and be successful. Now I know you're not a natural beauty, but I think with the right clothes and the right look you could be very striking. We’re not talking anything scandalous here; just something where you’re going to be visible to the client base. Restaurant hostess, working at a car dealership, or a hotel concierge would be positions you could find a home in while retaining your dignity. It could be a nice stop gap to a legal career.

3. Lose all hope. Tired of being a slave to a godless and gutless system where the rich get richer and the poor get fucked over and out, you join the day shift at Pure Gold, where you’ll hate it, but the money will be too good to leave. Eventually a bearded man will entice you to shoot some amateur home video, promising it will only be distributed overseas. Its on redtube within three days. All your friends and family ostracize you. Left with nothing and already black listed from any corporate profession, you turn to the streets. You lose your teeth to gum disease and eventually succumb to HIV you transmitted while blowing a Guatemalan construction worker in the back of a Monte Carlo. You die alone.


The choice is yours.

8/19/2010 9:36:22 AM

Has anybody heard of Jigsaw? It's Business Contact Directory. You look up a company you are interested in and lists all the employers for it. They have a point system where each contact that you want to get info on is worth 5 points. You only get 10 points on your free trial. You have to pay for additional points. I was able to find a couple of people for some companies that I've applied for.

http://www.jigsaw.com

8/19/2010 12:06:33 PM

Quote :

"As someone with a law degree (albeit from Central)"

I believe she went to Elon.

8/19/2010 12:17:14 PM

Quote :

"I wouldn't do that honestly. You don't want to just send your resume out unsolicited all over the place. I don't think that it's a bad idea to target a few places and send your resume with a nice, tidy note... but I'm not sure what you'd even put on a cover letter that would be different from a resume if it's not to a specific hiring manager about a specific job opportunity."

yea i definitely get that. i've only picked a few non-profits that i'd really like to work for and found the contact information for the hiring people. i def don't just send it on over. RTI and some other companies actually have a form online where you can submit a general cover letter and resume that they'll keep just in case a position you are qualified for becomes available. i mean, they say they'll keep it but i wonder if anyone even looks at the general ones that come in? probably not. sigh.

^^^ and even though i know you are just being a dick, a lot of jobs like car dealership, retail, etc won't hire me because they are afraid i will leave the second i find a better job offer (true, but that could take months and months). i've definitely tried places like that.

[Edited on August 19, 2010 at 1:35 PM. Reason : .]

8/19/2010 1:32:59 PM

I got laid off by IBM in February, 2009. After working two contracts, I finally landed a permanent position at NetApp. They are doing a ton of hiring, so I recommend checking out their website.

I also recommend posting your entire resume on LinkedIn if you haven't already. I got several messages from recruiters on there, including NetApp and EMC.

[Edited on August 19, 2010 at 7:00 PM. Reason : :]

8/19/2010 7:00:11 PM

Quote :

"Has anybody heard of Jigsaw? It's Business Contact Directory."

I don't know how much it costs, but I wouldn't spend any money on this site if i were you. I looked up my company just to see if it was listed. I was surprised to see it had 23 contacts listed, but it was hit or miss. Listed were a combination of people that:
-I've never heard of
-left the company years ago (ie 5+ years ago)
-were laid off/left the company within the last year
-were under a incorrect or outdated title/position
-were under a correct title/position that they have held for years
-were under a correct title/position due to recent promotion or lateral change

8/19/2010 8:25:50 PM

^^ I've made several posts with different groups. I have gotten some responses.
^ I'm not planning to do it. I came across a former employer today and it was outdated.

8/19/2010 11:20:15 PM

Had an interview yesterday down in Greenville, SC for a CFD nerd position. Thought it went extremely well. (However, I've said that before on several occasions.)
Gave a presentation, answered most of the questions competently, wasn't afraid to say "I don't know" when that was the truth. Dude who took me out to lunch told me, "Not that my opinion counts too much, but I thought your presentation was extremely good. You can tell with some people who are faking it or trying too hard through the presentation, and you weren't like that. Good job."
hope to hear back next week.

8/20/2010 9:31:05 AM

^ nice!, good luck man

8/20/2010 10:00:46 AM

any tips for the 2 office visits i have next week (itinaries say each should last about 4 hours)

8/20/2010 4:21:11 PM

Applied last night (online) to McGraw-Hill. It's the second position I've applied for there (this is almost identical to the first), and I would not only be great at this job, I would actually enjoy it. I really really hope I can at least get an interview this time :-/

I hate having nothing to do during the day

8/20/2010 4:25:55 PM

How much do people pay attention to skill/experience requirements? It's one thing if I don't have a lot of working experience with something but am at least aware of what it is, but I have reservations about applying to jobs that, by their standards, I don't really qualify for. I suppose I have nothing to lose by applying, the worst they can do is say no, but at the same time I'd rather not try to get a job that I can't do anyway.

8/20/2010 4:34:28 PM

i'm in business/finance/accounting and spent 5 years on 2 degrees. All of my interview have been with jobs asking for 2-4 years experience, one was asking 3-5. i worked 25hrs a week for 2 years in my field, one as an intern and one as *temp help* All of the jobs have asked for masters degree (in the preferred category)

8/20/2010 4:47:20 PM

^ pass those jobs along to me. I just got laid off and I'd fit within those qualifications.

8/20/2010 4:55:21 PM

Unemployment insurance extension question:

I'm near the end of my Tier 1 benefits and I got the automated "you have 2 weeks of benefits left." Do I have to do anything other than keep filing weekly to get Tier 2 kicked in come September 5th?

8/22/2010 12:19:52 AM

So I'm applying for jobs up in NYC but am still living in NC, should I bother putting this in my cover letter or could I use a friend's more local address?

8/23/2010 12:38:30 PM

My understanding is that most recruiters/hr guys are loathe to take anybody who has to relocate, so even if you plan on relocating anyway it might not be a bad idea to use the friend's address.

8/23/2010 2:49:08 PM

Quote :

"I'm near the end of my Tier 1 benefits and I got the automated "you have 2 weeks of benefits left." Do I have to do anything other than keep filing weekly to get Tier 2 kicked in come September 5th?"

nope...just keep filing ryan
you should be fine unless you get called in for a sit down. LK knows all about those

8/23/2010 4:33:29 PM

So how much are you guys using social media in your job search? I had a nice long phone call yesterday with an old colleague who is now a hiring manager for Google now and she really got me to change my mindset on how to use it. Gave me advice to completely block any non-friends from Facebook, really concentrate on LinkedIn and that Twitter is increasingly becoming the best way to network online -- as every large company is on there and even runs backgrounds through it.

I deleted my old twitter account and re-started one to use in a more professional manner (mind you, not completely though -- important to still have "fun tweets" almost daily) among other things and am going to try and re-tool my entire social media approach going forward.

Quote :

"So I'm applying for jobs up in NYC but am still living in NC, should I bother putting this in my cover letter or could I use a friend's more local address?"

Definitely don't want to fudge things, especially if they eventually run a background check... Are you having any luck? It is INCREDIBLY difficult to run a job search (especially if you don't have a solid network) from a different area unless you are an executive level employee. Especially in a market as large as New York City. But then again, IMO the worst thing anyone in the world could is move there BEFORE finding a job in this market.

*** I have a second interview/proficiency exam on Thursday for a finance position. I feel pretty good about it with the referral that I got for the position.

[Edited on August 24, 2010 at 1:22 PM. Reason : we'll see. fingers crossed.]

8/24/2010 1:17:35 PM

Hey guys, we have some positions open up at Bronto Software in Durham!

If you're interested drop me a message and I'll forward your information on:
- Software Sales Executive
- Business Analyst
- PHP Software Engineer
- Support Associate
- Web Designer
- Integration Product Manager
- Online Marketing Strategist
- Partner Marketing Manager
- Sales Coordinator
- PHP Production Software Engineer
- Java Software Engineer
- Director of Sales

For more info on any of these check out the specific listing here:
http://www.bronto.com/company/careers

You can also call Melissa Cordell at:
919.595.2463 or email melissa.cordell@bronto.com

8/24/2010 1:45:14 PM

anyone looking for a job in the clinical research industry, hit me up via PM. my company is doing quite a bit of hiring in our durham office.

8/24/2010 2:21:43 PM

^ I sent you a message on facebook this morning about a job actually!

8/24/2010 3:34:31 PM

There's a Technical Support Engineer position opening at my company, PM resume if interested.

8/24/2010 4:09:17 PM

Quote :

"So how much are you guys using social media in your job search? I had a nice long phone call yesterday with an old colleague who is now a hiring manager for Google now and she really got me to change my mindset on how to use it. Gave me advice to completely block any non-friends from Facebook, really concentrate on LinkedIn and that Twitter is increasingly becoming the best way to network online -- as every large company is on there and even runs backgrounds through it."

I've been using LinkedIn alot lately. I've found some really good contacts through it.

8/24/2010 8:20:36 PM

Quote :

"Hey guys, we have some positions open up at Bronto Software in Durham!"

Heh, I've got at least one application in with them. It's been at least 3 weeks and they haven't written back, though.

8/25/2010 12:34:50 AM

Quote :

"I've been using LinkedIn alot lately. I've found some really good contacts through it."

I've always been confused about how this is supposed to work.

"Hey, I don't know you, but you know a person who knows a person who knows me. Will you recommend me for a job?"
"Yea, I don't know who you are, but sure I'll recommend you. I hope you get hired, because then I get a bonus!"

I've always thought the whole process is dishonest.

8/25/2010 9:44:54 AM

Huh? That's not really what happens, at least in my experience.

It's a networking tool. The people who recommend you are generally previous co-workers -- either colleagues or previous supervisors. Those recommendations are usually general in nature and not for a specific job opportunity.

It's really not any different than typical in-person networking. It's not like most contacts in a company know that much about a person that is referred other than word of mouth from people who are mutual acquaintances.

8/25/2010 10:26:49 AM

^^What happened with me was I found a company that does work I want to get into (military research) and saw their employees, and saw one was a second connection through a professor. I emailed the professor describing what happened, and he said he knew the guy through a PhD program. Prof emailed the guy recommending me, then a day or two later I emailed him as well. We've been talking for awhile now and have a "date" scheduled for next week

--

The interview I thought went great had the job offered to someone else, but the hiring manager said after that happened that he'd send my resume and interview notes to other hiring managers in the company. Not sure if that's actually the case or if it was a generic email, guess we'll see if I get a phone call back.

Sent off some more resumes this morning and the end of last week. Have an onsite interview at a place I'm not sure I'd want to work that is 2 hours away, but that's the first week of September so hopefully I have something pop up here.

I should be starting a new internship in north Raleigh based off of the reactions to my interview yesterday morning. Unfortunately, it is unpaid and part time since it is for a nonprofit - though it is a 'make what you want out of it' position. It will be networking with all of the nanotech companies in the area, which is where I want to work and am super qualified to work, so it should lead into something very quickly...I hope.

8/25/2010 11:05:50 AM

I had a job for 3 days and then was laid off due to "duplication with the parent company".

Back to the unemployed life for me.

8/25/2010 11:06:29 AM

^ awwww misha i'm sorry

8/25/2010 11:09:07 AM

Does anyone know anyone in the Louisville area? Relocated with fiance and desperately seeking work. Have interviewed a few places, been to networking events etc but no luck.

8/25/2010 11:14:26 AM

I had an interview yesterday at a huge pharmaceutical company. I was under the impression that it would be a long term contract. However, I come to find out it's for only 2 months . If I get it, I hope to make some contacts and find projects I can do after my 2 months is up.

8/25/2010 12:29:03 PM

Quote :

"duplication with the parent company"

what does that mean?

8/25/2010 1:10:44 PM

Hi.

99.9% of you have no idea who I am (nor, probably care, which is fine). However, the running joke among the people that I do know is that I know everyone on the planet. That's obviously far from the truth, per my opening premise, however...

I have people and companies contacting me all the time because they are looking for people on both a contracting and permanent basis. Seemingly, there are plenty of bodies, but very little talent available. While I have managed to find several people jobs (even some on this site), as a favor, I couldn't remotely begin to guess at what any of your skills, fields or requirements vis-a-vis a job would be.

Not sure if there should be a new thread with resumes in it (or maybe I missed it upon a cursory glance?), but it would surely help me, to help you, if I knew what your skills are and/or what types of positions you may be looking for.

I guess PM works, but I don't check TWW all that often.

8/25/2010 1:47:20 PM

Just had a few questions to see if anyone else has gone through the same thing. I am currently in Wilmington taking a few months off before hopefully starting grad school in either January or August. I'm not trying to get any jobs related to my major but am just trying to find a part-time job somewhere. I've applied to like 12-15 places online and haven't heard a single thing from any of them. I applied to most of them at least a week or two ago and yet have not had one phone call or email about any of them. Should I call and ask for a status update on my application? Should I try and start submitting applications in person? Or am I just overqualified for these jobs and I just need to get lucky with one of them? Any personal experiences or help would be appreciated.

8/25/2010 2:54:38 PM

^ i've always watered down my resume a lot

also, restauraunts and coffeshops etc seem to respond better if you show up looking semi nice and ask to fill out an application and speak with a manager.

what type of part time are you looking for

8/25/2010 3:03:07 PM

Anything, really. I have had experience working in both retail and food before so I don't really mind either one. At this point, any job works for me. I'd rather not wait but if it really comes down to it then I will.

Good point on the resume though. I probably need to start getting out more and showing up in person. I don't have a car (which is the point of me coming home for a few months to save and buy one) so that's why I have been relying more on the online applications but I'll start doing that. Should I call the ones I already applied to?

8/25/2010 3:23:45 PM

Quote :

"Heh, I've got at least one application in with them. It's been at least 3 weeks and they haven't written back, though. "

Check your inbox and I'll see what I can find out for you.

8/25/2010 3:53:42 PM

funny
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home

8/25/2010 11:15:54 PM

Are you looking for the who is still working from home thread

8/26/2010 8:47:01 AM

just got an offer in the 336, just have to clear the background and drug screen. AWESOME

attn all accounting/finance peeps, market is looking up my homies

8/26/2010 3:20:37 PM

^ congrats

I applied for a job at CassTheSass's company yesterday. The recruiter emailed me today and said they can't move forward because they are more qualified candidates.

8/26/2010 4:34:18 PM

So I've got a response back from a company, and as part of the first round of interviews I have to write/debug some code for them. I'm pretty nervous. I believe in my programming skills, but there's always some obscure thing or requirement that somebody wants and I don't know how to give it to them, or I always fuck up one or more minor details.

8/30/2010 11:39:33 AM

4 months unemployed today.

I sort of have a job lined up with WCPSS. I was told I was the person they wanted to hire over a month ago. HR had completed the background check about 4 weeks ago this past friday and approved my application. Now they're waiting on school board approval. the school board has met twice since my background check, but HR just submitted my hire for approval on friday the 27th. It won't be until at least the 7th of Sept. that they review it...could be later. WCPSS has the worst hiring process ever. The position is empty and there is nobody else that does the same thing full-time. - you'd think they'd want to get it filled ASAP.

In the mean time, I had a phone interview with a company this morning that went pretty well. I should hear back about an on-site interview by the end of this week, maybe as soon as wednesday. I'm hoping this pans out and I get through their interview process before hearing back from WCPSS. Or at least around the exact same time.

8/30/2010 1:06:24 PM

I didn't get the job with the pharmaceutical company I had interviewed for last week. However, I just got a call from the recruiter saying that want to make an offer to me. I took it. I'm not sure if a candidate had pulled out or what. It's only for a couple of months as far as I know. Maybe I can other work out there to extend my stay.

8/30/2010 5:24:49 PM

congrats!

yeah, maybe you weren't their first choice and the other person declined or something didn't work out (background check?). I think everybody would prefer to think they were the first choice, but you can't let that get in your way. Good luck with it, make the most of it and like you said, maybe they'll extend the contract.

Knowing it's a short term contract, I think I'd keep looking for other opportunities. Especially considering how long the interview/hiring process can take sometimes.

[Edited on August 30, 2010 at 6:06 PM. Reason : .]

8/30/2010 6:06:19 PM

^ I will still be looking just in case. I hope to make some good contacts and see if there are other projects I can get it on when my contract ends.

8/30/2010 7:57:11 PM

When I was looking for work, I remember an opportunity about being fast-tracked to be a math teacher. I was seriously looking into it, but was able to get a real job and got bailed out. For you technical types, I figured that might be a viable option if the opportunity to be math/science teachers still exist.

8/30/2010 8:10:19 PM