Tough time to find a new job

I would guess they assume someone that overqualified is just looking for a holdover job and might leave at a moment's notice.

We've got a lot of useless degrees floating around in this country.

 

That's what my friend told me a lot of the sentiment he received as feedback from the jobs he was rejected -- that they figured he'd be out the door the minute something better came calling and that they'd have to go through the process of training and hiring someone new in six months or less.

 

Hard to believe that people are this oblivious to what's happening these days.

 

I really don't know what to say about this.

Express surprise that people apparently think folks with graduate degrees who are looking for jobs have just been cavorting in dandelion fields all this time; or that someone hiring for a night manager at K-mart thinks the guy with the masters in Philosophy has a lot of prospects these days.

 

A lot of them have "j-o-u-r-n-a-l-i-s-m" printed on them.

Not worth the paper ... they were intended to keep you employed at.

 

I suppose, but isn't turnover at jobs like that ridiculously high anyway? Doesn't everyone --- even those with llittle education --- go out the door when they find something better?

Bad pay + bad benefits + bad working conditions = high turnover, regardless if the employees are high school dropouts or PhDs.

 

It's brutal, and if you don't network, you have no chance.

It's just not good enough anymore to send a resume and cover letter and expect anybody to care.

So my advice would be to stop it with the resumes and cover letters and start getting face time anywhere you can.

Tell every friend and acquaintance how much your job currently sucks. Beg family members for leads. That stuff might work. Maybe. If you're lucky.

Otherwise, stay put. Hope for the best.

 

Yeah, but the high school dropouts find something else sooner than the PhDs, cuz nobody wants to hire them overqualified types. So better that KMart load up on the overly degreed folks, since they're so damn unattractive in this job market.

 

About a month ago, when I took a buyout, I read a great story on CNN.com about looking for a job.

The gist: If you're spending more than two hours a day sifting through online sites and sending out resumes in hopes of landing a new job, you're spending too much time. Why? Because personal networking is the way to go.

At first, I thought it was silly. I network plenty in the journalism field, and I know there are no jobs out there.

But then I starting networking through my junior ladies club in my city that I'm a member of - and guess what? I've landed a couple freelance gigs paying 4-5 figures over the course of a project and a new full-time job I'm planning to start in August (my decision on when to start, not theirs). Is it in journalism? No. Is it in communications? No. Is it in publishing/publications? No. But the prospect of a new career in a new field is positively uplifting.

There is no job for you at a paper, or a website, right now. Accept it.

Try getting out and going to a Happy Hour for a young professionals group in your area. Check your Chamber of Commerce -- they usually have SOMETHING. Or attend a civic club meeting and start networking from there. You'd be surprised at what you can find, and it will likely be something that will still be something that you will love and something that will give you nights/weekends/holidays off.

 

WFW

 

Sending out 100 resumes to sports editors probably isn't going to work, especially in this environment. There's no personal touch in that, and 80-90% of them right now don't have openings, period.

You need to network and you need to pick your spots. Find 15-20 companies in your town, or at least in a big town within an hour's or so drive, that have communications or media departments. Check out any business directories you can find.

Get the name of the VP or officer over media/communications at that company. Research some basics about the company, and tailor a ONE-page letter to that particular person (do NOT send to an HR officer) extolling their virtues with a factual basis that shows you care about them, explain that you are contemplating a career change and would like a BRIEF sitdown with them to chat about career changes and any advice they can give you. Do not send a resume, do not say you are job hunting. You are seeking career guidance and believe them to be someone who can offer some info. Go in with no expectations on your part, just knowing you are connecting, selling yourself without a sales pitch per se. Hey, relax.

Follow up a week or two after the letter with a phone call and talk your way through his or her asst. to set up an in-person interview. Ask for 20 minutes. Keep it light, speak slowly. If you use good stationery, polish up your phone skills and know what questions to get THEM talking and go there with no expectations of a job offer, then that's half the battle.

Do not take a resume. Enjoy the conversation and look at it solely as networking, NOT as a job interview. If you get sweaty palms going in, then you aren't treating this right. Treat it as though you have nothing to lose and a new contact to be gained, and every contact gained puts you one yard closer to the goal line. Goal here is to get a referral and make a friend. It's called looking for the HIDDEN JOB MARKET. Send a thank-you letter immediately after telling them you will keep them apprised of your whereabouts.

It does work, trust me. But you have to be confident, gutsy and persistent, and KNOW who you are talking to even if they don't know you.

 

This was never a great idea, even in a good job market.