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.
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.
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