Another Two Down

Hello again.  It's been a few days.  And unfortunately, not too much has happened.  Thursday and Friday I spent looking for postings to apply to, but I did not find anything of interest.  And really there's no point in applying to something you don't want to do, because Murphy's Law says that's when you'll actually get a callback.  A few popped up over the weekend.  This morning I spent going over them, and I culled a few from my list and only ended up applying to two (again). 

I applied to a HR position with a nonprofit that helps women in post-conflict regions.  Even though it's HR, at least it's a mission I find interesting and would want to work towards.  Also it could be a way "into" the organization. 

The other was what my friend Charlie likes to call "pie in the sky" jobs.  This position was with the Council on Foreign Relations, and is basically assisting a Senior Fellow with their research.  All the stars aligned in the posting, it was issues related to development and the Middle East.  Everyone applying to that job is going to have experience and research in the Middle East, so I decided to focus on personal traits and work habits in my cover letter.  Essentially, not only can I write well as evidenced by graduating with honors and a high GPA, but I'm actually a good employee who will be on time, do what they're told, eager to learn new skills and people, and help out in other areas when they can.

I sent out an inquiry letter to a nonprofit in New York which covers the Israel/Palestine conflict and works to give coverage to mainstream views of the issue on both sides.  They posted an internship ad with Idealist about a month ago (which is a long time), and their website was unclear as to whether or not it was still available.  I haven't heard back from her yet, but if it's still open I will apply for it.  I'm not spending a lot of time looking for internships, what with the whole "unpaid" thing and all, but if it's with an organization with a mission in the Middle East or international development, I think it's probably worth it.

LinkedIn is kind of schizophrenic and can't seem to make up its mind if I've had people trying to look me up.  On its main sidebar it says one view in the past 90 days (ouch..), but once I open up that panel it shows two views for last week and two appearances in the search.  This would be a good sign if it's true, since I applied to two jobs last week.  But since LinkedIn can't make up its mind, I guess I'm continuing to play the waiting game for now.  It also has brought up the question of whether or not to provide a hyperlink on the resume or cover letter to a LinkedIn profile.  Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

Not very productive

The first day of my new job search got off to a late start.  I had lunch with a coworker from Pizza Hut, and woke up late, so the morning was shot.  Before lunch I at least resolved to find jobs to apply for after I got home.  I scanned over 15 pages at Idealist.  That gives me a little bit of hope, because I searched under "full time" and "four-year degree."  I didn't get nearly that many pages when I did this last year (and those 15 pages were all posted within the past three days).  Even though I only found 5 of which I would be remotely interested and qualified in, and only actually applied to 2 of them, maybe things will be better this time around.

Going forward, I am not going to rely on Idealist like I did last summer, but rather make the round every week or so.  I also hope to send in four targeted and well written applications a day--considering I only did about a half day today and sent in two, I think it's a feasible goal.  I've also started a Word document to keep track of my applications, so I don't mistakenly apply to something twice, which would be pretty embarrassing.

Today I was musing about the suggestions job search advice boards put forward.  They include addressing your cover letter to a real person, calling to make sure your application was received, etc.  While all this would be good advice in theory, or even ten years ago, it is not practical.  It makes me wonder if these "job coaches" have even applied for a job in the past five years (though as I also mused today, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.").  Let me walk you through the most common job posting you will see for a nonprofit industry.

JOB TITLE:  Something really fancy and professional sounding, but translated means "Secretary." COMPANY:  Organization Name That Really Doesn't Convey What We Do

JOB DUTIES:  Basically we want you to run the office and get us coffee and send our mail and get our mail and answer our phones and update the website and be a team player but know how to work alone and be a self stater and know how to prioritize tasks while at the same time multitask and have a sense of humor because everyone is going to secretly hate you even though you are the least paid girl in the place and you got a Bachelor's degree and the closest you'll come to a real job in the nonprofit industry is to be our secretary.  I mean "administrative assistant."

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:  Master's degree and 8 years of experience, or a mix of education and experience.  Because we all know you need a Master's degree to plug in a coffee machine in the morning and to babysit some CEO.  Amirite, ladies?

TO APPLY:  Please send your resume to genericHRlady@company.com, or apply on our website, where we have a list of senior employees but not the HR manager or the manager of the department you are applying to.  Please send applications only on the 2nd day of the winter solstice after a harvest moon, and please be sure the subject title of your e-mail reads "PR8JK2" and ONLY "PR8JK2."  This is to test if you are able to follow directions.  Please include salary requirements, as we are going to hire the cheapest sucker out there, so shoot low boys and girls!  ABSOLUTELY NO PHONE CALLS.  EVERY TIME YOU CALL US, JESUS KILLS A KITTY.  THINK OF THE KITTIES!

Okay.  Maybe I took a few liberties there.  But not many, I assure you.  The point is, when you apply to a job, especially in the non-profit industry and I'm sure pretty much every where else too, you probably have never heard of them before.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing , but it also means if you don't have an "in" with the organization, you have no choice but to submit your application to "genericHRlady@company.com."  Their websites, if they even exist, and if they aren't filled with 404 errors, either have limited or no information on employees, either because (1) They are a large organization (2)  Security reasons and (3) Does anyone besides job searchers really care?  Sometimes you can get lucky and find a name, which at least shows that you can do research, or that you are a stalker. But for the most part, you're at the mercy of the job posting.

The other thing about job coaches advising you to follow up with phone calls at every point in the process is ridiculous.  As mocked in the "To Apply" section, a good 90% of job postings specify "no phone calls."  The reason for this is not a mystery.  With a national unemployment rate at 9.1% for May 2011 (Source: BLS updates its sidebar monthly), and depending on who you talk to, the unemployed + underemployed + stopped looking is approaching 20%, their phones would be ringing off the hook with each job posting, and they wouldn't get any work done.  Ignore the company's request at your own peril.  I have never been so bold as to call an organization which blatantly stated no phone calls, but have read anecdotes on line from various hiring managers who have been badgered this way.  Getting yourself to stand out from the crowd is a good thing, but not in the obnoxious and crazy way.  So again, until you get that first phone call or e-mail from a living, breathing human being with a name, you have all your money rolling on your resume and cover letter.

Which, brings me back to the moral of the story, is that instead of using standard resumes and cookie cutter cover letters, you need to tailor each to the application you are sending in.  In short, it's quality over quantity in order to get yourself noticed.  Some job search blogs out there get it, most, unfortunately, don't.  So that's why I'm aiming for four a day.  As long as the postings keep the same pace I'm seeing now, there should be plenty to pick from.

A Year in the Life

Truth be told, I am slowly losing my mind.  A year after college graduation, and I have had absolutely no success in landing a full time job.  I am currently $43,000 in debt with student loans, give or take, which at its height was around $48,000.  Last year after graduation, I spent the summer applying to anything from entry level business positions with large corporations to small nonprofit offices.  Anything that was full time with benefits.  I received one telephone interview from Target's corporate office in Minnesota, which did not result in an in person interview.

One.  Phone call.

By this time, it was late July. I had moved back in with my parents to the middle of Nowhere, Minnesota, and I didn't even have a part time job to show for my efforts.  Countless hours, and all it resulted in was one telephone interview.  I rarely even received messages saying my application had been rejected in favor of other applicants.  To say I was--and still am--jaded, depressed, bitter, angry, and pessimistic is an understatement.

With my savings account not growing any larger, I decided it was time to at least get something in town in order to save up some money in the event I had to move somewhere.  I ended up as a waitress in town, whose clientele shall we say was less than tolerable.  I managed to grin and bear it for ten months before I handed in my two weeks.  At the time, I was anticipating teaching English in South Korea. 

While that opportunity is still a possibility, I have pushed it to the side in order to try my hand, once again, at finding a "big girl" job.  I'm hoping to use this tool as an organizational tool, and also maybe to keep myself accountable to "readers" if any of them ever show up and stick around.  Maybe some networking, if I'm lucky, and hey maybe even a job before I die!

Tomorrow starts the process of searching, revising resumes, writing cover letters, and finally hitting "send."  Please hold while your blog author attempts to gather enthusiasm. 

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"My banker said I'd have loans until I was 47.  'Forty-seven?' I said, 'Let's aim for dead.'"
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